Meandering note
POETRY COLUMN
POETRY EDITOR ANANYA S GUHA’S NOTE:
Aruna Dhir’s poems have a meandering note and are marked by lyrical poise and movement. They are philosophical and contemplative. They raise questions regarding relationships and human nature. Ostensibly simple, they are wistful and etched with memorable lines.
~
ILLUSION
Like a whiff of fresh air
you came into my life
And vanished with a sudden sweep of the breeze
Like the soft shining dew
on the face of a petal
You rested on the surface of my palm
But one ray of sunlight
And you just washed away
Like an early morning dream
You blinked on the lashes of my eye
But disappeared into oblivion
With the first woken moment
You were there yesterday
Next to me in flesh and blood
Today you are lost
Wrapped beneath the sands of time
You hummed in my heart
Like a tune echoing in the woods
But amidst worldly din
You turned into silence of the dead
Like a lone, exquisite icicle
You hung from the isolated
corner of my mind
But onslaught of maddening thoughts
And you melted away
Like an illusion harbouring on the subconscious
You played with my life
But a return to reality
And you were nowhere in sight.
~
I AM ANGRY
When I spend a couple of thousands for a meal in a day,
And million mouths feel the pangs of hunger;
I am angry
when I work hard for my living,
And see bureaucratic India setting back the clock
not by hours and days but years and generations;
I am angry
at the bastardization of my culture,
5000 years old and rich in tradition;
I am angry
we wear personas so many,
With no face to back our words;
I am angry
our words have no meaning,
And our speech is dispassionate and hollow;
I am angry
as a country, we instead of blossoming to the world,
Are increasingly becoming inwardly drawn;
I am angry
we have lost our values,
Somewhere in the crowds of a billion;
I am angry
we have double standards,
One for ourselves
and the other for the rest of the world;
I am angry
we sometimes trade our souls,
For lucre and lust
that remain elusive as ever;
I am angry
we are not beleaguered by real problems,
and rage on petty and non-issues;
I am angry
we are presenting a world to our children,
That we did not inherit from our ancestors;
I am angry
we have added to our woes,
By losing the “e” from human;
I am angry
that in order to keep a balance on the surface,
We have stopped to stir up a storm within;
I am angry
we wait for destiny to knock on the door,
And fail to step up and take charge;
I am angry
that in the struggle to survive,
We have lost respect for the world we live in
For the people we live with
And most importantly for our own selves.
~
WATCHING LIFE GO BY
How many times have I stopped to smell the scent of a flower;
How many times have I seen through the clarity of water and peered into my soul;
How many times have I stopped to listen to the silence of the woods;
How many times have I asked ‘How are you?’ then genuinely wanted to know;
How many times have I appreciated the honesty of a child, may have, the bluntness hurt my pride;
How many times have I corrected myself setting other things in order;
How many times have I looked at the complete picture filling in the shades of grey;
How many times have I watched the first rays of the Sun and marvelled at the miracle of life;
How many times have I given a part of me, not for the goodness of it but simply to share;
How many times have I painted my dreams in wet colours not worried about the stains;
How many times have I heard the music and waited long enough listen to the notes;
How many times have I cared to laugh from my heart smile with my eyes;
How many times have I lived life to the fullest not simply watched it go by.
~
WILL THE TIME STOP FOR AWHILE?
Like sand slipping through the fingers,
time trickles while you wish that it lingers;
All appeals lost amidst the din of
seconds, minutes and hours,
Soon disappearing into years as a pleading eye
that precious moment scours;
I have seeds of hope to sow,
and dreams to grow;
Admire the dewdrops on the face of a petal,
and rage towards the sun before the
dust begins to settle;
I’d like to see eyes not steal furtive glances
but sparkle and smile,
Would like to lay stones of good deeds
at every mile;
Time, stop for a while as I take
the myriad hues of the rainbow in,
And chase the waves back into the sea
before you begin to spin;
Time! will you be on my side as I
dust my favourite dancing shoes,
Hold happiness in the cup of my hand
and bury the blues;
Move with me time as I scale
my mountain of ambition,
Give me a hand as, for the values of life,
I polish my passion;
Let me pave the way towards
the road less travelled,
And unravel the desires
in the bosom of my heart so secretly held;
Time, while I live my life,
allow me to make a difference,
Lending a meaning so special
to an otherwise ordinary existence!!!!!
~
MY FATHER AND MOTHER!
My Father lived and died a man,
while I whimper and whine in vain;
My father stood up to challenges
and squared up his shoulders in courage,
While I beat up the dark and the negative
and flare up in rage;
My Father lived a life of responsibility
with arms spread like a giant umbrella,
While I cringe and corners cut
a shame ’am not a patch on the good gone fella;
My Mother spent her life alone
but never was she lonely,
I set out to live amongst a crowd
but remain isolated amidst many;
My Mother took on burdens with glee
and thrived on a sense of duty, merrily,
I trudge along and crush under the weight of goodness
wearing righteousness like a bloody harness;
My Mother abstained from little indulges
and lived a life of divinity,
I crave heights of love and attention
and hark untiringly about faith and conviction;
My Mother preached ’bout the virtues of frugality
while giving thought and lucre to the needy,
I subdue myself to the everyday pleasures
and rein in my mind as with temptations it staggers;
My Mother shunned religion
while giving into spirituality,
I chant mantras a couple of hundred times
and become subservient to idolatry;
My Father and Mother were two of a kind
they lived a life exemplary,
I enslave myself to the emotions of this world
while aspiring to live in the pages of history;
My Father and Mother, now angels in heaven
send blessings and watch over me,
While I live in conflict with the worldly beings
and count the trees as the forest I forget to see.