The Ocean in the Lake
At Pangong, You had turned philosophical The infinite gradients of blues, The thinness of the Karakoram’s air Or just the sheer magnitude Had triggered a change And your eyes, Had turned darker than The shadows of the Galaxy Spotted here at night Don’t you see, you whisper – This is not a Lake any more But a Sea, an Ocean Yes, I nod, large indeed The largest of the mountain lakes But no - even this is not enough for you Not just the present, you counter But a trace of the ancient past A drop of turquoise Left behind in a capsule of time Tethys, you explain Memories of Tethys that was always here Until engulfed by the hungry plates Only a mirage remains. You look at me The waters ripple in your placid eyes For me to eternal wonder Which one had shimmers more Why? You yearn me to ask - Is it that, despite these dreams of pristine ice, Truth bleeds in turquoise tears And in the meltwate...
