Thoughts in a Garden * Crimson glow of the morning sun Along the rosy horizon Set ablaze the floating clouds With edges embroidered In flaming gold, Ushered in a brilliant dawn. Sunbeams on the mountain slopes Uncovered valleys verdant and Gurgling streams: Darting rays through gnarled trees Adorned with foliage of emarald green, Illumined the serene garden scene. Genial warmth of the morning sun Opened rows and rows of white jasmine And filled the air with fragrance sweet While mother nature sprinkled Smiles in a shower of roses Of delicate hues. Hummingbirds and honey-bees Hovered over colourful flowers Big and small. Shy flowers,like blushing brides, Allured passersby to pause A while and admire their beauty And bewitching smile. Basking in sunshine under The azure sky and stretching On grass in chequered shades, My questioning mind Probed in vain, The enigma of nature's creation, Its amazing harmony And violent ire And the aim of evolving human life: Eager to grasp what the future holds, Indulged in reveries undisturbed, oblivious of Fortune's ebb and tide Until twilight showed The early stars And the evening shadows looming large, Restrained my restless mind. In darkness dissolved the lovely scene. Soon, the vision of rapture Was a waking dream: A foretaste of life merging With the cosmic stream! **. M.G.N.Murthy Hyderabad, India.