PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK

 

Cupping My Face

 

Wading through neck deep water in the floods of Mumbai.

Holding tightly hands of strangers.

Scared that any moment I may be washed off to a drain.

Walking in the cold, dirty water, my feet becoming numb.

But strong in my will to go home.

Home back to my little child.

 

Gradually evening turns to night.

The street lights are flickering.

Parts of the city are becoming dark due to power failure.

The splish splash sound of water all around.

But I have to go home.

Home back to the apple of my eye.

 

Darkness all around, with fear I knock the door.

Slowly the door is opened.

My child cups my face and kisses me.

I reach home at last.

 

Hand On Your Shoulder

 

When everything seems to go wrong.

When you are tired and want to rest long.

When hurt is pulling you down like a boulder.

Just then a hand is on your shoulder.

 

Thoughts are scattered and confused,

You are upset, your heart is bruised.

Nothing, oh! Nothing rhymes in life’s folder.

Just then a hand is on your shoulder.

 

Fake smiles and fake friends all around.

Opportunists and help seekers abound.

Exhausted and tired you no longer want to roam.

You come back to the hand on your shoulder;

                                                  you come back home.

 

Only Love Abounds

 

The huge terrace with trees around.

The house where love, only love abounds.

 

The pitter patter of our baby steps up the stairs.

Growing up in different phases, different layers.

 

My mother singing Rabindra Sangeet while cooking.

The delicious food, its aroma all around.

 

Running to greet my father back from work.

We siblings then huddled together, doing homework.

 

Sometimes allowed to watch black and white movies on television.

Of course! Only after our parents’ permission.

 

The board games sitting on our huge four poster bed.

Ma serving us snacks, oh what a spread!

 

Our parents no more, they have left.

But memories and love in our home

                    in a snuggly blanket kept.

 

PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK

 

Dr. PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK is a scientist, a national scholar transformed into an internationally acclaimed, award-winning poet. She has written eight books. Her poems have been translated into 39 languages and widely published in national and international journals and anthologies. Paramita is the President and Initiator of the Mumbai Chapter of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library (IPPL). She passionately promotes peace poetry, indigenous poetry, multilingual poetry and global poetry. She promotes fusion of poetry with other performing arts and uses poetry to promote awareness of climate change and conservation. Apart from numerous awards from Indian Literary concerns she has been blessed with the Gold Rose Award from MS Productions, Buenos Aires, Argentina for promotion of Literature and Culture. Paramita is also the Cultural Convenor and Literary Coordinator (West India) of the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research (ISISAR). Padma Shri Anup Jalota sang an English song for the first time in his career based on Paramita’s poem “Love Grows”. A video of the same name with her recitation and Anup ji’s song was released by Tips-Volume in You Tube in February this year. It is trending now. Paramita was featured as a Perfect Woman in the May issue of a magazine of the same name. A few days back Paramita was one of the recipients of the prestigious Panorama International Literature Award 2022, given by the World Capital Foundation, Greece.