I Cannot But Write These Lines

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As smog of hate blankets this earth

Elephants storm out of jungles

Ravaging towns of ours*

The black night smiles with starry dimples

I cannot but write these lines

 

As soldiers fly abroad to kill and be killed

Death’s talon picks up starving laborers one by one

In the silent Red Bank Tea-garden**

White Jasmine makes the night fragrant

I cannot but write these lines

 

As darkness breeds darkness in living

This planet starves for a drop of light

Malala rises singing aloud the change

"One child, one teacher, one pen, one book" makes

I cannot but write these lines

 

 

*Recently the incident took place in the State where I live. Shortage of food is driving the poor Pachyderms mad.

**Another recent incident in our State

 

Posted for Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

Design

courtesy: PU

We have been open

To all the patterns around us

From precision of the season’s pirouette,

To the orbital dance of the cosmic orbs

To each cell’s magical journey

From Birth to death

If there is ‘tyger’*

There is also ‘lamb’

An absolute heaven everywhere

No chaos anywhere at all

We are given a bit of free will too

The choice is ours

The Designer is not without humor

                     

*I used Blake’s spelling of tiger

 

Posted for Susan’s Midweek Motif ~ Design @ Poets United

Arundhati- Vashishtha

courtesy: google image

At night

When Holy Fire is lit

The newlyweds take seven steps

Around it

They look up at you

For your blessings

O Arundhati and Vashishtha*

Now that the knot has been tied with love

Ages pass

You are there forever

So is the benediction

 

 

*Mizar and Alcor form a naked eye double star in the handle of the Big Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Major. Mizar is known as Vasistha and Alcor is known as Arundhati in traditional Indian astronomy.^[8] The pair is considered to symbolize marriage (Vashishtha and Arundhati were a married couple) and, in some Hindu communities, priests conducting a wedding ceremony allude to or point out the constellation as a symbol of the closeness marriage brings to a couple.-- Wikipedia

 

 

Posted for Star Light Star Bright – dVerse Poetics 

Come Winter

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Cheers to the soft feathery winter clouds

Wrapping me up with their nippy breath

My burnt skin longs for their cool caress

And my eyes for the chrysanthemum smile

 

The sun’s tender downs with the silken touch

Apologize for the rough summer’s rage

I forgive, forget the haughty sun

While my ears catch the note of exotic birds

 

My Neem tree leaves bid me goodbye

Frogs and geckos’ eyes be heavy with sleep

Serpents are home with droopy eyes

Golden mustered field delightfully sways

 

Come winter, stay and before you part

Nurture and cool my burnt heart

 

 

Posted for Poetry Pantry #282 @ Poets United

 

Red & White

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The six colors of the huge bow in the sky

Shifted to the Red band

Staining them with the hue

Then came down on this Earth

As one red butterfly

Sitting on a white rose

 

I was amazed to see

 

How the bright red wings

Were slowly transforming them into alphabets

Until a word was formed:

GARISSA!*

O Lord!

 

How to change those stony hearts

Into the soft petals

Of a fragrant love

To turn this nightmare

Of a world

Into a honeyed cote

Of the White Dove?

 

 

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*A total of 147 people were shot dead in a terror attack at Garrisa University, Kenya, this year. Most of the victims were students. It’s a gruesome sight to see the walls of the rooms stained with their dried up blood. Many of whom were first generation university goers with the rainbow-dreams of supporting their family in future.

 

Posted for Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Colors

Man

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I smell blood

Everywhere

Mother Earth is bleeding profusely

So are Her children

 

I hear the frightening footsteps

Of the Frankenstein Monster

All over the world

Squashing Beauty under feet

 

My food is salty, wet

With tears of our farmers

Who are crushed and crunched

With iron teeth of debt

 

I see the violent rage

Of El Nino

Drowning Chennai

 

Yet

Despite all this

 

My hand

Craves that soft touch

Of the Babe of Light

Our future Man

 

Who will be

A Man

 

A true Human

 

Posted for Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

Energy

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The consciousness that dances

In the tiniest feet of the ant

To carry its food triple its size

Is given to me also

I build my home

And also my food

With words

“Praise be to God

Praise be, praise be praise be”*

 

 

*The lines are from the lyrics of the national anthem of Zambia.

 

Posted for Susan’s Midweek Motif ~ Energy, Vitality @ Poets United

Black Hole

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It’s a sun,

And not a fly

Yet it’s trapped in the web

Of a super massive spider

While being slowly eaten

It struggles to survive

Streams of stellar debris

Come out like sighs

Death spares none

You may be a star

Or a fly

 

Posted for Poetry Pantry @ PoetsUnited

River

candlelit leaf boat courtesy google image

Haridwar

A piece of heaven on earth

Made holy by a few drops of Amrita*

Here flows the Ganga

The Goddess in Her river form

Giving Moksha** She washes the sin of her children

Who take a dip in her bosom

Pilgrims in millions stream there

For a touch of the Ganga

I was once among the millions

When the setting sun tinged Her body ochre

Like everyone I sailed my candlelit leaf boat

Carrying a pilgrim’s wish

Pinned with a dream was your name

A year after, to me, you came

 My child, you made this life a dream

 

*The elixir of immortality. In Hindu Mythology once the gods and demons churned the ocean. The process released many things. Amrita was one of them.

