If Not For Clouds...

Bangalore skies this March have inspired me to write this poem.

What is Sunrise
If not for clouds in the skies?
What is a clear sky?
An endless monotony of blue void..

Clouds
With a silver lining
Dividing the Sun into
Infinite beams and shafts of light

An extensive group of tiny feathers
Well marked in their arrangement
Like the scales of a fish
Giving the sky a name - Mackerel sky

Ah! The pattern!
Like foamy ripples on the surface
Of a tranquil lake
Adorning the naked sky
With ornamentation

Ah! The purpose!
Trees in heavens
Thick and dense
Casting shadows
The size of mountains and kingdoms
Giving respite from
The tedium of the Sun

Ah! The colour!
Soaked in honey, milk, rose water and sandal
Drenched with silver, gold, saffron and lilac
Sprinkled with turmeric, lavender and vermillion
Against a canvas of ink, cobalt, ashes
Or a solution of copper sulphate

What is Sunrise
In an empty sky?
And what is the drama of Sunset
If not for embellishments of clouds on the sets?