Mosaic-- A Collection of Poems by Rathindra Nath Sarkar

OFFERINGS FOR YOU

I
Your voice is a rain of tender flower-
Rests are like thorny shower.
Your small twinkling eyes are a star,
What's the need to watch the sky from afar?
Your blink with a shy smile '
Embraces my heart for a while.
Your silence is so enchanting '
What's the worth of other's talking?
Your silken tress is like a cascade '
I wish to fall and float on its bed.
Your soothing smile is like a mesmeric music '
My soul soars high and breath goes static.
Your touch is like a gentle breeze
That refreshes the spirit and brings an ease.
Your love is like a warm sunshine '
I swear, I will die, or be only mine, only mine.
*******
II
Since a century, I am waiting for you,
Still my love is fresh and new;
Gentle breeze comes in spring '
Why don't you come and perch on my soul to sing?
Time's wheel passes raising clouds of dust '
I sit and sigh in my mind's porch with a trance and trust;
Heaven's angels always shower and share,
But still I long for your love and care.
Since a century my love is alive '
Come soon or let my love continue to strive.

*******

III

The candle of life will lit
Once you come to meet
The weather will become pleasant
Once you come to meet
The pain of your parting will go
Once you come to meet
I can rediscover myself
Once you come to meet
My love will become immortal
Once you come to meet
I will die for you to live forever
Once you come to meet.

*******

POEMS OF PATHOS

I

The veil of dusk is to fall '
Into the sea I see the vanishing saffron ball;
A trail of birds beyond the horizon '
Proceed to some woods with a reason;
Soon they will return to their nest,
And lie down on Nature's lap for a rest.
Some wayfarer roams with a heart long ailing '
As no place for him in concrete dwelling;
The veil of dusk is to fall '
Will the tired wayfarer hear some soul's call?

*********
II

Why we fear the uncertainty of life?
Let's be happy for the certainty of death
Peep into someone's smiling eyes
You will see a sea of tears hidden somewhere
Now -a- days, I live a hopeless life.
Hoping only a release from life.
Life brings celebrations-
Along with celebrations desperations do come.
What if one life is not lived properly?
Death will come to redeem us fully.

*********

III

Time will never be slow-
But I'm too tired to move with its flow.
Time has blown out the light from the way,
How do the tired travellers see another day?
Time amuses us for a moment-
And then plays the game of tears and torment.
Some hardly lives a moment or two-
Time compels us unexpected things to do.
Time sweeps away the dusty momen-t
We helplessly sigh and lament-
Time will never be slow,
Though broken and beaten, still I've to go ¦..
*******

IV

Every drop of blood in my body
Became droplets of sweat
As I walked so much through the tough terrain of life
The journey burnt down my strength, my spirit
Troubles and struggles were my continuous mate
Sometimes, sat awhile and gasped for a breath
It was good that I stumbled on my way
As I fell God was there to lift me up.

*******

V

I am a lonely wanderer
In this world
Searching a place of hope and love

The day is a chaos
Of worldly affairs
Night is like a blind depth
Of a deadly ditch

I am a lonely wanderer
In this world
Searching a place to rest and cry

The eyes are solitary and dry
So much I squeezed and gave a try
But not a single drop came down

The path which is longer than life
Never seen reaching its destination
Just running endlessly with a chaotic cry

I am a lonely wanderer
In this world
Having no purpose to live
But searching a purpose to die¦..for a cause.

*******

VI

Why did you bring down my love?
Like tears from your eyes,
Why did you let it fall?
Like the autumn leaves that will never rise.

O dear, have mercy on this poor soul,
Forgive me for making you my love's goal,
I could live by loving your heart-
Thanks for splitting my heart apart.

The songs of my love were offered to you '
But you returned thinking of no value;
Others listened and laughed at my songs,
Their laugh echoed the pain of my songs.

O love, do you remember the moment spent together?
- Or have blown into thin air like a feather,
It was your wish to live sans me '
But, would you keep my love and make me free?

*******

VII
In every soul
There are some sorrows hidden;
Life becomes a cruel curse '
When it looks on us with disdain.

Who knows when and what '
The pace of Time will bring?
Sometimes we live through trials and terrors,
As what the treacherous Time will come to sing.

We take a deep sigh '
When becalmed by pain:
An army of fate waits in the dark '
To ambush our dreams and life's serene strain.

The trembling steps are heavy to take-
But we move on without any aim;
Withered by weather and battered by betrayal '
We remain mere puppets in the life's guileful game.

*******

VIII

Farewell

Farewell to thee, my love '
Leaving my shattered dreams below, I go into the Infinite above,
Farewell to thee, farewell to thee.

