BENUMBED

 

BENUMBED

 

There was a knock opened the door,

A postman in front money order,

She signed yes and received the cash,

Only a thousand notes she counted,

Closed the door and sat on the bed,

Tearful lost in thought for an hour,

She was without food for a few days,

Got respite to pay for groceries,

For weeks she bought couldn't pay,

The shop owner was kind enough,

But that was the end of goods on loan,

There is not a morsel of food, rice,

Paid back the money to buy a few,

Essential items, ration for weeks,

Small house, two rooms her home,

End of a street blind alley narrow,

She lives alone with her son abroad

Her husband met an accident,

Couldn't survive shattered her,

Only earning member wife and son,

Left suddenly mourned family,

She worked as a domestic servant,

Stitching lady's garments at home,

Her son studied at school passed,

Scholarship and study loans helped,

Completed higher education degree,

Overseas career invited him and job,

He stays abroad for years,

Left his mother alone no contact,

The lady is sick no more can work,

Meager money from stitching managed,

Medicine costs bending her back,

Failed to contact her son no reply,

Settled to her plight, clueless lonely,

Poverty disconnected her from rest,

She had in-laws, her brothers wealthy,

But life checkmated her links, sadly,

Her life is a forgotten world separated,

The dark lane neighbors feel pity,

Provide compassionate help limit,

Surprisingly brittle fate lo fractured,

Her son she lost contact with presumed,

That he is lost to her too, fate plays,

The white patches on black hair,

Eyes moist, heavy eyebrows, face pale,

Tender frame weak and sick often,

Knew her life at fag end of the story,

Knew the end feared to arrive abruptly,

She may collapse on the ground,

Reluctant to pray Lord smiles a bit,

Press her lips with your teeth, hold her,

Rejected crying shedding tears,

She has done her duty for the child,

The remnant of her beloved living,

Secured, she served her husband,

May his soul be happy, his son stable,

Wait to quit the Blind Alley unable,

Socked to get a money order surprised,

Confused puzzling his son remembers,

Remember his mother in the world,

Living still hand to mouth lost hope,

Can no way contact him, she thought,

Felt tears allowed to flow, cried a little,

It happened, and she knew it would happen,

Discovered in a hospital bed critical,

She fell, got a head injury, fortunate,

Neighbors helped to hospital kindly,

Her son is back home with family,

Returned and accepted a job here,

He took his mother home, relieved,

Benumbed his mother looking,

Her hopes were lost, but she wanted to live... 

 

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Benumbed 

Themes: Hops lost a blind alley fades

Written: 17th August 2023, Cuttack

@ Copywrite

 

 

VITRIOLIC

VITRIOLIC

 

Profess love is pure, uniting heart,

Profess life should be selfless art,

Claim friend in need friend indeed,

Claim parents' debt can't be paid,

Claim teacher is like God, obeyed,

Profess service to needy divine,

And service to God equivalent,

Quieter moments introspect well,

Uttered frequently vehemently,

Tried best to impress listeners,

Some inner dark corner of my heart,

Suspicious of believing myself, (1)

 

Relished applause clapping love,

The relished trust of friend helpful,

Seen grateful eyes hoped sympathy,

Life passed acting intelligent,

Acting decent benevolent life,

Oozed enough soothing words,

Melodramatic healing touch, lies,

Brought smiles erased tears believing,

How much I prayed for others,

How much suffered at others' plight,

How many nights awake concerned,

Thought intensely for their solution,

How much earnings are shared, (2)

 

To assist poor children, females, old,

To donate orphanage shelter homes,

To contribute funds for social service,

Blatant lies nevertheless acted sincere,

Believed neighbor, citizen, netizen,

Accepted the leaders and officers a lot,

Little anyone challenged probed,

Little media doubted questioned,

Honored in the society live happily, (3)

 

Accumulated assets, let's not mind,

How performed amassed private,

Dare not to ask for, labored hard results,

Three-storied mansion attendants,

Maintain several bungalows in cities,

Well-maintained provides luxury,

Lead a comfortable life, family respect,

Children believe me and my better half,

Trust in the capability of father or love, (4)

 

Smiled rarely leading my life stable,

Stability due to mind, a little confused,

Astonished children distanced,

Better half battered less confess,

Choosing children to stay with them,

Trusted servants left unnoticed,

Quitting people on whom I depended,

Alibis failed to detect trapped,

Believed allowed them to move soon, (5)

 

Lonely silent nights Often examine,

Pros and cons benefit loss summarize,

Where I stand in the twilight years,

The silence is torturing acutely,

Start listening to whispers heart says,

Vitriolic, your conscience stays,

How much you gained, O soul,

Cheating innocent hearts betrayed,

The reality only betrayed yourself, (6)

 

Love that was visible only fear,

Praise admiration flatter you got,

Terrified life knew vengeful attack,

Preferred to ignore convinced you,

Very well knew your crimes sinful life,

Inkling idea failed your mind,

Only believed you fooled everybody,

Life cried out hoarse you fooled me,

Deprived you of purity of love,

Deprived you of the serenity of peace,

Deprived you of pure happiness,

Vitriolic the soul and heart chained,

A mind, blind that ruled your life! (7)

 

 Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Vitriolic

Themes: Contemptuous heart, exposed lies

Written: 16th August 2024, Cuttack

@ Copywrite 

WAVE

 

WAVE

 

The sacred moment rings enthralling,

Celebrates independence spectral,

Hues splashed across the country,

Stupendous roadmap momentary, (1)

 

The highway-rail link is extensively visible,

Astonishing speed, time invincible,

A billion people united, bold effort,

Nation building enormous lo hurt, (2)

 

Fifth columnist rampart, growing,

Wild fabrications, hatred showing,

Predicting doomsday division vow,

Democracy in danger, unity grows, (3)

 

New year a few months far target,

Election to elect, past deed forget,

The country felt weak, ashamed, lost,

Opportunity arrives mistake cost, (4)

 

Repudiates nepotism, corruption,

Resolves public enforcement motion,

The landscape is changing fast, warn,

Peace, prosperity, progress disarm, (5)

 

Disarms predicting horrors swell,

Waving black coated divides fuel,

Cowed down to frontal attack, flee,

The House of Law was stunned, and glee, (6)

 

Won hearts of people clean life luck,

Patriotic flavors selfless hard work,

Miraculous changing scenarios lit,

Growing megapolis traveling greet, (7)

 

Rising population rising, youth hit,

Youth skilled, innovative, enlist,

Industrious women educated well,

Female fantasy freedom right fuel, (viii)

 

Tentacles of feminine power mingle,

Stronger country girl child simple,

Crippled divisive elements shrink,

Reformation of old rules tight link, (9)

 

Removed the indecisiveness total,

Nationhood is aware of delays, fatal,

An unbelievable energy conviction,

Development got speed let motion, (10)

 

Amazes splendid democratic rights,

The weaker minority caste delight,

Equality, liberty, growth superlative,

Unseen past history dark life strive, (11)

 

Break the barrier to illiteracy poverty,

Peasants spine of the nation pretty,

Born after the country was independent,

Seven decades passed resplendent, (12)

 

New age great country wings afire,

Among the nation's precious sapphire,

Immense respect and acclaim for success,

Alienated citizens united impress, (13)

 

The hours of glorious moments lit,

Never seen people so happy greet,

Tricolor flutters, pride enormous,

A wave of emotion future hilarious, (14)

 

The jubilant mass roaring wave soon,

Land eternal wave sun and moon,

Brimming happy tears look smile,

Motherland, we wave, tears beguile. (15)

 

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Wave

Themes: Waving at Independence Day

Written: 15th August 2023, Cuttack

@ Copywrite

 

    

DISMANTLE

 

DISMANTLE

 

Freedom was a reality unbelievable,

Sucked to the bone, people were weak,

The colonial rule for centuries corroded,

The strength of people lost eroded,

No remorse millions perished in famine,

Looted granaries shipped to the island,

The ruler was taking with gun arms,

Laws were a mockery hanging frequently,

Who loved the land languished in jail,

A time came colonial rulers left, sailed,

Fluttering tricolor united people holy,

Freedom fighters were betrayed by folly,

Whom electorate trusted, deceived,

Dreamed the powerful families peeved,

Liberty freedom corroded nepotism,

Broke the back of people's loud criticism,

Erected wall among citizens nefarious,

Inflamed ignorance, illiteracy furious,

Captured the mantle from rulers united,

So-called upper-class, intellectual, wicked,

Ensured their families, ruled the country,

Devious of their ingenuity to perpetuate clan,

Knew well to keep people, poor, illiterate,

Poisoned their mind, inflamed their heart,

Independence at dawn partitioned,

thousand years invaders ruled converted,

A ruling class divided the motherland,

Still not satisfied with cultivated classes,

Instilled into fiery mind caste and creed,

Fed's devilish idea of regionalism,

Language became the barrier barricade,

Majority minority words coined to feed,

Burning my country for seven decades,

Blind people boiled with dogmas biased,

Blind to reality, fascism, militancy hooked,

Killing spree sacred land turned red,

Burned homes of fraternity fratricidal war,

Watched comfortable ruling class in no hurry,

Fueled frictions, pseudo-fundamental rules,

Thousands of meaningless rules overrule,

Overrule brotherhood tolerance literacy,

Siphoned revenues development proxy,

Blind got leftovers saved from hunger,

Coteries built castles, cronies forts,

Helpless, mass confused, clueless suffered,

Six decades of darkness independence a joke,

Occupied gifted sacred land neighbors,

Still murkier, their lust to grab land,

People's verdict acted like a magic wand,

Voters demolished corrupt ruling families,

Bite the dust disbelieved poor class fought,

Feared perhaps first-time start drama,

Professed vehemently democratic rights,

Helluva of gift undue placate middle class,

Trying to grab power by hook or crook,

Spotless clean, click Father of Nation,

Laughter mildly spread electorate disown,

Knew well ruling class forgot principles,

Choosy to perpetuate rule exposed,

Dismantle visible walls, crumbling,

Factionalism, minority concept fading,

Literacy, skill, infrastructure, minimum livelihood,

Phenomenal growth, unbelievable sight,

Independence Day outcry, dismantle past,

Freedom, equality, liberty, means ever last... 

 

Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Dismantle

Themes: Dismantles the dark past,

Written: 14th August 2023, Cuttack

@ Copywrite