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Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Shame

Divya Rose R

Oracle

Shame

I looked into the mirror and stared at my naked body
I saw miles of skin, it’s a shame I can’t tell anybody
The breasts have sagged leaving little black marks
And the new set of bras will seldom hear good remarks

 

The hands are not thin anymore, the beauty has faded
The weight of those dumbbells will just be wasted
Looking down the new path, I do not see my legs anymore
Blocking my views are the new biggest organ, oh my tummy poor

 

Youtube has only abs exercises in its recommendations
Tired of watching them, no result without any action
The skin on top feels like a drawing book gone wrong
Memories have gathered, it was so strong for so long

 

Living with two and a half legs were always a trouble
With a top to bottom view, surely I have grown double
The only thing that has gone small in size is my hair
It just falls down to the ground as if I do not care

 

Looking at my body over and again I feel it is a big shame
And when people started judging, I do not know whom to blame
Count the calories, cut the sugar, walk a mile and what more
I can’t handle this anymore, let me throw my troubles out the door



Then I heard a big scream and it’s not from within me
I headed back to the room and a whole big mess I see
My hands and feet trembling and quivering and I turned red
But the toothless grin made my troubles tread

 

It made me think of who I really am and what I really wanted
The saggy breasts reminded me of my angel, the wish God granted
And so were the drawings on my tummy which made room for two
The legs are still not pretty but helped me dance on my toe

 

Deep down, I know I’m not a problem, not a mistake to be corrected
I’m beautiful from the inside, a natural beauty unaffected
Not anymore, I won’t let anyone dig my earth
The size of my waist has nothing to do with my worth

Srishti-2022   >>  Article - Malayalam   >>  സ്ത്രീധനവും മലയാളിയുടെ വിവാഹ സംസ്കാരവും

സ്ത്രീധനവും മലയാളിയുടെ വിവാഹ സംസ്കാരവും

സ്ത്രീധനവും മലയാളിയുടെ വിവാഹ സംസ്കാരവും

പുതിയ വികസന സുസ്ഥിര സൂചിക പ്രകാരം ഒന്നാം സ്ഥാനത്ത് നിൽക്കുന്നതാണ് നമ്മുടെ ഈ കൊച്ചു കേരളം. വിദ്യാഭ്യാസപരമായും , രാഷ്ട്രീയ സാമൂഹികപരമായും നമ്മുടെ നാട് ഏറെ മുന്നിൽ തന്നെയാണ്. എങ്കിലും ഇപ്പോഴും നാം നമ്മുടെ ചില പഴയ ഫ്യുഡൽ സംസ്കാരത്തിന്റെ കാഴ്ചപ്പാടുകൾ പിന്തുടരുന്നവരാണ്. അതിന്റെ ഒരു ഉദാഹരണമാണ് നമ്മുടെ വിവാഹവും അതിന്റെ ഉപോല്പന്നമായ സ്ത്രീധനവും . 2020-2021 കാലങ്ങളിലെ ചില പത്രവാർത്തകൾ പഴയ ഇരുണ്ട കാലത്തിലെ "ക്രുരതകൾ " നാം ഇപ്പോഴും പിന്തുടരുന്നുയെന്നതിന്റെ തെളിവുകളാണ്. ഉത്രയുടെയും , വിസ്മയയുടെയും മരണങ്ങൾ ചില ഉദാഹരണങ്ങൾ മാത്രം. 2019 - 2021 കാലഘട്ടത്തിൽ സംസ്ഥാന പോലീസിന്റെ കണക്കുപ്രകാരം സ്ത്രീധനത്തിന്റെ പേരിൽ 200 ൽ പരം മരണങ്ങളും , 15, 000 ൽ അധികം പേർ പീഢനത്തിെന്റെ ഇരകളും ആയിട്ടുണ്ട് യെന്നാണ്. അപ്പോൾ പുറം ലോകമറിയാത്ത, ഇപ്പോഴുമെല്ലാം മനസ്സിലൊതുക്കി ജീവിക്കുന്നവരുടെ കണക്കുകൾ അതിലുമധികമായിരിക്കും. സാക്ഷരതയിൽ ഏറെ മുന്നിൽ നിൽക്കുന്ന കേരളം പോലെയുള്ള സംസ്ഥാനത്തിന് ഇത്തരം കണക്കുകൾ ഒട്ടും ഭൂഷണമല്ല. സ്ത്രീധനം നിയമം മൂലം നിരോധിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടും, പരസ്യമായ രഹസ്യം പോലെ വിവാഹമെന്ന കമ്പോളത്തിൽ അത് അനസ്യൂതം തുടരുന്നു. പെൺമക്കളുണ്ടായാൽ അവർക്ക് കൊടുക്കേണ്ട വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം ഏതു രീതിയിൽ ആയിരിക്കണമെന്നതിനേക്കാൾ കൂടുതൽ ചിന്തിക്കുന്നതും , ധനം സമാഹരിക്കുന്നതും അവളുടെ വിവാഹത്തിന് വേണ്ട കാര്യങ്ങൾക്കായിരിക്കും. ഒരു കാലത്ത് വിവാഹ കമ്പോളത്തിൽ തുക പറഞ്ഞുറപ്പിക്കുന്ന പ്രദർശന വസ്തുക്കളായിരുന്നു സ്ത്രീകൾ. അത്തരം പരസ്യ ലേലവിളികൾ ഒഴിവായെങ്കിലും, സ്ത്രീധനമെന്ന വിപത്ത് നമ്മുടെ സമൂഹത്തിൽ ഒളിഞ്ഞിരിപ്പുണ്ട്. ഇത്തരം വിപത്ത് ഒരു വ്യക്തി മാത്രം വിചാരിച്ചാൽ തുടച്ചുനീക്കാൻ പറ്റില്ല. നമ്മുടെ ഓരോരുത്തരുടെയും ചിന്താഗതികൾ മാറണം. അതിന് നമ്മുടെ പാഠ്യപദ്ധതിയിൽ തന്നെ സ്ത്രീധനമെന്ന വിപത്തിനെക്കുറിച്ചും, വിവാഹമെന്ന കൂടിച്ചേരലിൽ പരസ്പര ബഹുമാനം പുലർത്തേണ്ട പ്രാധാന്യവും ഉൾക്കൊള്ളികണം. അതു പോലെ  സ്ത്രീധനനിരോധന നിയമവും അതിന്റെ പരിരക്ഷയെക്കുറിച്ചും ജനങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ കൂടുതൽ ബോധവത്കരണങ്ങൾ നടക്കണം .
 
