Poetry: Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Meridian Sun

The russet moon with eclipsed face--
Wonky and weird,
writes the history of silver moon
amid silent turmoils;
the world etched in charcoal
claims him body and soul.

The dazzling array of jewel tones,
the vibrations of dewy looks--
Moist and radiant,
have sunk into nothingness
with every passing hour:
Mortality descends on heart.

During the long-drive of life
on the roads with many bends,
ups and down, nothing stays but memories:
Sometimes, tufts of animating flowers,
Sometimes, nagging waves
gnawing away at the heart!

Wrapped up in meditative solitude,
I hear the bleating sound of the car stereo
on life's twisty black roads,
as my distant past puts his arm
around my shoulder
changing the contours of change!

Carpenters' " It's yesterday once more...".
Oh, it can't be yesterday again!
The nostalgic power pulls me--
Diagonal rain of memories:
Siblings in the living room,sun at meridian,
gramophone record being played!

I wake startled--
Crocus and nerine bloom on and smile:
A consuming desire for colours bursting in wild explosion!
But, I see fog with my foggy eyes!
I try to read the contents of spring
archived in a folder on my mind's hard drive!

The Olive Tree

Your love --
A curved question mark
in the Mediterranean of time,
floats unanswered:
The vast expanse of sea
sends a sinking feeling,
but soon, thalassophobia
vanishes into the depths,
and l dive for swimming!

The lily of the Nile
in shades of blue and white,
stand tall and full of charm;
gorgeous oleander with
pink, red, white blooms,
cianothus with clusters
of blue blossom,
come and stay in my thoughts--
Ah, Mediterranean flowers!

The strong gust of wind,
responsible for transforming
my beating rhythm into
a wayward heartbeat,
blows over the sea --
unwished tears come to my eyes!

The question mark, sometimes,
A nanoscopic snake
with extended hood,
Sometimes, a nanoscopic palm of hands
with fingers bending forward,
becomes an obsession!

I scare the snake
into slithering away
and reach out to hold the hand--
A wondrous subtle feeling
without words!

I become the Olive tree:
Emerald grey, silver green
with unique foliage
full of love and peace
in the Mediterranean landscape!

Silent Silhouettes

Unbeknownst to me--
My childhood disappeared
from my life: now my responses
are filtered through scepticism;
I try to trace the effervescence & optimism
                Today!

Unbeknownst to me--
The vibrant spring flew on its wings
with all the magic, splendour and beauty,
I couldn't pick the flowers-- fresh & fragrant:
A deep yearning to feel the rainbow colours
                Today!

Unbeknownst to me--
Descended the autumn; my
transition to sombre space: l found
the trees stark and sad without leaves;
I fight dark clouds scudding across the sky
                Today!

Unbeknownst to me--
Time often runs like quicksilver
with unsolved mysteries;  when  I
realise, I  try to defeat him  by  my
quicksilver wit and intelligence, but fail
                Always!

Bio
Former professor in English at S.B.City College, Nagpur (India), Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha is a well- known voice in lndian Poetry in English. Honoured with a number of prestigious awards for her contributions to literature, she received accolade from the former President of lndian, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for her poem Mother Nature. A poet, author and literary critic, she has authored and Published 06 books and 50 research papers. The books are:1.Spring zone (Collection of Poems)2.Midnight Sun (Collection of Short Stories) 3. Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Sumitra Nandan Pant (Criticism) 4. Feminism: Times and Tides 5. Different Dimensions (Compilation of research papers) 6. Scents and Shadows (Collection of poems).Completed and Published UGC-sponsored MRP on comparative literature.Poems, short stories, articles and research papers published in many dailies, magazines, journals, e-zines,archives etc. at national and international levels. Lives in Nagpur.

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