NAMITA RANI PANDA

NAMITA RANI PANDA

THE SONG OF EARTH

The trees with freshly unfurled leaves, yellow, pink and green

Rustling gently bathed in warm sunshine,

The tightly furled buds slowly unfurling

To reveal their bold bright glory so alluring

announcing the arrival of the splendid Spring.

The breeze swooshing and whooshing in merriment

Being mad with their sweet-smelling scent

kisses and caress them in great excitement.

The squirrels scurrying up the trees in spree,

The crickets without intervention hum chee, chee

In chorus an absolute song in perfect rhyme and rhythm

The cuckoo joins in Nature's melody, so sweet and solemn!

The glistening plastic flags of varied colours

Flap and flutter to harangue the glory of their respective leaders

Like the lolling tongues they below and scream,

So jarring, boring and utterly tiring!

Helicopters whirl, whack, wheeze

Hundred times

Booming, banging, buzzing,

Sputtering, squeaking, squashing

Roaring, ripping, etching, ear-piercing,

Cacophony rises to crescendo

That subdued the mellifluous song of the cuckoo.

Squirrels, to save themselves from screeching, hide in the thickets,

For a while it seems an abrupt break of the orchestra of the crickets.

But the humming of crickets continues throughout the day till night

With no fright,

Not shocked or silenced by the blasts,

The tattered flags flown by the wind roll on the dust,

The leafing branches in graceful gestures

Celebrate the triumph of Nature,

The crickets hum the song of life, love being its lyric

And warmth in the music;

A tonic to the tired souls,

So soothing and soulful!

The song of violence is silenced by the song of Earth

That fills the air with an aroma of mirth!

THE PADDY FIELDS

How lovely were those paddy fields in rain

Where farmerettes in rows transplant seedlings of grain,

Where farmers see their hopes flourish and flower,

Where soil turns to gold with the sweat of labour,

A sea of green waves kissing the horizon

Dancing to the tune of wind in great jubilation!

How alluring were those fields in winter

Covered with bright yellow mustard flowers

As if the Earth a vibrant beautiful girl

Draped with a floral bright yellow shawl!

How sweet was the smell of corn flowers

That rejuvenated the lungs with aromatic air!

How spectacular was their dance of harvest

With the sweet song after arduous tests!

But now rare are those charming scenes

Most of which are devoured by concrete buildings,

The fragrance of corn flowers is a distant dream

That's substituted by costly perfumes,

The fumes of fuel chokes the chest

The foul smell of garbage is omnipresent to greet!

For my diseased heart those memories so sweet

Are the only soothing balm and ultimate treat!

MY COCOON

While driving home

In my air-conditioned car

Listening to music

I look outside

Through the glass window

The nature speeding past

In the opposite direction.

I, a passive observer

As if watching nature

Through the TV screen

Joys moving in a frame

So dull and boring!

How nice were those days

When I was cycling to my school

Feeling the touch of the breeze so cool

Kissing my cheeks

Playing with my hair

And a free bird I was

Flying in open air,

The frame was not there

The feeling of being a part of the scene

Was so overwhelming!

Now I have unlearned cycling

With no fascination for Nature,

Rather afraid of infection due to air pollution

So I need a cocoon for protection

And wherever I go I prefer my car.

NAMITA RANI PANDA

Mrs NAMITA RANI PANDA is a poet, story writer and translator from Sambalpur district of Odisha, India. She is Vice-Principal of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Cuttack under the Ministry of HRD, Deptt. of School Education and Literacy , Govt. of India, now entrusted with the responsibility of Principal I/C in JNV Bijapur, Chhatishgarh. Her two published Anthologies of poems are Blue Butterflies and Rippling Feelings. Her poems are highly acclaimed in many National and International magazines and journals. Her signature words are love and optimism. The main themes of her concerns are social injustices, love and other issues related to life. She is an active member of Cosmic Crew, a literary group of women poets in Odisha working with the motto “My pen for the world.”