by Vinita Agrawal
[box]Navarasas | When the rains come down, it unleashes the navarasas or the nine human emotions in different parts of the country. Vinita Agrawal captures the magic of the Nine-Bow rain in her poem.[/box]When the floods struck
People watched their dreams
Swim like champions
But drown like fledgling sparrows.
The horror entered their pillows
Every night…like black seeds in silk cotton.
Despite the deathly swirls,
The paper boats that children
Set adrift, bobbed delightedly.
Amidst the tears,
The children laughed.
The river swelled like
A neglected corpse,
Roared in fury, like a woman scorned.
Westwards, a hot earth found
Peace in the light drizzle
As if a charred, restless night
Had been dipped in lavender milk.
Shiny new eaves awakened in wonder
Under the gentle rain.
On Mumbai’s roads,
Lovers clasped raindrops in their palms
Surrendering to
Streets, skies and winds
Walking where their feet led them.
In a lost, far off corner of the country,
A pinched monsoon
Failed to bond a parched earth
Devastating the farmers
Disgusting the pandits.
On my terrace, a red hibiscus shrivelled in compassion
Blanching at nature’s injustice.
The cries of pain had travelled wide,
Dry, searing winds were heart-eaters.
In a lonely, high-rise Penthouse
I braved the monsoon alone
Rails of water enticed
The French windows, drenched my voice
But did not enter the heart.
Vinita Agrawal is a Delhi based writer and poet and has been published in international print and online journals.
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[…] Agrawal’s poem “Nine-Bow Rain” is hotly available in Spark Magazine. Vinita’s poem “Textile Homeland” and a […]