 |
| Satbir Chadha |
Poem-1
There’s something soothing about that semi sleeping state
You’re aware of the TV spouting news and you’re aware of the crispy snacks on your plate
Your eyes fondle the soft satin bed and droopily know that your phone may also ring
Nodding to nothing in particular you continue to nurse your drink
And then a mist builds up
Not the wispy mist that rises from the placid lake
Every day at daybreak
This one is a haze a wooly blur of memories
Of me walking down the hill with Mom and Dad
Me pointing to every new flower, daisy or daffodil
The taller violet and the grounded nettles
Mom teaching me to row the boat, to balance it perfectly
The waves she said could be smooth or rough, strong or weak
One has to learn to keep the balance and steer
The boat to the right shore
Dad holding out his hand to help me alight
Don’t tipple the boat even as you leave it
Some people are still adrift, walk on he said,
Blessing them all that they may reach their shores,
Then Dad walking me to the park
Memories of shelling peanuts and biting into piping hot
Corn on the cob just stoked on coals and spiced with life
The mist rises, the boat is far away near the middle of the lake
They’re cold and limp now, the snacks on my plate
I nibble anyway, as I’ve nibbled through the sweet and salt of life
The mist rises, the boat is far away near the middle of the lake
They’re cold and limp now, the snacks on my plate
I nibble anyway, as I’ve nibbled through the sweet and salt of life
Hugging the vanished visage of Mom with her ‘bindi’
And Dad with his latest acquisition from Consul bookstore
There’s something soothing
Something delicate and cozy
Something warm about those sepia memories
Like the Bombay Duck and fried pomfret
***
Poem-2
Maybe They Had Their Reasons
When Rama conquered Sri Lanka
To release his captivated wife
Moving the ocean and mountains
All were on his side
But back in his kingdom
Along with his unborn children
He banished her into exile
Maybe he had his reasons
When Sidhartha forsake Yashodhara
Leaving her like a widow
Unsupported and unsustained
With little boy to bring up
Did he know he’d become Buddha
Did he know he’d be enlightened
Do the enlightened desert their wives
Maybe they have their reasons
When Yudhishthir the epitome of truth and justice
Played the gruelling game of dice
Having gambled and lost all
He wagered the consort of his brothers, his wife
Royal lady was disrobed in the court
In front of the lowly and the high
What could be his reasons
These are the epics we narrate to our kids
These dramas we show them on telly
Treating them as characters larger than life
And mangle their values and judgements
Do we have any reasons
Do we at all reason
Even today a man walks out on his teenage wife
And proclaims to be responsible for the millions of Indians
We’ve given them their reasons
How can one say, maybe they had their reasons
***
No comments :
Post a Comment
We welcome your comments related to the article and the topic being discussed. We expect the comments to be courteous, and respectful of the author and other commenters. Setu reserves the right to moderate, remove or reject comments that contain foul language, insult, hatred, personal information or indicate bad intention. The views expressed in comments reflect those of the commenter, not the official views of the Setu editorial board. рдк्рд░рдХाрд╢िрдд рд░рдЪрдиा рд╕े рд╕рдо्рдмंрдзिрдд рд╢ाрд▓ीрди рд╕рдо्рд╡ाрдж рдХा рд╕्рд╡ाрдЧрдд рд╣ै।