Tika Ram Khanal
In the New Year,
The flowers would bloom
Like the moon
Of the night
But, now-
That garden is deserted
Those cooing cuckoos
Have migrated
Beyond the horizons,
Singing the songs
Of their immortal love.
No more piles of firewood
In the new year, now
Those stories of grandparents
Cannot be heard
Sitting around the fire;
That warmth has been replaced
By the electric heaters
And,
Those legends are replaced
By television reality shows.
Those old mates
Who would meet
In the New Year
Are now busy
Drawing their fates.
Those home-cooked
Delicious meals are now
In the plastic- coated form.
Oh! Nowadays,
Everything has changed
Even relationships
Have been replaced
By the new ones.
I also used to
Wish ‘New Year’
By coloring the postcards
But now,
Expressing these words—
‘Happy New Year!’
[Tika Ram Khanal completed his master’s degree in English from Tribhuvan University, in 2016, and started teaching English for living. At present, he teaches at Janamaitri Multiple Campus, Kuleshwor, Kathmandu. He has passion for writing short stories, poems and essays, both in English and Nepali. He has got his creations published in many journals and online media.]