Who knows where the life henceforth will go '
Why we love and then suffer never we know;
Farewell to thee, farewell to thee.

Lost are those eyes that showered selfless care '
My heart is now forlorn, wounded and lying bare;
Farewell to thee, farewell to thee.

Gone are the moments of waiting; no more roses to
send-
Life will cease ' but my love will never end;
Farewell to thee, farewell to thee

The stars of my tears will twinkle and smile at you '
And fall on the earth like morning dew,
Farewell to thee, farewell to thee.

Let me take hundred births till I gift you my loving
heart '
For ' to meet again we are destined to part;
So farewell to thee, farewell to thee '
Farewell to thee, my love ¦¦

*********

MANASI ' the universal woman

O Manasi, thou art not only Almighty's creation
But also the product of man's fancy and imagination

Like a melody in every heart thou reside
Like a moon behind the cloud thou hide

Poets have sung millions on thy glory
Lovers have died to immortalize their story

Many are thy forms, many are thy beauty
Thine worship lead us to immortality

Thou come in our life like spring's flower
Thou bring joy, peace and power

Thou art clothed in grandeur and grace
So warm thy arms that we long thine embrace

Thy thoughts illumine our desire and dream
Thou art half-human and thou art half-Him.

************

I Will be there for YOU¦¦

Wherever you go,
Wherever you are,
You'll find me not so far '
Just a step behind you,
To lift you when you fall, and anew
You start again ' to reply
The calls of your dream,
And you've to fly
High, high and high above-
Above the highest height,
With the wings
Of your passion and might.
Wherever you venture,
Whatever you wish,
You will find me holding you in leash '
To guide you:
Like your own shadow-
Through life's difficult terrain and meadow;
When the dark wintry night
Makes you cold and enfeebles your faith,
I'll warm you up with the gush of my breath-
That will also sweep away your thorny way,
Or where your feet be,
My soothing palm will there lay.

Whomever you long,
Whomever you love,
You'll find me with you wherever you rove:
To search for your prince-
In the land and the sea;
Embrace him ' kiss him, but do remember me:
For I'll celebrate your love singing and writing for ever;
Nature will celebrate ' the world will celebrate,
And the celebration will cease never;

Let the arms of your love transcend '
To embrace the whole Universe,
I'll die ' my pen will stop:
Let once your love immortalize my verse.

***********

All I hope is ¦

From birth to death '
The life I lead,
From dawn to dusk-
The path I cover and tread,
All I hope is you and only you.

From pleasure to pain-
The feelings I feel,
From sleep to sleeplessness-
The dreams that flashes and thrill,
All I hope is your thought and only yours.

From a crowd to solitude-
The being that accompanies me,
From something to nothing-
The things that happen with me,
All I hope is your presence and only yours.

From this moment to that moment-
The dreams that float in my eyes,
From success to failure-
The struggle that makes me wise,
All I hope is your dream and only yours.

From idleness to activity-
The sweat that wets my body,
From ennui to enthusiasm-
The beats that echo inside my body,
All I hope is your melody¦.and only yours.

From humming a song to singing-
The melody that reverberates in the air,
From silence to sound-
The truth that becomes bare,
All I hope is your song¦.and only yours.

From gathering tears to shedding tears-
The emotions I hide and expose,
From remembering to forgetting-
The memories I treasure and dispose,
All I hope is your remembrances and only yours.

From childhood to adulthood-
The maturity that builds me,
From strangers to friends-
The relationships that belong to me,
All I hope is your togetherness¦ and only yours.

From falling in love to growing in love-
The ecstasies that flow and ebb,
From simplicity to complexity-
The life that grows into a web,
All I hope is your love¦and only yours.

From pessimism to optimism-
The hopes those become hopeless and hopeful,
From escaping life to welcoming life-
The hope that remains faithful,
All I hope is your smile¦and only yours.

From starting a poem to ending a poem-
The tho't I collect and delineate,
From breathing to breathlessness-
The poems I imagine and create,
All I hope is your thought¦and only yours.

From mortality to immortality-
The love that dies never,
From loving you to losing you-
The passion that remains for you- ever and ever,
All I hope is you¦and only you.

***********

HOPE

It was a dusky moment.
I was alone near the sea-shore,
Everything around was in serenity.
But my mind was wandering else-
My breath was not smooth,
Mind was not calm.

It was a dusky moment.
Mighty sky was reddened
-by the descending sun;
Meanwhile, my mind was in tumult.
I was missing you,
Longing to see you.

