Poetry: Kailash Nath Khandelwal

Kailash Nath Khandelwal

The Little Wren 

The kite proudly scales

The awful heights in the sky,

The tiny humble wren flitters

About just near the earth, 

Is never jealous of 

The kite’s wings, or

Unhappy with its own 

Lowly existence,

Nor ever is it 

Depressed like we humans.

The bird, being in its own status, 

Sits cozy in it’s ultimate bliss.

But the humans are made 

In  different molds,

Never contented in their 

Own structured status,

Irritated at this, 

Agitated at that, 

By default they are made

To be jealous and competitive, 

As if it being their birthright

Their failures should be 

Everyman’s failures

They can’t digest success even of a kin

Fretting in neighbor’s green pastures, 

Rejoicing consolingly in his pain.

The little bird knows nothing of this

Why can’t we humans be happy 

Like the wren, in our existence.

***

Game is over

Eroding relations,

Increasing suspicions,

Cut-throat competition,

Green-eyed jealousy,

Preconceived disbelief,

The arch enemies of

Civilization

Are flourishing robustly

Humanity is seen on the tips

It is receding, hiding itself

Being afraid of human beings,

We all are sitting on volcanoes

Till when the breath will continue

Who knows ?

Indulging in vain hopes,

Baseless imaginings,

Fear looming large on heads,

as if,

The race of man is

On the verge of extinction,

One Atom, and the game is over.

***

One to One

How can I think of you

Separated from my self

One, the replica of the other

Though you have occupied the

Divine Seat in the ethereal pastures

Prior to me who on this lowly ground

Engulfed in pain and repentance,

You grabbed the trophy and

I, the runner up, stuck in this sickly world.

O, my Guardian Angel, I plead you

To recommend my case in all earnest

In the Eternal Court of the High

To bestow a little bit of merciful justice,

To one who, being an humble human

Often more sinned against than sinning

But ever shunned from going errant

Tried his best to stand by you 

In all your erstwhile earthly needs, 

Equally caring you were ever to me

But Destiny proved not so kind,

Separating us untimely

Leaving me to rue at the irreparable loss.

However, I will bear it till I meet you

One to One in the horizon of Eternity.

***

To My Heart’s Desire

Whenever I am in vacant mood

I do remember you earnestly,

Now that I do miss you here,

But your unseen presence

Enlivens my sensibilities as ever

As if you are still somewhere by my side.

Anyway, I do want to take an opportunity

To update you what has transpired

In your earthly absence,

Missing you so much so that

Your sterling words seem to float in the air,

Melting into my slow-pitched aging ears,

As when you used to utter and

Instruct me to move out for a morning walk

Or not to stick to the bed for long hours

Or several other ‘sluggish’ activities on my part

 Your advice did often irritate me,

But now I realize their sanctity and veracity,

How true you used to be, and genuinely caring,

All these now flash in the spaces of my mind

When I am seated alone in the desolate corners.

However, the golden path unveiled to me then

Has begun to rejuvenate my sane sense now,

I earnestly urge you to lead me on the right track as ever,

So that I might escape the worldly mire

And keep myself away from greed and jealousy.

O, my Holiest Saint!

Be my trusted friend, philosopher, and guide,

And make me a messenger of peace and compassion

The marginal humanity as you were wont to do

To accomplish your sole divine mission

And fulfill my Heart’s Desire. 

***

A Reverie

One day

My image in my mirror

Began to speak to me

I got startled, to my astonishment

I noticed an ‘image-in-image’

Emanating an angelic glow

Surely should be, I surmised

My Partner, my mate

My Saint Divine 

Now in the heights of Heaven

Occupying a Seat in God’s holy Assembly

I bowed my lowly head

Imploring her to grace

Her own mansion, that she left so silently

Now so neglected, deserted, but

She called it not hers but mine

As she had left it quite a time ago

Then she demanded me

The reason of my haggard looks

“It’s all because of you

All because of you!”

I almost cried impatiently

A flicker of smile

I noticed on the Image’s visage

Without waiting she murmured

“You were ever so

Never caring for yourself, but for others”

“Yes, I was ever so,

But you were to care for me then”

Yet to assure her I continued

“Anyway, I am content in my state

Am trying to follow your  footsteps,

Though I am worried about your son

But surely, will not disappoint you in any way

O, my Soul-mate !

Impart me with the strong will and perseverance

To execute whatever is left unexecuted after you

Before my innings is over on this planet

Suddenly my mirror began to be hazy, and

I think I noticed two droplets called tears

At the edges of both her angelic eyes

The ‘image-in-image’ started retracing it’s steps

Muttering “Things will be right; don’t worry”

Stunningly I was looking my own image in the mirror

As if coming back to senses from a mesmerizing trance

“Hope is the flower 

It is the light that never droops, nor dims

So let us look to hope for the best to come.”

And I reverted to my own Self.

***

Bio: 

M. A. English Literature, Ph. D. (Poetry)

40 years teaching undergraduate and Post-graduate classes since 1970 to 2010. Retired in June, 2010.

Guided and supervised more than 25 students for the degree of Ph. D. in English literature

Edited and authored about 65 books on English, American, African and Indo-Anglian writers

Writes poetry in English and Hindi, besides working as a  translator from Hindi to English and vice-versa.

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Setu, August 2023