PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK

 

The Chandelier

 

A thousand knitted dreams

In the tiny crystals.

A thousand lights glittering

All together as one.

The sparkle and the dazzle.

Sweet sounds of the crystals unfrazzled.

A thousand droplets of light.

Rainbow streaks bursting from the white.

 

The queen sits below

Under the thousand lights.

Knitting her thoughts and memories

Recreating her dreams and stories.

A thousand colourful dreams

Faded memories but so near they seem.

A thousand crystals catching light

Spreading it all around with their might.

 

Again Spring Has Come

 

Again spring has come.

The trees have coated themselves with new leaves.

The birds have dressed up in new feathers.

Young lovers have moistened their heart with passion.

Again spring has come.

 

Again spring has come.

The bushes are covered with blossoms.

The bees are buzzing around to gather nectar.

Parched hearts are searching for love.

Again spring has come.

 

Again spring has come.

Without rhyme or reason the nightingale sings.

The blue sky plays with the floating clouds.

Suddenly a happy memory brings a smile.

Again spring has come.

 

The Vestal Virgins

 

Six virgins protect the sacred fire of Goddess Vesta*.

Keeping alight the fire to keep the Roman state safe.

Riding regal chariots and wearing a traditional dress.

Having a right of way in the streets, walks with elegance and grace.

They live in a lavish mansion with a garden and a suite of baths.

But they are subjects of the Roman citizens’ observation and wrath.

They have ample property, after death which goes back to state.

They are duty bound to the fire, for thirty years they have to wait.

The virgins can be buried alive if they fail the vow of chastity.

Since they are the protectors of Rome and its vicinity.

These beautiful young girls have given up their families

To protect the Roman Empire of any anomalies.

If the army due to incompetence loses a war,

The innocent girls are blamed for the Roman scar.

 

*Vesta—the Roman goddess of the hearth and protector of the home, she became the protecting goddess of the whole Roman state

 

PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK

 

Dr. PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK is a scientist transformed into a globally loved, award-winning poet.  Some of her poems have been translated into forty global languages. Paramita's ninth book was just released. She is the President and Initiator of the Mumbai Chapter of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library (IPPL) and also the Cultural Convenor and Literary Coordinator(West India) of the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research (ISISAR). She has received many awards from Indian Concerns for her poems. Apart from these, Paramita has been blessed by the Gold Rose Award from Buenos Aires, Argentina for promotion of Literature and Culture in 2019 and she is one of the recipients of the Panorama International Literature Award 2022 from Greece.