CLAY IDOL

 

CLAY IDOL

 

Mesmerizing moments of spring,

Arrives unknown thrill, happiness,

Grain fields meeting horizon golden,

Swaying in the gentle breeze in waves,

Resemble happiness in waves visible,

Intoxicated rural panorama festive,

Fragrant village road shopping malls,

Crowded here, busy on a buying spree,

Hypothetical Mother descends to earth,

Grain ripe at this time shine prosperity,

Worth watching fruit gardens ripen,

Birds mean nesting time chirping,

Dews in the morning, flowers bristle,

Nature witness period blossoms,

Nature colorful invites visitors,

Exciting trips, a vocational season,

Road, rail,  and air travel early booked,

Planning city life to escape in time,

Children got holidays school allowed,

College and university student tour,

Time for a picnic for teachers,  students,

Memories freeze by clicks of cameras,

Videos of sight, classmates do perform,

Parents buy new dresses for children,

Busy internet, phenomenal traffic,

Mindboggling concession mad buyers,

Business soars crop output forecasted,

Every street cross-section, a stall,

Mother Goddess being worshipped,

The decorations are competitive, lighting,

Music, orchestra, public ceremony,

Spray vermilions dancing wildly,

Human forgets all for a short time,

Mother has arrived, stay till Dussehra,

 The eighth day is treated as auspicious,

Dussehra Diwali festive happy times,

Time to visit parental home holiday,

All family members united once,

Time erases tension, worries, fear,

Urban life dominated troubles,

For days divine mother to be prayed,

Trust Hindu community graced,

Removes misery can breathe a while,

Yearlong people wait for Mother,

Bidding adieu equally pomp splendor,

Processions drum music louder,

Dancing all the way to the river or sea,

Immersion is a human duty, gratitude,

Belief Mother kills negativity, evil,

Establish love, care, prosperity, plenty,

Clay Goddess painted with colors,

Eyes are given by brush to worship,

Emersion time brush redo erase,

Mother lives from clay Goddess,

Anything raised from the ground merges,

Clay idol quickly dissipates in water,

How similar human life matching,

Raised from soil clay is human,

 A mother's womb takes nine months,

Reshapes Human limb from tissue,

Instills life, then given birth,

At shed of pottery molds clay,

Colors give limbs real ornate,

Myth instilled life worship,

Mother's home, not earth to return,

Return humans in time to an unknown,

Immersion is the same as cremation,

Not water but fire dissipate body,

Elements clay, water, fire, air merged,

Clay idol life worships Mother in clay.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

 

 

WALKING STICK

 

WALKING STICK

 

Lonely road evening is silent,

Semi-dark lane narrow in the front,

Windows of houses lighted screened,

Doors closed, balcony lighted,

No sign of children, busy life,

Life reties after time hectic, job,

A tired human settles on a sofa, hot tea,

Wife busy preparing for dinner,

School-going children studying,

Siblings in college, absent at home,

An aged man walks down the road,

Stealing a glance through windows,

He enters his home double-storied,

The dark front door he unlocked,

Switched light on the front balcony,

Entered his home, lighted rooms,

Lone in the world children at far,

The wife with her son sick gets treated,

Prepared a cup of tea, reclined on a chair,

The walking stick inclined to the chair,

Cooling over the plate, he sips tea,

Looked at his walking stick and thought,

Once he trotted over the globe young,

Never he thought, a day will visit him,

A walking stick only supports walking,

Prevents him from falling down,

How essential in life surprising kit,

He roasted bread in an electric roaster,

Fried cabbage, vegetables on a stove,

Add spices, chili, and tomato sauce,

His dinner plate got ready quickly,

Drawing room polished, he lighted,

Incline to the sofa to watch television,

When sleep encroached not known,

It was midnight got awake hungry,

Brought dining plate to a sofa relished,

He is crying, did not know tears trickle,

Once the home was noisy, now silent,

His busy life got sleepy how soon,

Birds from the nest fled wings spread,

Not required to beg for a living,

Retired for years, no salary bill,

No bonus, incentive, extra money,

The pension from government arrives,

Deposited in bank monthly handsome,

 The only source of sustenance for him,

Never he asked children for money monthly,

He buys his medicine preventive a cost,

Pays his electric telephone bill monthly,

Annual House tax, water bill, income tax,

Walking stick only means to visit,

Clears all the payments to buy groceries,

He was looking at the walking stick,

How similar the pension  performs,

Surprise assured pension life in age,

A walking stick for passing old age,

Essential for men aged as a pensioner,

Not that lucky most aged people,

Pension missing lost the walking stick,

Falling every now n then immobile,

The man caresses his walking stick,

Deposited pension monthly, till death,

Essential for his survival, he realized.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