Your whispering voice
Sang a melody in my ear.
Your evergreen memories
Flew in the sky my eyes.
The pain of separation
Oh, I can't bear!
Your absence makes me lonely-
The eyes sleep, but my heart cries

But, it was a dusky moment.
The sun was about to vanish,
My hope was about to diminish,
And my heart bled and couldn't bear this torment.

Oh! Why it was a dusky moment?
Why there was no sun in the horizon?
Ah! my shattered love
Gone are the sunshine and hope.

But, I felt someone's presence
It was you-- my life's essence.
It was no more a dusky moment,
Sun stood there at the horizon
It was a miracle-
A miracle of love, a miracle of hope.

*********

A Sentimental Sojourn

At last the time came-
To be in a free mental frame.
The journey started after a long wait,
Leaving behind mundane affairs and faithless fate.

We journeyed through the inky night-
Rolling downhill and uphill with fright.
The starry night guided our way,
The twilight at the horizon gave us a hope for another day.

It was dense dusk when we alighted;
Among the lush green hills the place was located.
At once we felt a chill in the air-
Ready to welcome us with care.

The labyrinthine roads and breathtaking locales
Narrated in a nutshell the mysterious life's tales.
Our host, the 'Pleasant Clouds' made us feel at home;
We retired and relaxed ourselves from carrying life's tome.

The bath under the chilly shower
Refreshed our mind and awakened our power.
Then we had tea, etc to break our fast;
With every sip we felt that the moment would forever last.

The horn of the cab driver alarmed us-
For we had a sight-seeing trip full of adventures.
We paced on the serpentine road-
Through the woods and meadows we rode.

Sometimes later we reached the Arthur's Point '
Famous for its volcanic mountains and ravine joint.
The majestic Sahyadri Western Ghats
Were spreaded widely in different parts.

The spine-chilling canyons and ravishing Forts-
Aroused feelings and emotions of all sorts.
Standing atop a hill, we panted and perspired;
Watching the abysmal depth and the mighty height we felt
inspired.

The attachment with life was so painful;
Surrendering ourselves to the 'Mahabaleshwar' was so
joyful.
We returned tired but ecstatic-
Mind was sublime and heart romantic.

After a delicious dinner we retired to bed-
The night grew darker and the moonlight was about to fade;
We talked and shared our emotions-
We embraced our body and soul with passions.

Truly, that night we got a true mate,
Vowed to love forever and never to hate.
We got nothing while living for our and other's expectation-
The sojourn was a true prelude to our ultimate emancipation.

**********

In the Hands of Time

Immortal Time:
Who knows its date of birth?
When did it begin its first journey?
Where is its destination?-
But sure we know
It's immortal Time:
Immune to destruction,
Which needs no creation;
But we are created, then destroyed-
In the hands of Time.

Almighty Time:
Who brought me into this world,
But, very untimely-
When there is no world
To really live in;
Compulsion, fear
Terror and uncertainty-
Nourished me so tenderly,
But I'm being life-starved
In the hands of Time.

Unpunctual Time:
Shatters the punctual
Man in distress: Helplessness
That it can gift-
To the farmer who waits for rain
Till his crops die;
It never lends anybodyone
Even with a rate of interest; lamenting
And sighing over lost time ' that man does
In the hands of Time.

Potter Time:
Moulded and shaped
On the lively wheel of Death '
My limbs, my arms, my everything-
My mind, my tho'ts, my whole being-
Into a moving, shaking and shivering
Creature that adorns the world-
Of shakes and shocks,
Of tears and torn-
In the hands of Time.

Uncivilized Time:
Who has punished us with civilization,
Civilization ' the angel of Time
That enfettered the Man;
Civilization ' the destruction in disguise
Befooled and belittled us
With Hiroshima pangs and Gulf whimper-
With starving 'Somalian world',
Promising more civilization: we are civilization ladden
In the hands of Time.

Timeless Time:
Boasting of its infinite entity-
Leaves residues of history,
And will produce from residues
Another history '
Of a third World War
Of Man's doom ' of a drifting civilization;
Still Time will remain mercilessly infinite,
Though I know this: I love and dream
In the hands of Time.

Everything is Time ' Everywhere it is:
Time is love
In the hearts of praying saints;
Time is hate
In the eyes of beasts
Time is quest
For the struggling Mankind
But Time is end
To me: who'll be hanged
In the hands of Time.

What has befallen on Time?-
Groping for a finite place,
Yearning for a time to rest:
Not for conceiving another hostile civilization-
Not for evolving another nuclear world;
But to shower on Man
Rain of time ' to love, to live a moment for others,
To revere Man for being a Man;
Lo! Time dreams itself
In the hand of Time.

