FELL DOWN

 

FELL DOWN

 

Early morning still dark outside,

Awaken by now, surprised a bit,

So early sleep goddess left me,

Humming Sanskrit hymn softly,

Reclined on a chair in the drawing room,

Opened the television, viewed the news,

The state is flooded, people marooned,

Overflowing dam flood gates open,

Thunderous water crashed out of a dam,

Angry is a river, in spate swirling,

Engulfing village city flows fast,

Paddy fields under water, mini sea,

Disturbed quite a lot, watched sadly,

Human miseries unlimited perennial,

Devastate grain output, confine folks,

Diseases spread waterborne horror,

Spring nearer, the festival in preparation,

Rustic life intoxicating in celebration,

People will return home from cities,

Switched off the television, closed my eyes,

Once life was busy, pleasant, thrilling,

Curious for tomorrow, wait impatiently,

Moved over to my country heart touching,

A people plural society-wide custom culture,

Lifestyle vastly different so is geography,

Desert, ice-clad mountains, dense forest,

Bustling megapolis, worth visits,

Ah… twilight years faded energy,

Fading strength, diminished urge,

Alone confined to home post-Corona,

Years passed, hooked to television news,

Occasionally feel nostalgic consoles,

Life intrigues enough even today,

Dreams endless soul flies far, searching,

Paradise with peace n solitude, silence,

Lap of nature dream on chair smile,

Convinces myself dream only dream,

For seven decades, earth circled the sun,

Seasons weathered life thrill pulsation,

Experienced fever, weakness,

Effluent joy getting cured, feeling recovery,

Impatient to run wild, get busy,

Life is insatiable, ever demanding naughty,

Quiet today morning thoughts passed,

Wanted today to walk in the morning,

Happy, fresh up n walk up briskly,

A lonely road cows only visible,

Beautiful houses, both sides, design,

Front garden, flowers, creepers, alluring,

After a year, the first time having a morning walk,

Suddenly stumbled upon a hump,

Fell, crashed with hands supporting,

Wrists twisted, right face bruised,

Chest got jerked on the hard metal road,

Fallen, it was severe, return home,

Took a bath n writing this poem,

Lifted me moved to an inclined chair,

Resting saw darkness sparks of blue light,

Scarcely visible, wife, son, daughter-in-law,

Watching closely, asking questions,

Intense pain, head reeling, the sock,

Age was telling weakness had to lunch,

Slept till evening, took medicine,

Will visit hospital to check internal injury,

Otherwise normal, body aching pain mildly,

Now reclined in a chair, thinking of the dawn,

Never could guess, the accident, I fell,

It is the birthday of Krishna Auspicious,

Watch my day at twilight time, scary.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMELIORATED

 

AMELIORATED

 

Driving a car in the city exhaustive,

Traffic congested life suffocating,

Amid dust, noise inching forward,

Negotiating narrow streets, bending,

Surprising bullock, dog, pedestrians,

Hawkers marketing goods knock window,

Shopping center crowded, life at test,

Parked my car resting wait children,

Purchasing items needed at a shop,

Closing eyes, reclined in the seat,

Thinking, children growing, time fast,

Taking responsibility for the home, work,

All they want is my comfort, pleasure,

Alone going for a picnic, visiting a park,

Maintaining house clean, polished,

Looked after my dress was ironed, cleaned,

Polish shoes, preparing breakfast tea,

Happy children studying best,

Sweet home, peaceful erases tension,

Fewer worries for the future, children strive,

Caring for parents, responsible, hardworking,

Felt drowsy at the wheel of my car,

Interrupted me someone was calling,

Saheb, please, Saheb, please help,

A young woman with a baby in her bosom,

Dark sunken eyes, thin, naked,

I looked at the baby, touched my heart,

Churning somewhere, a pain,

Inexpressible, I looked at the woman,

A palm cupped empty she protruded,

Saheb, please give me, without food,

For two days without food, hungry,

I gave her a hundred rupees, and she vanished,

That evening I was feeling restless,

After the office, back home sat alone,

My daughter was standing anxious,

Why Dad, you are looking sad; what happened?

I was hesitant to tell her pricking thought,

Reluctantly narrated the event to her,

She was listening silently emotion less,

Her quietness is abnormal, unsettled,

Dad, the woman you saw in the market,

I know her; she was pregnant, unmarried,

Her family threw her out, society boycotted her,

Now she is begging with a baby,

The incident circulated in our city,

I, the next day on leave, searched for her,

Found at last, after a whole day of effort,

Talked to her, took her to a shelter home,

Paid contribution needed,

She was accommodated I offered her cloth,

For her, her baby, little money,

I left at midnight and left her in her room,

Her ameliorated life saved from pavements,

I could not forget her grateful eyes, silent,

Never spoken a word to me, I knew all,

Ameliorated my tortured soul, slept,

Long hours at night, I was thinking,

God permits, mysterious life is so complex,

Mute, deaf, blind for human deeds,

Exhibits love and compassion.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

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