24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
I am a doctor from India living in England. A trained vocalist and a composer in Indian Classical Music, I write in several languages. My haikai writings appear regularly in reputed journals and anthologies, and have won prizes. A former editor of Cattails (senryu), and former proofreader for journals Cattails and Skylark, I am now the Editor of Blithe Spirit, journal of the British Haiku Society.
a senryu/ haiku and tanka sequence with a repeating line
a mongrel
leaps over the wall
tail wagging
my calloused hand
over its mangy back
a mongrel
cocks its leg at the park sign
pets not allowed
a mongrel
lies down and shows
its belly—
I trace the scar
of broken trust
a mongrel
drags her teats along
to the hobo’s whistle
To prompt of the fist pic hoeing beach scene- both in English and kannada
piecing together
what’s left of the jigsaw
I sputter
under a sudden wave
of missing dad
jODisuta
murida bombeya
diDhIrale
usiru kaTTide
appana nenapu
ಜೋಡಿಸುತ
ಒಡೆದ ಚಿತ್ರವ
ದಿಢೀರಲೆ
ಉಸಿರು ಕಟ್ಟಿದೆ
ಅಪ್ಪನ ನೆನಪು
And another tanka about expressing yearnings that cannot be spoke of.
poetry
is not your thing, you say
as you leave
I let my hand rest
a little longer on you
A prayer to dEvi saraswati in Kannada in the akkara metre (this metre is to be sung rather than just read for the flow to be understood)
vINe tantiyin incharam eLpidoDam
jANeyappeyEm I nanna jihveyoLam
mANadimbiTTu solgaLam nuDisidoDam
kANe oppuvem maimeyan AgaloDam
ವೀಣೆ ತಂತಿಯಿನಿಂಚರಂ ಎಳ್ಪಿದೊಡಂ
ಜಾಣೆಯಪ್ಪೆಯೇನೀ ನನ್ನ ಜಿಹ್ವಿಯೊಳಂ
ಮಾಣದಿಂಬಿಟ್ಟು ಸೊಲ್ಗಳಂ ನುಡಿಸಿದೊಡಂ
ಕಾಣೇ ಒಪ್ಪುವೆಂ ಮೈಮೆಯನಾಗಲೊಡಂ
“How can I accept your cleverness, dexterity and prowess if you just create sweet notes and music from your vINa strings? That won’t do! Make words and poems with eternal beauty and sweetness flow from my tongue too, right away. Only then will I accept your greatness”
hair flying
our boy screams
fire fire..
a handful of water
onto the dandelions
Poetry Marathon- hour 1
A prayer to Lord GaNESa to remove all obstacles, in Sankethi language, set to the vasantatilaka metre
appOdu nAmiDara hejjehaLathayUmE
appA gaNESa unakarpaNa paNNaNAme
tappAde sAgipi sadA nudivuLLe OmE
heppaNDamella aLahE ira bEDaNAmE
ಅಪ್ಪೋದು ನಾಮಿಡರ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಹಳಥ್ನಯೂಮೇ
ಅಪ್ಪಾ ಗಣೇಶ ಉನಕರ್ಪಣ ಪಣ್ಣಣಾಮೇ
ತಪ್ಪಾದೆ ಸಾಗಿಪಿ ಸದಾ ನುಡಿವುಳ್ಳೆ ಓಮೇ
ಹೆಪ್ಪಂಡಮೆಲ್ಲ ಅಳಹೇಯಿರ ಬೇಡಣಾಮೇ ||
Always, every step we take, O gaNESa, are dedicated to you. Without fail, lead us to completion, fill our words with “Om” and may the universe fill with beauty. This is what we pray for!