RELIVING RAIN! A poemvolume by RISHI part 1

RELIVING RAIN!

A poemvolume

by RISHI

part 1

1.IN VAIN…

I am passing through a difficult terrain

Half-slain

Scorching

Slippery

Misleading

Morbid

Ailing

All alone

Have to move on

Shouldering the burden of something unbearable

The climate remains unfavourable.

Somethings have no variables.

By and by

Time slips by

Turning untraceable

Moments too precious

There are things

Never to be regained

Maimed

Pained to the core

Standing at razor’s edge

Pledge losing its potential

Bruised

Bleeding

Bemoaning

The heart reels in a swirl

Ringa-ringa-roses

Falls down from a terrible height

The fool of an ass it is

Attempting to sleep in vain

With the spirit broken

Hickory Dickory dock

Ho, damn the clock….

2.BEYOND THE REALM OF LANGUAGE…..

Words for Verse;

Cell for Sell;

Right for Write;

Night for Knight;

Die for Dye;

Bye for By;

Try for Tri;

High for Hai

Sunny for Sonny;

Mini for Many;

Weak for Week;

Wage for Rage…..

Even Entry for Country;

Number for November;

Ganja for Ganges;

The list goes on.

In the heat of brain

at boiling temperature

Spelling turns nonsense,

Meaning losing its substance

I keep taking down

the dictation

as an ‘out of control’ automation.

“What’s wrong?” asks the boss.

Why and how to share with him

the extent of my loss?

Taking leave I set out in the afternoon.

Having a moon-lit walk under the 106°C Sun

somewhat mitigates the impact of the

Inferno within.

Though I keep trying to zip in a poem

the all too expansive files of my travails,

beyond the realm of language remain

My ravages and full-throated wails.

3.LOSING THE ESSENCE……

Indeed a very pathetic sight it is -

Seeing the butterfly without wings...

and struggling to fly;

to soar high……

The strenuous effort

taking away the sheen of its hues, 

left high and dry

so softly it cries

the sound of which escapes even those nearby.

Standing away and witnessing its plights

I merely sympathize,

sporting even a bemused smile.

But, metamorphosing into that very insect

I turn bruised to the core;

could barely breathe…..

Has it lost its heavenly wings _

Oh, when and where….?

Or, were they always

a mere semblance?

‘Better to have had it and lost it

than to have never had it at all’

They say….

Perceptions do change

on the brink of collateral damage….

Growing in age

is no gateway to heaven….

Wings intact

is what constitutes

Paradise Perfect.

4.CRUELLY ENTHRALLING 

Getting inside the room hastily

Taking the seat

He glanced at the doorway accidentally.

An all too tiny worm stood there

Rising in a delicate swirl.

For a moment he took it to be

Its dance of ecstasy….

Then it dawned….

It was on the throes of death

crushed under hurrying feet…

Worlds apart

wondering what to do

He turned away – appalled

Bemoaning

O, what a cruelly enthralling Vanity Fair

Life is…..

5.SUBMISSION

rishi

           

A glance, a touch

– the Magic begins!

Time takes a quantum leap backward!

There is no room for anything awkward.

All apprehensions evaporate;

Just the rhyme and rhythm linger.

After all, Age is but a state of mind!

Despite limbs weakening

They are always attuned to an affectionate embrace!

No matter how long it’s been blowing

Forever gracefully cool

is the breeze!

Where there is a will,

there is a way

– they say;

Let’s second it;

and submit.

6.RAINY MOON!

After days of heat unbearable

It is raining today!

Indeed a blessing from above.

Behold!

Through the blur of heavy downpour

there glows a moon creeping

made possible by the mellifluous movie song

being heard inside brain….

Melting the membranes

The pining female voice

Yearns for reunion

Seeing the moon….

‘It seems to have come to me alone’

says She;

‘To carry my memories

to the heart faraway;

Oh moon, welcome

let togetherness be wholesome_’

So she goes on…..

The song and myself

the rain and myself

the night and myself

start walking down the memory lane….

7.(ZODIAC) SIGNS

 

Earth  and Water

Sometimes complementary,

Sometimes at loggerheads.

Earth

containing Water

Absorbing,

Acting on it or reacting to it _

All in a positive manner;

Allowing it to remain still,

Admitting it to flow on....

Water

Wetting the Earth,

Turning it cool,

Congenial for crops to grow,

Strengthening the roots,

Quenching the thirst......

Each having unique traits;

Volume and Expanse;

Attributes distinct;

Complexities chaotic;

Split personality of sort _

What not….

Serene Water, Stable Earth

Turning into

Flood, Earthquake

Leaving in its wake

Dreams shattered, hopes belied….

Wounds aplenty

Deadly

Draconian

making

Today maimed

Tomorrow defamed….

Mankind can’t survive

Without Earth and Water

Though not all Tales on it ends

‘‘Happily Everafter’.

 Earth , Water

Though poles apart

rely on each other

in more ways than one;

Together, they form an integral part

of the Big Picture!

8.EXPERIENCING RAIN!

rishi

As least expected gifts Rain drops are felt.

Not drizzlingish; Not heavy downpourish;

Hastily finishing the hot plate

from the roadside eatery

I start walking with a lilt,

through the avenues.

The same trees that bless me with shade

on hot sunny days

sprinkle on me sweet little rain drops.

With each drop my wrinkles vanish

one by one!

And I await in anticipation

Rain’s carnal hug and the grand communion!

 With the heat gone the heart goes melting;

ready to forgive the pair of spectacles

sans wipers

standing in the way of

experiencing the rain in gay abandon.

The onset of rain, its unique touch,

the sudden change in climate

give everything a sheen

so surrealistic!

Memories

hitherto simmering deep down

surface in all splendour!

Visualizing another to act as an atom

now wave, now particle

playing the dual role with ease

the body – stiff; frozen

grows supple; flexible, with a finesse!

‘No time to yearn for the days bygone

Enjoy it Here and Now’

says Zen, accompanying me

all the while

with a Monalisa smile!

Each poem a CODE :

For some to decipher;

For some to stand bewildered.

Each rain drop, each of its bubble _

Treasures invaluable.

Every rain the same

An Open Sesame!

9.ATMOSPHERE

  Summer gone -

Yet, the adage ‘hot’  stays on….

The usually bright 5 o’ clock in the evening.

All too suddenly it turns dark all around

Looking up I could see the silvery sky

with clouds hurrying past.

Dry and parched roads

glisten in velvety black!

Average faces acquire features celestial!

Stepping into the street

We offered ourselves an awesome treat!

Feeling one with Nature, walked a few steps

A few raindrops fall on us - a friendly forewarning.

Retreating we become wet – Oh! The bliss of it!

The rain goes on, without and within

Empty hands now full, caring, caressing; 

Images of yesteryears flash on their own

in the inner monitor…

Despite pressing hard ‘delete’ works not.

Pointer is keen to open all folders 

that all along remained tightly shut

With each click left and right

the ‘mouse’ lets many a cat out of the bag

the woman lovelorn, ragpicker-like, oh damn_

feels grateful for the warmth of rain

unconditional, wholesome, with no reservation

nor having any count of loss and gain.

With each passing moment

the yearning to entrap the elusive rain

swells inside 
as a singular pain.

10.FORECAST

 

 Finishing the day’s work well in advance

seated, I remain

in anticipation….

Washing my limbs that have turned

rough and sticky with day-long chores,

moving to a different shore,

seated, I remain

in anticipation….

Keeping my hands wide-opened

without a care of ‘the four’;

the After and Before –

seated, I remain

in anticipation…..

With bated breath I wait

to receive and entwine;

to have it all mine -

no matter for what a tiny particle of Time.

