The Poetry Marathon

The verdict was clear, “Hang until death”
Every face lit up with vengeance,” “This heartless witch deserves death!”
But I knew she was the kindest, the noblest
There was no proof except for my lingering belief in her
They led her away, she did not even flinch
But she turned back just once, and gave me such a smile
That left me in no doubt that she knew
“She knows, she knows,”
I muttered to myself; she knew all along
I wondered why then did she walk to her death, with her eyes open
“Because, I love you with my eyes closed!”
The wind carried her gentle voice to me…

I am convinced man must essentially be a masochist
I am convinced this institution is not for me
For how else would you justify a perfectly sane creature
Who is perfectly happy, financially and emotionally secure,
Suddenly decides to pluck his heart and place it
At her feet?
And what’s more, hold a lavish ceremony, inviting all and sundry
To witness the display of his sacrifice at the altar of her whims and fancies
The final nail on the coffin would be the rings they exchange
And exchange the vows that would fade with time
Their family and well-wishes cheer on boisterously
When the bride throws the bouquet into the crowd
And a pretty girl catches my eyes and smiles at me meaningfully
An old-fashion blush taints my cheek
I imagine her and me in bridal clothes
Exchanging rings and exchanging rings seems so romantic…
Err, didn’t I say man is essentially masochist?!!

I closed my eyes, invisible to the world,
I felt at peace, his darkness my escape blanket
I drifted off in to a deep slumber
Dreamt of fairies and sunshine and quiet
When the piercing ring of the alarm sounded like the death knell
They had plucked me from the warm lap of the night
And shoved me in to the scorching bosom of the brilliant day
The infant wailed, the toddler screamed
The sink beckoned me with its dirty dishes
Piles of clothes stood everywhere, like the leaning tower of Pisa
I ran out of bed, infant on my hip, toddler tailing me
I cooked, I mopped, I cleaned, I fed
It was twilight when my rumbling stomach reminded
Me of an act of self-service called eating
I checked the kitchen for food but found only ingredients
Husband sailed in from office early, my savior
I pounced upon the blueberry cheesecake and hot Chinese
I ignored the mess that was my house and my life
I had decided this was permanent
But alas! Nothing is ever so
The ten years have flown away
The house is no longer messy or reverberating with wails and screams
Everything is in its place; it is too quiet
O! That I would give an arm and a leg, to conjure it all back…

We stood under the moonlight
The birch throwing about strange shadows
Our shadows got lost in them
Or did we become one ourselves?
A truant breeze slapped against our faces
Our hands entwined and we simply walked
The leaves sighed, the wind whispered and our past murmured
Stories of our smiles, our love, of battles
We fought and lost…
Time Marched on, worlds changed, our bodies and faces did too
But today, under the cloak of the stars
As they whispered secrets deep,
We traced our history amongst the shriveled up roots of trees
And the fading hush of the nightsky
In each other’s arms, we traced the journey of our several lifetimes
And time stood still for an infinitesimal moment,
Peering at us, soul to soul, soul over soul, soul with soul
And this is how she found us, the past draped about us like a cloak…!

So excited to begin!

I participated in 2022 24-hour marathon. I entered 23 poems. In the last hour , due to technical glitch, I couldn”t upload although I had finished the last poem in time. I did not know that I could have sent by mail. So near, yet so far!

Here I am, trying again! Wish me luck !!

Stardust, come hold my hand
Sprinkle your magic into my life
Just holding you, feels like peeping into the soul of a star
Her silvery tendrils, Intersperse with my veins
And lo and behold! I am stardust!

I have no form or destination
My invisible wings will take me
Where my heart rejoices
Miracles happen and my entire body does glow
Yes,spread all over me, is, Stardust!

The city that will never sleep/
That will either awe you or make you weep/

Where the rich rub shoulders with the poor/
Where impossible opposites meet/
And in this, lies its grandeur/
She’s Mumbai; arms outstretched, always cheerful and upbeat

The morning sees her buzzing busy, embracing all kinds
Her invisible vein of love, in an unbreakable bond, all and sundry, it binds

Her lifelines; zanzy cars and the BEST and the local
Our Mumbaiyya lives ‘bindaas’, is always vocal

But then, Mumbai isn’t at all times, rosy
Accepts all but not always cosy.

But when calamity befalls, bombs blast or rains fall,
In unison do the mumbaikars rise
And beware the forces that threaten the metropolis!

There is tenderness in her breasts
As her just born suckles; elixir of life
The two pink lines had completely unsettled her, then
She had not been sure at all
They had assured her it would be all right
She looked with wonder at the little bundle
That was with sure-shot precision and right,
Claiming her body and her heart
Her gurgling sounds felt like a lullaby
A strange calm made home in her
A warmth pilfered in, tenderness filled her every pore
And suddenly, she was never so sure!!

The little boy lay as still
As the mountain air surrounding him
His eyes closed, he heard muffled cries
And knew he wouldn’t see tomorrow
A constriction in his heart,
He smelt the familiar, fragrant almond blossom
“Be with me…”
And he drifted away…
Then the blossom wilted…