1. May Day thoughts
Does She Know?
Does she even know about it?
This lady in her cotton sari
Head demurely covered
Glass bangles clanking in her wrists
The baby in a tattered make shift hammock
Tied to two dusty trees
Hammering stones by the pavement
Carrying gravel on her delicate head
Does she even know that some one
Somewhere in the world is ‘Celebrating’ International Workers’ day’?
The majestic buildings gleaming with glass windows
Look down vacantly at her
Her blank eyes drowning in spectre hollows
She gazes towards the smoggy horizon
And sees not a single sign of hope
2. Deeply Loved
Women who are deeply loved
Glisten with an ethereal iridescence
Ensconced in a safe chrysalis
Their butterfly wings unfurl
Confident stride, carefree stance
The tresses devil may care
Women who are sincerely loved
Can wait till the last fiery sunset
Bursting into magenta blooms
That climb the trellis of bliss
3. Magical Magnolia
Magnolia merrily blooming
On a fresh spring bough
Shaped like a tulip with a zest for heights
Catching the eye of walkers and drivers
Arresting them unawares in the rush
For their inevitable daily grind
Powder puff clouds on a turquoise sky
Lending a backdrop for the lilac satin
4. A Brinjal?
The brinjal dangled enticingly on the dwarf plant
Royal purple, shiny and smooth
Waiting to be plucked by the frugal home maker
Willing to be chopped up into a sweet and sour curry
Or roasted and smashed into a succulent bharta
The bed of leaves dark and protective
Flowers yet to ripen, a mauve hue
Related to tomatoes and potatoes, Actually a berry, they say!
From Italian parmigiana to Middle Eastern baba ganoush
To stuffed Turkish delights and sharp Chinese stir fries
The humble aubergine soaks in flavours and oils
Letting itself be called an eggplant too
Long, round, oval, white
Begun bhaja in Bengal and a smoked Chokha in Bihar
If I were a vegetable, maybe I’d be a brinjal?
The round one , of course !
5. Reflections on the Ceiling
A vault of mirages traipsing
Through eons of desert sands
Your voice in distorted guitar strings
Strumming on battered bastions
Quivering quests for random forays
In lost lagoons of aquatic blues
Feathered dreams winging farther
To catch the sunset by its tail
Orphaned desires laid to rest
In satin covered marble graves
6. Pearly Pinks
Baby pink smock frocks with wondrous awe
Pink greed of candy floss clouds of childhood
Rapturous buds of dusty rose pink teenage tumults
Sashaying youth on passionate parades of hot pink streams
Waiting in silver haired halls of grey chiffons with pink lipsticked wisdom
Pink pearls on creasing necks as the end comes closer
7. For Gobind Shahbaaz Singh
Our son who left us bewildered on 1st of January 2013
Rest In Peace dear one
Was it three long years ago that God decided
That He wanted you back dear Shahbaaz?
Your light was too bright to be snuffed out
By a single stroke of death
Your aura luminous like a billion stars
On a moonlit night
The warm twinkle in your
Deep hazel eyes emerging
Into the greenish grey of
A turbulent sea on some days
The benevolent throbbing of your heart
Ever willing to lend a helping hand
Your friends who come and hold me
In a warm bear hug
Are constant reminders
Of the titanic size
Of your endearing persona
At once humble and regal
A genial smile and a naughty quip hiding the
Tick tock of your blazing brilliance
A boy far beyond his times
An ambition wilder than a stallion’s
You galloped into my life
Hiding safely in my womb
But departed in a zooming jiffy
Without even saying goodbye
I know you look at me
Admonishingly from heaven
Whenever I laugh out of turn
Or even when I speak
Louder than a lady should
It’s too late to say
“If only “and “suppose”
You are an angel now
Or a truly evolved soul
But I walk through your room
Trying to clasp at your soul
Mothers are foolish beings
Who know it more than you?
Lily Swarn, International Beat Poet Laureate for India in 2023-2024 and recipient of Caesar Vallejo Award for literary excellence by UHE, is an internationally acclaimed, multilingual poet, novelist, essayist, columnist, gold medalist, university colour holder, radio show host, and Peace and Humanity ambassador. She and has over 70 international and national awards including the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi award. Her poetry is translated into 21 languages. She can be reached at [email protected]