SUMITRA MISHRA

 

Daggers Drawn

 I don’t know how and when

The daggers were drawn

Our love turned to hate 

Or when love displaced hate,

Resisting the temptations 

To rehearse my love for long

I became dumb and deaf,

While trying to fight back the hate

My daggers turned to stone.

One night,

All lights out

The stage of life 

Turned bloody red!

I used all my nerves

Trying to keep the lights burning

My stock candles of smile gradually depleted,

Trying to replenish your craving

My reserve of self-esteem drowned 

In the flood of your debunking epithets.

To save you from the arrows,

I used all my shields 

In return, I was pelted 

With stones from all sides

And fired by missiles.

The dilemma, you couldn’t solve

Nor could I,

We are tuned to the same frequency

Of doubt and dismay

Though you and I know

The tempests of hate and friction

Can never conquer over our truth and love.

Lost Citadel

When the colours of love

From my enamoured soul

Drenched your dessicated heart

Like drops of manna,

Your enchanted heart discovered

The source of the delightful sweetness,

You sprayed rhythms of Venetian amour

In poetic lines, on the notebook of my heart.

But I didn't know extreme sweetness

Causes disease,

And the aroma is ephemeral.

May be, you played fugitive with yourself

 Or you loved to play tricks with  tender hearts

 Often using the dagger of your words,

At times throwing muck on my character

You wounded my dignity, to gratify your ego,

You laughed at the silly streams of my emotions

And ridiculed my jestful joyous raillery.

My fervor fractured like clay idols.

 

As I lamented 

Over the lost citadel of my love

You boasted of your 

Previously conquered citadels of glory

Which you tried to possess but could not preserve.

Can I hope to swim 

Against time’s tricky swirls

To regain control of my lost citadel

Shattered by the jealous whirls?

Precipice –

I’m hanging on the precipice

Unable to unchain and amble away

Unable to leave the earth 

and touch the sky!

I’ve not forgotten

The words of prayer or chants or the aazan

But troubled by the battle between churches, 

temples and mosques!

Still I could see the red rose

Amid the bouquet of pale orchids in the hamper

Nodding and swaying, seeking love, 

and beckoning hope!

 

I would like to jump

Into the golden rays of dawn

But my limbs are numb

like a frozen fish!

A blanket of shadow

Clouds my vision fixed on the cross

I can’t see the golden gate 

or the rays of divinity!

So I’m standing still

Waiting for your immanence Lord

Hanging on the precipice of faith 

darkened by reason!

SUMITRA MISHRA

Dr SUMITRA MISHRA, Retired Professor of English, Former Principal of Government Women’s College, Sambalpur.25 years of experience as Associate NCC officer, Rank: Major. Bilingual writer with 23 published books in Odia and 8 books in English. Associate Editor of a Women magazine Smruti Santwona. Life member of Odisha Lekhika Sansad. Spouse: Professor Gangadhar Mishra, Former Director, Higher Education, Odisha.