മലയാളിയുടെ വിവാഹ സംസ്കാരം
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പണ്ടുകാലങ്ങളിൽ വിവാഹമെന്നത്  തറവാട്ടിലെ മുതിർന്ന കാരണവർ നിശ്ചയിക്കുകയും, ആണും പെണ്ണു അത് അക്ഷരംപ്രതി അനുസരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുകയെന്നതാണ്. വിവാഹത്തിന് ശേഷം സ്വന്തം ഇഷ്ടങ്ങളൊക്കെ മനസ്സിലൊതുക്കി " ഉത്തമ കുടുംബിനി "യായി അടുക്കളയുടെ ചുമരുകൾക്കുള്ളിൽ എരിഞ്ഞ് തീരുകയെന്നതുമാണ് വിവാഹം കൊണ്ട് സ്ത്രീക് കിട്ടുന്ന പ്രതിഫലവും. പക്ഷെ ഇന്ന് നാം അതിൽ നിന്നുമേറെ മുന്നോട്ട് വന്നിരിക്കുകയാണ്. പരസ്പരം കാണുകയും, അഭിപ്രായങ്ങളും ഇഷ്ടങ്ങളും പങ്കുവെയ്ക്കുവാനും ഇന്ന് സാധിക്കുന്നണ്ട്. അഭിപ്രായ വ്യത്യാസങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ടങ്കിൽ പരസ്പര സമ്മതത്തോടെ വേർപിരിയാനും മറ്റൊരു പങ്കാളിയെ കണ്ടെത്തുവാനും ഇന്നത്തെ മലയാളിക്ക് മടിയില്ല. എങ്കിലും വിവാഹ മോചിതയായ സ്ത്രീയെ നോക്കി കാണുന്നതിൽ ഇപ്പോഴും നമ്മുടെ ചിന്താഗതി പഴഞ്ചനാണെന്നതിൽ തർക്കമില്ല. വിവാഹമോചനമെന്നത് മഹാ പാപമായി കരുതിയ കാലഘട്ടത്തിലെ മനസ്സിൽ നിന്നുമേറെ മുന്നോട്ട് പോയ നമ്മുക്ക് , അതിലും വിശാല പരമായ മുന്നേറ്റമുണ്ടാകുമെന്ന് പ്രത്യാശിക്കാം. അതു പോലെ പ്രണയവിവാഹം, ലീവിങ് ടുഗതർ, വ്യത്യസ്ത മതങ്ങളിൽ ഉള്ളവർ തമ്മിലുള്ള വിവാഹം, തുടങ്ങിയ കാര്യങ്ങളിലുള്ള നമ്മുടെ ചിന്താഗതിയിനിയുമേറെ മുന്നോട്ട് പോകേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. വളർന്നു വരുന്ന പുതിയ തലമുറക്ക് അത്തരം കാര്യങ്ങളിൽ വിശാലപരമായി ചിന്തിക്കാനുള്ള കഴിവ് ഉണ്ടാകട്ടെയെന്ന് പ്രത്യാശിക്കാം .
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  The Mystery of Pain

