
Girls are sitting cross-legged
This is the best time!
They call it a dream era !!
Roads are wide everywhere but they go nowhere
Buildings are tall but empty and hollow
Night fears the light here
Though billboards are bright vulgarly
The sky looks gloomy perpetually
Libraries are full of books by wise men
Theatre houses are staging drama every day
Parks are graced with civilised joggers
But why old age homes are well-decorated everywhere?
Why do women look at everything with black eyes?
Who is feeding cluster figs to the squirrels?*
Why are girls still sitting cross-legged?
Sun still shines
Ocean too evaporates
Clouds gather jovially
But the moon is sitting tongue-tied
Wind’s hands are cuffed totally
Trees are becoming bonsais happily
The rain is saline painfully
Why are cats weeping?
Why are birds happy in cages?
Why is the soil decaying and the sand spreading?
Who is mixing dung and yellow soil in the curd ?**
Stop whining now my consciousness
Sleep dear sweet dreams
Land is safe in the hands of shepherd scorpions !
*It is also used as an aphrodisiac.
**If you mix dung and yellow soil in curd, a scorpion will be born – Charaka’s philosophy of life about the soul, which is nothing else but a consciousness, born by mingling act of jal, Vayu, Prithvi and tej (it may be in sense of fire). There is no belief in the fifth element, aakash and ‘aatma’.
The River
Sitting on the bank of a river
If you look into the midstream water
The river seems to be a pregnant woman
And the sun, setting on the horizon,
looks like an orange-red vermilion on her forehead!
What will she create?
What will be born from her womb?
I say all the logic all the book,
Every temple every tomb!!
Paddy wheat and gram,
Factory theatre and tram,
Democracy justice equality,
Humanity tolerance and tranquility;
Patience endurance brotherhood,
All come from nothing but motherhood!!
O mother river!
Bless us with your boon
Give us every time
A full monsoon !!
It gives us dream,
And we come out from our cocooned den
It gives us hope,
And we become humane again!!
O mother river I know
You are going through pain;
Not for glory not for agenda hidden
But only to feed your loving children!!
I salute you!
I bow to you!!
O mother river!
O mother river!!
Horror
Contrary to the often-told stories
This time
Rats are not jumping into the river
Rather they are coming out from the water
They are heading towards not the city but the hinterland now
They are bigger
Their teeth are sharper and stronger than before
They are neighing, indistinctly chanting something like 'sarve bhawantu sukhinah' in chorus,
And whose shadow is this
Who is leading them forward
And playing the tune of death captivatingly?
He is not our bagpiper
He is a multifaceted fowler
With an experienced flock of snake charmers!
We are growing on our lies
They are feeding on our greed and silence
Nobody is doing injustice to us
We ourselves are the horror of this age!
Another Footnote
In the time of twilight
The sun is setting in the river
Boatmen are singing psalms quietly
The smell of blooming flowers
Music of running water
And the spirit of vagabond air
All desire to hold my heart for eternity
A shadow is becoming larger and darker every minute behind me
Ahead of me however
A line of lamp posts is shining bright
A child is playing there with red balloons in his hands
A lover is pleading to his beloved behind a rock
An illuminating star is rising high in the sky
Another one is falling from and getting buried in the dark of night
I witness every day this rise and fall of dawn and dusk
Every day I witness the puppeteer’s many a mesmerizing play,
Nevertheless,
Statues made of clay are what other than the clay?
Trees will unite with seeds
Rays to the sun
Fraction to the absolute
I too have to surrender his alms to him only
I must look into the mirror now solemnly
O reluctant ascetic of unknown horizons
Let it pass, let it come
As it is the noblest wisdom
It’s futile now to tie the knot on a bale of hay
The chariot is ready, do not look away
O, the stubborn pigeon of my fake pride
Follow the waggle dance of bees
And cross the burning bridge with dignity, please!
*The waggle dance of bees indicates a possible new source of nectar.
The Elixir
Life is bizarre and erratic
Nothing is permanent but in flux
Where we all linger in an infinite void
And total doldrums
Still, we claim to love each other forever
Isn't this hypocrisy?
No, it's not
It's called hope and buoyancy.
Life is the most definite prerogative of death
However, we live in fear of the final exodus
Nevertheless, we have flowers and rivers and the warmth of sunshine to enjoy the journey
Beautiful men and women to shoulder each other's burden
Still, we pretend to hate each other forever
Isn't this a lie and fabrication?
Yes, it is
It's called folly and imprudence.
Life has meaningless implications as well as meaningful connotations
Joy flies us up on the mountain of bragging and insolence
Sorrow pulls us down into the ditch of despair
wise Men say 'Is, Was, Will be' all are
faults of the sufferers
Whether you suffer at the top of the pinnacle
Or in the depths of the abyss
Isn't this a simplification?
Isn't this illumination?
Embrace it whatever you call it
In weal and woe subsume this revelation!
This is the only Silver Bullet to fight the vampires in one's life
This is the only alchemy to convert anything into gold
Indeed
This acceptance is the only Elixir of life !!
Why do I dare
Sea is enormous
Waves are monstrous
Whirlpool is treacherous
Still, I put the boat in the water
I have no choice
I am in search of a river!
The forest is dense
Path dangerous
Darkness will devour the most
Still, I do dare
Will cross the swamp
I am in love with a river!
Mountain is tall
Peaks look invincible
Ridges seem deceitful
But I will rub my shoulders against it
I will push it away
I am in the yearning for a river!
The sea may seem infinite
Forest immeasurable
Mountain imposing
But I am resolute, unimpressed
I am primitive, I am untamed
I will rip it through
I want to keep alive the stories of hope
I have to find the river!
Yes, I have to find the river!!
Anadi Sufi is a new-generation poet and writer, actively working as an actor and screenwriter in the Hindi film industry. He is also moving toward film direction.