MAROONED

 

MAROONED

 

 

Twilight years, contemplate alone,

Home pressing so lonely, empty,

Confined age forces not to venture,

Going out, watching the countryside,

Mesmerizing spreads happiness,

People are joyful busiest moving on,

Crowded milieus shopping malls,

Traveling with family, scenic places,

Tourist places worth watching,

Green hill misty, waterfall, forest,

Winding metal roads, hairpin bend,

Rising to the top of mountains, train hissing,

Slowly curling up like a snake into a tunnel,

Comes out, ice flakes cover windows,

Glistening golden rays of the hillside,

White snows turn to gold, flowing down,

Ending near the valley encircling the lake,

Deep blue, still waters so alluring,

Tourists are welcome, pour invitation,

Come spring, nearer, mirth visible,

Spreading color blossoms brilliant,

Ripen grain standing golden fields,

Swaying in the breeze, a solace to life,

Havocked heavy rain, flooding,

Miserable life, people shifted to shelter,

Floods receded while returning home,

Busy villages restarting life again,

Saw at a young age, enjoyed events,

Experiencing once traveled lot,

Thrilled my heart with rustic beauty,

Smiling children, gossiping rural folks,

Busy village market throng vendors,

Amused in youth hot bargain for good,

From cows, goats, vegetables, corn,

Cooking oil, rice, wheat, salt, spices,

Kitchen essentials, items myriad,

Melts open ground after a few days,

Remember it is time for the festive season,

Approaching preparation needed,

Visit parent’s home, meet kin,

Buying gifts, essential for puja,

Children agog to visit the village,

Dreaming nearby river, alluring greens,

Watch Television sitting alone,

Highlighting memories of my past,

Village scenes after the flood, tourist places,

Telecasting detailed news travel offers,

Shied closed eyes, Scenes floating again,

Never could detect evening arrived,

The world is passing before me slowly,

Nature in a bridal dress, lusty milling crowd,

Flooding city shopping center,

Crowded bus stand, rail station, airport,

People in motion the life in energy,

Moving river of life hypnotic nostalgic,

I switched off television videos emotive,

Sat in darkness felt aware heart seeks,

Soul desirous to mingle in air intense,

Move with sailing clouds gaily,

Western sky orange glow diminishing,

Alerted mind watching birds homing,

Noisy, moving in a cluster, beyond the horizon,

Felt drowsily inclined to chair inert limbs,

However, heart rebellious in protest,

Lustful mind felt marooned,

Culprit wicked time life met an evening,

Smiling to myself, my soul matches,

With homing birds, thought noisy,

Mind created as if marooned feeling,

Unreal, yet dusk was enchanting.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

  

 

 

  

A FINGER

 

A FINGER

 

Stunned at the sight of power,

Thousand years of land was dictated,

King queens Mughal Sultan Viceroy,

One finger ordering millions of people,

None can dare, oppose, criticize, reject,

Head will roll facing consequence,

Accept blindly order carryout soon,

Followed sparing life sacrifice was faith,

Hail to King-Emperor Monarch bow,

Serve him; serve her, God for the country,

Finger pointed, get alerted, people,

Wait for command obeyed instantly,

No question about life, food, shelter, cloth,

Serving for the dynasty, ruler, lifelong,

Son, father, and grandfather served complete,

Never dared to ask for freedom, right,

Self-comfort, luxury, benefit, sins,

Guard security of ruler, make almighty,

Smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, polio,

Erasing village after village unattended,

Famine visits draught killer watched,

Horrendous deceased death wiped lives,

Illiterate, poor, lifespan four-decade,

Skeletal shape country rustic gloomy,

A bucket of rice matters, not gold,

A thatched hut, a roof upon the head,

Home woven cotton fabric modesty,

A cloth for male, saree for female,

Glass bangles, necklace, earrings,

Gold looted by a landlord, bronze for ladies,

Born after four years of Independence,

The gradual transformation of my life moved,

My country is free, independent, sovereign,

At liberty passed constitution,

Established equal rights for people,

Dismantled kingdom sultanate, empire,

White dove of freedom out of the cage,

Flying higher, peace and prosperity visible,

Vanished pox, leprosy, polio, TB,

Cholera horror of past, forgotten,

Vanished illiteracy, raised life expectancy,

Living people's average age of 70 years,

Healthy child, youth, female, nourished,

Educated, skilled, innovative at liberty,

Mingling color, caste, creed, faith,

One people different cultural languages,

The nation established the rule of democratic,

Republic sovereign equality sacred,

Freedom supreme nepotism suppressed,

Landlord ghost of past, peasant master,

Watch industrial growth, the digital world,

Travel mindboggling fast communication,

Bountiful grain output milk flood,

Energy-sufficient, self-sufficient nation,

Ordinary person citizens of a country,

Does not matter class, caste, creed, faith,

Occupy the highest post of ruling nation,

Elects by own choice by vote,

Chose ruler of the country Prime minister,

Elect through elected representatives,

President of the country, commander-of-chief,

Watchdog of protection for the constitution,

Houses of elected, an upper house selected,

Parliament frames laws of the land, execute,

Dismisses ruling ministry on failure,

Election court complementary autonomous,

Guard democracy, election, periodic,

National election unique-sight worldwide,

Exercising choice; a vote, index finger inked,

Changes most powerful ruler of a billion,

An old, handicapped, infirmed to youth,

Of all genders aged eighteen cast vote,

Twilight years, I voted throughout, free,

Finger of nationals decider ruling country,

Master of own nation serving country,

Pointed finger of poorest obeys ministry,

Symbol of human dignity, freedom signing glory,

Independence day seventy-fifth signifies.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

