आ भी जाओ कि ज़िन्दगी कम है ~ यामिनी दास
Poetry
‘नीली स्याही के दाग़’
…………
उस कागज़ के ख़त को मैंने आज भी संभाल के रखा है
कागज़ का वोह ख़त अब तो पुराना हो गया है
किसी पुरानी पसंदीदा किताब के पन्नों की तरह, वोह ख़त भी तार तार होने लगा है
कागज़ की सफेदी जाती रही, अब वक़्त के साथ वोह पीला हो गया है
लब्ज़ भी कुछ धुंधले से हो चले हैं……
My Second Home Australia
So, you are flying off to Australia
Yes, I said in a sing song voice, I was excited
You see, I was only a young Indian ‘thingie’
A land of kangaroos, kookaburras, koalas and ‘the Don’
You hear about since your days of ‘kindie’
I turned the pages of the Queenland Uni Brochure
It’s bright, sunny with lanes of lavender
People looked friendly with smiles galore
Beaches and blue skies stretch forever and evermore
A land of empty spaces, milk and honey
A land of opportunities and money
It seemed like an endless dream
I was convinced, it was the ‘lucky country’ to the brim
The deal is, I will have to leave my home
Things I hold so dear to my heart and soul
Family and friends, Bollywood and the spicy food
Samosas and jalebis, and the hot street food
The crowded streets, chaotic traffic and the wet June
Colours and aromas, street cricket and weddings
And my favourite pastime ‘Chasing the Monsoon’
But I knew, I will miss my ‘God of Small Things’
‘Bring a plate’, they said
I obeyed nevertheless with some apprehensions abound
‘Bring a chair’, they said again
And I wondered whether I was mentally sound
India and Australia share cricket stadiums
Hockey, English and now loads of Uranium
Assimilation and integration must be easier
It cannot be this crazier
I ‘googled’ the definition of a true blue ‘Aussie’
But never asked, ‘please explain’, to my mates Aussie
I learnt, it was after all an ocean of migrant waves
Going right back to 1700s and colonial slaves
Slowly but surely, I learnt the Aussie ways
It’s a land of ‘moving forward’ and ‘fair ways’
You say what you mean – ‘a fair go for all’
To find the pearls, you have to dig deeper
To get the gold, you have to go steeper
I resurrected my own home brick by brick
A backyard with a ‘Hills Hoist”
A front lawn with green hardy grass, all moist
Bright yellow wattles, replaced rows of marigold
Lamingtons somehow tasted like Gulaab Jamuns many fold
A love union with a 4th generation Indian-Aussie and three kids later
Australia has now become my ‘Home, Sweet Home’ for better
I am finally a true ‘battler’ Indian-Aussie lass
Belonging to the ‘ordinary mum and dad class’
Australia gave me mates, family, sausage sizzles and footy
Smokin’ barbie, avocadoes, macadamia nuts and precious booty
I took many many trips to Bunnings
And let me tell you mate, it’s a bewdy, and it’s stunning.
I stumbled upon ‘Shantaram’, one fine day
Moored on a continent ‘without land borders’, all happy and gay
Beckoning me with open arms, to embrace me tight
Voila, I found my home on the very Aussie ‘Cloudstreet’ in sight
My heart skipped a beat or two
When Australia beat India with a wicket or two
I headed straight to a local pub and drank some Aussie beer
With delight so fine and sheer
Am I happy, are my loyalties divided?
My heart sings ‘Waltzing Matilda’ with notes delighted
And in joyful strains, I dream of Advancing Australia Fair
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oye, Oye, Oye, I scream with dare
With a big cheesy smile, I finally realised
It is fair dinkum to say, Australia IS ‘bloody fantastic”,
and now it’s my Home Sweet Home, so very majestic!!!
By Vibha Das-Singh
“पिघलती आयतें”
चाँदनी रात के तले
मेरे जिस्म के पन्नों पर
जब तुम्हारी उंगलियाँ
आयतें लिखती हैं
मेरे जिस्म पर छपी हर तिल
तुम्हारे लब्ज़ों की, बन जाती है चँद्रबिंदू
तुम्हारी भावनाओं की स्याही
टकराती है मेरे दिल की धड़कनो से
लब्ज़ बहते हैं फिर बेबाक
मेरे जिस्म के हर उतार हर चढ़ाव पर
लेकिन तुम्हारी नज़रों की हरारत
हर लब्ज़ को पिघला देती है
और फिर तुम्हारे लब
उन पिघलती हुई आयतों को पी जाते हैं
तुम्हारी गज़ल बन जाती हूँ मैं
कहती हूँ धीरे से तुम्हारे कानों में
बहुत करीब आ कर….
“फिर से लिखो न मुझ पर तुम….
