FELONY

 

FELONY

 

A crime I confess committed,

Saved me from ignominy invisible,

Silently uttered never to commit,

Declared family, house servant a thief,

My son found his purse missing,

Money a thousand currency notes,

He kept it for the party but borrowed it,

Promised his friends obtained a job,

Before joining his service offered a party,

I knew the party, with drugs, alcohol,

Modern youth seeks vainly, solace,

Kills his soul, condemns life sadly,

I found, house-servant innocent,

Kept silence the party was canceled,

Relieved son packing to leave and join,

I was happy my child was not involved,

Worst fear the job may be loosed,

The child may sink into addiction,

Matter dies out in a week smoothly,

Shattered to find our servant leaving,

Quitting his job to return to his village,

Told me, sir, I am poor, I know,

But, I am not a thief, have not stolen,

I am honest with you, sir, for what I got,

My family in the village survives on money,

My monthly salary I manage only,

Never wanted to steal money at all,

Enough you helped me, found love,

Today heartbroken, fail to convince,

Please allow me to go home to find peace,

But hardly can tolerate the blame,

This was the point I revealed to him,

The felony I did commit knowingly,

He was speechless and disbelieved it,

Sir, why did you steal from your son?

I sat near him, explained everything,

Warned to keep a secret, stay at home,

He touched my feet smiled, promised,

Grudgingly said, sir, I am taking the blame,

Enough help I get from you, I accept,

Your son's prospect of saving his future,

I confess this felony willingly and accept,

Beg pardon from your son, ask for mercy,

The secret I kept to myself but stole,

Stole money from my son was a fact,

A felony in life harbored in my heart,

My child in a distant city gets separated,

Separated from evil friends addicted,

Achievers in life established in a job,

But never he could know his father,

And stole his money, a party canceled,

Forgotten in his memory lane totally,

Even my wife couldn't find the secret,

The house servant only knew,

He kept his promise to stay home,

I visited the temple looked at God,

Committed this felony to save my son,

 

Title of Poem: Felony

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Theme: Crying a father's heart

Date: 31st October 2022, Cuttack

@ Copywrite reserved.

 

 

PRODIGY

 

PRODIGY

 

Writes life story ecstatic unexpected,

Sealed once the camber in my heart,

Heard woman's life is weak, a creeper,

Depends upon her parents, brothers,

Alert to sentiments of life partner,

Seeks mother children's sympathy help,

Desperate for love from in-law parents,

Little tribulations from elders in-law home,

Knows pretty well a mature mind soon,

Automatic senses decency a chain,

Customs of the family frame culture,

Advised sunlight never to touch the skin,

Confined to home predators threaten,

Strange calls knock at odd hours stealth,

Illicit intention tries to trap the mind,

 The human heart, by nature, love, and smiles,

A woman learned sooner cautioned,

Watchful Disaster may happen, clueless,

A sudden, shockingly incident happen,

Shakes of family life disbelieve time,

Those loved, once praised, intimate,

Distanced so soon forget character,

How society families accept so easily,

Unfounded blame and attack on actions,

Disbelieves young woman suspected,

Blood dear elders brothers harbor,

Distances so quickly little consider,

My life is a woman seasoned all,

loved a guy, educated, meritorious,

Handsome, far gentle with manner,

A scholar, I fell in love, knew well,

Poor fellow, but his father is  a driver,

My family was affluent, business good,

Rejected outright the marriage,

After my wedding to the poor guy,

Life began with pleasure turned sour,

Pretty askance n heart for assets, gold,

In-law parents were demanding a lot,

Husband helplessly evading knowingly,

Sacred a love marriage found cracks,

I complained mildly, temper rising,

A cool aloofness I felt unbearable,

That was after a few years of marriage,

I preferred to be single with service,

Learned that woman's life is not weak a fighter,

The capacity she tolerates is phenomenal,

Decades of teacher-ship as a professor,

Understood how to lead a life alone,

Parents had forgotten me, it surprises,

Unequal life exists less discussed,

People love women to sacrifice dreams,

Absorbs inequality in every dimension,

Write today my life never believed,

Life in the dark corner seals a tunnel,

An opened hole could see the other end,

There is light so assuredly inviting too,

I found an orphan child dropping out,

The meritorious girl was a scholar,

Want of money, she was leaving study,

Adopted her legally financed till the end,

Today is my retirement day from university,

Students gave a touching farewell,

My child is an administrator now,

A respected officer with driver assistants,

Where shall I go? I joked with her,

Enough ma you suffered no more,

The prodigy is here to hug you,

If God exists, I see the embodiment.