DESTINATION

 

DESTINATION

 Born on this soil destined to die,

Till death to live happily, in peace,

There, our understanding differs,

Some say good food life gets happy,

Sleep comfortably at night,

Some find conjugal life blissful,

Many children visible happiness,

Man fears death in a dark corner,

Security, the ultimate factor, ensures,

Happiness;  from the cave to a mansion,

Secured life at home life happy,

Never laugh at me inks different,

Happiness;  a beast enjoys likewise,

Is it human equals with animals,

A child ever meant to be a cub,

Growing like an animal then dies,

Alas, humanity understands the same,

Food, clothe, shelter, parental care,

The civilized world offers the same,

But education is a must for all ages,

Communities natives lack these,

Children lack education illiterate,

At center theological read scriptures,

Mug up holy books grows soon,

Holy-book describes God's existence,

The divine rules were written, ancient,

A path is indicated to follow strictly,

Meet objectives of human life n quit,

Destination missed totally by a kid,

A seer's presence needed to explain,

Those travel on this path realize,

Can share ably explain a holy book,

Hijacking children's life duly happens,

Memorizing lines a child realizes least,

Wasted early childhood, time to learn,

Book, the school, college, are waiting,

Knowledge is the beach near the ocean,

Pearls are strewn left by the learned,

A life passed probing universal truth,

Written in his book, lying as a pearl,

The university stands tall, glorifies,

Art, literature, science, medicine,

A plethora of technology research open,

Panorama matches landscape nicely,

Endless shores beach near the  ocean,

The ocean's vastness portrays knowledge,

Depth unknown, human life probes,

Thus, a child is not a cub to eat n sleep,

Not a robot to obey blind orders,

Stinking with human prejudices,

Society calls these practices holy,

Root reading for a lifetime, if realized?

Illiterate without education, blind,

A robot army is bred by misguided,

Mother is the first teacher to help,

The child starts to speak, read, and write,

Language is the first step toward a destination,

Book is not holy book teaches child,

School teaches history, geography,

Mathematics, science, other branches,

A child starts walking on the beach,

Collects gravel like a pearl of wisdom,

Excels in merit honor duly accorded,

I mean to say human the destination.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

 

 

 

INNOCENCE

 INNOCENCE

 

Hug you child emblem of Lord,

Purity sparks in your smiles infect,

Melts an angry heart to sobriety,

Instantly brushes up a scornful look,

Astonishing human mind complex,

Embraces child reject enmity totally,

Approaches heart cruel invites child,

Demands to be hugged trusts lovingly,

Listens to lies trustingly memorizes,

Little questions statement or doubt,

Love parents closest to the heart,

Subconsciously detects missing them,

Looks around, hardly can tell others,

Searches with innocence crying,

Difficult to tell address, names, place,

How big the world little can guess,

Give food when hungry less doubt,

Only taste if hot with spices rejects,

Few hearts adulterate poison food,

Food intakes suffer instantly get sick,

School offers food rotten with insects,

Never felt guilty n crimes against kids,

School is the breeding place for wise,

Intellect prospers here child detects,

Differentiate nature, good or bad,

Learn divine qualities and evil actions,

Lamp of learning the candle burning,

Ideal teachers lit up candles within minds,

Human curiosity itself is a universe,

Childhood  assimilates till an adult,

Matures mind realize complexity vile,

Colored human observations to view,

What is taught to be right; think right,

Little inspect the validity of the point,

Blind for statement right miss facts,

Life passed innocence of a heart kidnapped,

Naked child forced to wear a dress,

Approves customs denies freedom,

Dress for modesty vulgarity remove,

Social customs community prevail,

Born in the womb stamp given,

Child avatar of God classified soon,

Splashed in religion flavor divided,

The human mind chained child is different,

Color, language, region, caste continue,

Lord in the heart cries silently object,

O' human, blindfolded, creates races,

I am indivisible, so the child is innocent,

Innocence is the purity like fresh air,

Search purity in water  satiates thirst,

Ever water discriminate humans, tell,

Ever imposes air selection rest dying,

Ever fire objects to cremate on caste,

Left touching your untouchables,

If soil gives bountiful grains selectively,

Selects religion, color black, white,

Selects language or four directions,

Selects class human creates on gold,

Innocence lives in five elements,

Lord builds a child take nine months,

Mother little differentiate her baby,

Tell humans what religion is,

You tag the baby in the womb living,

What is the language, caste, creed,

The child lives in heaven on earth,

A paradise where innocence rules,

Only beauty exists; there is love,

Love never fear poison, cruelty, evil,

Innocence defeats the world of human

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

MUSINGS

 

MUSINGS

 