एक कोरा कागज़ हूँ मैं, देखो न……तुम्हारा….”
~ विभावरी
A Half Remembered Song
Some forgotten memories, a half remembered song, a bit of faded red, a bit of faded green, a whiff of some forgotten perfume, the sensation of a forgotten touch, the intensity of a lingering gaze, the scent of an old book,…….yet another beautiful moment in time, when memories sing a sweet lullaby to you…
❤
पीली धूप
पीली पीली सुनहरी धूप सी
तेरे इश्क की कच्ची कली सी
देखो न मेरे पी मैं कैसी खिली
मैं कैसी खिली 🌻
“The Cubicle”
“So, you are back again my friend!”
“Ah, what made you come this end?”
The lights are stark white and bright
Enough to cause your soul dark blight
The carpets are ashy and grey
It will be a slow and painful slay
A daily dry drudgery at your dreadful desk
You will be reduced to a robot so grotesque
The keypads are making noises
Tik, tik, tik, tik those tiny sinister voices
You are dressed up so neat and chic
To stare for hours on end on the screens so bleak
Your heart will shout relentless screams
They will shatter one by one, all your dreams
A fake and a constant smile
To keep you going for the endless miles
Your spontaneity will be curtailed
Your creativity will be derailed
A million thoughts will run across your mind
How can you escape such a soul less grind
But there is a thing called ‘mortgage’
To keep you forever amused and engaged
You have to consider your kids and their future
So don’t you yet become a comfort creature
Open your eyes wide with strokes of mascara
Look around, there are younger and prettier ones in this icy cold terra
Watch that mature woman with sky high heels
Her back is obviously breaking and is definitely out of keel
They all seem happier than usual
But watch out, the masks are peeling and now visual
That young one didn’t sleep last night
She is a single mum, fighting tight
Her doctor prescribed her some ‘happy pills’
And consoled her, you will eventually learn the drill
A steep career ladder she has to climb
Losing your soul in the game, is no crime
The survival of the fittest is the mantra
It is a very orderly and well-mannered janta
Your resilience will be rewarded sooner or later
Just don’t question things that matter
Type away and carry on
Soldier on and battle on
Happy days are around the corner
It’s a black comedy not a white horror
So laugh your heart out
Harbour in your mind no doubt
It’s a safe haven with excellent working conditions
Please don’t tamper with those “Happiness Index” definitions!
~ Vibha
What Will Your Verse Be?
“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world…… And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. That you are here; that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse, what will your verse be?
– Robbin Williams, Dead Poets Society
My Serene Stream
In the depths of your soul, this Pisces fish wants to dive in
Your eyes touch me & haunt me deep within
I am your fish and you are my ocean
I am your mermaid and you are my perfect notion
You are my reason to smile
Across the thousand miles
You are my elusive dream
You are my serene stream
Come let’s explore my sweet dove
The truth of our mysterious oceanic love!
~ Vibhavari
“ज़िद्द”
उन्हें भी ज़िद्द ना पास आने की
हमें भी ज़िद्द दूर दूर जाने की
इस ‘अपनी’ ज़िद्द के आगे
तुम भी हारे
मैं भी हारी
वक़्त चला
कहके अलविदा
फिर वो ना आया
तुमने बुलाया
मैंने भी बुलाया
चांदनी रूठी है कबसे
वो ज़रा न मानी
तुमने मनाया
मैंने भी मनाया
तारे सिसकते हैं कबसे
वो ना मुस्कुराये फिर से
तुमने हँसाया
मैंने गुदगुदाया
फ़ोन अब भी बजता है
पर सुर में नही
तुमने ना उठाया
मैंने भी ना उठाया
खामोशियाँ कुछ तो कहती हैं
अनसुनी तुम भी करते हो
और मैं भी सुनती नही
आँखें भर तो आती हैं
पर अश्क़ तुम छलकाते नही
मैं भी बस मुस्कुरा देती हूँ
रातें बहुत लम्बी और ठण्डी हो चली हैं
पर तुम काँपते नही
मैं भी ठिठुरती नही
मौसम रंग बदलते हैं
पतझड़, सर्दियाँ, सावन और गर्मियाँ
पर तुम ना बदले
और मैं भी ना बदली
पर एक गाना तुम भी गुनगुनाते हो
और मैं भी
तुम सुबह,
मैं दोपहर को
तुम शाम,
मैं रात को
तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी से कोई, शिक़वा, तो नही
शिक़वा नही, शिक़वा नही, शिक़वा नही
तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी भी लेकिन, ज़िन्दगी, तो नही
ज़िन्दगी नही, ज़िन्दगी नही, ज़िन्दगी नही……
– विभावरी
vibhadassingh 