Pradeep Biswal is a bilingual poet writing both in English and Odia and is credited with six collections in Odia and two in English published during last four decades. Two anthologies in Hindi carrying his translated poems have also been published. His poems have been included in many prestigious anthologies including those published by NBT and Sahitya Akademi. After retirement from IAS recently, he is staying with his family in Bhubaneswar. He can be contacted at pbiswal804@gmail.com
A Slice of Moon for You
Tonight I wish
To present you
A slice of moon
That can brighten
Your space in sky
Keeping away
The darkness
Engulfing you.
I have no idea
How do you look
During these days
Since we met
Long back
In a distant city.
You had a pizza
On your plate
Seemingly moon shaped
And you were delighted
By the sight
As if you held
A slice of moon
In your hand.
Yes I promise
Tonight I will give you
A slice of moon
You cherished that day.
Come with me
Hold my hand
Look at the sky
How marvellous
It looks tonight
The thin clouds
Floating across
The blinking stars
And the bright moon
A slice is ready for you
Raise your hand
Catch hold the piece
You desire most
To brighten your own.
***
A Road to Hathras
It’s not a straight one
But a zigzag way
To reach there
No matter who you are
You may face hurdles
To have a glimpse
Of the village
Now turned famous
Thanks to the media
Gone mad for a few days.
Reaching there
You may encounter
Hushed up silence
Frightened eyes
Plagued by insomnia
And apprehensions.
The hapless girl
Got gang raped
Crushed and maimed
By the beasts
Nobody came
To her rescue
The God in deep slumber
The rulers in defensive
Her cries and tears
Could move no one
She closed her eyes
In silent protest.
They placed her
On the funeral pyre
In dead of the night
No one could see
And as if nothing
Had happened.
Silence is so lethal
Tears are so toxic
The golden Lanka
Is a flicker away
A Sita is reborn
Just wait and see.
***
Collecting the Scars
Scars are no stars
Yet they shine in the dark
Remind the turns of life
The turbulent times
And the bruises
Inflicted on the body and soul.
The ordeals of the journey
Stay vivid in the mind
Stepped on so many
Thorns and petals
Laid on the ground
Oozing blood at times.
The shells never define
A soulful heart
When the breath
Is taken away
You are reborn
In a new avatar.
The scars disappear
For a moment
The stars shine
As never before.
***
Living In The Shadows
I am now living
In the shadows
Of my past
What I was
What I did
How far I moved.
A time comes
In one’s life
Future looks bleak
Past remains
As the only solace
To live in the present.
Trees grow
From a tiny seed
To be a big one
Then branches
Dry up one by one
The leaves turn grey
And finally one day
A thunderstorm
Shatters it
To the ground.
Life is so cruel
And crazy at times
Nobody can escape
From its clutches.
Fear of loss
Limits the landscape
The horizon
Narrows down.
Rise and fall
Life and death
Go side by side
Like twins
To meet the ultimate
But when no one is sure.
***
A Shade of Grey
A shade of grey
Is there in everyone’s life
At times visible
Sometimes not so
The heart is crushed
Under its load.
The tears get frozen
The wound never heals
Days in the calendar
Move assiduously
No one can erase
The memories of the past.
A half moon is hanging
Atop the debadaru tree
Like a half baked
Loaf of bread.
Life moves on
Like the figures change fast
In an electronic watch
You hardly notice
How swiftly it advances
Towards the infinity.
The shades gradually expand
In dimensions and degrees
The contour changes
Beyond recognition.
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