The icy air thins and sharpens,
the chrome light takes the better of me.
I abandon myself to the night around—
mumble meaningless sentences—
the absurdity of my own words
keeps me going.
I sit on ice, stare into the riverbed—
clear, clear pebbles lying beneath
reminisce a thousand stories—
all beginnings and endings diluted.
At one with the elements,
I make roots in ice.
My shadow looms tall
across the steep rock-face—
I perform to the winds.
Trapped in ice like little clouds,
white bubble balloons beneath my feet.
I cloud-walk.
The icy air thins and sharpens
The icy air thins and sharpens
Deepti Naval
Deepti Naval, an acclaimed actor who has acted in more than sixty films, was born in northern India. Her poetry books include Lamha-Lamha in Hindi and Black Wind and Other Poems in English, and her next poetry book, The River & I, is forthcoming. As a painter and photographer, she has exhibited her work widely. She lives in Mumbai.
