By Badri RainaGargoyles loom from the firmament,
Monstrous mouths at the ready—
Will the flood they will spew
Be of blood, or rain that is heady?
A billion eyes look askance
At a circumstance
That may see reptiles retake the earth,
Or peacocks in nuptial dance.
A draught of dread souls sears
Into a primal-parched wilderness.
Will the gods abstain again,
Or a new earth and heaven bless?
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Badri Raina is a well-known commentator on politics, culture and society. His columns on the Znet have a global following. Raina taught English literature at the University of Delhi for over four decades and is the author of the much acclaimed Dickens and the Dialectic of Growth. He has several collections of poems and translations. His writings have appeared in nearly all major English dailies and journals in India.
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