Sunday, August 30, 2020

The torn kite

She sat on that wooden chair and pondered.

Glanced out through the mesh,

That had a hole in the corner, a tiny fly sneaked in.

Wondered what she found, she lost the decades.

The dried leaves. The butterfly that fluttered around,

Flew high and disappeared.

The shadows of the leaves and branches, the bright sun,

She thought, art on the ground,  

Only a few will behold, the rest will pass by.

as her lashes clasped each other, her eyes,  

They reached to the branch,

From where a dried leaf toppled down...

A tenuous thread spun around the twig,

An end where sat this tiny fly,

And another attached to the torn kite.

She stopped.

Bright yellow, it may have been.

As the mangled paper ruffled upside down.

The slight gush and another leaf toppled.

The kite and the wind!

Must have been a dream of that little kid,

Who laughed heartily, to see his kite reach the extreme. 

A season or two might have passed,

As the paper was still bright,

The same brilliance that it had on its last flight.

The rest shall perish in the seasons to come...

Another little kid, will run to that meadow and fly his kite!

No one shall ponder again about...  

The tiny fly that sneaked in...

The butterfly and the dried leaves

...the torn kite stuck in that branch~

~Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel 'Hridayaninadini'

Art by: Lisa Lea Bemish


Saturday, August 22, 2020

ಉತ್ತಮ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ಕಥೆ!

 ನೀವು ಮನುಷ್ಯರು, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನಾನೂ!

ನೀವು ಹೇಗೆ ನೋವು ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಕಟವನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತೀರೋ 

ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನಾನೂ!

ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ, ನಾನು ನಿಮಗೆ ಒಂದು ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ!


ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದ ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಹಳ್ಳಿ ಇದೆ!

ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಹಳ್ಳಿ! ಜನರು ತುಂಬಾ ಕರುಣಾಮಯಿಗಳು!

ಒಂದು ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ,

ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಬಂದು ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು!

ಬೇರೊಬ್ಬರ ನೋವನ್ನು ಕಂಡರೆ,

ಎಲ್ಲರಲ್ಲೂ ಕಣ್ಣೀರು ಹರಿಯುತಿತ್ತು!

ತುಂಬಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಜನರು!

ತುಂಬಾ ಕರುಣಾಳು ಗ್ರಾಮ!


ಆದಾಗ್ಯೂ!

ಮೂರೂ ತಿಂಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ, ತಾಯಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮಗು!

ಅದೇ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಸಾವನ್ನಪ್ಪಿದರು !

ಆದರೆ ಆ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ಜನರು!

ಅವರು ಯಾವುದೇ ನೋವನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ!

ಅವರ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ಯಾವುದೇ ಕಾವೇರಿ ಹರಿಯಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ!


ಯಾಕೆ, ನಿಮಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾ?

ಸತ್ತ ತಾಯಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮಗು ಆನೆಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದವು! 

ವಿದ್ಯುತ್ ಆಘಾತದಿಂದ ಅವು ಸಾವನ್ನಪ್ಪಿದವು!  

ದುರಾದೃಷ್ಟವಶಾತ್, ಅವು ಮನುಷ್ಯರಾಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ!


ತಾಯಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮರಿ!

ಅವುಗಳಿಗೂ ಒಂದು ಕುಟುಂಬವಿತ್ತು!

ಅವುಗಳಿಗೂ ಸ್ವಂತ ಮನೆ ಇತ್ತು!

ಅವೂ ಭಾವನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದವು! 

ಮತ್ತು ಅವೂ ಸಹ ನೋವನ್ನು ಗ್ರಹಿಸಬಲ್ಲವುಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದವು!

ದುರಾದೃಷ್ಟವಶಾತ್, ಅವು ಮನುಷ್ಯರಾಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ!


ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು, ಅವು ಮನುಷ್ಯರಾಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ!

ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ!

ಅವು  ತಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು!

ತಮ್ಮ ವಾಸಸ್ಥಳವನ್ನು ಅತಿಕ್ರಮಿಸುತಿದ್ದವು! 

ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಬಂಧಿಸುತ್ತಿದವು! 

 

ಸಾವಿರ ಕಥೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇದೂ ಒಂದು ಕಥೆ! 

ಉತ್ತಮ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ಕಥೆ!

ಜನರು ಜನರಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯವರು!

ಆನೆಗಳು ಎಷ್ಟು ಭಾವನಾತ್ಮಕ ಜೀವಿಗಳೆಂದು!