The Mystery of Pain

Who am i
What am i 
What has happened to me
How can i tell you
I am doomed yet saved. 
I am a survivor, but i am also someone's inspiration. 
I am incomplete but that person completes me. 
I am like a sunrise and she is like sunset. 
I am in wandering but she like destination with peace. 
If I am in trauma then she is my medication. 
If I am a devotee then she is my goddess. 
But there isn't any reason for my pain. 
I feel a little angry with myself too. 
Everything started a lifetime ago, 
and
it will be there always & forever. 
I'm lost and It's heart wrenching, 
How do i say that to her, 
How to understand her that,
I'm Incomplete without her. 
My life is a unfinished tale without her. 
Her tantrums are the treasures hidden in my story.
She is like all those words that never fall out of my mouth, without them everything seems lifeless and empty
and
Her presence gives me that solace. 
She is like that beautiful feeling. 
People say you never gets your true love. 
That's a dream not reality, 
Like the moon never slides on earth
and 
God which never belongs to anyone specific.
I think about this in the darkest hours. 
Manifesting a conflict with my inner self asking, 
What if we don't meet forever? 
In return i find myself alone. 
Because whatever I am, 
I am because of you. 
You taught me the meaning of love. 
You taught me how to face reality. 
You made me fall in love with you, 
by confessing your love for me. 
I was with you in every part of your life and 
You made me feel how beautiful this world can be by getting along with someone. 
You taught me how to live gracefully with pain. 
I always found a better person in me. 
That better person is you my love. 
In my life, even in me, 
You exist more than me. 
I'm there because of you, 
There is nothing without you. 
I question myself every night
Who am i? 
What am i? 
What happened to me? 
How can i tell you? 
One day I'll find myself and I'll find you
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  The Toy

Aarathi Panickar

Ernst&Young

The Toy

At the traffic signal I noticed the Banyan tree,
After about three decades. 
I hadn’t realized that my old friend had grown so big;
It was probably a tenth the size
That rainy afternoon when I stood dumbfounded
In the dingy backroom of ‘the’ candy store.
That day too, I smiled looking at the tree
Before I was ushered inside;
Like how my eyes glinted every day when I sauntered by
For my favourite coffee-flavoured candy,
‘Cause its leaves had a shade of jade
That stirred me happy just looking at them.
I didn’t think it odd that the ‘candy store uncle’
Wanted to show me something special;
“Our little secret, my doll”,
He whispered through his tawny teeth.
But something hard, shrouded
By his blue and brown checkered loincloth
That he swiftly brought out
With a sleight of hand and a look of awe,
Did not seem to me like a magic trick
Or a Halloween treat to be unveiled animatedly.
I remember having a soliloquy,
“Is this the toy I should clap my hands for;
Why does uncle want me to ‘play’ with it?”
‘It’, which looked like an obnoxious single-limbed beast to me,
Like it had a mind of its own,
Breathing and moving, all by itself.
‘It’, whose slippery sloppy rigidness against my skin,
Haunted me for years to come,
Making me wonder which one of us
Was the ‘toy’ in the dark room that stormy day –
When the tree’s leaves unable to be mute witnesses,
Lashed in futile rebellion
Against the railings of the tiny window,
And dripped raindrops on the window sill,

Like trickling down tears of helplessness.
‘It’ which made me shun henceforth
From curving my lips upward,
Feeling an iota of delight,
Or even glancing at the tree,
Every time I passed by its shade.     

