Blackberries (Erasure Poem)

In its first year
a new stem
grows vigorously
arching or trailing along the ground
bearing large palmately leaves;

it does not produce any flowers.


In its second year,
the stem does not grow longer

but the flower buds break

this iciness

**
bluebird hops
studies bare branches
a pauper’s song

**
croons
the weary traveler
tale of a torn leaf

**
till next fall
no bloodshed
promises a maple

**
your breath
in the filmy fog
disturbs a pond

**
(c)Arunansu Banerjee 2010

Departure Cherita

my train sets off

the platform moves backward
i flip through a guidebook

sun follows me
behind a mangrove wall
i sip the morning


(c) Arunansu Banerjee, 2010

the celestial body

[Tanka]
*
saunters
on an exoplanet
the verse-writer
magma stream oozes
from his depth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

he resides
in a star's bright
light years away
distanced from dear earth
from clouds, from rain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c)Arunansu Banerjee

Musings... on early Jan

[Tanka]
*
hid her face
her wavy tresses
in nightly breeze
the moon vanished
from a poet's view

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a lark sings
springtime tune
at dead hour
my toes explore
icy corners

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

newborn day
rests on windowsill
lips curved
a tint of smile
in obscureness

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c)Arunansu Banerjee 2010

'To go the way of the dodo'(Prose Poetry)

The Zoo Garden's Curator appeared helpless. The recent discovery, a grey-feathered dodo, probably the last living specimen of its kind, has stopped taking its food. Veterinary experts had been summoned, special diet-charts prepared - fruits, grains, insects, even other bird-meat were offered, yet all of those have politely been overlooked. One double-chinned Ornithologist thought that the shy bird must be missing its natural habitat and might be puzzled by the sight of so many overzealous onlookers. He didn't rule out the possibility of the dodo suffering from acute mental depression, being set-apart from its soul-mate, had there been one. The Curator nodded knowingly and added: a twelve member search team had been dispatched that very morning to the islands near Mauritius; an exploration to find out whether or not any more members of the rare clan could be found alive. "We will leave no stones unturned," asserted the crestfallen man, "Therefore-"

"Therefore, Ladies & Gentlemen," interrupted a lean bespectacled person, "Therefore, we MUST find a way to soothe the nerves of the loner. Watch its eyes, watch the dreamy glint... There, that's the philosopher's look!

O Angel of Love, thy grief shines beamingly, a candle glows through the darkest hours of Night. O Dove, have pity on the wretched human folk who hath dared to make thee a mere prisoner! Immerse thy sorrow within the nectar of rhymes, make thy life a saint's solitude. Let me offer thee my humble verses.” He flashed out a few torn pages from his pocket and flung them towards the bird. To the utter disbelief of the conglomeration, it slowly moved, crouched forward, picked up one poem and gulped it down its throat. Within the next fourteen minutes, fourteen more poems found their way to its stomach. A pandemonium followed.

Since last reported, law keepers have cordoned off the area, and public-viewing of the spectacle has been suspended indefinitely. In the meantime, the bird has gobbled up the entire notebook, enriched with poesy.
(c)Arunansu Banerjee 2010

Feelings... on Jan 2

[Tanka ]

in the mist
Stars-of-Bethlehem
still look bright
pages of a year
I’ve just recited

*

the blue moon
being eroded
every night
I’m trying to live
on starlight alone

*

confetti hearts
scattered
on the floor
a lazy sunshine
crawls with shadows

***

[ Stars-of-Bethlehem : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithogalum ]
(c)Arunansu Banerjee

Feelings on Jan 1

[ Tanka ]


she grew quiet
as I recited
the poem
that took a lifetime
to sprout

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

her silence
her decade-old smile
warms me up
the morning coffee
fills a ten year void

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c)Arunansu Banerjee 2010