long walk
my shadow
oversteps me
-Modern Haiku, 53:3, 2022 (Ed. Paul Miller)
By Pravat Kumar Padhy
she remembers
the thick tears of her
parents
she steps out with blessings
her virtual umbilical cord
is still intact
for an extended home with
someone else
like a plant
she is shifted to a new
pot
tries to share
her aroma and warmth
as a fresh flower in the
new garden
for a while
everything looks to
glitter
she begins
to add her radiance
to make the home ardor and
glee
baffled with
the obliqueness
she sinks into oblivion
as if the sun
suddenly slips to set
before the bird could able
to return
she is asked
to travel the untraveled
ahead of her
the narrow wild path
leading to the forest of
darkness
she offers
aroma to all
how strange
the thorns that protect
at last, pierce her to
bleed
the bud
awaits to bloom
at dawn
in a surprise move
the clouds eclipse the early sun
he scratches her skin
like wiping over the
doormat
as if a mopping cloth
he cleanses his dust
ungracefully pouring the
foam of his sin
he compels
her to breathe in silence
with all limitations
like a prisoner of war
bowing head to surrender
the moon
is eclipsed
with no-fault
the baby in the womb
to live in the caged night again
the seed
is thrown into darkness
abandoned she feels
as life rejuvenates
she gathers hope to
breathe
the sun
sets
behind the distant hills
shades of dusk
veils her
youthful life
sinking hope in
the early evening
so short
her joy of life
the aroma
of fallen flowers she gathers
the epilogue of the manuscript
she sprints
ahead carrying
her shadow
the journey stretches
loaded with sorrows over sorrows
fallen feathers
she often collects
wishes them to fly
with the wings of hope
in the vast open sky again
a nest
on the solitary branch…
the uneasy storm
screams through midnight
tightly she holds hope of her breath
she stares
at her
glimmering eyes
on the album
pages
would the time ever revisit
the wonderful
joy with parents
in despair
she sprints to hold
the rising sun
to gather the warmth
for her forsaken womb
the sun
sets halfway
through the
twilight sky
along the shore
waves keep
on breaking
stacking her old memories
she feels
barren and void…
often wonders
if time would fill the space
with rekindled life in the shells
mournfully she
recounts the cloudy past
rays of hope
may beam gentle warmth
and brighten
her forest-way
a blade of grass
on the rocky
surface
the solitude
kite
with a long
thread of hope
grapples with
the stillness of the sky
a baby runs
after the
butterflies …
she aspires
spring to
garnish
the blooming
flowers in her garden
the bud
is yet to see the sunlight
in foggy morning
she steps ahead
deep into the pain of frozen evening
gentle wind
muses the strings
of calmness
the boat ripples memories
sailing over her lost poetry
the new moon
peeps
above the thatched home
a
baby is born
unfolding promises
life is a poem and music its journey
she desires to revise
the pristine manuscript
for her daughter
as
she reckons with a crescent smile
‘I
am a Woman’ to prove again
*********
The Living Fossil
by
Pravat Kumar Padhy
When time whirls
The existence transfigures
Into an unseen end.
Breath is halted
Leaving you to rest
In deep rock silence.
I collect the ashes
And stand in stillness
Near the bank of the river.
Solemnly bow my head
And mingle with you
In the pristine flow.
My emotion drifts
Like a fallen leaf
Under the stormy wind.
Thoughts frozen
As icicles in this winter chill.
Dwelling in my past
I helplessly beg
To resign from the forest
Of loneliness.
Today I sense
You speak something
With a smile in my dream
Consoling me
With the warmth
Of the new sunshine.
Like an iceberg
my memory sails
Under the melting ice.
Wish the flow of time
To reunite you again!