The Moon And
The Purple Jacaranda
1.
The
eesome moon
waxing
and waning
with
a thousand faces,
seems
to perch on the
unobstructed
horizon of mind
like
a white egret
with
wings of memories--
Pink
pearls and pointed thorns!
2.
I
recall
the
violet depths of love
under
a purple moon:
Jacaranda
trees dropping
their
mauve-blue blossoms
in
a soft sirimiri;
you
became synonymous
with
the big shiny pearl
and
I a selenophile!
Oh,
the lavender fragrance--
the
night, the magic, the mizzle!
3.
Then
it was dark:
Everything
appeared with an
unfamiliar
slant to it--
The
moon left the sky
without
a trace,
love
turned to hurt;
I
longed for the
metallic
shimmer
lost
in the black cloud!
4.
I
extend my vision
beyond
blue,
and
lighten my load.
Pink
pearls and pointed thorns--
Life
is not always the same,
it’s
a fusion of
happiness
and sorrow--
Torn
in twain remains
the
human odyssey.
5.
The
moon varies
between
waning and waxing:
Doesn’t
shine full
all
the time—
Increases
its light
for
quite a few days,
then
starts reducing itself—
One
day invisible,
shines
full one day!
In
the balance of the moon,
I
find an answer to the
enigma
of human existence,
The Road
Through The Woods
During
a long drive
a
deep happiness
steals
over me
as
I follow
infinite
procession
of
green trees:
Ubiquitous,
spreading
forever
-- they become
reflections
and appear
in
rear windshield;
I
feel like
dissolving
into dream!
I
stop the car
for
a sensory feast:
The
dry leaves crackle
under
my feet
while
the green ones
susurrating
in the breeze
allure
me with
endless
whispers!
Far
away
canopies
hang dense.
A
wild array
of
mixed sounds--
Orchestra
of birds,
chirping
of crickets,
mingles
with
speaking
silence.
I
think about God
and
marvel
at
his creativity:
The
mysterious Creator
with
invisible hands!
Wildflowers
Wildflowers
are bold and beautiful,
In
summer amazingly plentiful.
They
set the woods aflame,
Putting
the gardens to shame.
The
landscape becomes a riot of colour,
An
extravagance of untamed splendour.
They
seem to grow in a fashion aimless,
Strong-willed
and full of tenaciousness.
I
find them in tangled islands,
Sometimes
on the hard pebbly bands.
A
species free and daring,
In
difficult conditions smiling.
Ooh,
on a quasi-magical quest,
I
wish to embark as a spirit--
The
spirit of a wildflower,
Persistent
in sun and shower.
Hard
to ignore
under the sky azure!
Ranjana Sharan Shinha
Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha A professor by
profession and a poet by passion – Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha has been honoured
with many awards and accolades for her outstanding contribution to poetry: Best
poet Award, Poets International, Bangalore; Commendation from the former
President of India A.P.J Abdul Kalam for the poem ‘Mother Nature’; Rashtriya
Pratibha Samman (Kavya Kalanidhi) Udaipur; Best Citizens of India,
International Publishing House, New Delhi; Best Teacher Award, Nagpur, Govind
Hindi Sahitya Samman, Muradabad, Brajsahityamani Samman, Brajlok Sahitya Kala,
Sanskriti Samiti, Agra; Chitransh Kulbhaskar Samman, Bilaspur, etc. She is an
eminent author and critic, too. Her poems, short stories, articles and research
papers have been widely published at national and international levels in
prestigious dailies, magazines, e-zines, archives etc. She has the privilege of
getting her poems published in Indian Literature, India’s oldest official
English language literary journal of its kind published by Sahitya Akademi, New
Delhi. Her poems have appeared in world class anthologies of poetry. Authored
and published 7 books in different genres,
and 50 research papers covering different subjects and themes. The Books
are 1. Spring Zone (Collection of Poems and Haiku), 2. Midnight Sun (Collection of Short Stories),
3. Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Sumitra Nandan Pant
(Criticism), 4. Feminism: Times and Tides (A Historiographical and theoretical
commentary on Feminism), 5. Different Dimensions (Compilation of Research
papers), 6. Scents and Shadows (Collection of Poems), 7. Rhymes for Children
(Rhyme Book) Presented papers in many national and international conferences
and seminars. Invited as a resource person. Completed and published
UGC-sponsored MRP on comparative literature. Research supervisor RTM Nagpur
University, Nagpur, India. Associated with a number of poetry groups and
literary organisations. Writes in Hindi, too A lifelong learner and educator.