BHARATI NAYAK

 

First Cry, First Question

 

The baby’s first cry ‘Kuan’,’Kuan”

After falling from mother’s womb

Perhaps, ask a question

‘Where have I come?’

It is not the warm world

Where I was sleeping without care

It is so cold here.

 I seek for the warmth I have left

Then I am led to my mother’s arms.

 

What do I feel inside my stomach?

Is it hunger or thirst

I seek for an answer

Then I am led to mother’s breast

When mother’s milk flow into my mouth,

I question, is it the nectar

I was searching for?

I grow

And I want to know

The things all around me’

My mouth cannot utter T

The words people are speaking.

I only babble in unintelligible sounds

With my questioning eyes.

I recognize my mother first

From the smell of her body

and from her loving warmth.

 

Then I start questioning myself

‘What is it?’, ‘what is that?’

Who is he, who is she

Why have I come here

Where shall I go

I am too small to get answers right now

I may get answers to some

Some answers may never come

But this life is filled with questions

Till it reaches the ultimate destination.

@ Bharati Nayak

 

 

Shifting Paradigms

 

Gone, gone are the days

When joy was in abundance

In a carefree mind

It was much fun

When we played

On sand pits

Building sand castles

And running after butterflies.

A balloon or a naked lozenge

without any decorative dress

Was enough for us

to dance in joy

Sea shells, pebbles and

broken glasses were our valuable toys.

Grasses were our trees

Insects were our cows

Our tiny world was our big world

It was really a happy happy world.

 

Now gone are the butterflies

Gone are the twittering birds

Today's children have no time

To dance on sand pits.

 

Viewing the world through computer sites

They won't play with the red velvet mites

They won't know the smell of a rose

Or thrill of butterfly sitting gently on their nose

 

With heavy school bags

And the weight of their parent's ambitions

Weighing on their backs

They grow up too fast.

@Bharati Nayak

 

BHARATI NAYAK

 

BHARATI NAYAK, born in the year 1962, is a bilingual poet, critic and translator from Odisha, an Indian State lying on its eastern coast. She writes in English and Odia. Her poems have been published in many magazines, journals, anthologies and e-books of national and international repute, Her poems have been  published in more than hundred  books such as The Tranquill Muse, Rock Pebbles, Orissa Review, Utkal Prasang, Creation and Criticism, Circular Whispers, Nova Literature-Poesis, Poetry Against Terror, 56 Female Voices of Poetry, The Four Seasons Poetry Concerto, Tunes From the Subcontinent, Amaravati Poetic Prism, Glomag, OPA  Anthology, Different Truth  ,,Pangolin Review, Poets and Poetry, Muse of Now Paradigm, Different Truth  ,Cuckoo In Crisis, Mosaic of Poetic Musings Souvenirs of Best Indian Poetry in English of 2021 and the like. She has been conferred with Sahitya Lahari award by International Cosmos Society, India in 2018 and Star Ambassador of World Poetry And Art  Philosophique Poetica International Award in Literature  by the World Poetry Conference in Bhatinda, Punjab .India in 2019.She has been felicitated by  Literary Groups ,Asha Srotaswini Magazine, Ashapradeep Newspaper ,Criticspace Journal, Odia Sahitya Jagata ,Realm of Poems, Poemarium and Eternal Flames. She has participated in many well-known international poetry festivals like 11th Guntur International Poetry Festival, Amaravati International Poetry Festival,Rockpebbles National Poetry Festival, Authorspress-GIEWEC Bhubaneswar Lit. Experia  and the like.