A BIRTHDAY

 

A BIRTHDAY

 

Probe life amazingly complex,

Myriads of hope desire index,

Born with no golden spoon,

Birth in a family poor distinct,

Human never chooses wombs,

The creator plays nicely unknown,

Accept birth later understood,

Succumb to reality, adjust well,

Abject poverty a curse enumerate,

The list of suffering pain is longer,

Hunger is perennial without food,

A thatched cottage, mud-walled,

Bamboo and paddy straws roof,

Sleep on a straw mattress, teenage,

In one room, parents, children sleep,

At night moon shines through the roof,

The room is lighted by sun percolates,

If Lord deprived us, siblings sad,

Crumpled our teenage dreams,

Burning utter hope reminds me today,

How much struggle in life but faced,

Successful in studies career found,

Inroad for wealth and fame opened,

Obscure unknown rustic boy no more,

A respected officer with attendants,

A few vehicles, driver, bungalow,

Furnished as life changed luxurious,

Parents with me, brother, sisters,

Relatives scantily recognized us, visiting,

Had in due course family children,

Birthday never could know to celebrate,

Wide circles of friends, kin, neighbor,

Converging gleefully to my residence,

The cake, icing sugar inscribed,

Happy Birthday and name candle lit,

Extinguish the flames instantly matched,

Loud claps praised showered happily,

Every year the moments I hide feelings,

Lived not with cakes but without rice,

This life is decorated with dress positions,

My wife knows me, my heart, holds my hand,

Fight my tears not to embarrass guests,

Not to disturb my children, parents,

The day, with a fine dinner, goodwill,

The man living in this frame remembers,

Wanted to celebrate a birthday alone,

Chance I got to meet a child on the street,

Playing with cycle tire torn clothes,

I thought he was my childhood starkly,

Called him to the footpath and sat together,

He was hungry has not eaten for a day,

Visited his home small hut under a tree,

Arranged groceries, cooked prepared dishes,

The child, his parents his siblings enjoyed,

The aromas touched me to reminisce,

I Jovially revealed my birthday to them,

The whole lot was happy, smiling, noisy,

We sat together on the ground, had lunch,

Sumptuous meal tasty the woman cooked,

Worth watching children's happiness,

Confide a birthday so happy grooved,

Their glittering eyes, smiles etched,

Waited for that day, guest my family missed me,

Passed that day with the child, his siblings,

Back home late at night intimated to my wife,

Understood, she hugged and wished me,

A birthday was a different heart celebrated.

 

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: A Birthday

Themes: Celebrating childhood reminisced

Written: 30th June 2023, Cuttack

@ Copywrite

 

BELIEVED

 

BELIEVED

 

 

In front, across the street, a house,

Double-storied but empty, totally,

Lives the lady decent and mannered,

Advanced in age but alone living,

Her husband expired a few years ago,

In front of our bedroom window,

On the balcony, Madam used to sit,

Morning rays fall on the verandah,

She used to read a newspaper on a chair,

A lady servant, a driver maintains,

Rarely goes out to work in the city,

Cordial relationship Knew her well,

Her only child is at a foreign shore,

Completed study, married and works,

Settled happily corresponds often,

Feeling sad and concerned for her,

She is not pulling well and feels helpless,

Intermittently I enquired about her health,

She was bedridden for the last few days,

Attending her with medicines, food,

She told intimated her son to come,

Intimated her son on his arrival,

In the morning, she is on her balcony,

Watching desperately, son's arrival,

Knew she was sick and concerned,

Her white saree was cleanly covered,

Sitting on a chair on the edge, attentive,

The clock rolled quickly to afternoon,

She was sitting there, quietly calm,

Looking at every bus, car, pedestrian,

Her gaze was telling a million words,

The evening is only past, feared and looked at,

She was still sitting there composed,

Disturbed, she was sick open air facing,

I realized she was serious, if not rested,

Went to her home and goaded her a lot,

To take rest and sleep her body needs,

Socked by her reply, she told me,

She used to wait for him for hours,

Her child used to visit college return,

Quite late, he arrives home to meet her,

Never could her child know a fact,

For hours used to stand near the door,

Wait till her child returns back,

Remain alert till he goes to his bed,

Morning bus her son picks up,

She used to stand at the door,

Till the bus vanished from view,

She never fails to get aware of his time,

Leaves automatic, everything to stand,

Till he is in sight, takes a long breath,

Eager for his arrival, she wanted,

His first sight of coming home today,

Surprised by now, she silenced me,

Continue to sit on the balcony too late,

She slept on her chair, felt tears,

Went back to my house, greatly worried,

Her son arrived in the morning and saw,

Dashed to her home and found her unconscious,

We admitted her to a hospital quickly,

I told her son everything in detail,

He was shocked, speechless, then crying,

Believed her mother, never lose her,

A few days after Madam returned home,

Packing her baggage with her son to travel,

I congratulated her travel with her son,

She replied she believed he would return.