 

DISCERNIBLE

 

DISCERNIBLE

 

At first sight in life felt dumbstruck,

Surprised to disbelieve the monster moving,

Black smokes shooting in a gush,

Steam hissing out of wheels, horn,

Blaring, shaking me in fear,

Railway coaches, wooden chair rows,

Glass window big enough for view,

Travel on a train as a child etched,

Memory mixture of thrill, pleasure,

Rolling wheels in rhythmic noise,

Music to me at age floats sweetly,

Visiting summer vacation from school,

To maternal grandfather’s house,

A hundred kilometers away from home,

Boarding morning train witness scene,

Running past slowly villages town,

Crossing rivers iron bridge sound,

Middle of a forest, tearing mountain,

Vendors with mixture cake sweets,

Pleasant travel at an early age is memorable,

Grew up studying in a college far city,

Easier to travel by train journey restful,

Empty stations, few vendors shouting,

Fewer crowds watching countryside best,

Poor villagers, suitcases, bags carrying,

Village products, wood for cooking,

Selling in the cities, they used to return to villages,

The train is their lifeline, picturesque attire,

Turban, dirty cloths, chapel, chew beetle,

Smoking near doors sitting on the floor,

Women with bangles vermilion on foreheads,

Shy, face covered with saree, sit aloof,

Gradually changing, people noticed,

Traveling on train shirt pant dresses,

Clean saree females freely mixing,

Talking on trains indulging in gossip,

Beetle, a constant friend, chewing a lot,

Children playing in the corridor smartly,

Coal engines no more diesel engines faster,

Wooden benches changed to cushions,

Longer the train, fast travel crowded,

Marked villages and towns getting bigger,

Getting better, look modern, traffic,

Vehicles, bikes, roads crowded intersect,

Vanishing bullock carts, speeding cars,

Moving trains, I glued to landscape,

The country is now prosperous, populated,

Stations with shops, retiring room facility,

Cement benches, lighted at night, clean,

No more traveling in train twilight years,

Confined to home watching the news,

Bullet trains offing trains gleaming,

Faster travel, air-conditioned coaches,

Serving breakfast, lunch, dinners on board,

Long distance travel thousand miles,

Passing hundreds of station amenities,

Online booking travel got modern,

Million daily travel, business vacation,

Pilgrimage, studies, crowded station,

Coolies in red cloth badge peruse,

Carry baggage on the head, unload from a train,

Platform mile long several platform links,

Life becomes complex, crowded, restless,

Running life trains day and night noisy,

Mile-long bridge, tunnels, crisscross,

Weaving country spider web network,

After independence, travels phenomenal,

Seven decades after, I remember the difference,

Coal engine of my childhood, discernible,

Museum pieces at places steam engines,

Reminisce, our land got freedom,

Cherishing iron cartwheel no more,

Generation metamorphoses, scenes, discernible.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MELLOW

 

MELLOW

Trickling tears running down,

Oozes smile, eyes outpouring,

Evident happiness and joyous,

Countryside panoramic dance,

 

Receding floods, rain, thunder,

Yellowing green paddy fields,

Spring arriving messages crisp,

Happy land today, freedom live,

 

Fear was stalking, vast country,

Stitched lips, horror was visible,

Imprisoned groundless shifted,

Black waters, island, confined,

 

Lost trace of name missing a lot,

Hanged for flying tricolor singing,

Singing glorious nation chained,

Dedicate life land to be liberated,

 

Do or die, fight slavery, serfdom,

Aware of darkness melting earn,

Fear of death no more horrible,

Moving to gallows n discernible,

 

Ghost of past simmering remind,

Generations missing time erased,

Simple orthodox pure life wished,

Children in land free democratic,

 

Visible prosperity unity fraternity,

Cementing growth, industrious lot,

Bountiful grain output farming nit,

Peasant once poor flourishing well,

 

Girl child no more school dropout,

Healthy, life hygienic get educated,

Equal rights, no dowry, bride burning,

Self-respect due claim responsibility,

 

Honorable judge apex-court deserve,

Highest-post in the country, president,

A leading force in defense sports merit,

Strengthening motherland fearless,

 

Youth now brick of achieving nation,

Omen of future illustrative inspiring,

Shining glory scholars are developing,

Nation, today mightier bold secure,

 

Winning gold in sport, art, science,

Illustrative engineering technology,

Medicine Yoga iconic unicorn a lot,

Rising population youth monument,

 

Assures great democracy flag bearer,

Fight capable on every front fearless,

Twilight years of life, I feel happy tears,

Mellowing emotive years solace wins,

 

Once young deprived of modern tools,

Unbelievable in our time skilled now,

Internet, cyberspace, online works,

Miniaturized mobile transforms life,

 

Frontline my land stands admirable,

Economic growth silver line glowing,

Highways, rail lines, communication,

Air travel is busiest at present growing,

 

Green energy to cottage industry hot,

Forests water conservation forefront,

Clean air, water, checking pollution,

Building new cities light imagination,

 

Plurality in language culture customs,

Cemented by constitution n equality,

Democracy preserves religions plural,

Practicing jovially poetic lives, cultural,

 

Never touch hatred brewing hideous,

Evil still exist once caused partition,

Violent community fighting bloodier,

Forgetting all sacrifices of forefathers,  

 

United they fought, won the battle lit,

Their spirit crying blowing wind sings,

Countryside mellow sacred moment,

Ishwar Allah Tera Naam is reminiscent,

 

Hay Ram, fallen Bapu once again feel,

Lift His immortal spirit, unite to kneel,

Land first faith personal later promise,

Tricolor flutters a beautiful mellow rise.

 

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra