Bloom(s)

orphan’s piquant
face bloomed
touched by love
~

wind puffed cheeks
clouds shifted gear, sun
drenched flowers beamed
~

bully left
play ground
meek cheered
~

Diffidence

pinned
fluttering
gossamer
hope
sputtering
on color
drenched
wing
~
prayer
escaped
lips
~
hovering ~
momentarily ~
between
the bud
of promise
and
life’s
perfidious
slip

* picture via internet only

Undid
Knots
Lulled belly
Butterflies

Reined
Frozen
Feelings
Rained

Colors
Of truth
Trickled
Out

Stupefaction
Opened jaws
Icy expression
Thaw’s fallout

Wine thawed
Your frozen
W(h)ine, icing
Their opine

Falling Headlong

Peering at my horribly expensive
Embroidered pashmina shawl
all the while caressing its soft
skin, I searched with x-ray eyes
for any offensive moth bites

A single gaping mouth
Jeered at my shocked eyes as
In horror I looked at its maw
From all angles and wept
and then I smiled

through the hole I entered
childhood’s hideout, grandpa’s
closet bursting with fine silk shirts
and one with front button holes held
together by a string of gold buttons

in sheer nostalgia I rubbed
my face in its loving folds
even as whiffs of hookah fumes
entered my tender nostrils and
his walrus moustache tickled

fascinated we’d watch his
luxurious pride bristle in anger
even as he lovingly combed it
with tiniest of gold combs after
drying milk droplets from each hair

deep rumbling voice dripping with
love and strength beckoned as we sat
in his lap happily licking away at endless
cups of vanilla ice cream to beat summer’s
sizzling heat, munching other delicacies

whoops of exuberance and pitter
patter of tiny feet shook the ancient
staircase touching the skies with its
triple roof terraces filled with pickling jars
getting weathered simmering in sun’s heat

we would quickly untie the cloth covering
the gaping mouths of the jars and extract
spoonfuls of raw mango slices, chutneys
slurp it with gusto, laughter renting the air
as we retied jar mouths hastily, guilt ridden

masticating the semi soft inner core of
quartered green tender mangoes, enjoying its
tangy tartness, saliva filled our mouths like an
unexpected torrent triggered by this headlong
fall through the moth hole of pashmina shawl

sheepishly coming to, reluctantly climbed out of it
emerging to present, not worried about the damage
any more as the moth hole was now a portal to my
wondrous childhood, a time travel widget, not a loss
and even as life takes, it gives back in full measure

 (pictures from internet)

Spice Bazaar

(Turkey)

brilliant pungent pices

Smoky red, muted earth,

Greens captive in plastic pouches

Holding hands tight,

spices hang in rioting streamers

A dash, a smidgeon

In marinated food,

forces taste buds

A mountain of dehydrated

Desiccated fruits veggies

jostled amongst glassy blue eyed nazars*

Let me help spend your money”

Startled I glanced at his shop

I beat a quick retreat

Dragged by spouse

Emerging empty handed

*Nazars: they are blue color glass eyes found all over Turkey to ward off evil covetous looks

Two ancient green papers thin
Spidery cobwebbed palms
Delicate talon hooked digits
Weaving lace
Exquisite
Gossamer
Whisper
Wafer
Thin

Astride full throttled boat
Gliding playfully in deep blue
Competing with deeper blue above
We landed
On the island
Where time
Stood still
History
Centuries
Unthawed

Ginger bread house
Multi hued unsubtle
Framed in doorway
With cucumber innards
As a Still life
Posed
an industrious
Lace maker
Nonna

~~

fotos from internet- we visited Burano, Italy in ’07 and picture is imprinted in my head

Misty Musings

Washed by the soft golden light of dawn
Rinsed to sparkle by erring cloudlet in morn
Peals of happy-go-lucky laughter abound
Grandpa’s house echoed such gleeful sounds


Deeply embedded in halcyon days of summer
Golden months away from home sans murmur
Kite flying and exploration is every dark cranny
Ever chided and cajoled by a frail doting granny



Those horse and buggy rides to the park
Rivalry with cousins and siblings sparks
Amidst sounds of cow moos n mews n barks
Always on the lookout for more daring larks

Bitten by the muse held many impromptu shows
Amidst sudden outbursts of furious raging rows
Calming gentler tones of elders to mollify n cow
All come rushing to fore in pleasurable waves now!!
Those lazy crazy days of gone by summers
Knock on memory’s door in soft murmurs
Foggy mind n misty eyes recall times sublime
If only we could go back in time often times
—www.binaguptapoetry.com

(picture by Komlet)

Breathless  Exhilaration

Unfolding vista sublime
Banishing sense of time

Glacial pristine quilted throws
Grey silt waters and icy floes

Snow capped ranging mountain heads
White silhouettes midst blues and reds

Awesome brown grizzlies n black bears
Romping Orcas whales n dolphin mares

Porpoise, sea otters, walrus seals wading birds
All edging nudging vying for attention in herds

Mighty moose, caribou, gray wolf  and Dall sheep
Bald eagles, owls, gulls chattering squirrels creep

Fantastic wildlife, birds, spawning salmon runs
Native folklore, totems poles with nights- none!!!

Breathless we craved for more sans masks
Nature purifying spirits  to core, no mean task!

Leaving us
 Breathless
Exhilerated
Wanting
More
    N
     more

The love Letter!!

Why oh why my heart decried
Seared burnt painfully fried

Waltzing away abruptly, no inkling
Breaking my heart, blood congealing

Listless confused I pitifully blunder
Blissfully loving, I let you plunder

You showered love drenching full measure
All delirious moments in thy arms, I treasure

This sudden withdrawal leaves me shattered
Bewildered I relive all moments that mattered

Why oh why my heart decried
Seared and burnt painfully fried

Who loves so wholeheartedly then walks away, I say!
Blasphemy it is and a black day for all lovers if I may

Thus heartbroken I agitate and cogitate senselessly
Seeking needle of why in love haystack feverishly

Distracted by door chimes I hasten barefoot downstairs
Courier delivers Valentine Roses amidst envious stares

Pounding heart I skip upstairs tearing envelope in haste
Healing words soothe and assuage all pain I did taste

Sweetheart  I had to beat a painful retreat to test our love
True love dictated before tying love knot of us two doves

Duly tested, love shone through bright as a newly minted coin
Forward steps retreated, dancing in tune joyfully to forever join

Love sweet love tested tried finally won and came home
Rejoicing ever after on Valentine’ Day, amen, ohm, shalom.

*******************www.binaguptapoetry.com
   

There is only one situation I can think of in which men and
women make an effort to read better than they usually do.
It is when they are in love and reading a love letter.
Mortimer Adler  American, Philosopher

**Come out of the circle of time / And into the circle of love.
**Pilgrimage to the place of the wise is to find escape from
    the flame of separateness.
**Only from the heart Can you touch the sky.
**Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absent-minded. Someone
    sober will worry about events going badly. Let the lover be.
** The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you,
     not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet
     somewhere. They’re in each other all along.
** This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred
     veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally,
     to take a step without feet.
Jalal ud-Din Rumi

(picture from internet- Raja Ravi Varma’s Love Letter)