New normal

Yesterday night I caught a star

gazing at me unabashedly

wide eyed and delighted

I tried to catch it in my hands

it twinkled and pulsated merrily

winking at me, it guided me outdoors

other stars clamoured for my attention

festooning my balcony in fairy lights, prettily

the pallid moon sulked and stomped

becoming fiercely belligerent

but it could not dim the brightness of stars

I had to finally shoo her away, disgustedly!

At dawn, on countless branches of swaying trees,

myriad birds chirruped and warbled sweetly

creating a symphony I had long forgotten,

making my heart join in spontaneously!

The breeze teased my hair and tousled it

the wind chime trapezed gracefully

under the bluest of blue skies

a majestic kite glided lazily!

The roads are empty and quiet

no snaking, hot, metallic queues

no harried drivers screaming angrily

no screeching tyres or blaring horns

in this quietude, I can hear the bees humming happily

and leaves rustling luxuriously!

No scry is needed to see what the future holds

happy I am in my abode of meagre belongings collected lovingly

I am with my loved ones and those who matter

I care not for the things I have given up willingly

I quiz not with whys, hows and whens

I have to confess; I am alive, I breathe, I ask no more gratefully!

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Bridges – Punam Sharma

My first ever publication on Free Verse Revolution! Thanks a lot, Kristiana.
I have come too far to turn back now

Can you see the debris of the bridge I destroyed

I stole away under moon’s benign approval

but the harsh edges of night

left my hands blood-stained

I had grabbed the night too tight and in a hurry

afraid to lose you to the dewy softness of dawn

but you can’t see the wounds on my hands

too fixated on perfection of passion

thus the wounds on my heart

unseen and untreated, suppurate silently

I tell myself I must still love you

the heart refuses to swallow the unpalatable

now the penitentiary of heartbreaks awaits me.

Can you see the debris of the bridge I destroyed

I stole away under moon’s benign approval

but the harsh edges of night

left my hands blood-stained

I had grabbed the night too tight and in a hurry

afraid to lose you to the dewy softness of dawn

but you can’t see the wounds on my hands

too fixated on perfection of passion

thus the wounds on my heart

unseen and untreated, suppurate silently

I tell myself I must still love you

the heart refuses to swallow the unpalatable

now the penitentiary of heartbreaks awaits me.

Presentiment

She sat in rapt attentionat the open air midnight soireeenthralled by the elegance of the lyrical verse flowingfrom the mystic poet’s lipsbathing her parched soul with a longing so intense!when his ballad spoke of
death and partingit creased her delicate browand for a heart-stopping moment she was awashwith a feeling of deja vuas if listening to her own obituary, many moons agowhen the amethyst sky was suffusedwith a million celestial bodiesyet the eerie cawing of corvids could be heardas her soul had ascended the heavens!shuddering involuntarilyshe came back to the presentwas it a dream, a nightmare
or a premonitionof the tragedies to befall!she yearned for days of tranquility when life was not complicated.https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/reenas-exploration-challenge-127/https://jademwong.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/poetry-reunion/https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2020/03/23/what-do-you-see-22-march-23-2020/https://amanpan.com/2020/03/23/eugis-weekly-prompt-elegance-march-23-2020/https://reflectionsofanuntidymind.blog/2020/03/24/corvid-2020-weekly-challenge-1/

Solitude (revised)

When the world becomes too much for me

I prefer then to be with only me

When the mind flounders in the shallows of din

It is best then, to retreat within

No company can be better than your own

To be able to explore own facets unknown

For that you have to leave your baggage behind

Calm all your senses and have an open mind

Quieten the voices clamouring to be heard

Listen to the inner silence, be deaf to the world

Solitude is a wonderful place to be

When you are in touch with only me

The quietude, the silence, the nothingness around

Is necessary to balance the hubbub all around

With too many voices and opinions crowding you in

It is better to log out instead of staying plugged in

No intrigue, no suspense just a feeling of calm

Enjoy isolation without a qualm

Nature walks, gardening or meditation

Whatever it takes to keep you from frustration

Listen to yourself, sing or read

Enjoy your own company to feed your need

Once you are again in touch with self

Go reconnect with the world and forget yourself.

This is one of my early poems. I thought it a good time to post a reworked version.

Love in the times of covid

He longingly gazes at her
a half smile slowly making its way to his lips
his bourbon eyes caress her lovingly
dropping feather light kisses everywhere
his face a template of passion
shapes raging fire within her
his sighs, a sweet torture for her soul
encouraging her to surrender shamelessly
he croons her favourite love song
melting her heart completely
but she steels herself just in time
before she forgets the self imposed isolation
a lesson they could scarce afford to forget
“Just hold my hands“, he whispers beseechingly
she shakes her fist at him
angry and amused at the same time
“Let’s collaborate on this one from afar”, she intones slyly
“I’ll pass your enticing invitation
for I don’t want to encourage quietus
meet you, I will, after the worst is over!
till then, look within and let’s love remotely!”

Will you go With me, to Paris?

