Saturday, 25 July 2015

This Poem Is.......

photo by Margaret @ Real Toads

                     I

This poem has abyss eyes

Of the blistering souls

Who live on burnt landscape of suicide*

Yet dreaming of the sky to melt into blue water

And douse the hunger-flame in each gut

This poem is a groan

 

                     II

This poem pulls each groan to unite

Against the hot powdery earth

And birth deep ponds, trap rains, heed to BAIF

Whose labor of love would give magic yearns

To weave dreams of higher life

This poem is a battle-cry

 

                     III

This poem shows how magic was wrought

How soil’s wrath mellowed into green dreams

How drought’s vengeance was on the back foot

How prosperity embraced one and all

How every atom danced to the rhythm of life

This poem is a victory

 

                     IV

This poem is a groan of despaired souls

This poem is their united battle-cry

This poem is the magical victory of Man


*In 2012, the National Crime Records Bureau of India reported 13,754 farmer suicides. India is an agrarian country with around 60% of its people depending directly or indirectly upon agriculture. Farmer suicides account for 11.2% of all suicides in India.[1] Activists and scholars have offered a number of conflicting reasons for farmer suicides, such as monsoon failure, high debt burdens, genetically modified crops, government policies, public mental health, personal issues and family problems.[4][5][6] There are also accusation of states fudging the data on farmer suicides. Source: Wikipedia.

 

 I used the No. 3 prompt Imagined by Hannah "Boomerang Metaphors"

Posted for Margaret’s Play it Again, Toads @ Real Toads

 &

 Shared with Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

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36 comments:

  1. Anonymous25 July 2015 at 23:51

    This poem is a groan... beautifully said.

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  2. Old Egg26 July 2015 at 00:16

    Love of the land is not enough anymore now there are trials and tribulations that once farmers could cope with such as the change of weather but not any more with debt and governmental control and constant pressure.

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  3. Anonymous26 July 2015 at 01:06

    this poem sums up the muse which inspires the lines which come from the groan - unique and well woven

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  4. Jae Rose26 July 2015 at 01:11

    The glory of words is that they can mean many things all under one sky...they speak for us..for others..are heard in different ways..understood in different ways and yet despite the variations they are a unity..a celebration of being..rising above but acknowledging both the hardships and magic of life..

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  5. totomai26 July 2015 at 01:39

    Such a powerful write Sumana, there are lots of stories to be told among the farmers as well as the farm land itself.

    I liked the way you divided the poem into 3 main parts - struggles to victory.

    I remember the film Peepli Live

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  6. dsnake126 July 2015 at 02:10

    and debt is pushing all these farmers overseas to work in more risky/labour intensive jobs like construction and cable laying.
    this is a powerful write, Sumana.

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  7. Sanaa Rizvi26 July 2015 at 02:57

    To weave dreams of higher life
    This poem is a battle-cry

    These are such beautiful & powerful lines.. I shall join you in this battle cry and hope that our dreams come true. Well penned!

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  8. Mary26 July 2015 at 04:07

    I think a farmer's life is a hard life...and I like how this poem showed us their plight as well as their victory. Farmers everywhere need government support, I think, as we all depend on them. I appreciated this insightful look at this issue! I wonder how the figures of farmer suicide compare with other other countries.

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  9. Vinay Leo R.26 July 2015 at 04:11

    I liked all the verses, Sumana, but most of all the first. It made me think that those poor souls who go to heaven still dream of the sky to melt into water so their fellow sufferers get some relief. It had in it, endless yearning and hope. I pray for them.

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  10. magiceye26 July 2015 at 05:27

    Speechless

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  11. Purba chakraborty26 July 2015 at 06:24

    Beautiful. Such piercing words!

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  12. kaykuala26 July 2015 at 08:15

    You brought out the plight of farmers most convincingly Sumana! It is a pity that they are at the receiving end when their contributions are not given due recognition! Wonderful write!

    Hank

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  13. Gillena Cox26 July 2015 at 08:20

    Wow. A plethora of mood s all sacred to the human soul. Wonderful gut wrenching write Sumana

    Much love...

