My First Poem

I remember it was one weekend that I got this weird idea of writing a poem in English. Now you will ask what is weird in it. Well precisely it isn't. But once the same idea come to the mind of a person who was born and brought up in an atmosphere where there is very little oxygen for English to breathe, where it is as fancied a language as French, Greek or even Russian is here in Mumbai where I am today; you might out and out reject any probability of having a good or even a readable poem. Of course even in a Hindi medium schooling you get English as your subject. But in a small place like mine the school books make you only as good in English as an English medium convent school makes you in Hindi despite the fact that you get ample chance to speak Hindi in India. But still I gave it a try.

A dictionary, my English Poetry book as well as my Hindi one (Kavyanjali) beside me. OK so here I went. 1 hour, 2..3.. and my dear Mom suddenly revolted "Mai kab se pagalo ke tareh chilla rahi hu, khana kha lo, khana kha lo aur ye ladka hai ki sunta tak nahi (I have been shouting like anything for so long and this guy isn't even listening)." And then I realized Oh it was 9 pm and time to dine. Till now I had scribbled some lines on the paper.

I went for dinner and resumed only after an hour or so. Some more brain storming and it was done. Well only problem that I faced in writing was that related to my poor English and not the ideas which were in abundance in my mind. (Well they generally are even now. That may be one reason of my being so absent-minded.) OK so the poem is here may be worse than I think it to be. But please while posting your comments please bear in mind that I was just in 11th std and I had given it quite an effort beside all what I mentioned above.

ABOUT THE POEM: First thing I wrote this poem just because I wanted to write one. The topic I chose was just spontaneous and it had nothing to do with my state of mind. You may at first sight find it to be a romantic one. But I wasn't at all into that ishq-wishq thing. This poem is basically inspired by Hindi literature particularly poets like Surdas and Bihari. Here a devotee's soul is depicted as a female lover while the God is his love. (sorry for being so 'typical a poet' but I had to get a cue from somewhere and I got it that way.) They are separated and she longs for his presence. (Serious Stuff!!!!!? Hmmmm...)

THE SEPARATED SOULS

Her eyes pinning to the way
Walking on which He went away
And thinking of the yore, He
Teased, pleased, caught, released
His joyful idol heart cherished
That giveth her boundless glee

Tired of wiping the current of tears
How much grief her heart bears!
Writhing like the little bird
That lost its both the wings
Giving her incurable sufferings
The prettiest things of world

The chirp that sweetened her before
Today deafenth her like a roar
And the flowers that enchanted her
Now make her bitterly weep
Her innocent heart so tender
Is given the wounds deadly deep

With gloomy face and slack limbs
Willing to have His only glimpse
In the separation of her beloved
Sitting under the banyan tree
Uttered the heart of that living dead
‘When will He come and mine be?’