A lovely verse by the wonderful Mich!

michnavs

will you take my hand
as i walk along the streets
where the aroma of light,
fruity to burnt coffee
lightly caramelized
almost nutty is teasing
my senses and the scent
of a handmade bread
is making me salivate
as i tear the croissant into pieces
butter them up before each bite
or we can dunk it in coffee
which would be fun
 if you want

will you sit beside me
as i write every word of love
admiration and passion
i have for you
while i struggle
to rhyme every word
and count every syllable
or better yet, i’ll settle for free verse
i am sure though i could not rhyme them
or even count the syllables
as you will be busy tickling
and delightfully bugging me
will you go with me,
to Paris?
let’s have coffee and croisant
and write our first love poem together

meanwhile, a coffee…

View original post 132 more words

An unequal fight

The scope of my glorious independence
now confined within four walls
alone and isolated
masked and frightened
I stare into oblivion
reflecting on the hands I shook,
the meetings attended
and the crowded commute
Alone and distant from all now
if only I had kept my distance then!
I now fear for the loved ones
regretting the hugs I shared with them
The question that bothers me most is
“How do we stay focused
when the world around us
is falling apart?”
I can feel the mask of sangfroid slip perilously
into the raging waters of uncertainty
but I will not get mired
in the quagmire self-pity
I will survive and rise
wiser and more determined
Alone I may be in this fight
against an invisible, faceless, wee invader
arising out of nowhere
but maybe, just maybe
having faced the worst
the best will triumph eventually.

https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/reenas-exploration-challenge-126/

What do you see # 21- March 16, 2020

Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge: Tuesday, March 17, 2020

First love

Love came to her unannounced

Without any heralds or fanfare

Gently tiptoeing into her being

Tucking flowers in her unruly hair

Imbueing her eyes with faraway dreams

Stars descending from heavens on her palms

Making her feet dance to an unheard melody

Her lips fluttering in a smile like a bloom

Her heartbeat tattooing just one name in her chest

Butterfly desires flitting in her heart

She floated like a feather on the wings of hope

Staying wide awake on velvety nights

Talking to the lonesome, sympathetic moon

With fireflies as her handmaidens,

And the night owl chaperoning her

Gentle zephyr teased her, bringing a flush to her cheeks

As she cartwheeled on the candy coloured clouds

No human tongue made any sense to her

Nature spoke to her in myriad languages

Making her loquacious as well as tongue-tied by turns

Love can do many strange things

But the first flush of love

Can certainly leave anyone delirious.

---

पहले प्यार का खुमार कुछ इस तरह छा गया

पाँव जमीं पर न पड़े, हमें उड़ना आ गया!

Intoxicated by the effects of first love

I scarce could walk, I learnt to float!

Written for World of Words (prompt: प्यार, which is Hindi for “love”)

World of Words, is a weekly prompt hosted by Jade of Jade M. Wong, (https://jademwong.wordpress.com/2020/03/09/poetry-love-hope-and-feathers/), Rosemarie of A Reading Writer and Maria of Doodle Scribbles.

Oops! I did it again!

Thank you, Mich, for pointing out that comments are disabled on this post! This happened once earlier too! Please, please leave your precious feedback, for my writing is nothing without your love.

One day….

Yes, we had to start from somewhere

Yes, it is okay to have a day to mark that beginning

But for humanity’s sake stop mouthing stale platitudes!

Let the moth-eaten adjectives that you air once a year

remain in your dusty, masculine cupboard

I am much more than the curve of my breast or the size of my butt

but you are myopic, visualizing me just as an object

correct this glitch in your thinking circuit

this one day of paean singing combined with putting on pedestal

is trust me, just tokenism and you know it too!

And you! You who body-shame,

age-shame and deride your sisters

passing judgements from the comfort of your position

and you who smirk at stay at home mothers

as also you who bad-mouth working women

stop purring with contentment and try to be helpful

also those of you who tolerate just anything

maybe you should acknowledge

some woes are created by you too!

For once I have to be the person I want to be

identify stereotypes that are to be shattered

to accept this beautiful gift of womanhood

to turn this silence in my heart

into a rallying song of moving forward

trust my instincts to leave footprints on the sands of time

which no water can wash away

I have to stop complaining about the predicament I am in

and believe one day I will be accepted on my terms too!

What do you see # 20- March 9, 2020

https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2020/03/05/reenas-exploration-challenge-125/

Eugi's Weekly Prompt – Song – March 9, 2020

Mmmm….so good!

Taut, undulating skin vibrates at the silken touch

puckering drunkenly at the merest graze

yielding grudgingly to insistent prod

melting easily at tender strokes

skin on skin creating timeless melodies

reverberating through warm flesh

caressing the soul to sublimity

heart humming hymns ecstatically

unraveling and undressing

hidden depths in flaming colours

gentle, feather like glances

followed by rough and tumble

of visceral manipulation

light and dark sinuous curves

responding to the thrumming call

shadows revealing and concealing

creating ballads on satin skin

satiated yet unsatiated

purring with satisfaction

leaving one hungering for more!

Er…before you let your imagination run wild, this is about deep tissue massage! 😉