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  14. Torie26 July 2015 at 08:26

    Very poignant words, Sumana!

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  15. Margaret26 July 2015 at 08:50

    Abyss eyes ... Some too worn down to continue the battle. I hope and pray for victory. Odds seem overwhelming. A poem that sets one back on their heels to think...

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  16. Kerry O'Connor26 July 2015 at 09:21

    This is a poem with a powerful message. Your choice of words really highlights the strength of character needed to persevere in trying times. I also like the way you set out your boomerang poem.

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  17. scotthastiepoet26 July 2015 at 09:24

    Love the power of 'abscess eyes' Sumana and its corollary you achieve here with lines like: "...how magic was wrought
    How soil’s wrath mellowed into green dreams..." Deep and thought provoking, as always...

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  18. Audrey Howitt aka Divalounger26 July 2015 at 09:25

    Such a powerful piece Sumana--I have heard a bit about this --so very sad

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  19. Anonymous26 July 2015 at 11:19

    You've taken Hannah's form and added your own wonderful tweak to it. Powerful piece.

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  20. Magaly Guerrero26 July 2015 at 11:34

    There is so much power in the progression of the last three lines; sadness... and hope.

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  21. Myrna R.26 July 2015 at 11:43

    This poem is powerful, full of emotion and it's groan goes to the heart. Sad poem, so well written Sumana.

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  22. Anonymous26 July 2015 at 11:49

    Love this form. It really works to make you see and feel what the words are all about,

    Elizabeth

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  23. J.N.T.26 July 2015 at 11:54

    oh my, this truly was triumphant. i am however sad as to who it was written for. tears.

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  24. Donna26 July 2015 at 13:27

    This poem's groan leads to a battle-cry...wow...this is a powerful poem!

    Donna@LivingFromHappiness

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  25. Hannah26 July 2015 at 13:37

    What a moving and important poem...the use of the Boomerang especially the closing stanza really brings the message across powerfully.

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  26. Sherry Blue Sky26 July 2015 at 15:07

    So powerful - "this poem is a groan"....sobering statistics about the high rate of suicides in the agriculture industry. It is a wonderful way of life, when done as it used to be done - agribusiness now makes it difficult for small farmers to survive.

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  27. Wendy Bourke26 July 2015 at 15:53

    I think farmer's everywhere are struggling. The economics of farming is often, very much, out of the farmer's control - more so all the time - and that which we cannot control or influence is the hardest burden to accept. A very poignant and well rendered piece, Sumana.

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  28. Eileen T O'Neill .....26 July 2015 at 16:43

    Sumana,

    So many sad people who work to try and provide a life for their families and find that it cannot be sustained these days...In Wales, UK, many sheep farmers fall into despair and suicide, with the poor financial returns for all their efforts..A subject given a strong voice with your poem Sumana.
    Eileen

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  29. Other Mary26 July 2015 at 20:27

    Such an important topic. And this is a wonderfully constructed poem. One of my favorites of yours.

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  30. Ella26 July 2015 at 20:36

    This poem haunts-as it should for all the souls who have lost their battles~ Yes, well done!

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  31. C.C.26 July 2015 at 20:53

    I love the way this poem starts as a groan, grows into a battle cry and culminates in a victory. Very clever and effectively done!!

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  32. Rosemary Nissen-Wade26 July 2015 at 21:24

    Well might this poem have 'abyss eyes' on confronting such appalling facts. These subjects so need to be written of and aired publicly.

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  33. Gen Giggles 27 July 2015 at 05:21

    Well written, a sobering poem when you think on it

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  34. X27 July 2015 at 11:34

    When I think of farmers I always think of faith, of being in relation with the land and dependent on the mercy of the storms and the harvest. So if it were true, I would look to that - a faltering faith perhaps. Interesting approach to the poem as well.

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  35. Anonymous29 July 2015 at 08:04

    A very interesting and unique approach to the prompt--really well done Sumana, very sad facts related. K.

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  36. Susie Clevenger29 July 2015 at 21:41

    So much to break the heart in this piece, but yet it is beautiful. I love you interpretation of the form.

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