Speak dear soul open-hearted,

Elaborate on your owes and fear,

Express unspoken worries clearly,

Settled at the inner bottom died long hope,

Unbutton pouch of hope to sprout,

Have trust this world is miraculous,

Fallen hopes long enough to get alive,

Fulfill desires both aspirations met,

Fathomless depth of  sorrows deposited,

Writhing pain due to hurt or insult,

Once caused sorrows immeasurable,

Humiliated, digested life ungrudgingly,

Stitched lips promised to keep silent,

Honor scornful eyes smile docile,

Closed chamber of heart deposited,

Never allowed to unlock agonies,

Story drear soul will be long enough,

It can easily surpass lengths of life,

Speechless onlookers, cave widens,

Life event narrow caverns branching,

The dark tunnel of the past a spider net,

The mind will lose links to date and time,

Person met, place, those happened,

Stored in the  human heart, please search,

Less can be found out but certainly,

Time the culprit erases from memory,

Helps life to smile to gain courage,

The heart strength to live stronger, sing,

Flee and forget the past ghost fades,

Normal heart fights this way greets,

Greets fresh air, water, nature, hail,

Mingle soul, the heart merges in greens,

Cary dark chambers life weathered,

Never let out poisonous thoughts,

Chose to recluse heart opens up,

Exhaust bottomed up baggage free,

Animals n birds listen to a sad song,

Cry out sadly creepers dews on grass,

Sleep dear soul on meadows,

Look up the blue sky, white clouds,

Acting innocent white crane clusters,

Smiling once these clouds noisy,

Dark in anger, roaring but emptied,

Follow neatly, white clouds, thoughts,

Musings utter loudly resounded,

Resound hill distant reaching you,

Laugh heartily, your voice gets  light,

Heavy baggage narrated unload,

Light-hearted find the magic wand,

Upon the hilltop, looking down the valley,

Wrinkled face gets bright imagine,

Heart of eagle swoops down quickly,

Kills problems of human life prey,

Delete musings smelling lament,

Deletes your owes and fear detailed,

Discover spark of life cavern illuminated,

The heart is the cave, loot treasures,

Find happiness, peace, sleep well,

A heart rejuvenated,  invigorated mind,

Love, care enough in serving the sick,

Feed the  hungry, offer destitute shelter,

Passions colored with fragrance,

The heart becomes lighter, soaring high,

Boundless joys service for children,

Agile now the life active, positive,

Fully charged preach metamorphoses,

Transform musings unparalleled.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

MALAISE

 

MALAISE

 

Deeply immersed in thought in love,

Son plays with a toy home nicely,

Three storied house furniture a lot,

Staircase rises to the rooftop high,

Ground floor office room for me,

Drawing room, kitchen, dining,

Arranged on the first floor neatly,

Second floor, study, and bedroom,

A small library at the corner n table,

On the roof a small room for washing,

Wire to keep wet clothes for drying,

Ground floor garage at one side,

Astonished, he was so meticulous,

Queried, where will be brothers,

Where is room for your sister?

A guest room is needed for visitors,

He impressed me, elaborated in detail,

A solar panel for the house is required,

I shall build everything for us,

Brothers will build houses for them,

Dad n mom is in a bedroom near mine,

An antenna will be fitted for television,

A computer mobile at my table,

Planning everything, serially listed,

In fifth grade, surprised  by his thoughts,

His mom was astonished n speechless,

Siblings listened to all explanations,

Broke the toy home dismantled,

A fight started, his sister was angry,

Did not talk to her brother, the story,

The drawing room, on carpets, evening,

A scene happened only children's game,

Surprisingly, true it happened, I knew,

In the village, a huge mansion was built,

Grandpa was the landlord, constructed this,

Palatial-mansion three storied,

Garage car at that old times big,

Central hall large one on ground-floor,

Kitchen room, dining hall near,

Two floors of bedrooms, a big balcony,

The tin shed quarters for servants,

 The backyard  and front ground till gate,

The field was big, and well, cowshed visible,

It was designed by a famous architect,

The demise of  my grandfather started tragedy,

My father, uncle, his sister  quarreled,

Staying in the city, all demanded money,

Father inherited as the eldest son,

Fight in the court lasted for decades,

The village home was empty, breaking,

Once visited, noticed fallen roofs,

Walls were cracking, sprouting trees,

Creepers covered the windows,

Wooden doors  and furniture stolen,

Cowshed, servant houses were empty,

Broken boundary wall cows grazing,

That evening I was watching my son,

My dad and uncles are no more, I realized,

Disbelieve innocent children, act the same,

 An evening with a tea cup stormed malaise,

Deeper was emotions, the blood breaks.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra