QUILL QUEST

Friday, March 18, 2011

S.H.E.

After spending moments...looking to and through the greens...lines I would share:

She was transplanting saplings
Leading a host of agri-workers
Singing, crooning or humming
I could not decipher from my place;
Place! Yes a mound of my own lethargy
From which I watched mankind at work
In the generative earth.

I saw her bent back, golden legs
Half sunk in the fertile slush
Her hands moved like lightning
From side to side, up and down
Promising food for mankind.
Her sweat-soaked saree tied
Securely to her waist
Pressed to her knees, forearms
Tattooed by mud and blades of grass.

I moved out, - it was so easy!
I ran; Yes I ran neither chased nor chasing
I ran in that mud and slush
Avoiding the planted seedlings
Ignoring the hey! Hey! Of the planters.
I stood panting before her
Equidistant from life and death

I said...

“I know who you are now!”

She looked up: Her face spattered
And splashed with patterns of slush!
On her forehead the Great Bear
Her hair winnowed by the sunlit air
Was a waving canopy of a benign sky;

Her cheeks bore the kisses of the earth,
Her nose balancing the twinkling eyes
Was the fulcrum of the dance of life.
She pursed her scarlet lips perhaps to speak
Then closed it with the words, “you know me how?”

Her eyes looked at me questioning -
“After uncountable centuries! After
Million births and billion deaths?”
I looked around to listen
No, not body or eyes or lips spoke
But I heard what I thought she spoke.

“Who am I then? She finally asked.

You are SHE, you are SHE

SHE?

“Source of Human Energy”

She stood up laughing breathlessly.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

IN THE LASTING SILENCE - "A HOPE"

On My Uncle's Death

You have settled above, watching over

Each one (you left behind), giving cover

From rain and Sun, as you'd have done

If you were still here - among us, one.

We miss the smile, the mirth and the joy,

The kind heart akin to that of a boy

And though we have mourned their loss

You know we want for us back all those.

Guided by moon light, you come to stand

And touch sleeping heads with blessing hand;

You bloom in the silence of our sleep,

Make memories vivid, jewels forever to keep.

Days blur, memories haze, faces overlap

But still in dreams at night or a day's nap,

You seal within us, hidden behind Time,

Memories of you rare to again find.

So Time, take no pride, for we believe

You would soon revive what you bereave;

Guiding the soul inside, a ray would make way

And with hope we will all wait for the day.

FIRE & WATER

Fire and Water once met on the hedge-

Fire flared, Water hissed, to acknowledge

Fire's to Water what snake's to snake-catcher,

But they can still keep what's most to matter.

Fire and Water played delicate games-

Burning and quenching amidst the flames;

The Contest played even for most the while,

For one winning would make It all futile.

Water soon loathed Fire's searing heat,

While his stock drained, lightening his feet;

Before long, he refused to play further,

Grew his indifference, cloaking his torture.

So Fire then grew three-fold in fiery,

And Water slunk away entirely-

Fire beat about like a ghost possessed,

Water pondered what kept Fire obsessed...

***

Water wouldn't know even if he froze

That all Fire craves is Water's approach,

For the burning throughout soul and body

Can only quench in Water's custody.

Friday, August 14, 2009

BACK-STAB

Ah friendship! To what depths can you plummet,

In the advent of your sombre twilight?

Does your back oozing red not highlight

The stark imminence of your sorry death?

Time was when you fed your morsels of faith

To a parched palate lying stripped of taste;

But all now fills this drab expanse of waste

Is the portent of your lumbering wraith!

Yes, I, the wretched king of 'ungrateful's,

Has seen you writhing in my betrayal,

Despite your standing by gold-tinted rules-

All of which- now consigned to history,

Has, doubtless, enticed the friend disloyal

To stab your back to end your misery.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

WHEN TEARS SHALL HAVE JUSTICE BORNE

Cry you not dear, shed not in vain tears,

And drop not your shoulders often,

For then, your own zillion faceless fears,

You merely let quickly embolden!

Let instead your eyes brightly capture

The muted rumblings in million heads,

Souls of which shall ne'er feel the rapture

Of taste of bread, or a wink on beds...

Beds, the likes of which you daily grace,

Are but wishful thoughts best swept aside

For 'nother birth on Earth's ruthless face,

So why not stifle the dream inside?

Yeah, why not inside, the emptiness?