 

Title of Poem: Prodigy

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Theme: Opportunity lies

Topic: Fiction

Date 30th October 2022, Cuttack

@ Copywrite Reserved

 

ETIQUETTE

 

ETIQUETTE

 

Questions heart of a human fail,

Nature resembles a soap bubble,

Myriad color-spread move transient,

Constantly changing heart is a bubble,

Who built a cement bench near the footpath,

Unknown the purpose, pedestrians bypass,

Under a tree, in shades, at the side of a street,

Cement Bench invites dogs, beggars,

Once while strolling, sit on a Bench,

Most convenient it was for me later,

On evening walks used to sit there,

Intensely observe the river of life,

Busy street, evening hours, noisy,

Flooding street lights' glare scintillating,

I thought people homebound moving,

End of a busy day, urban life faced,

Imagining quietly, sat on the bench,

Kept my walking stick near,

My retired age, walking stick helps,

The support for walking, a need,

The moving cars, vehicle traffic,

Walking sticks for commuters, I smiled,

Life passed moved in this street,

Countless busy travels well-forgotten,

That struck again me an incident,

A woman was calling at the roadside,

I stopped my car there, approached,

Enquired her pleading the reason,

An octogenarian from well to do family,

Her saree, covering her head, showed,

Bangles in colored glass, shining,

The vermilion dot on the forehead, distinct,

A bit perplexed, I got surprised,

Thought for a second curious she was sitting?

At this odd hour on the bench,

Calling people homebound desperately,

Little disturbed commuters evade,

To my inquiries, she explained,

 Her son and daughter-in-law left her,

Thrown out of her home angrily,

After a quarrel with her daughter-in-law,

She was hungry for two days,

Without food scolded her son,

She was sitting on this bench, sleeping,

Immobile pain for starving pleaded,

Give me some water and food,

Otherwise, I shall die soon, help,

From my car, I brought a water flask,

Sat near her, gave some water,

She drank all of it, quickly told,

Please give me some food to survive,

Bought some food from a nearby shop,

Gave her the food and sat quietly,

She narrated her plight sadly,

She owns a house in the city,

Retired from her job school teacher,

Getting a pension to manage life,

Her husband and son drink,

Demand her pension money every month,

They were drinking and beating her,

Her husband watched her eviction,

Looked away, silent never protested,

Socked, she collapsed in my arms,

At a loss, numb, searched etiquette,

What to do for a helpless lady, in age,

Clueless, sat, called the police, helped,

Admitted to a hospital, returned home,

It was late that evening thinking alone,

Civilized human and simple etiquette,

Could save a life, faced a cruel fate.

 

Title of Poem: Etiquette

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Theme: Etiquette is the human touch

Date, 29th October 2022, Cuttack, India

Language: Indian English

@ Copywrite reserved

BURNT HOUSE

 

BURNT HOUSE

 

 

Remember several decades ago,

I feared the sight of the place,

Blackened in time, broken walls,

Collapsed a portion and the roof,

Outgrowth covered the ground,

Chest high bush and wild creepers,

Feared snakes present poisonous,

It was a dangerous place, hunted,

As a child believed ghosts, present,

Never visit that place after evening,

Found birds used to chirp at night,

There was a beautiful story learned,

Grandmother told, it was beautiful,

An old couple with six sons daughter,

They were rich and living with family,

A few dozen of children women stayed,

Magnificently decorated and crowded,

Prosperous business minted gold,

The old Woman was donating gifts,

Poor people used to gather to collect,

Rice, corn, clothes, and silver coins,

Touching her feet, narrating owes,

She used to listen on a chair patiently,

Loved children were given food, dresses,

The person built a temple, worshipping,

A kind and considerate couple were famous,

People loved them the house visited,

From miles away, people knew the place,

Most favorite place for the poor to powerful,

Grew up their children big established,

Separated and consequently moved away,

Separated, built their houses in time,

Parents their daughter was staying,

A fight erupted for gold property,

Gradual but bitter quarrels to courts,

Crestfallen, the person succumbed,

Mother and daughter were sick,

Looted furniture assets by the sons,

The big mansion was empty and lonely,

Collapsing boundary wall cows grazed,

Thieves visit at odd hours for safety,

Poor and starved helpless women,

Demise was only a grace both quit,

The house was stolen to door windows,

The place had become dilapidated,

A businessman acquired the house,

Converted to a warehouse and stored,

The house was packed with jute bags,

Groceries were stored guard watched,

Fights began between brothers to sell,

Distributing equally the cost of the house,

The businessman emptied grains,

Ignited the house one night heard only,

Nobody could see the culprit desert,

It was the site of a few murders,

Rumors turned into widespread gossip,

Less truth, succulent lies, did color,

Named the big palatial house  hunted,

In our childhood feared the place,

Twilight years once visited the house,

Silently stood I was looking at the walls,

Crumbling, gradually, silence killed,

I imagined the glorious time of the past,

It was whispering families grew up,

Flowed here happiness, love, and care,

Saw greed, envy turned to jealousy,

If resulted to unfounded anger ignited,

The burnt house, time etched a storybook.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