********

The Poetry of Love

The inevitable Union-
Introduced me with the world.
Growing up with care and nourishment,
Experiencing the Concrete and the Abstract,
Cultivating my sibling mind,
And gradually, gradually did I see
The world so lovable and kind.

The ecstasy I felt in living-
Made a mercuric leap.
I sank deep into an indefinable feeling;
I reached the adulthood years-
Traveling through a tumultuous adolescent years,
Ensconced myself against the haunting fears,
Amidst the blooming youthful years.

Dreams soaked my eyes each night.
Each Night wept on my pity plight-
For she was there only in dreams;
She vanished, when
The opening eyes swallowed my dreams;
Oh! My dear dreams-
Come, but bring her like a soothing breeze,
Go, but leave her as a melody on my lips.

One day break, one tender morn-
Filled my eyes to the depth, with
The radiant beauty of hers.
Past night was a maze of dreams-
The next dawn was a dream-come-true.
She appeared before me like a flash
That burnt down my every pain into ash.

Flying high into her heart's sky-
Searching for my world and
Longing for the union ' the union of the two hearts.
Wandered, but alone; and wondered
At the subtlety of undefined feelings.
But I relentlessly
Persevered searching for my world.

Grateful was I to the Providence-
For she came, came closer to me,
Just for a moment: like a transient bubble.
We talked, we felt, we admired-
Each other, like an age old friends.
She smiled--I smiled, the Nature smiled together,
But, as time parts-we parted, never to meet again.

The sinking sun masked the horizon '
The cold night injected chill into the air;
Flowers slept, some babies wept-
Some cricket cried, some spirit haunted;
The descending fog wetted '
My clay-baked mind and nestle of my beats.
Sourness mushroomed on my lips as I drifted.

********

Life - a struggle

Life is not a bed or roses,
It is not for eating and playing,
Neither it is for idle sitting-
Nor it is for begging.

Life is but a path of hurdles,
To jump it needed a great struggle,
One who fails to overcome these-
Can not live in with great ease.

They do only exist,
Who thinks life to be a feast,
Sleep never visits their bed--
They stay waking even they are dead.

Happy the man with a life with an aim,
Which he aspired successfully came
With great skill and iron-will
This is life- a struggle, a struggle.

****

Philosophy of a Rickshaw-puller

A rickshaw-puller
Clad in a torn, dirty shirt
Happened to meet me--
in the street.
My clean living
demeaned his 'clean-dirt';
But what clean living is it
the way I treat?

Whether rain or utter pain,
nothing bothers him
For he has to toil:
he has produced a hungry family.
Hunger and humiliation
made his life dim;
But he didn't cease
to treat me so respectfully.

While pulling the rickshaw-
to my destination
He conversed with me:
frequently or sometime
of success and failure
without any hesitation;
To my wonder, I discovered
his tho't so sublime.

His talk so mystic
but simply said;
Ejaculating a note-
of philosophic tone;
He ridiculed-
his destiny that betrayed
And perhaps forgot
to cry or moan.

Swept away far,
with his mood
I felt and realized
how an underdog suffers
-and shoulders and drags
a life without certitude.
Meantime, I reached my 'certainty'
Thinking of 'certainty'-of this unsung philosopher.

*** *** ***

AN ETERNAL CRY

Inside the thick murky night
-emerges an old lady,
grave-yard-like street makes her lonely
and frightened.
(Then, I hear a cry¦a cry).

But who this old lady¦in the night?
Oh, she is an old destitute widow
-feeble and wrinkle faced..
hopeless eyes unveils her pang and fright.
(Again, I hear a cry¦a cry).

Her only happiness ' her son;
but destiny has deceived,
the only happiness she received
-her ailing son.
(Echoed again ' a cry¦a cry).

She is out in the street,
hoping a helping hand to meet.
her only son lying on death-bed-
wanting a drop of life¦a drop of red.
(Again ' a piercing cry¦a cry).

She walked with her feeble legs;
from every passerby she begs
but no one to hear¦..and to care
-for a penny, for a drop of red.
(Hearing again-- a mystic cry¦a cry).

She is the oldest among the old,
Circumstances have made her young;
Yes, youngest among the young-
but still her pangs remain manifold.
(Reverberating again ' a melancholic cry¦a cry).

Gradually she is vanishing-
into the dark silent night,
but her sorrow-stricken cry
disturbs the silence of the night.
(Lingering on ' an eternal cry¦an eternal cry).

*** *** ***