Dr. Tarannum Riyaz, INDIA

COFFINS

Mother!

You had said,

“Go in the Palanquin, bless you

Do not forget, my love!

That you will leave your new home

Only when in the coffin

And if you leave before that, dear daughter

That wouldn’t be less than a death for you .”

Mother, you never said that I will have to die a fresh death every day

See, how many old and new coffins of your daughter

Have collected at every step in this ‘home’

When I pass by

Each of them weeps loudly

Speaks to me about the cause of the demise

And asks, “For how long have I to die without being buried, like this?”

But how can I ask you this question, Mother

For I don’t know where you are!

                         

THOSE SHOES

Those shoes are noisy

Their sound on the floor

Wanting to crush the soft earth with their hardness`

The noise of broad short heels walking away

Arouses strange emotions in my heart

Walking on a path that does not lead to my happiness

After several hours into the night

Those shoes step inside, an unbalanced gait

Throwing their weight on the delicate things around them

Oh, how I hate those shoes.

THE GIRL WHO WANTED TO HOLD MOON 

She doesn't get angry and doesn't talk much
Stares motionlessly, or cries secretly
Both her eyes now are devoid of deeams
Keep her as you like, she can take any weather
In her life, there is only one strange season
Now with stoney eyes, only stares at the stars above
The girl who wanted to hold the moon

THE UNENDING ROAD

I am tired of walking this far
The road doesn't come to an end
My legs pain of blisters
There is no sign of destination
No shade comes to sight , no trees
The hot sun burns over my head
The sunrays piercing like arrows
My hair dirty and grey
Lines spread over my face

O road,  you were never on my side
I don't see any destination

Let us draw into a river,  or rust in a desert
Before I succumb to defeat, I long to rest on a rock before I fall
Let's now halt where no-one is around!

Dr. Tarannum Riyaz\, former senior fellow of Ministry of Culture, Govt of India and the recipient of several national and international awards and honors, is a SAARC Literature Awardee for the year 2014. She holds the degrees of Masters in Education and Urdu and is a Doctorate in Education. Dr. Tarannum Riyaz has authored more than 20 books of Fiction, Criticism and Poetry and her works have been the subject of doctoral research in several universities of India and abroad. Her works have been translated in many national and foreign languages. Her writings are prescribed for research and studies at different levels in educational institutions of India. She has been lecturing in prestigious educational and research institutions in India and abroad.

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Women, Power & Creativity :: Setu, March 2019