 

**Freedom from the cycle of death and birth

 

 

Posted for Poets United Midweek Motif ~ River

Art

courtesy: Bjorn Rudberg

I chisel to create you

Offspring you are

Of my soul

You are my desire

My passion

My joy

My refuge

My existence

I will live

With you

Here

Forever

                                             

Posted for dVerse Poetics – Carved in Stone hosted by Bjorn 

Fire

In this fiery place I dwell

Where the blue is blazing

Flowers are still on fire

Flame of life flickering

 

Where the blue is blazing

Ember of grief lingers

The soul is smoldering

Flowers are still on fire

Bees, butterflies rushing

Thinking honey-days as never ending

 

Flame of life flickering

Dreaming of celestial fire of love

To wrap the burning soul

 

                                                                       

Posted for Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Fire

Terrorist

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The seed is deeply buried in heart

A time will come when it will burst

What will it bring forth, a song?

A rose? But only a dream of ammunition

 

A time will come when it will burst

Into language unknown

Nurtured by scorching heat of hatred             

 

What will it bring forth, a song?

Worded by lethal thorny prick

Crooned by voice that can’t sing of

 

A rose? But only a dream of ammunition

The seed has cracked the earth

And paused eyeing us all

 

Posted for MTB – Trimeric Form @ dVerse

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Shared with Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

Teacher

courtesy: PU

Words that come from Teacher

Quiver with life

Touch us

Make us alive

To the world around us

We look up

Recognize our Guru

We are prepared

To walk with him

From darkness to light

                  

               

Posted for Susan’s Midweek Motif ~ Teacher, One Who Teaches @ PoetsUnited

Towards Light

courtesy google image: by Khalil Gibran

This life is a child’s play with a doll house, at least for me. I had been playing like the luminous clouds hiding the sun, like the lunar smile outshining the sequined sky. Everyone is my playmate. I have played through squabbles and reconciliation, dislike and love. Like a river dancing along its banks and rushing seaward I’ve touched and been touched even by those whom I haven’t met and flowing towards the infinite with the hope of Seeing Thou, my ultimate Playmate. My doll’s house is broken though and the doll gone. Yet play is not done.

 

The past a thin mist

I sit by the radiant path

Eyes towards a light

 

The quote I chose: Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream

 

Posted for Haibun Monday 2 @ dVerse

To Him

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Celestial Bird of light

Thou art so rarest

Few fortunate souls

Find you

Recognize you

Follow you

They are the salt of the earth

Thou art born not only for them

But for us too

The worldly beings

Do we care?

Thou art our path to immortality

Do we care?

We are starving souls

Yet your words are manna dew

To appease hunger

Do we care?

No

We cling to this world

We kill

Crucify

Our tongues are fire made

Heart of hatred

We speak

In the language of bullet

Our hands are made of Kalashnikov

Yet thou love us still

Thou hast kept us alive

So that we may look up and find you

But……

Do we really care?

 

Posted for Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

My Prayer

prayer flags: source

All my senses are weary of light, life

I look up to you dearest dark rest

Soothe my soul with thy healing touch

Let my eyes see not

Ears hear not

Tongue speak not

Let thy soft cool hands of love

Take away the hatred that corroded all cells

Let my warring earthly home

Be embraced by your peace made hands

Let us all recover

From this disease of Death

 

 

Posted for Susan’s Midweek Motif ~ Recovery / Healing @ Poets United

Fashion

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I look at Nature’s dancing feet

Allegro they sing

She moves from summer to fall

To winter to spring

Her looks and exquisite garments

Continue changing

From green to fiery to white to rainbow

Hope and joy they bring

 

 

Posted for Margaret’s hosting Play It Again, Toads! @ Real Toads

 

I combined two archived challenges Ella's Edge - Fashion and A Word with Laurie - Allegro: Eight Lines, One Minute!

 

&

                    

Sharing it with Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

Choice

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Life is given.

 

The tree, roots down the dark earth

Shoots up to the luminous sky,

Branches out,

Stands the storm,

Bears fruit, sustenance,

Harbors life.

Its soul is made of forbearance,

Mercy and forgiveness.

 

Man hacks, chops, puts it to death

Yet it dreams for the wellbeing of others.

 

Mother Nature in her tree body

Shows the way

To live this earthly life.

 

We could be like it

Making this birth meaningful

 

Our choice.

 

Posted for Mary’s Midweek Motif ~ Choice @ Poets United

Not Everyone is Happy

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She dabbed some white fluffy cloud

On the endless blue canvas

I was watching Her

She sprinkled sun dust all over the place

Shiny fronds began to sway by Her soft breath

I was watching Her

She was weaving beauty

With lotus, sheuli, Kash*

I was watching Her

Stream of joy flowed from the cup of Her hands

This is Mother Durga’s** homecoming

Happiness is in the air

Oh! How I miss you!

 

sheuli flowers

Kash/kans grass

*flowers of Bengal that bloom during autumn

**This is also the time for worshipping Durga who is our eternal mother. The festival marks the victory of Good over Evil. Early Autumn does prepare this homecoming of Mother Durga.

 

 

Posted for Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

Let Your Song Be Delicate

courtesy: PU

Let your words flow

From the crystal heart spring

Shimmering in truth’s glow

 

Let your dreams bloom

With the soft fragrance of joy

Dispelling all thorny gloom

 

Let your soul sing

In chrysalis voice

And eternal beauty spring

 

Posted for Rosemary’s Midweek Motif ~ ‘Let your song be delicate’ or not@ Poets United