A rabbit inside the moon

Sultry nights got cousins and I to the terrace to sleep every night

As kids we enjoyed the time together

Watching the sky 

Connecting every cloud to a country or a continent!

Lying down, we'd tell each other:

Hey look, this one resembles India

Kashmir to Kanyakumari-

The geography is just right!

And that one, slightly wide with a tapering end-

Is totally like North America...!

Just before we shut our eyes,

One peek towards the moon-

And we spot a rabbit inside it!

Sensing cliffs and craters could be what everyone else does

But as a child, I always saw a rabbit, perched on the surface of the moon

Years have passed by, I have evolved with time,

So have states in India increased in number 

Yet the rabbit still remains- perched- 

I can see its long ear lobes

Against the background of the whitish-grey backdrop:

The moon- with a rabbit inside!