RANJANA SHARAN

RANJANA SHARAN

ONCE AGAIN!

1

A long sleepless night!

Agonising over the lost self

I look through the window--

The withered trees

with black snake- like branches,

have morphed into timeless truths:

Hollowed out,disconnected from life!

2

Midnight peeks through

endless silhouettes;

the waning crescent moon--

A boat in the still waters

of distant dark lake,

stays anchored.

The full moon of yesteryears

with its soft shimmering glow

limps along the memory lane:

The silky feeling

becomes an ache!

3

The inexorable march of time

Unleashes fear in strong spasms--

Once again l feel scared of

futile and erosive years

with declining power;

O who can escape

the natural process of aging?

No one....No one!

4

Sad about

my fleeting" moments of glad grace",

I look deep into your eyes--

Yes, love has no age limit:

I know dear, you'll love

" the sorrows of my changing face"!

5

Under the cool canopy

of your assurance,

I loose my outline

and melt into your fold:

My anxiety

seems to melt away--

I close my eyes

and feel the fragrance of your love

with beauty stealing inward!

THE GOLDEN CAGE

I remember!

I remember my son:

You were shipped off

To a boarding school

At a tender age.

Oh, how can l forget the day

I dispatched you?

How can l capture in a few words

All that you mean to me?

A sudden surge of emotion

Made my heart heavy,

But l didn't allow my eyes to well up

For fear of getting you drowned!

On your eight birthday

I presented a large golden cage to you:

A gift too big for your tiny hands;

Soon you were encaged!

You fluttered your wings

To join the birds

Wheeling in the open blue sky,

But all in vain!

O my little darling!

Leaving home

And going away from me

Was a terrible experience for you--

Sleepless nights

In the dim dormitory!

You cried and yearned for my presence

And sobbed to sleep!

Oh, l couldn't come

To kiss your tears dry!

I sacrificed motherhood

For your future,

Or participated in the

Rat race of the elite society?

The so called civilised world

Stands like the wide-mouthed sursa

Demanding more and more sacrifices!

No one denies

Childhood flies

Seeing the civilised ghost

Out of fashion we often host.

SHE'S GONE FOREVER!

In my journey through life

I reach an alien territory--

The scarlet Gulmohars

with their flamboyant flames

fall on the ground:

A sense of Fall silently comes!

Saddened by

" the touch of earthly years"

I feel inner rumblings--

A boundless ocean forced along

by the winds of halcyon days,

surges up within me

provoking nostalgia.

Behind the morphing face and body

I look for my lost self:

A woman without

lines or signs of aging--

Vibrant and agile

appears before me;

I try to loop my arms through hers,

But she flies and goes forever

making me feel like a mass of rocks

after recent rainfall:

Oh, the pleasant petrichor persists!

My bygone days

like pale effervescent champagne

hiss into the flute of my

advancing years

whispering with the mesmerizing bubbles!

RANJANA SHARAN

Dr.RANJANA SHARAN is former Professor (Dept of English, S.B.City College, Nagpur (MH), lndia. Educational Qualification: Her educational qualifications are:B.A (English Honours), M.A.(English), PhD (Sri Aurobindo and the Epic Tradition).Research: She is Research Supervisor (English), RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur (MH), lndia.Publications: Poems, short stories and articles published in a number of national and international dailies,magazines, e-zines & journals. Her poems  have been published in many international anthologies  and archives. She has published nearly 50 research papers in national & international journals and conference proceedings. She has authored and published 05 books. 1.Spring Zone (Collection of Poems). 2.Midnight Sun (Collection of short stories). 3.Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth& Sumitra Nandan Pant (Criticism). 4.Feminism: Times and Tides. 5. Different Dimensions (Collection of research papers) UGC-Sponsored MRP. She has completed and published UGC-sponsored research project on comparative literature. Ranjana Sharan has presented quite a considerable number of papers in national & international conferences and seminars.She has also delivered keynote speech. Awards & Commendations: She has received many prestigious awards for her outstsnding contributions to the field of literature: Best Poet Award, Poets lnternational, Bangalore; Rashtriya Pratibha Samman, Udaipur; Best Citizens of India , lnternational Book Publishing House, New Delhi etc. Commendation by former President of India. She received commendation from the former President of lndia APJ Abdul Kalam for her poem Mother Nature housed in her collection Spring Zone.