Poetry: Rajesh Chowdhury

Rajesh Chowdhury

A Phenomenal Journey

The floating cloud kisses the mountain ranges

And the sunlight plays hide and seek

In between the ups and downs of the hills. 

Me with my tiny adventure, on an old bedsheet

Think of that beautiful scenario,

In dreams, in day and in every night. 

The coldness of the wintery air 

And the opening vapour of the old refrigerator 

In my grandfather's cottage,

Take me away to my dreamland. 

The falling leaves, falling snows from the clouds 

In an unwanted season charm my bodily gesture

And place me in that unseen heaven. 

My daily journey in the morning local train 

And the fresh air from the opened window 

Remind me the crazy moments 

Of riding in the toy train with my family. 

I see the pictures in my geography book

And like a GSLV Mark III my mind flies 

To Darjeeling, I never visited. But the trauma 

Haunts me all the day in in my brain. 

I imagine. I recollect. I revisit. I dream. 

In my imagination I fly to those beautiful places 

Like Icarus, like Dedalus, like Stephen. 

Then I find myself in my bed, half-sleepy, half dreamy 

And then awake and open my book and read

"Heard melodies are sweet but

Those unheard are sweeter".

***

Nature and Culture

Few years ago, it was like a fragrant spring.

The sun was bright and filled with light every morning.

Green leaves appeared in every branch of the trees.

Nature had a beauty because of being free.

Clouds with the heavy rain and sparkling thunder,

Filled with greenery, beauty and wonder.

Bloomed pretty flowers like rainbow’s colour

As there was none to pluck or make them paler.

The air was always filed with fragrance and scent,

The apparent beauty looked like an artist’s paint.

But now here for some cruel and lustful mankind

Nature has lost it’s beauty for their dirty mind.

The natural purified water is becoming dirty

For throwing garbage of their full night party.

Modern culture is moving from art to politics

Are they still civilized or all have become freaks?

Religious hatred has decorated a dead body’s chariot

Still everyone appears to be a great patriot.

Violence has captured society by taking innocent life

Spoils purity of the mother, sister or someone’s wife.

Snatches the little income of the poor farmer,

Gives slogans like an honest social reformer.

Is this the era of Tagore or something different?

As seems love and human conscience has come to an end.

***

Freedom in the Forest

The night is very silent like a dumb.

Me with my lazy horse walking alone in the forest.

Without tiredness my mind is feeling so fresh

Want to fly like a bird without a little rest.

Softy snow is falling slowly on the leaves,

Also, the leaves of every tree are turning into white,

A speechless charming pleasure I can feel now;

As for many I was waiting for this night.

Every pain is recovering from my body and my heart

My legs are also behaving like a drunken man.

Want to go every place of this lovely forest

Without it, I will become like an orphan.

My mind wants to quit the restless race of life,

Old frozen body had turned to a caged bird,

Failed to find the destination from this labyrinth

In every breathing it bruised me very hard.

If it becomes the last night of my life;

I’m ready to compromise with this priceless beauty,

As my bound soul becomes free forever,

Feeling really tired to obey the life’s duty.

---

Setu, December 2020