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| Sanjukta Dasgupta |
Home is where the heart is
As I dig in the alien soil
And plant my roots deep down
The surprised soil stirs and asks
Whether my roots can cling deep
As much as it had done
In the now far away home
Uprooting and re-rooting
Of eager roots
Home is where the heart is
The river breeze of the Thames
Mingles with the breeze of the Ganges
Singing a dulcet duet
Of finding a home everywhere
Monsoon music recedes
As alluring Fall colours enchant
Among palm trees and pine trees
Among daffodils and the water lilies
Among strawberries and mangoes
Among the twinkling stars
Among the meadows, castles and lakes
Among the busy streets
The snowy mountains
The surging seas encircling
Many homes and the many worlds
In the one universe.
***
DEPARTURE
Now the departure lounge
Is so overcrowded
The exit gate stands firm
None can re-arrive and enter
Every day
Every night
Every morning
Every evening
Someone departs
A loved one
An unknown one
Many old
Some young
Departure at this gate
The only constant.
Looking ahead
The void rises
Directionless
Rudderless
The weary boat
Plunges deep
Into the arms
Of the waiting sea
Never to turn
Or return.
***
FALL
Now
It’s all about falling
Falling down
Falling snow
In falling hair
Falling teeth
Falling
Failing
Falling
Like the
Niagara
Uncontrolled
Now
It is all about failing
Failing memory
Failing vision
Failing to hear
Failing to express
Now
It is all about drying
No tears in eyes
Till medicinal teardrops
Are squeezed into dry eyes
The smooth skin a crisscross maze
Like fine embroidery spreading finely
From forehead to a face that could not
Launch a single ship
The skin droops from the flesh and joints
Like an oversized overcoat
The wobbly arms like marshmallows
Have a lively quiver of their own
The swan throat a tortoise neck now
Countless rings of recorded time
The dimmed blurred eyes
The unsteady feet
Hearing aid in ancient ears
Fumbling and stumbling towards
The eager and excited exit door
That opens like the loving embrace
Of gentle maternal arms
Lulls into everlasting rest
The tired old one
After a roller coaster career graph
Of spasmodic hurdles and elusive joy
***
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