NAMITA RANI PANDA

 

My Replicas

 

I lose myself gradually

Bit by bit obliviously

An infinitesimal bit

Every moment

Like the melting hot drops of tear

Of a candle that burns till the last bit

Scattering light

Sans hesitation

With no time for calculations

For how much is left

And how much is lost

I see my bits scattered in every corner

In the painting on the wall that I painted long before

In the pullover that I knitted for him last year

In my son’s trophies and medals, my sole solace in loneliness

In the plants in my garden laden with lovely flowers

But I still feel that I am diminishing gradually

And like a wisp of smoke, one day I’ll mingle in the air

Leaving the bits of me, brief they too are

Suddenly I saw a sweet smile flickered

On the flame like lips of my granddaughter

As if a ray of golden sun

With the promise of a new morn

That smile spread to my lips

With boundless joys my hope leapt

The inner voice whispered, " No need to fear dear

You'll live in your replicas

Year after year!”

 

NAMITA RANI PANDA

 

NAMITA RANI PANDA is a multilingual poet, story writer, editor and translator from Sambalpur, Odisha.  She has five anthologies of poems to her credit: Blue Butterflies, Rippling Feelings, A Slice of Sky and A Song for Myself and Colours of Love. She is co-translator of Rivulets of Reflections, a book of translated stories from Odia to English. She has co-authored Radical Rhythm Volume I to IV with the credit of editorship of Radical Rhythm II. She is co-editor of Resplendent Rainbow, a collection of poems written by the poets of Odisha. Her signature words are love, optimism and self-confidence. Presently she is working as Vice Principal of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Cuttack, Odisha.