Poems by Vatsala Radhakeesoon

Vatsala Radhakeesoon
The River’s Poetess

By the River of Happiness,
I often meet a poetess,
She has been blessed with
beauty like that of a goddess,
Her smile is as innocent as a child
shinning in dawn’s  freshness

Sometimes she jumps
from rock to rock,
At times she rests
her right ear
on the flowing water

“What are you doing?”
I can’t help asking her

“I’m a child of Nature”
she usually says,
With a divine pen
gifted to me by Athena,
I daily write poems
on  water,
Then the powerful winds
carry them at
the depth of the river;

You have to let your ear
caress the water  all-clear,
and listen, listen with
both  mundane eyes closed
but opening the inner eyes
like those of greatest seers;
You will hear, all the time hear
my poems beings read aloud
by mystical water-nymphs
in a voice somewhat musical,
in a voice from the land of No Fear”

Mesmerized am I
by this river’s poetess,
Now, for many years
I have known her,
She understands my aims
and fears,

We have become
the best of friends –
Moi – the poetess
surrounded by endless
worries, desires and ambitions
of fast-moving urban life,
and Elle – the poetess
all free , carefree and stress-free
constantly connected to blissful
tropical greenness of rural life.


Love

O Love!
First, you showed me
your fangs,
Lies,
Betrayal,
Misunderstanding,
Scorn,
Shallowness

Clouds of  Sufferings
poured  in my heart,
My mind danced
under illusory tunes,
Thoughts and judgments
cried under the tree
of  misbalance ,

O Love!
In my life,
for years
you stood as
unpractical Madness.

O Love!
But now ,
what are all these?
You show me
the sun of wisdom,
the blue sky of
mystical eternal love,
the warm hugs of
roses, sunflowers
and humble trees
The rainbow of peace
sings in my heartbeats,
My mind is itself
a joyful garden of solace,
Thoughts and perceptions
no longer master me
O Love!
In my life,
you currently
showers bliss.

But Love,
What is your true nature?
What is your real-self?
I’ve been pondering
and pondering for months,

And by now, I know
you are like two-faced Janus –
Part of you smile ,
Another part sighs

O Love!
Today I’ve nothing
to reproach you,
You have taught me
lessons of pains,
lessons of joy,
You have taught me
to live,
All that I can say is
“Thank you, Love!”


The Name of GodThe Vedas say
“AUM is the main
name of God,
He is omniscient,
He is omnipresent,
He is omnipotent”
When I talk and talk
for a whole day,
I feel tired, drained;
I just want to shut all
doors of reactive senses

But when I sit cross-legged,
close my eyes, breathe deeply
and  chant His name
“AUM, AUM , AUM…
3 times, 108 times or even more,
all fatigue is gone,
I feel energized,
my soul expanding with
calmness and universal love,
I feel all-renewed,
ready to face the world as it is.