ನಾನು ಮತ್ತೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ...

ಸಂಜೀತ ಶರ್ಮ ಪೋಖರೇಲ್ 'ಹೃದಯನಿನಾದಿನಿ'


Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Within her: The Cocoon

Introvert words sealed within,
Wrapped in the cocoon of a thousand thoughts!
She smiled bold, brighter than the shine,
Who knew what was lost!
The freaks, they called themselves a society!
Knew nothing, but to judge!
Yet she valiantly broke those walls!
To sigh and to hush!
For those who harked her inner beings!
Yelled 'that mulier sans happiness'
And forgot that her wings'll evolve!

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel "Hridayaninadini"


Thursday, April 2, 2020

The Nilgiris

The blue of mystery and tempts! 
She…
Smiled coyly-
The fume floated gently over her,
From the hearth of that hut…
Cascaded over the mountains-
The blue of mystery and tempts!
No less than a damsel…
Embellished with Anogeissus’s leaves,
And the wild lilacs,
The trails where no humans walked!
Innervated her skin…
Her voice- 
The wind over the tree!
The orchestra of chirps!
The splash of springs!
The roars of beasts…
The blue of mystery and tempts!
No less than a symphony…
Every dawn, she wakes up!
Her beauty as rural as it can be!
Behold her, when she is drenched-
The drops from Heaven!
Intoxicated many stories and rhymes-
The poet’s wonder!
…she never fails!
To spread her charms...
As the wind whispers through her.
How earthly she can be!
Oh, the Nilgiris…

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel "Hridayaninadini"

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Quarantinism

Amidst their posts...
Of their indoor fitness tips,
Of the delicacies they prepared,
Of the old albums they treasured,
Of the foreign travels they made,
Also posted, they-
The agony they have!
For the stranded crowds!
The disinfected people!
Picked up the gauntlets...
With a few!
And with another few, they condoned,
The failure!
Kept their phones aside.
"Honey, you want it warm or chilled?"
Hashtagged 'reinventing myself'
Back there, somewhere on the road,
Walked their maids...
As hurriedly as they could!
Hanging their babies as lost as them!
To reach their homes,
Before the pain reached them!
After all, it's the same!
Stay at home!

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Time

She knew-
Unseen wounds are more painful!
Than those which bleed…
Of blood, but not of tears!
Yet, she cherished the fear!

She knew-
That time will heal!
Even the deepest of the scar.
Of the past- so bitter!
Yet, she treasured the pain.

Deep in her,
She followed her tears-
The path they cascaded through-
The castles of veins and nerves!
Yet, she was lost!

She promised.
One fine day- she will embrace,
Her time!
And will fly to eternity!
She knew- it will heal!


Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel "Hridayaninadini"



Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Imprisoned.



All by herself.
She stood holding those bars!
And glared into the emptiness.
Someone had secretly spilt-
Silence in the ether!
Clad in melancholy, 
Appeared that dusk!
As the failed rendezvous,
Stitching the memories-
Over the sky!
The Sun descended with a promise!
These promises twinkled every night.
Bestrewn with the bygones-
They say, they are the ones who left.
She hushed.

It’s cold in here. 
She painted that smile over the dolour!
Her hands blue and frozen.
Covered with the rust-
Dark and bitter-
The cage felt heavy!
Her thoughts limned over the floor!
The perfidious wind!
Disguised as kindness!
Blew over them!
Asunder, over the darkness-
Flew the words…
She let them go!
The lucent hope-
Amidst the sky!
Howled a distant wolf!

This repeats!
In the prison of the past.

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel "Hridayaninadini"

Paintings: Kaleidoscope by Isabel Emrich 

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Within her! (Darkness)

They feared their shadows.
They lit the lamps.
Shut all the windows.
And muzzled their thoughts.
Their silence spoke-
Darkness, they loathed!

The one in them,
They were no aware of!
The light conceives the darkness!
When it is gone!

She stood facing the light.
And bade a fond adieu!
And left!
She feared no darkness.
She knew it was the one-
Amidst the silent night-
Whispered to her-
The words of silence!

Dreams.
Hopes.
Solitude.
She found her lost being.

Amidst the wrecked walls,
And below the silent sky...
She found herself glowing...
Brighter than before!
She had faith,
And so trusted the darkness!
Else who would know-
How bright she was?


-Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel 'Hridayaninadini" 

Picture: Dark To Light is a painting by Lourry Legarde which was uploaded on February 17th, 2015