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Work From Mountains

Rohith K A

TCS

Work From Mountains

First snowfall, in your valley.
Together we two,
Climbing the mountains.
Steep it is;
Still have your hand to hold.

How far we came!
From the locked rooms,
Empty streets,
Frozen days..

And it shifts - the office chairs.
Corporate honeycombs
Transforms to a laptop in hand.

And we climb,
The valleys and mountains.
Carrying home -
Work from home too!

Remember?! The one old day,
Sitting inside those
Partitioned cubes,
Eyes on screen, hands on keys,
Talking loud,
About the first snowfall
Happened in the north.

Who knew,
Two years later
Today we travel
Together for a lifetime!

And  here it is,
The first snowfall
Together in our stomachs!
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Yell of One Young Bird

KIRUBA K

QuEST Global

Yell of One Young Bird

A nestling slowly peeped from its nest
I started staring it leaving the rest
I was exhilarated by its little look;
keeping aside my boring bulky book.
 
It seemed to be questing for someone
It should be for its own mother.
I went deep into my thoughts;
 
"For the quail,
 
No worry and nothing to feel sorry
No sorrows and no grief;
Being snugged by the quill of its mother
What's there in the world to bother ??
 
And.... "
 
I continued to think on and on...
 
But soon I was disturbed by a shooting sound
Followed by the wailing of the mother bird
 
Alas !!
 
The little one trembled with fear - And
My eyes were filled with tears- Atlast
I realized the meaning of "Life" - For
None the life is so ease - I understood
 
Every creature has its own sorrows - And
I silently wet my pillow !!!

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  When you were born a Girl...

Annu George

TCS

When you were born a Girl...

There are things you were told
when you were born a girl,
things you thought 
you were meant to follow,
So you grow up learning
 to be enough to suit someone's taste-
vocal enough,
Smart enough,
Sensitive enough,
Capable enough,
Late enough,
Early enough
You grow up bounded by a set of enough's
that you think that is who you are supposed to be,
Enough!!
 
Then you grow a little more,
start realising the traps,
The lines starts to blur,
and you could no longer see the borders 
You start crossing the boundaries,
start asking questions,
You start being loud, 
a bit more smarter than enough,
And then,
 people call you names,
call you out for your arrogance,
your sensitivity, your nerve to 
wake up later than 6.
They call you out for being more 
than what they wanted you to be,
 
Then you take it a step further,
You start writing about how you deserve better,
You offend people-friends in a way 
you never thought you could.
They tell you how nobody is stopping you and still judge you,
They ask you to have faith in the world,
They tell you that you are really free,
And yet you find them blaming it on the girl,
in love, heartbreaks and rapes.
They tell you how they are all for women empowerment, how you have their support and respect,
Yet you see them in random comment sections and DM's lamenting or mocking,
angry or restless,
And you realise none of it was true.
 
Some break out of the bubble easy,
Some struggle trying to get out,
Some spend time learning and unlearning,
Some to find a solid ground to stand tall
And some are still trapped,
calling it choices,
naming it happiness.
And I wonder where you are?
Out the bubble,
Butt in and head out
Or
Are you 'in' still?

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Of Memories and Perceptions

Of Memories and Perceptions

I think most of my memories
I believe to be true
are dreams that have occurred to me
time and again.
.
"My feet in a muddy puddle;
the fingers peeking out
and curling in.
Foggy eyeglasses
and hair that smells like petrichor.
The sky against a flock of doves swooping in sync.
A ladybug sliding along a leaf with brown whiskers,
falling into a half-filled coconut shell
and wiggling its wings
until my little finger comes to its rescue."
.
I think most of my nightmares
I believe to be real
are memories I've refused to feel.
.
"My feet cracking open
to something in its entirety.
Broken eyeglasses
and hair that smells like a polluted road map
leading to graveyards
where I've buried the skin I shed
every time I feel violated.
The sky gaping at me; drawing my soul into a trance.
A carcass floating on a half-empty coconut shell."
.
I'm just trying to find what's what
and nothing makes sense;
just like how it has always been- like
a breath trapped in a coffin.
Tangible, but strangely unreal.
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Accent