Left behind by man's fervent rampage

Turning greenly grass to concrete mess-

Halt, witness mankind's 'coming-of-age'!

And what woe 'coming-of-age' entails

For the trodden down,is in your eyes,

So if you must cry, then pick their trails

And shed your tears for their muted cries!

Your fears shall then break asunder,

And each piece for each man shall adorn

A shield resisting meek surrender,

And then, your tears shall have justice borne.

POETIC JUSTICE

You are famous as a poet,

respected, honored & weighed.

Don’t you feel guilty

indulging in sinful infidelity?

You are a human, so fallible

with instinctive urges insatiable.

Don’t you feel the burden of social concession

on your poetic aberration?

You write on social shame,

veil yourself & save your fragile fame.

Don’t your fingers tire

Gaming long as facile liar?

You are an aged criminal

insensitively murdering manly morale.

There is no fair trial to prove you innocent.

Write on what you are & accept it as your punishment.

Monday, May 25, 2009

A SERENADE...by a GIRL

[Night Queen gestured a goodbye kiss

Decieved dusk out & seduced me in.

'Hope' dragged me deep into her

Only to sense love & time to pause,

The earth shook in delightful swagger,

The leafy sky patches engraved the amour.

Rang the bells of love’s dawn song

To embellish the earth with love.

I crafeted a dream to vain creation,

Prolong the history of mortality,

Hold back Night Queen in possession,

Wet her in my unsatiated flames of expectation.]

“Hey Night Queen...fling & spread your arms

Cast them wide & bar the spying sun.

Let me love my love under your veil

Make it warm & do not bewray,

Play the tune, O forlorn night’s bird

Dim you & save my grace, O stars above.

Live long the Night Queen & record on reign

Deepen enough the love’s Poseidon's realm.

Enslave us within it & sentence forever bondage,

Bind us both & bless us with trust,

Worry not, I realise you have it in shortage,

Our love will grow trust & you hoard it undamaged”.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I'LL WAIT...

The autumn leaves have blown away,

which used to grow once on trees,

the beautiful moments I once spent with you,

have now just become memories.

The bird has spread its wings out

and flown into the open world,

Oh, when... when will it return

to its loving heart!!!

The world may say anything

my virgin soul will always disagree,

I have captived you in my heart

and I can't set you free.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

LABOUR PAIN

“Push.....Push....Yes...Yes...Push it harder.”
“Is it out??”
“No. Sigh!!!”
“Give it another try. You will soon see a new face.”
And my final ordeal began. The empyrean excitement to hold for the first time, a life which I could say is OURS, filled me with a tremendous flow of fluid to make it even easier for me. I could feel the uncontrolable urge to push it out as fast as possible. All women out there would understand. I could fancy a happy complete family of mine. I just needed to push it a little harder. It was choking me heavily to death, but still I was ready to take all fear & pain for the sweet dream I saw. I was scared to hurt the new one while I clambered. Each time I tried to push, it came out to the tip of my tongue.... but, again slickly slipped back all the way deep into my heart as I drank away my saliva to slacken my strained nerves.
“Could you let it out this time?”
“No. I couldn’t”.
"But what went wrong this time???"
My words tried to come out kicking back at my heart with all force. But I could not speak out a single word. With a bated breath, I kept struggling to say. They kept encouraging me. But my fear to face something unacceptable held me back... What if I give birth to a dead child??? And what if the child is derelicted by this cruel world??? I knew...the longer I held it back, the remote became my chances to feel the first touch of a new RELATIONSHIP. I left it to time & fate knowing that it would be even painful for me to helplessly witness my apprehensions come true than to keep struggling with my words forever inside. I am still going through LABOUR PAIN.

Monday, May 4, 2009

I THINK...IT WAS BETTER

The numb, pale old body

I gazed at the face, so blue

gazed at the veins

so prominent...stuck to the body outside

so cold & hard from inside.

Oh heaven! Oh heaven! hold on,

cure the body or else take on.

Such pain & sorrow

that clouded over him

as if he was reciting his last hymn.

Better take up the life

or take away his life.

Address death to pain

which would be justice done

but no more restrain.

Life is a game of god

two options to avail...losing life

or searching peace in pain.

Now let the soul rest in peace

reward his pain with a life in heaven.

Those eyes with tears of pearl on a faded face

had to part forever from the nameless grace.

Don't hold back this time...for I'll be the one to cheer much

at the final medal of life he wins

at his last breath...