A riddle in
two syllables--
WOMAN:
Infinite, magical,
fierce, diverse
and so much more!
I walk on the
melted silver of
the magical moon
that creates a shiny road
on the argent-blue water--
Aha, my steps on Mangata!
The sun scorches sometimes,
I bloom into ache,
The bruises and the scars
rebel amid screaming silence,
I take up arms against
stubborn sorrows.
Between the shores of
glory and misery,
Starlit dreams and
bitter truths, I remain
alive, indestructible.
Like Phoenix I know
how to resurrect:
I spread my wings
amid flames
and soar up to
fiery new heights!
A TRIBUTE TO STRI SHAKTI*
Feminism --
An awareness of patriarchal control
The concept as a whole
Originated in the West
Thanks to Mary Wollstonecraft.
But we must remember
Today and forever:
Our glorious heritage of strong women
Before the waves of feminism began.
Let us hark back to how feminism in its rebellion,
And subtler shades in comprehension,
Is found in Indian mythology;
Let us sing a eulogy--
Shakti incorporated in
each of the goddesses:
Adi Shakti Durga with her aggressive images,
Striding on the lion of misogyny patriarchy,
Unmatched in the whole hierarchy!
Sita not surviving her
disgrace
Went inside the womb of mother earth without a trace.
Kali, the true badass,
Breaking infinity's walls,
Rocking the earth and the sky
Beyond how and why,
With long mane of hair
And a scary glare,
The bloodied sword and the necklace
Making her victims headless;
Parvati creating a child
of her own:
A will and confidence to many unknown!
Why to forget Gargi, the philosopher,
Her name evergreen like conifer--
Stumping men in a court filled with philosophers,
A strong opponent of Yagnavalkya, we've known for years.
It's high time we dredged up the silt of doubt and fear
To make the inner channels clear.
Recognize, rise and fly
High into the sky;
Remove the tag of weak and vulnerable,
Start a journey that's invincible!
*Stri Shakti = Woman Power
Adi Shakti, Durga, Kali, Sita and Parvati are all
Indian Goddesses representing Strength, Courage and Perseverance
THE INAUGURAL SESSION
In the sublit dawn,
She gets up
and strides out
for the bungalows
to do the chores.
Like thep:
Mauve and bright yellow
rooted in the dry
rocky stretch of soul--
A span full of forked and
twiggy stuff of bushes,
brown with dried leaves,
She survives!
Silent secrets deep within,
stick out their tongues
much against her wishes
and retreat into
the closet of mouth.
A descent of the primitive race,
A statue of black marble
with a pair of full round breasts,
she was created and destructed
in the dim interiors:
Corridors with undefined rooms,
kitchens with pungent smells
of garlic and fish fry,
and air-conditioned halls
where status frothed in tall glasses.
Hours, days, and years
fled like flamingos
migrating to alien lands
during her arduous journey
through life-- A pain-dense track:
No merciful break
from the heat waves that
baked her twenty precious springs!
On many hot days
and stormy nights,
she became a polythene bag
stuck to a tree branch--
Got inflated like a balloon,
and deflated swinging in the wind.
Now the woman wants
to stop her oscillation
between frost and fire:
She looks up above her world
and finds the tangerines sky--
She hears the footsteps of morning
Who crushes the dim
chandeliers of starlit sky
to become the chairperson
of an inaugural session!
Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha, a well- known voice in Indian poetry in English, is a former
professor of English at S. B. City college, Nagpur (MH), India. She is also an
author and literary critic. Her poems,
short stories, articles and research papers have been extensively published in
dailies, magazines, e-zines, archives, journals etc. at the national and
international levels. She has authored and published 07 books in different
genres and 50 research papers. Her poems have appeared in Sahitya Akademi' s
journal "Indian Literature". Conferred with a number of awards for
her contribution to literature, she has received accolades from the former
President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for her poem "Mother Nature". She has completed and published UGC-sponsored
MRP on comparative literature. Associated with many literary organisations and
poetry groups, she is currently a Research Supervisor, RTM Nagpur University,
Nagpur.
201903E, Editorial, English, Women Power & Creativity,
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