MONALISA DASH DWIBEDY

MONALISA

DASH DWIBEDY

SOUL OF A FOREST

Night did not have a death wish, but

When dawn started its rhythmic dance

Night was willing to die for the day.

I took my heart for a walk in the forest

Moon was still on the sky,

Not suffocated with the arrival of the Sun,

Soon, the Sun shone through the dense trees

I jogged listening to the magic whisper of the wind,

Blowing on my face, caressing my tresses.

On the banks of a nameless river,

With the fragrance of wild jasmines,

With the songs of earthworms, peacocks,

I chorused, singing the song of life.

My spirit danced with the wind,

I giggled like a girl,

On my return from my morning walk,

I knew the forest had a soul.

FANI

O’ Blue sky, you were not there,

When dark clouds took charge of life.

Wild rain showers, thunderstorms,

Fani knocked the door

Lightening, gusting wind,

Breaking trees,

Blowing off roofs,

Nature's unseen anger,

Claimed innocent lives.

Helpless, I watched in television,

Roaring winds ravaging my homeland.

Did the universe send a message through Fani?

Was it an effort from the light-workers?

To help people get rid of their fear of darkness or

Was it a message from the lord of Wealth to the wealthy?

That money cannot buy comforts in the time of nature’s fury.

Was it a lesson from the lord of water to the people who always wasted water?

Now they save every drop of it.

Was it an opportunity to meet friends and family face to face?

Not in Facebook.

Thousand miles away,

While waiting for the universe,

To deliver me

A message

Of hope that

My loved ones are safe in my home,

I do not know why,

I feel the sands drift while walking on the roads of Toronto,

I feel cold as if the wind blows through my hair,

I can smell the vapor as if a storm is approaching me.

It feels like I ‘m living two lives,

In two different places,

At the same time.

Author’s note: The above poem is inspired by cyclone Fani, Fani made a landfall in Puri on Odisha (India) coast on May 3rd, 2019. Rain and windstorm has claimed 40 lives so far.

YOU REALLY DID NOT LOVE ME

The day death sent a message,

After taking away the life of my husband,

An army major.

A warrior gave all he could,

Returned home, wrapped in the tricolor.

“That’s the life of a soldier,

He told me in our first night.

A pain so deep, so devastating,

Broke my heart into millions pieces,

I sat alone in dark despair,

Shedding silent tears.

My dear mother, when you told me to smash

All my bangles on the tenth day of his death,

I thought you really did not love me.

The basket of grief and sorrow,

So heavy to carry,

I was unable to cross the road of life, alone.

When I wanted a shoulder to lean on,

Heal my spirit,

My dear father, when you told me

Thinking marriage for a widow is sin,

I thought, you really did not love me.

Every morning I put a fake mask,

The mask makes everything seem all right,

No one knows I cry every night, all night.

The nightmares just won't go away.

When all I needed was a hand to hold on,

To start life all over again,

My dear friend, when you did not invite me

To your brother’s marriage, thinking I may bring misfortune to your family as a widow,

I for sure knew, you were never my friend.

I am still the same human being.

Just like any of you.

When I had no role to play in the death of my loved one

Why am I punished?

I want to live my life

I am the urge to move beyond my past.

I am hope.

I am the beginning of each new day.

Author’s note: The above poem portrays the sorrow and grief of a young widow after her husband, a major in Indian army died in a war. While she tries to forget her past and start a new life, the norms of Indian Society (for widows) make it difficult for her to start fresh.

MONALISA DASH DWIBEDY

MONALISA DASH DWIBEDY is an IT Consultant by day and a writer by night. A bilingual writer, her English poems were published in many international anthologies and magazines. She is the author of Odia poetry book “Anjulae Smruti” (A handful of memory). She loves travelling and feels mountains call her when she is nearby. She aspires to befriend the Himalayan mountain ranges and wishes she could talk to the Sun and the Moon someday. Monalisa lives in Toronto, Canada. She can be reached at Monalisa.dash@gmail.com