Neethu Prasanna

UST Global

Accent

Accent is the scissors, the 360 degree-cutting mouth
that he holds above me. When it harrows, it does that
blindly, through the thickets of a black questionnaire,
non-stop, pushing them down not just to this salon-cape;
but they’re everywhere, floating around, throwing sand
in my face. As my trainer once told me, it might seem
difficult at first, but afterwards, it will be a cakewalk.
Them with their anesthetic tips ripping open my head,
and me unsaying a no…
It’s this mirror, that shoves me back to where I
got up from, to me, my land, all in just one reflection -
Frame by frame, bringing me the pieces I missed to
fit in since the beginning, the whys and the hows of
belonging.  Even if it’s late, I see the sparkling head,
the zero difference I make whether I emit a “wave cut”
or a “shave cut”.  It blurs me, but I see that – after all
these runs and disguises, I am still standing there…
It’s the garlic, that grows only more in my mouth
after every floss, evokes and embodies every silent letter
abased for centuries. Though I don’t know why they shifted
the vowels first, it shifts me back and forth, sifts me through
the diacritics and the heteronyms that this world offers.
Like a flavor that burns my 2 GB data, my dates and when
I reach my office, my boss, it is with me, knocking each
one of them out, by blowing the glottal T again and again…
Accent is the frog, that mostly stays quiet in my throat,
but in the heat of discussions, in that intense mood when
it can’t hold back more, it jumps out, up in the air, with an
eccentric tropical croak, carrying on its legs all the filth
gathered from our shores, the wet and the crudeness, truth
and the vulgar, and lands on their plates. When it happens,
it’s quite amazing. Some fun for the restaurant to watch.
The table turning, some coughing out their eyeballs, some
clapping, just like they have seen my frog…
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  The last chance given by Nature

The last chance given by Nature

A wildfire that caused the smoky clouds,
made the eyes of the creatures masked.
A rainfall that makes the skin to burn,
bruising it in the brains of the clades.
The winter was late, a new year came
with abundance and joy.
The spring was forgotten, a warmth breeze
that felt for the coming bright days.
Hope and fate joined hands
the universe was thriving for more
Sound and light kept whispering,
the man its time to face your deeds.
The ocean was blistering with storms
and came along the thunders.
The lightning ignited a spark in the
islands of the pangea.
The land of man was slowly turning red,
science and nature gave its sign.
We had to neglect them for the glimpse
which is far from reach.
The books of religion turned tools,
weapons became invisible.
The greed and ignorance built a wall
all over themselves from others.
We lately look all around to understand,
which was too late
The price it asked was immense and
immeasurable in nature.
Thou, joined hands to witness the prime force
the vibrations were felt at heart.
The effortless destruction began to rage
which turned the minds to be small.
The alarming tunes wound the wind,
which crossed all the borders instantly.
The words of ancestors were remembered
by the race that failed it.
The beliefs started to fall apart,
shouldering one another on one last run.
The flower in the garden whispered,
its time its time!
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Wonder of the night

Angel M S Raj

Cognizant

Wonder of the night

She is the queen of the night
Always born for the nights
She is as white as snow
Looks like a seraph in the gloom!
Even though born in the darkness
She always lavish like an angel…
Are you a piece from heaven! Oh beauty
Which came down to earth
To show the glory of heaven to us!
Oh! Bethlehem Lily*, the queen of night
What a pleasure to see you in the dark
A star which shines in the night sky
Will resemble like her when she blooms!
She whispers in my ears so sweetly:
“See my friend…
Like I’m spreading beauty in the darkness
You can spread love to others
Even if you are in the darkest hours…
Trust me, you will be blessed from above
If you have tenderness to others!
Like I have sweet fragrance in the darkness
You spread your sweet aroma my friend
Having love, peace and kindness always”
I felt so refreshed to hear from you oh purest
I thought in my mind with a sweet smile on my face:
“You are truly a wonder of the night!”
* Bethlehem Lily is Nishagandhi flower which blooms only in the night.

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Landscape

Jayant Moosad

UST Global

Landscape

Roses are red. 
Violence in blues. 
This canvas, you tread, 
What color do you choose?

Truth isn't White. 
Liberty is in hues. 
False screens with flashing
A Pixel divides youse? 

Pinks are still in dread. 
Silver linings few. 
Rising spectrum of hatred. 
In blindness, et tu? 

Death to the Green, 
leads Brown sphere to cool. 
Lose your spirit’s sheen, 
And let Darkness rule?