 

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Believed

Themes: A mother waits, tests patience

Written: 29th June 2023, Cuttack

@ Copywrite

 

BESTOWED

 

BESTOWED

 

Beautiful my house roof concert,

Brick walls, plastic paint coated,

Bedroom floor carpeted soft win,

Cushions on the mahogany bed,

Pillows foamed luxuriant living,

Disturbed past midnight, wake up,

Fully awake at a loss, felt clueless,

Vanished sleep, curious, surprised,

On the balcony discovered heavy rain,

Lightning and thunder hail storms,

My shivered spine got wet instantly,

Back to my bedroom, consequently,

Rest on my bed, listening to noises,

Heavy shower shuddered heart,

Strike thought devastatingly now,

In front of the house, a thatched hut,

Knew well paddy straws destroyed,

A family man, wife, three children,

Water must be poured into the room,

Soaked to the bone, get tortured,

The thought was sickening discovered,

Felt fortunate my bedroom was safe,

Water cannot penetrate wind,

The warmth, blanket, air-conditioned,

How lucky my life than people saw,

Homes like that of in front of countless,

This storm today night lives sad,

Thinking unlucky lacking my house,

That night cursed thoughts pricked me,

Found life childless wife with her dad,

Attending her sick father aged too,

Children in distant lands working,

Loneliness was killing felt remorse,

Even if rain troubling neighbors differ,

Family life warmth binds all close,

Dawn breaks and hoped sunshine,

Empty my home ghostly silent hunting,

Hunted not by fear but melancholy,

No children noise disturbances plenty,

The house would have to smile, electric,

God has graced whom I or neighbor,

Tears I felt welling up their life I prefer,

Let Lord give me poverty but family,

Enough children to crowd my bosom,

Willfully we would dance in the rain,

Sound with white noise raindrops,

Jubilant sighting of toads jumping,

Their horse noise is loud and scintillating,

Wiped tears, rolling, yes, Lord plays,

Give luxury, comfort, and wealth, yet deprived,

 My wife is calling in the morning angry,

Demanded to be with her to assist,

Reluctantly I intimated the job, permit a little,

Working, no permission to leave office,

Cursed her life, helpless husband unfit,

Expressed her sad life father is sick,

Alone with her dad, tired, restless her life,

Smile a bit never replied to her strife,

Though she curses her fate, accusing,

Looked through the windows locality,

Innumerous houses families are living in,

Living alone widows husband no more,

Cursing Lord stealing her love cruelly,

Her heart urging for her husband crippled,

Even blind or deaf, crippled acceptable,

Twosome lives leading bestowed mumble,

 

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Bestowed

Themes: Perplexed life at gifts of the Lord

Written: 28th June 2023, Cuttack

@ Copywrite

 

 

PITTANCE

 

PITTANCE

 

 

Beat your chest, boast proudly,

Towering reputation richness,

Life bestowed wealth supremacy,

Respect people in words cowed,

Fearful of brute power submit,

Accept order, dare not to challenge,

Monopoly society witnesses clueless,

Rare to complain force succumbs,

Concrete towers countless vehicles,

Business astronomical spiral rise,

Thousand strong workers throng,

Hard work compensated meagerly,

Booted against demand law mute,

The economy highlights these faces,

Shining boot, polished behavior,

The suite tie clip diamond jaded,

Fragrant presence words are polite,

Calmly proclaim stern eyes a fact,

The rule economy of a country,

Exploit a million lives fully secured,

Exploit landmass ores rich and rare,

Exploit green forest water bodies,

Exploit leaders run elections by proxy,

Money plays, voters hunger and lust,

Look at these glass towers glazing,

Look at the asphalt roads vehicles,

Look at officials covering the globe,

Look at the milling crowd of office-goers,

Becoming rich just one family best,

Vast subjects deliver goods on time,

Look at rustic life in slum suburban cities,

Look at children under-nourished,

Sunken eyes still shinning unaware,

Smiling at diseases, malnutrition,

Poor parents lack money, sad children,

Deprived of schools, playful, pity,

Dirty torn dress crumple burly hair,

Little they demand far from the study,

Lord's flowers, once born, will wither,

Lord has deserted the place forgotten,

Lord, awestruck at merry-making too,

Another side of the streets stays the city,

Paranoid civilized society thinks affluent,

Every modern gadget asset, furniture,

Plenty of bank balance high-rise flats,

Children at school, educated at skill,

Fit to be into the labor force like parents,

work day and night yearlong diligent,

Most unlucky people barely realize,

Lost private life, love, and care a lot,

Lost children their fun altogether,

Lost family life, home celebrations,

Lost picnic, travel to sites, pilgrims,

Lost the time for vacation, recluse,

Lost wonderful nature, its splendor,

Work with currency under feet well,

Stolen their life unaware tear swell,

Children with little link to their parents fled,

Spread their wings far off nesting too,

Crashing family bond relationships,

Money, money, and money courtship,

God left from the heart of these men,

I stood at the crossroad perplexed,

Two worlds starkly different, Godless,

Civilization needs realization critical,

Pittance Lord's mercy for deprived,

A pittance for the paranoid urban creature,

Pittance Lord's grace for budding flowers,

One is a fallen flower other turns robot,

Sat on a roadside bench at remorse,

When human seeks nature, simple life,

Truly education across all ages, gender,

Pittance not in dictionary bliss exist,

Bountiful, beautiful, nature and Earth,

Life is happy, joyous, wise, and bestowed.

 

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Pittance

Themes: Pittance zeroed life midst of nature

Written: 27th June 2023, Cuttack

@ Copywrite