Neelam Saxena Chandra: Poetry (Life, Cognition and Creativity)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

1. THE SEASHORE

On the shore of the sea I rest,

Drinking the ocean of silence;

And like a drunken man I dance,

Entranced and lost in happiness!

The winds harp a poignant tune,

The waves play a soulful melody;

The seagulls join in the chorus,

The night passes by nimbly…

The moon peeps and is bewitched

To hear the heart touching jingles,

How can it stay so far away?

Into the bosom of the sea it nestles!

By the scene’s splendour mesmerized, 

I drop all my masks and veils;

And like an enticed maiden I swallow

Sanguinity from the life’s pails!

***

2. RAINBOWS VANISH

Rainbows Vanish.

When they come

They bring with them

A drizzle of happiness,

A shine of joy,

A twinkle of love.

But rainbows vanish.

Their presence is marked

With a sprinkle of hues

As if a painter

Has painted the milieu

In his fancy.

But rainbows vanish.

Heart sings melodies

As it drapes the rainbow,

Serenity prevails

As the thoughts sit on it

And swing with the breeze.

But rainbows vanish.

And when they disappear

They leave no traces

Neither joy nor happiness

Neither melodies nor serenity-

They simply vanish

As if they never existed.

***

3. MOON AND I

Behind the clouds

Hides the moon pretty,

Cushioning itself 

From the eyes penetrating

Of the obscure.

Its form crescent

Arced like an eye almond shaped

Of a pretty lass 

Innocently flickers at times

Wondering 

Why worldly objects and thoughts

Remain ambiguous and unintelligible.

Just like the moon inquisitive, 

I too sit and ponder

Why so shadowy and veiled

The world is.

***

4. THE NIGHT

The night kept passing by and by…

A spurt of tears

Gushed out relentlessly

And then the eyes

Calmed down 

As if the tears never existed…

The night kept passing by and by…

There was absolute calm

The entire world had slept

The only sounds audible

Were that of the heartbeats

Thumping and Thrashing…

The night kept passing by and by…

The moon, 

My solitary companion

Kept moving inch by inch

Watching me lie down

In the lap of the night with repose…

The night kept passing by and by…

The feeling surreal

Kept me bounded 

To the nectar of night

And I wished

That it never passes by…

***

5. THE BEAUTIFUL SWANS

The swans...

The beautiful swans...

As I watched them

Slowly and merrily waddling

In crystal clear water

With 

Tranquillity twinkling in their eyes

Serenity shining in their sway

And contentment in their composure,

I wondered

What was it

That made them so happy?

As they flapped their wings

And honked and laughed

Enjoying the jolly companionship

Of other fellow swans

Sometimes wading in water 

Making various ebullient formations

And at other times

Coming out

To walk tall on the green grass,

I realized that 

Their happiness emerged

From little expectations they had…

They were satiated 

With the little water in the pool,

The breeze cool,

Insects to eat,

And company to freak...

They desired nothing more and nothing less,

They lived in neither the past nor the future,

They lived 

In that day

That moment 

That instant

And were the most satisfied…

***

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Life, Cognition and Creativity :: Setu, December 2020