Poetry: Satbir Chadha

Satbir Chadha

1-

SOLITARY ROSE

It seemed to me the morning star had left its place in the sky

And planted itself in my small bushy unkempt garden

While the sky was an aubergine dark and the breeze waking the birds

A closer look and lo and behold! It was a tiny white rose 

Bloomed suddenly for I’d never seen a bud either 

Never knew when the plant had taken seed and quietly inconspicuously grown

Between the crowded bushy greens and this last night

This last night was birthed a star 

Like a message from the one who’d been birthed in a manger 

Long long ago 

A tiny rose carrying big hope 

I saw it could devour the dark and spread the light 

Just a single sparkling moist delicate shy rose

It felt like a prayer an answer to a prayer

Reminder of a prayer 

The Lord knows, the Lord gives, the Lord waits for the right time 

Where one came from 

Can more be far behind

***

2-

The sun had two daughters both tall slim and beautiful 

One was fair and shone like the driven snow

The second has a tan and a charming warm glow

She was so loving though the first one was wise 

Then the sun had a son a lazy bum who spent his time looking at the sun 

This one glowed with radiance golden, chubby cheeks and dimpled chin

Then came another two daughters, first the learned harmonious one

The second a fickle feeble minded dithering dame

The next two were born for no rhyme or reason 

Except that the breeze was oh too dry

And the sky was oh so high

And the sun’s was not to reason why 

Then and thereafter was born the son 

The one with a royal demeanour 

Perhaps he’d become some day a king

The last four children born in old age 

Born to unloving unenthusiastic mates 

Named in a rhyme to save them time 

For the sun had to go to rejuvenation clinic

The four shared between them the wet and the dry 

The hot and the cold the rain and the snow 

And peas porridge hot nine months old 

Packing the siblings in his old ochre chariot

For the Christmas and New Year party 

He banged the door hard and oh so sad

The second daughter’s legs were too long, and went beyond

The length of the chariot, though just a tad 

So sad so sad so sad

They got snipped just above the ankle 

So forever was she stunted

Therefore we have this one month odd

Amputated and truncated

Poor dear February 

---

Setu, February 2024