SUMITRA MISHRA

 

Faith Unbound

 

When I see the stones

Of hatred, jealousy and violence

Being pelted at the garden of my Mother Nature’s

Softest trees, sweetest flowers and fleshiest fruits

Thrown by unknown slings from dark corners

I shiver in an anxious fever for my race.

 

I run into the temple

For protection from the Lord

Kneeling down before God

I sing a prayer

Faith unbound in my heart pleads

For divine grace, to shield our planet

But I hear the whirring cry

That seems to be coming from the conch.

 

There rings in my ears

The anguished groan of the crushed shells

The whimpering of the fishes, chicken,

And cattle quivering in the net of greed

The murmuring of the listless wind

On the bleeding beach of Gahirmatha

Caressing the carcass of Olive Ridley turtles.

 

In my cochlea echoes

The wailing of innocent souls

Crushed, strangled, baited, and hacked

I tremble in anticipation of a catastrophe,

Waiting in the wings, to unfold its fangs!!!

 

But my unbound faith in God’s power

Gives me courage to believe

He will protect his children from the deluge,

The quicksand, the fire and the avalanche,

Save them from the deadly diseases Covid-19

That has afflicted the human race in rapid stride

And sunk their vessel of faith in groaning despair.

 

So, I fall flat at His holy feet

Closing my eyes and ears

Play the holy chant “Om Namoh Shivay”

Or sing “Hare Krishna Hare Ram”,

Steadfastly holding to the pillar of my faith

Till my mind glows with hope and joy

Like the lotus at the break of golden daylight.

 

Orphean Music

 

As Orphean music

Has a divine melody

Which unravels the mystery

And the visible world’s hidden meaning,

So does love of God....

Unwinding the voices stifled in the heart.

 

As Orphean music

Pulls the singer’s spirit

Into the mysterious, the unknown

So does love of God....

Unfolding visions beyond imagination.

 

As Orphean music

Serenades notes of joy

And pulls the strings of heart

Into melodies of eternal beauty,

So does love of God....

Exploding the lover’s soul with ecstasy

Oblivious to the transience of mortal reality.

 

Thoughts In Flight

 

Thoughts in flight

In the quiet of night

Like torrents of light

From shooting stars

I am wide awake on the bed Wondering God!

Where are you?

 

Do you ever think of me, God?

I, sometimes wondered

Do you still remember me, God?

Would you open the door

When you hear my voice

Or read my poem on the mobile phone?

 

I still dream to be with you, God

A thousand miles I may cross

I may fly across if I had wings

Even if the night roars or the stars hush!

 

In reality, I do not find courage, God

To cross the street alone

Let alone the long way to heaven,

Yet I think, I will cross

The ties of this world in each life

To meet you God

In my dreams or death.

 

SUMITRA MISHRA

 

Dr SUMITRA MISHRA is a Retired Principal and Professor of English from Bhubaneswar, Odisha! She is a bilingual writer who has published books both in English and Odia! She has to her credit 7 anthologies of English poetry and one book of English short stories published by Authors press, Delhi! The names of her books being Penelope’s Web, Flames of Silence, The Soul of Fire, Still the Stones Sing, The Red Moon, Roses and Bruises, Whispering Shadows & Reminiscence! Dr Mishra has to her credit  7 anthologies of poems, 6 collections of short stories, 3 full pledged plays and 3 books of translation published in Odia, that’s her mother tongue!!!