Theme: A fiction time tested.

MOTHER

 

MOTHER

 

You believe her, introspect,

Her womb created the universe,

Life, her womb, molds in shapes,

Earth witness life forms in myriads,

Her love for creation with a purpose,

Learn what love, practice,

Caring nature helps sympathizes,

Soul essentially eternal exists,

So also truth unites life with soul,

Truth is missing in life death comes,

Anger colored her face black,

Kali is not black but bright as light,

Gouri her name means whitish,

White is the color of truth,

Angry, Mother shows her tongue,

Her teeth press her tongue,

Wide-eyed looking children,

Watch your tongue can kill,

Lips, teeth, two doors, Mother gives,

Tongue finds once opened speaks,

Weapon tongue carries the lie,

A human turns into a demon,

Life tells lies to the soul believing,

Mind molds life demonic,

That born from the womb,

Mother kills the son threatening lives,

Her face is angry, warns few to realize,

Ramakrishna saw her presence,

Talked to Her, heard replies,

Narendra saw her talk too,

You believe or not your choice,

Options truth and lie world offers,

Chose truth defeats death,

Choose the lie that born must die.

Love her, worship her,

She is the embodiment of truth,

You love her, she loves,

Then find happiness, peace,

And prosperity later realization,

Tongues bless with language.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

Theme: Kali

 

TAINTED

 

TAINTED

 

 

Impulsive human instinct acts,

An uncontrolled mind is rebellious,

Capitulates heart instantly willingly,

Life never grumbles, dares limits,

Limit is a myth, paranoid views,

Human life is precious, born to love,

Love, self-nature, innocent, decent,

Demands the community to accept,

Less prefers heart criticism  react,

Love only matters the heart imitates,

Tell frankly observed love undiluted,

The least polluted elixir is succulent,

The face to tidbits, eyes, nose, lips,

Females' hair long, to the knees, black,

Simple eye bows, accent, voice,

Word can melt heart seeks soul,

Minute the gait, gesture, demeanor,

Catches imagination, the mind trapped,

A volume of a novel to describe,

Insufficient how love is defined,

Instantly catch fire, unconscious,

Burn heart feels a missing presence,

Runs life impatiently to associate,

Fails to fathom custom prejudice,

Refuse to accept rules knows life,

Transient nature life falters loses,

This happened to my girlfriend,

High society, family if upper caste,

Fair-complexioned, intelligent, tall,

Matching my height in merit,

Rest, I missed her height in class,

Born poor caste differs between families,

A year after success  in recruitment,

The training period for administration,

We liked each other and grew intimacy,

Before joining the service separating,

Packing our luggage, catching a flight,

The direction of our destination home,

Opposite directions distinguished,

Language, state, custom, different,

Families unfamiliar, strange situations,

It dawned upon both similar feelings,

What parents will say when to listen,

How to treat the proposal sealed,

Thinking I knew backgrounds,

Widely differing, require strong effort,

The girlfriend's parent educated understood,

Evaluated positively on merit nature,

My family was illiterate, chained to caste,

Objected to when heard my decision,

Marrying in  the upper caste is not permitted,

Possibility of being outcaste foreseen,

A few days at home churned my heart,

Love never differentiates caste color,

Affect less class and status,

I left home, didn't inform my parents,

We got married in the court, joined services,

Fortunately, placed in one city,

The fact her parents got the information,

My family rejected to give consent,

They were silent, knew the caste system,

Underlined our senior officer status,

A few years later, our child grew,

Demanded to meet grandfather,

Loved meeting the grandmother,

We were in a fix, decided to visit,

Met parents later, at my home,

Stayed for a few days the matter settled,

Returned to our working place, both,

Received a letter, parents outcast,

Community banned reception meetings,

Denied water, fire, social custom,

Our love, a red rose treated tainted.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

Theme: Fiction Inter-caste Marriage