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A Summer Evening

The sky begins to cloak its face,
Removing every streak of red.
Above, two weary flyers trace
The way back to their bough-held bed.

A boy, awash with joy, returns
Soil-vested from a football field.
To celebrate the victory earned,
He swaggers with his pride revealed.

Along the lined tobacco stands,
Job-holders at long last release
Workloads with cigarettes in their hands,
Exhaling little rings of peace.

Now earthen lamps begin to glow
In homes—it’s time for evening prayer.
Sweet wafts of scented incense flow,
Cleansing the jaded summer air.

first published by Third Wednesday

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Shamik Banerjee is a poet from Assam, India, where he resides with his parents. His poems have been published by Sparks of Calliope, The Hypertexts, Snakeskin, Ink Sweat & Tears, Autumn Sky Daily, Ekstasis, among others. He received second place in the Southern Shakespeare Company Sonnet Contest, 2024.

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12 Responses

  1. Paul A. Freeman

    A lovely snapshot of life.

    Loved the description of the birds, especially.

    Thanks for the read, Shamik.

    Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Wonderful imagery of “A Summer Evening” in India with the sights, sounds, and smells invigorating the senses. I almost felt as though I was there.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      I am very pleased to know this, Mr. Peterson. I’m glad my poem transported you to the actual site. Thank you so much!

      Reply
  3. Joseph S. Salemi

    This poem is very visual, keeping itself free from abstractions and explications. It presents a series of images, but unlike many modernist “imagistic” poems it does not give the reader a mass of disconnected and meaningless images. These verbal pictures are all a part of a clear and rational sequence that shows the end of a day.

    English in India has developed in its own direction, and there may be idiomatic usages that are not common here in the West. The adjectival phrase “soil-vested” is strange to me — I know that in this poem the term “soil-vested” means “made dirty by soil,” but “vested” ordinarily means “strongly or officially connected,” as in the idea of having a vested interest in something.

    Also, in the third quatrain we read of workers who “release workloads,” which must mean that they are stopping their work. That too is unusual to my ears, though it may have developed as an idiom in India.

    It is a beautiful poem, and I especially loved “earthen lamps.” English adjectives ending in -en strike me as singularly lovely, and the use of “earthen” instead of “clay” or “ceramic” or “terracotta” is the perfect choice.

    English is now a universal language, just as Latin was in the Roman Empire. And just as Latin slowly took on local characteristics everywhere, to develop into the various Romance tongues, so also do we see how English will gradually develop in idiosyncratic ways in the many countries where it is now spoken.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      I am so moved by your response to my poem, Mr. Salemi. Yes, there are many words, which I believe, developed and found their use in India. Workload is one. Some others include words like Bungalow, Juggernaut. It’s interesting, as you noted, how every nation births a set of new English words or assign different meanings to some already existing words based on their culture and other factors. Thank you so much once again for this beautiful comment. It motivated me to a great degree. And apologies for the late response.

      Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      I’m happy to know that you me enjoyed reading it, Jeff. Thank you so much!

      Reply
  5. Cynthia Erlandson

    Very lyrical, with beautifully-described images. Like Paul, I loved the lines about the birds. “Bough-held bed” is a great way to succinctly depict the place to which they are returning on this evening.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      To be honest, I personally admire this part too. I appreciate you reading and commenting, Cynthia. God bless.

      Reply
  6. Margaret Coats

    A peace-inspiring poem, Shamik, beautifully structured by the progression of a few well-selected images. You begin with the sky (including birds), go on to a boy, proceed to working men, and conclude with light beginning to glow from earth because the sun has set. The fourth stanza emphasizes the peace theme which was explicitly named in the third, by mentioning prayer and incense purifying the air. These few choice images build your summer evening from a vast array of material you could have chosen, and gradually reveal the theme as each stanza brings it out in a different way. Masterfully done!

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      You have correctly captured the pith of my poem, Margaret. I honestly didn’t see the “peace” angle contained here but after reading your commenting, it became apparent to me. Your perceptive ability is unparalleled and is a great blessing to us poets. Many many thanks for your gift. God bless!

      Reply

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