 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  On Books on World Book Day

Prabha Prakash

Ernst&Young

On Books on World Book Day

Dear best friends that smell of goodness,

You accompany me like loyal advisors,
And adorn my room with your royal charm!
You kick me when needed with your authoritative phrases
And show me the way when I am stuck.
You let me scribble on you when you are blank,
And speak endlessly back to me when you are not.
You stare at me when my eyes well up
And lull me to sleep in your arms.
My best confiders,
Every day is your day,
On screen or on paper,
You speak to me more than anyone else.
You show me the paths I could never tread
And invite me to experience lifetimes-
Listen to conversations
And meet characters that emerge out of nowhere.
You opened me a world where I am the creator and you are the canvas
And we paint mixtures of past and present,
Shake hands with history
And emote intensely like springs that never dry.


 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  The Giant Tree...

Jinju Thulaseedharan

UST

The Giant Tree...

After the fall of the last leaf,
The giant tree stood alone in its place
No frills or glitz added to its life
People just ignored him...

There comes the colors of Spring
The giant was adorned with flowers so sweet!
With ornaments and proud,there he stood
The same people now admire him !!!

Our life is full of twists and turns
With a fall, you'll never be crushed
Believe in yourself my dear, hear my word
Like the giant,you will stand beautiful one day !!!
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Finding herself

Juwel Jose

Ernst&Young

Finding herself

Caged, lost, having no one to hold her, no one to talk to. 
She spend nights awake with no one to listen to her soft sobs. 
Hoping against hope she could finally find her peace,
she could get her smile back, could find her way back.
Some days she wondered if she was slipping away. 
If this would be the end, an end with no more pain.
Then, one day, she woke, realized no one was waiting 
on the other side for her, she was all alone.
And she knew she had to find herself, she had to live.
So it began, like a phoenix from its ashes,
her journey to claim her throne
to find the young girl she had lost along the way 
to make herself into the warrior she was always meant to be. 
Slowly, she built herself, walking over the ashes,
smiling down at scars of battles she once fought, 
feeling the same scars protect her fiercely. 
Realizing that at last, she had found her peace. 
Yet she knew the fight wasn't over, but the fights never 
again, scared her, never again threw her back into her cage. 
No, she fought her battles with everything she had. 
Loved herself and her people from the bottom of her heart. 
But she knew which ones to choose and which ones to let 
go, she knew the past didn't define her, she knew she was 
no longer falling, that she was her queen.

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Song of nothing

Rini A

UST

Song of nothing

Felt nothing, just nothing.
Time carved life out of the fuming soul, mind wandered in void
Feelings left heart
Trust long lost
Love frozen.
Felt Nothing, Just nothing.
No song could soothe the ears
No words could tear the heart
Deeper, the darker.

Two warm hands thawed the soul,
Holdin 'em tight,
Broken pieces were brought back,
A fine carved soul emerged,
A strong mind was born.
Heart bold, head held high,
Moving ahead, leaping ahead,
As if No Thing could break it again.


 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Death Note to My Valentine

Death Note to My Valentine

If I were flying high,
You always heaved a sigh.
I was always glad,
Thought you were well-clad.
I was hardly twenty-two,
My dad was pretty anxious too.
Mom was sure it had to be you,
We were friends, so nothing new.
The day you took my hand in yours,
And slid that dainty diamond ring,
I took off on a zillion tours-
Monaco and the lakes of Wyoming.
On nights we met over wine,
You said my cheeks blushed pink,
When you said 'you are mine',
And poured me another drink.
We shed our layers with every sip,
More bare and raw as we lost grip,
Fears, rejections, phobias and hurt,
How many sips before I stained my shirt?
The last layer that I shed before you,
Of the deepest fear I faced as a child-
I felt it could change your view,
That it could make me cry so wild.
Silence ensued as I wiped a tear,
What crept my mind was fear,
Of losing what my heart craved for,
I wouldn't cry if I lost you, I swore.
'Wine is a cleanser', I muttered,
Rubbed my shirt off the steak sauce stain.
My mind was so cluttered,
When you spoke again.
'You went into detention,
Devoid of pretension,
I'd crush under half the weight,
But you didn't settle for fate'.
'My hands were bloody,
Of the hurt I inflicted,
The waters were muddy,
No wonder I was convicted'.
'Your childhood was what you lost,
All you did was leave scars.
"How do you know I scarred him, Frost"?
The eerie silence, deepening scars.
The air around turned familiar,
I pulled back your collar,
There, sat a decade-old scar,
A sight I wish I could unsee.
Silence ensued as I wiped a tear,
What crept my mind was anger,
For sharing the air with a mess,
It had to be your death, nothing less.

