Two Poems by Johny Takkedasila

Thirst

Adjusting the left eye to the right,

Right to left, mud on the path of life.

Looking for people,

Buried in soil.

Fate is cruel.

Looked for flowers

On the same road yesterday,

Now extinct.

Looking for rice husks

Spilled over

The edge of someone's pot.

Give me some food,

Fill my hunger.

Red-ripened east fruit becomes

Ulcerated, erupts in the stomach.

To die of hunger,

Rain, Rain, Rain;

No, No

well of tears.

Where do I have to hide now?

How to wash my Faltering feet,

Hands like broken wings.

Please have some wetness.

Shadows of clouds,

Find man

moving against time.

With palms full of water,

Full of rice grains,

Infuse breath into life.

What should I do?

Can't beg.

Fill rivers into bodies,

Quench thirst.

Please fix my eyes.

Broom at Sunrise

Night,

Wearing silent shields,

Like a hen hatching eggs, dreaming.

A distant sound whispers,

"Shh... shh..."

On roads,

People err,

Turning streets into toilets,

Corrupting the land.

She holds the sun in her eyes,

Sweeps roads,

Like a mother.

What does she hold

In her hands?

In the morning,

Upon opening the window,

From her, I learn

To turn broomsticks into sunbeams.

I disagree,

To call a broomstick

Its labor armor.

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About the Poet:

Johny Takkedasila is an Indian Telugu poet, writer, novelist, critic, translator, and editor born on June 8, 1991, in Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh, India. His literary career began as a Telugu poet, and he has published 30 books. He has received numerous awards for his contributions, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2023 (a national award) for his criticism book Vivechani in Telugu.

His poetry has been featured in several international anthologies, and his stories and poems have appeared in international magazines. In addition to writing in Telugu, Hindi, and English, he is actively involved in translation.

His literary style aims to provoke thought and sensitize society through compelling narratives. Some of his notable works include Tiny Treasures, Puberty, Kattela Poyyi, Siva Reddy Kavitvam Oka Parisheelana, Akademi Aanimutyalu, Tella Rommu Nalla Rommu, Nadaka, and Soochna, published by Ukiyoto Publishing House.