THE
LAND OF FREEDOM
To variegated destinations have
I gone
In the myriad modes of
transport.
I have seen the sun rising and
setting,
With all its majesty, bringing
light in darkness
And creating darkness where
there was light.
I have seen the sea, blue and
vast,
The slopes, hills valleys,
widening lakes,
And the beauties of the Alps
and the Himalayas
With wonder – struck eyes and
mind
Overflowing with the powers of
creation. eyes and mind
Overflowing with the powers of
creation.
I have had my trays with the
world of
Culture and agriculture,
Science and fiction,
Photography, calligraphy,
geometry and geography
And poetry has taken me to
heights lucid and candid.
I have seen the world of greed
and exploitation,
The futility of war and its
strife,
The debilitating illness, the
pains of loneliness,
The enemy spewing fire and
venom to destroy,
And the silent lovers
reminiscing the moon – lit nights
Spent by the bonfire burning
with a lilac flame.
O God! Come! Come and take us
To that land where the rationality
of man
Has faded into insignificance
and he accepts
The inevitability of Truth,
Where man has no nationality
and all are one,
Where the waterfall is not
illusion or rejection
But compassion in an interplay
of red, green and yellow,
Where nights are long for
lovers
And days short for workers,
Where our children will be of
noble birth
And move heads held high in
pride,
Into that land, of Freedom, O
God
Let us awake and arise.
On
my eagle’s wings
Eyes dreamy and drowsy,
I sat on the pillow-like
feathers
Of the great eagle’s wings
Flying across the blue waters
While the wind lovingly
caressed
The long strands of my hair.
The eagle had promised me
That it would remove me
From the cocoon of my life
And show the world to me,
The sparkling waves, the green
meadows,
The fresh waters cascading down
To the meandering rivers,
The desert sands with lively
oases,
And its home nestled
Among the beautiful blue cliffs
Overlooking the grand ocean.
I, who wanted to find a
lodgement elsewhere,
Willing to forget the affluent
and the mendicant,
The luxury Harrods candles,
The glittering pearls and
diamonds,
The game changers and money
changers,
Relaxed on the great eagle’s
wings
With neither safety belt nor
blanket.
While a butterfly symphony
Hummed in my ears,
I clung to my eagle’s neck.
It soared high over vales and
hill,
And I cried not tears of fears,
Nor thought of the heat or
cold.
I could feel the essence
Of my feminism unfolding
gently.
With elegance and brilliance
While my full potential unlocked
Far from the simulated
realities
Of predetermined goals.
The
Scarecrow
I am a scarecrow,
Yet, my mind is not narrow,
Dreamer, I find my way by
moonlight,
And never by torchlight.
I see the dawn when man sleeps
And the farmer diligently reaps.
I am the least fashionable,
Not that it is not affordable,
But my comfort lies in hats
battered
And clothes, torn and tattered.
I am the commander of the
fields,
All seeds sprout at my will.
The birds are scared of me,
Seeing me, they all flee.
Come rain, come storm, come
thunder,
I will never be torn asunder.
I wait for the ripening of the
corn,
In somber silence with unlocked horns.
Sometimes, when I am alone,
Lost and forlorn,
I look at the contours of the
moon’s lips
And the swaying of her hips,
Generous, fluid, avuncular,
I stand perpendicular,
And wipe shards of my frozen
tears
Without the least tinge of
fears.
I think of man and his
mansions,
All made according to fashion.
He is for ever lost in a race,
With no time to look at his
face.
Between phones, computers,
gaming systems,
Tablets and robots creating
mayhem,
He is about to lean on Jibo,
The family robot, to boost his
ego.
Cry my beloved country,
While here, I stand as sentry.
Pramila
Khadun
Mrs Pramila Khadun is a poetess from Mauritius. Her poems have appeared
in various anthologies mainly. She is a featured poet at Pentasi and her poems
appear regularly in “Rejected Stuff” and Destiny Poets. She has had 4
collections of poetry published entitled ‘Rajnee’, ‘Kavi’ ,‘Priyumvada’ and
Igniting Key. Her Novel entitled “When love speaks” has also been published in
India. Her book “Food and Nutrition
Simplified” is currently being used by Cambridge School Certificate in
School in Mauritius. Her two projects, “Understanding Diabetes” and her
collection of 108 Poems on peace and love entitled “Shangri – la” are currently
under print. She is a retired educator and lives with her husband and three
children.