Meenas Poems

The entrances to an house,
big or small being from all directions,
the one in the porch with platforms
on either side, a place of reception,
opens out for men.

The women go through
the side which is as big
as the main, with a patio,
in the chambers they enjoy their privacy
meet the relations and friends.

The back door serves as a way
to the cooks, maids, staff
who engage in chores,converse,
rest after work.The other doorway
remains closed most of the time .

This exit opens during celebrations
and other engagements, a procedure
one of a taciturn understanding
followed with discipline.
Emphasizing social distancing
self enforced limitation.

( The third in the series of Social Distancing)

on ten acres
has a sprawling garden
with lawns punctuated
by flower beds, variety of trees
from coconut to neem,
mango to gooseberry,
hundreds of species
birds, rodents, co exist
with Sharada’s family.

It is like a mini kingdom
dark and deep in places,
bright and sunny in the remaining
the singing of birds invigorates,
the chatter of the monkeys enlivens,
the squeak of the rodents enthuses
an orchestral abundance
rhythmic to the lovers of Nature,
discordant to others uninterested.

This house gives way
to the modern concepts
high rise buildings, commercial
and residential come up. An artificial
scenario usurps, Nature recedes.
The serenity turns into a buzz,
transactions hitherto unknown
spread their wings, isolation
becomes a congestion.

( Second in the series ” Social Distancing”)

Saroja knocks the backdoor.
early in the morning,

With a vegetable basket
in her head

greets with a smile,
I help her to unload.

Small sized brinjals,
long snake gourd,

glittering green spinach,
tender lady’s finger,

robust carrots, dark beetroots,
slices of pumpkins,yellow capsicums.

she picks the best from the market,
from them she offers the better

gulps the hot coffee I give,
shoves the money into her pouch

walks fast to meet the next customer
with the same liveliness.

The familiarity which we both have
does not stop there,

goes beyond, a bondage
I am unable to explain.

It is a kind of purchase
we adopted some 40 years back,

a reliance, a friendliness,
simple and intimate.

distancing ourselves from the crowd.
promoting entrepreneurship.

( A poem recalling how things were four decades ago. This is the first

of the many poems in this series of “Social Distancing”, an epithet heard every day in recent times)

The sky is clear,
air is free,
rivers are blue,
earth is still
animals roam
birds chirp,
man is scared.

A drive not too far
turns bumpy.

The potholes, the turns,
make it cumbersome.

The toss on the speed breakers
the jolt near the barricades

cause muscular spasm
and abdominal discomfort,

the short one, a few hundred miles
filled with ups and downs,

makes one exhausted
expecting the destination,

that of life comprising a span
of less than hundred years

we go through pangs
of pleasant and terrible

experiences unnerving
our spirit.

World goes on without
any pause.

Grandmother known for her principles
more so for her resilience
lived a life of an aesthetic
unmindful of criticisms and jibes
dubbing her as a recluse.

She, in her late fifties,
mother of six children, needed
none to take care of financially.
goes to her ancestral home, once
grandfather passed away,

From then she remained isolated,
Contains her interaction,
Primarily her daughters
visit her. Follows her time
schedule precisely

She lived likewise for
twenty more years,
never gets out of the house,
sees the world through the big
windows and wide open doors,

She was not susceptible to virus
nor to any ailments.
Her house, garden, staff and cows
comprised her world. Never did she
participated in weddings, funerals.

That sort of life
keeping a distance
while residing in a cluster
is amazing. If only everyone
looks at life from the same angle?

no deadly virus will besiege,
the place will become
a haven of peace.

A sharp rebuff
during dinner time
between an adult
and a girl of five,
father and daughter
leaves one shocked.

The kid’s reply
bears no ill will,
a childish plea
for a sugary one
receives a pungent
retort from the adult.

The girl breaks down ,
sobs uncontrollably,
the man continues
without any mercy,
unable to bear anymore
those others present
walk away.

Pity the little girl
who is in tears,
a while later
see her smile
nudging her dad.
The stuff children
are made off.

The seven days pass
with the sun doing its duty
more than required,

shining with a scorch
sweltering , burning
with a vigour,

Nothing much to do
I relax with a book
reading the pages,

I am unable to get involved
as exhaustion grips. eyes close
in a slumber.

The cook fearing the epidemic
has gone home,as public transports
cease to ply the rest remain at home.

Doors are locked, no milkman,
newspaper vendor, or postman
to sou d the bell,

the house remains quiet.
while the silence is turns
into an uneasiness,

the withdrawals propose
a scare not experienced
for centuries.

War and its atrocities,
agitation and unruliness
create a furore,

the spread of a virus
a health hazard terrible
leaves the world in chaos.

Congregations of kind
bring out a consensus
one of enlightenment,
that of a revelation,
propose a lead,
a belief all so long.

Recent assembling
major one of a religion
turns a night mare
that of an affectation
inflicting a virus deadly,
contagious all too soon.

The world faces a scare,
an eventuality loaded with risk,
feels apprehensive of the spread,
breathes heavy literally
panting with disbelief
a metaphorical allusion,

owing allegiance to the virus.
While the world looks
through the windows,
Corona runs a marathon
breaking barriers,
penetrating barricades,
causing death.

Monuments speak of details
the times they were built,
those who constructed,
the architecture adopted.

Conservation of these
throws light on the culture,
that of the materials,
on the engineering precision,

Loaded with content
they are attractions,a feast
to the eye.s serve as a reservoir
to the questioning.

The seven wonders of the world
notify the nuances, so do
many of the unknown
and less frequented,

many such lie in the dark’
more or less in ruins
funded with marvels
hard to copy

A momentum is to be activated
to redeem and restore the marvels.
A coordinated effort of connoisseurs
and wealthy will resume their glory