Poetry: Sushma Malhotra

Sushma Malhotra

Sushma Malhotra immigrated to the United States in 1991 and lived in New York City until she moved to Township of Washington, New Jersey in July 2024.She has been writing and publishing in Hindi and English magazines and other collective anthologies. She writes in various genres such as poetry, short and long stories, educational articles and travel memoirs. She has published two anthologies in HIndi and one in English. She is the founder of the Association of Indian American Educators, Inc and Nirmal Roshan Sahitiyak Manch. She has presented her papers during International Conferences at college or university levels.

I love that moon

Reflecting in the water, I love that moon,

Standing on one edge of the calm river,

I stared and gazed deep water in June,

Startled with the motion as if I shiver.

Not the moon alone reflecting and shining,

She was standing above the river edge,

Looking at the river in dusk for a binding,

With stretched arms to fly using her fledge.

Gleaming moon moving with a flair,

On the water falling moon’s radiant rays,

Breezy wind blowing her loose hair,

Flowing elegantly and gently as always.

She follows the direction the moon goes,

Sweating forehead glistens as dew on a rose.

***

Move

Some moves remain with you

Though you try to forget

But they embrace you

Always revolve around you

Like the aroma of your body.

The moments come with you

Of the time spent with loved ones

Happy and blissful moments

Joyful and exuberant time

Make your move less agonizing.

Large boxes and bags

With clothes and utensils

Get heavier as filled

Emptied easily though

Ready to be refilled.

Heart loaded with memories

Of significant conversations

Shared secrets with trust

With family and friends

Never get fully unpacked.

You revive recollections every minute

Try to unfold and outcaste them

Unable as each fold gets buried

Below each moment’s accumulations

And piling up with more remembrance each day.

***

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Setu, October 2024