Souvik Chakraborty’s poem Rail Station at Midnight appeared here in December 2013.

Struggle
By Souvik Chakraborty

Sunlight fades away, the shadows get longer.
The field is uneven, the crowd looks hostile.
Still, the batsman does not lose hope, his heart stays strong,
Though he faces certain defeat, he holds on to his smile.

Night comes early, but the wounded gladiator carries on.
He fights the battle with every muscle and sinew.
In spite of his uphill task, his fears are at bay.
The arena is awful as the bloodbath continues.

The tired soldier looks up to see the stars in the sky
Are applauding him and encouraging him to be strong.
Though his body is bloody and battered, he refuses to die.
He is determined to see it through, return to where it began.

So goes the eternal struggle, there is really no respite.
The situation is often gloomy, we see no way out of it.
Yet we give everything we have, we put up a valiant fight,
Remaining strong inside the belly of the beast, we never quit.