Meenas PoemsDomesticated animals
cow, and goat
pay you with no offence
docile and cordial
they are all times.
Hindus worship the cow
as Goddess Lakshmi
The goat is offered as a sacrifice
to appease God.
A perception amazing
at the same time awesome
the cow is hailed
as Goddess of wealth
the goat is killed
deemed as a sacrifice
In pursuit of a dalliance, the peacock screams
the peahen listens unperturbed.
She is busy with her brood
feeding them.
Restless, he hoots and cries
a kind of a summon
the peahen returns.
Delighted, he runs to her, nudges,
coaxes her by pricking her with his beak
fans her with his gorgeous feathers
goes around her in a frenzy,
solicits her to take part in the game.
Tired after gathering enough food
she remains calm accepting the overtures
The peacock dances with swift steps
intoxicated, he releases the feathers
sneaks and tweaks with love
gracious in his attempts to seduce.
It works.
Aroused,
she clings to him.
an amalgamation seamless.
evolution in its glory
the drama unravels.
The haystack bores witness
to a grand ceremony
in all humbleness.
A twig branches out —
at least two
maybe more
branching out —
twin twigs
maybe quints or more
A tuft
of happy
grass
hair down and blowin’
in the breeze – a tuft
of happy grass
life leaves
and the leaf
lands
life
less
leaf
fall
An early marriage
and three children within ten years
placed me in a status
when I had no time to stand and stare.
Imagine I studied for the
board examinations
four times.
Each time it was different boards
I managed to come out well
my own take was honours
one another with distinction
the other two with a first class.
My sons flew from the nest
Left to me,
I started to look at the mirror quite often.
Cheema stares at his canvas
painted on a grey background
sober it looks .
His characters come to life.
that of
his father walks up and down
muttering,
the other
his mother cajoles him
as he waits in the corner
with bloodshot eyes.
An artist at heart
took to engineering
at the behest of his family.
The JJ school of art Mumbai
the classes he loved to attend
disappear.
The huge halls of
Indian Institute Of Technology
come alive.
The portraits, sketches and the idiosyncrasies
of characters recorded in his mind gradually
convert into Oracle and Java.
The colours fade. The encoded information
surface.
Cheema’s sojourn in U.S
pay him in dollars
the exchange factor
(a dollar= sixty-seven Indian Rupees)
help his family
to come out of the woods.
The dream of becoming an M.F Husein
remains unfulfilled.
The artist dies unceremoniously.
Rama, the legendary son
of Dasaratha
left for the forests
and lived as an aesthetic
for fourteen years
never wished to return
whatever be the hardships
Obedience being emphasised
in this move.
The news of his father’s death
did not deter his resolution
the promise he gave
held him from going back
word of honour
a virtue he subtly places
before the world.
Born as a prince
he lived in the wild forest
eating meagre food,
fruits and vegetables
for fourteen years
exemplifies his attitude
one of renunciation:
a quality of strength.
Ramayana extols idealism
with a profundity.
Back and forth I go
old becomes new
the new turns newer
I am at the crossroad
friends take me
through the right path.
indebted to them
as always.
a cloudy day
dark and silent all through
shattered by thunder.
forecasts heavy rain
a downpour heavy and violent
a wonderful respite.
A close race
neck to neck
one is about to win
the hip hip hurrays echo
the other is a wee behind
not the one to give up
both reach at the same time
a photo finishes judging
who won in the end?
it is the second
by a mere millimeter
anticipation went wrong
an illustration clear
anything can happen.
I am a wanderer
in a place not anytime
the mind stays not.
Meenas Poems 