MALAKSHMI BORTHAKUR

MALAKSHMI BORTHAKUR

AN ODE TO YOU, OH MY DEAR!

Oh my dear!

When I recall you

I feel your soul's smell

I feel as if I am in a prayer hall

Hearing the holy chants

And reading the gospel...

Your presence in my life

Is so pristine!

As the ringing of the Church bell...!

Do you remember?

When we met for the first time

In that evening  twilight?

I asked you "How old you are?"

You replied with a smile

"It does not matter

So long we are together

You will be seventeen

And I !

Will be twenty forever...!"

Do you remember the dream

I shared with you?

On the bank of Yamuna

I was waiting for you!

The night was full moon

And with every moment passing by

I was so desperate and

Behaving like a loon!

I did not tell you

I was lustrous to

Fall in your embrace

To feel you at my best...!

But suddenly I heard

Your enchanting voice!

You were calling me

By my name of your choice

Suddenly your voice

Turned out to be

The melody of the Divine Flute!

And in no time, I became Meera Bai*

Without knowing it is real or moot..!

*Meera Bai was the supreme devotee of Lord Krishna, who forsook all the worldly pleasures for the sake of her Divine Lover, Lord Krishna.

I KNOW

Will you ever realize?

How painful it is?

When you pretend

You don't love

Even if I know

You do!

Please! Don't ask me

How do you know?

(That you often do!

Ask me in thousand times

Why and how!)

Coz I have no answer

With me now

For you!

I love to assume and feel

From the core of my heart

The warmth of your words

Though unspoken they are!

I find solace in it

And love the way you care!

A UNTOLD LOVE STORY

No one knew who's she

Greenish beauty she was !

Like a mermaid in the water

She might be the mermaid of the wood !

A young man of twenty

Once saw her in the wood

She was playing in the lake water

And he was peeping at her

From a leafy bower

The sprinkling sunshine

Enhanced her heavenly charm

A Lark and a Mynah came flying and sat on her arm

Soon she disappeared from his sight

Spell bound he was

Oblivious of it is day or night !

Each day he went there

With a hope of seeing her at a glance

But disappointed he was

As she didn't come hence

Few days later he went there again

Happiest he was as he saw her there again !

She was playing in the lake water

Singing a soothing song

The Lark and the Mynah too were

Accompanying her in the song

Spreading his colorful feathers

A peacock too was dancing there

The scene was so pleasant

That one can hardly describe in words at present

Mesmerized the young man was

By her bewildering beauty

He could not decide

It is truth or fancy.

He was so stunned by

The beauty fluorescent

That soon he caught in a reverie

As if he was in the garden of Eden !

Suddenly she saw him peeping

Stealthily she came and caught him dreaming

So shocked he was that

Dumb stricken he remained!

He tried to speak

But murmured in vein!

She came closer

And smiled at him

She held his chin lightly

Kissed him for a while gently

With tears in her eyes

She stared at him for a few seconds

And vanished from his sight

Leaving there only her fragrance!

From that day onwards

No one saw the young man again

Later in his small cottage

A young maiden of his village

Found a painting of a pied beauty

With greenery all her around !

The painting is with an old lady now

Who supposed to be that young maiden !

Who too loved him but

Her love remained suppressed

And hidden.

MALAKSHMI

BORTHAKUR

MALAKSHMI BORTHAKUR An Indian by birth, a Post - Graduate in English Literature and Indian Classical Vocal Music, Malakshmi Borthakur writes poetry in three languages - English, Hindi and in her mother tongue, Assamese.  Poetry is her passion and music is her pastime. She is a humanitarian poetess - issues she deals with in her poems are - love, life, pain, tears and the anguish that individuals suffer from within. Her social concern includes gender justice, human rights and human development. Many of her poems have been published in national and international journals and anthologies of repute.  Recently she has been selected for ‘Naari Saagar Samman’ - a national award for women poetess' writing in Hindi, by JMD Publications, New Delhi, India. Hailing from Jorhat, the cultural capital of the state of Assam, she is presently a resident Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.