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Life during Covid

Sujith Dan Mammen

UST Global

Life during Covid

As the sun shines it's way through my windows,
As the dawn embarks it's way through the shadows,
The mask is slowly waving, as to greet me like a friend;
How long before I have to think when in real I will meet a friend?
The house has turned to office, that's to say the least of it;
On the corner is the chair, all day I plan to sit;
The laptop on the table, like a sleeping silent dragon,
If I don't drink a coffee, I may feel like an empty wagon.
I check the climate for it's a risk,the rain might ruin my day;
The work network may go so bleak, I hope it's not today.
The sun at noon can roast me up, I may turn a crispy pie,
But if I say my life is hard, for all it sounds a lie.
I miss the days of gossip, the breaks of fun in the office,
Now if I get a proper chat, I think it can suffice.
A meeting after another, the status shows a red,
We all are struggling harder, to gain our daily bread.
Those who said work from home is useless and against all our laws,
They just cheer at this new way of comfort, all they do is plause.
Gifts are send to the best of minds, tokens of gratitude
Some may brag with all they got, that's a ton of attitude.
The bills have gone just higher, the calls all day I just make,
People think my work is magic , and is just a piece of cake.
All is virtual, from meets to lunch, I can swear its pure dismay,
Some I see to their comfort, say it will be normal when it's May.
The time zones are a nightmare, the calls that never end,
All have needs of their own, it makes my bones go bend;
The work is like a shadow of mine, slowly following behind,
Some peace of mind at home, that's all I need to find.
My family is glad they got me, for I can never be too busy,
I sit at home all day, for them its very fuzzy;
The shop owners all know my eyes, for that is all they see,
Spreading my hand with sanitizers, killing the germs that I can't see.

The dog barks when I start a call, or the mixer is on its way,
The power may fail or the water may stop, whatever may come my way,
I feel lucky than others who have lost a job or has gone severely ill,
With the course of time, it's all just good so I can pay my bill
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  Lucky me?(Inspired by the movie joker)

Jince Tom Varghese

Infosys Limited

Lucky me?(Inspired by the movie joker)

I thought I walked over the skyway, slow, too slow,
I danced and laughed, again laughed.
Looked down a bit, but just saw feet; just a couple, ah mine.
I thought I might see other heads below, but still..

I heard the screams, ah not mine anymore, who cares?
I thought I laughed and laughed till the end.
Ah, I was too optimistic, oh have you been?
The man asked; I danced and laughed again!

He stared, puzzled, and breathed but did not yawn(lucky me?).
Reflective eyes are now wide open, yes they are.
Do I see me weeping and weeping, like for real?
Much more to come, his whispers are widespread!!

Crawling the trashy underway, fast, as to surpass my death,
I  kept wiping my tears; again and again,
Looked up a bit; I still see feet, now many of them.

I thought I was thinking, like for real, you bet?
The man stared, enough is enough, ah well,
I hear the laughter, still not mine, but it echoes forever.
It matters now, much beyond the feet above my head.
 

Srishti-2022   >>  Poem - English   >>  A Dying Tribe's Lament

Sreekesh SV

Ernst&Young

A Dying Tribe's Lament

On the sides of streets
Tracks of rails
All over abandoned grounds and parks
Spaces you ignore
Places you don't look,
I grow green and lush
Leaves and flowers and all.
Not in the forests
Not in the gardens
In grasslands, wetlands and savannahs,
I drink the sunlight
Spread my tender branches
Unfurl my thirsty roots
And let my leaves breathe out life.
On my flowers, the bees make love
On my branches, the finches creep
On my leaves, the thrips feast
From the air my pores breathe out,
Lives the man that walks
The snake that crawls
The birds that fly.
I'm a shrub
That does it's part
To keep this planet
Alive at heart.
But come flood, I'm dead
Come summer, I'm burnt.
When seasons don't kill me,
Humans do.
For parades and processions,
Festivals and funerals,
For roads and gardens and powerplants,
Everyday, I'm killed - 
Blades cutting into my tender stems
Flames burning my leaves alive.
I'm as life as your pug,
As life-giving as any forest plant.
Look at me with your heart,
I'm as infinitely beautiful
As any flower plant in your garden.
I'm a shrub
That does its part
To keep this planet
Alive at heart.
But what I'm now 
Is a dying tribe.
Like we share a lung
Let's share the earth.
Love us not
Show us some sympathy.
Let us live.
 

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