PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK

 

My Own  

 

I have never met God before, not even a glimpse.

Went about life, carefree and happy-go-lucky.

Concentrating on studies and academics.

My life was monotonous and smooth.

Then on a September’s day I was to become a mother.

My husband admitted me to a nursing home.

My labour pain started, ten hours of wrenching pain,

Then I lost consciousness and didn’t know what happened.

Regaining consciousness, I looked around.

My mind was just blank, looked around again.

The nurse carried a baby cozily bundled up,

The baby looked at me, with her big black mesmerizing eyes.

Her fixed gaze on me, a replica of myself.

I took ‘my own’ in my lap…that moment I met God.

 

Picking Flowers

 

Every morning I pick flowers from the flower beds,

The fresh flowers which fall off from their stalks.

I keep them in a silver platter on my antique marble table.

The fragrance of the champas* fill my room and heart with joy.

This ritual of picking flowers after my morning walk,

Rejuvenates and refreshes me.

The freshness, the fragrance, the fun.

One day I had gone late for my walk.

I saw the sweeper sweeping away the flowers.

I told him to wait a bit.

He picked up some nice fresh flowers and kept for me in a heap.

For a minute I dithered, should I take those flowers?

The young sweeper smiled with expectant eyes.

Was it a glimpse of God in his eyes?

I scooped up the flowers with love.

 

 

God’s Paintbrush

 

I wonder at times, “Does God have a paintbrush?”

Splash, splash goes his brush strokes.

The blood red china roses bloom on the green bush.

Yellow butterflies collect nectar from the lavender passion flowers.

The brown squirrels scamper on the green grass.

The majestic brown eagles glide in the blue sky.

 

I wonder at times, “Does God have a colour wheel?”

Otherwise, how is the combination of colours in nature so divine?

The jet-black crows and green sparrows.

The delicate yellow streaks in the green foliage.

Or the multicoloured king fisher hiding in a tree.

And the myriad shades of blue in the vast sky.

 

PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK

 

Dr. PARAMITA MUKHERJEE MULLICK is a scientist, a poet, an organizer and an editor. She has nine books to her credit and some of her poems have been translated into 40 world languages. Along with numerous awards for her poetry from Indian concerns, she has received the Gold Rose from MS Productions, Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Panorama International Literature Award 2022. She promotes peace, multilingual, global and indigenous poetry. Paramita is the President and Initiator of the Mumbai Chapter of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library (IPPL) and the Cultural Convenor and Literary Coordinator ( West India) of the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research(ISISAR).