Softly Reassuring

In the barn the cattle’s breath

floats, a warm mist touched by

the smell of dung and straw.

In the fold, the sheep huddle,

their rhythmic bleating, softly

reassuring.

In the farm kitchen a red glow

throws shadowy flames

flickering across the walls.

Wet boots dry out on the hearth.

The sound of snow, softly

reassuring.

From the warm parlour

the notes of a piano

sound out

over the white wilderness;

old, familiar tunes, softly

reassuring.

BIO

Sarah Das Gupta is a poet from Cambridge, UK who has taught English in India and Tanzania

as well as UK. She began writing aged 80, following a disabling accident. Her work has been

published in over twenty countries in many magazines and anthologies. She has recently been

nominated for Best of the Net and a Dwarf Star.