The signs are all there _

Dark clouds;

Chill wind;

The peculiar smell;

Birds screeching;

Dust dispersing….

The Stage is all set

for a fulfilling Drama

with an auditorium so grand

and an ace music-band!

There pervades the fragrance

par-excellence _

of Life, which through evanescence

ensures

Permanence!

The bells chime.

The curtain would be raised any time.

Oh my!

Seated in my shell

lock stock and barrel

I remain

In anticipation

Of the RAIN

11.TEMPERATURE

Can’t even say ‘slightly better’-

The heat persists with a morbid vigour.

The state of being congenially warm

seems a distant dream.

 But

these days ‘Climate Change’ comes

all too suddenly

with such unpredictability!

No harm in trying

to make things Absolutely Perfect;

Perfectly Absolute.

Is this empty rhetoric?

Or, the outcome of a seeking so esoteric?

How to decode these two?

Is there a ‘readerly text’ in these too?

Phonemes, Syntax. Semantics

Etymology, Phraseology, Rhymes, Rhythms _

The permutations and combinations of all these

Leaving you enthralled; appalled,

make Life a veritable hell….

or Heaven?

‘To Be or Not To Be…..?’

The question rages along with the

more than 106⁰ Celsius all around.

All kinds of horns sound

increasing the heat with a vengeance

making you travel through

a temporary desert;

Can’t say so….

It could turn into permanent too….

Amidst all wagons hurrying past

No camel in view;

Nor even a mirage.

Feet acquire blisters.

Eyes on fire.

Sweaty all over.

Struggling to retain

some semblance of composure….

I can’t help wondering ­_

Can anyone ever decipher Nature?

None can succeed in making it dance to our tune;

You can’t mold it;

You can’t hold it.

Either we accept it as it is,

and adapt ourselves to its dictates,

or remain all the more frustrated.

Shelley’s Spring is there for ever.

Remember….

Nature has always been a partaker in our lives;

Not a mere preacher; passerby.

By and by 

we might find a magic wand

with which the mirage can be turned into

marvelously cool pond.

The desert, a treasure island!

But, for the time being

no way out

except wading through this suffocating stretch

Within and Without.

12.TIME ON A DIFFERENT PLANE….

  

Almost exactly at the moment when I thought

of the sentence

that poets have a different Time-Zone

my wrist-watch stopped showing the correct time

and began to run erratically.

Though I could attribute it all rationally

to faulty mechanism

an eerie feeling did creep in.

Since then I have been travelling along

a different plane.

The time-zone, different plane –

are these actual terrains

or mere fantasies of the brain?

Once again

I look at my watch

wondering whether it was Borges’s Aleph

or just a ‘whiff of breath’….

Right – Left – Right - Left

Turn About _

Guided and misguided by Time

the march continues topsy-turvy.

13.STAGE

On the dais

and in the rows of seats _

everywhere men and women,

including those invisible in the empty ones,

each a separate horizon

simultaneously, in unison

each intent on playing the assigned role

to perfection….

Friend 

Foe

Freak

Fool…

Hole after hole we dig

deep and deeper

but to unearth never

the whole….

Curtain raises;

Words flow -

Torrential;

Terribly superficial;

Heartfelt;

Hyperboles;

Sensible;

Sweet nonsense;

Slightly sarcastic;

Sugar-coated;

Bitter-tinged;

Hope-filled;

Heartrending;

Faces with hearts reflected

Wholly or partly

Fill the auditorium....

As everything else

this show too comes to a close.

Accompanied by melting moments

I step into the lane;

with night glistening

start walking in the rain.

14.RAINY REMINISCENCES….

No more a mere drizzle;

or just a shower;

This is real downpour –

voluminous; torrential;

Intensifying more and more

with each passing hour.

Remaining inside doors shut

I could still visualize it

with all my ears.

The unfelt raindrops hold me

in a fierce embrace,

caress,

drenching me all over.

The longing to plant a tender kiss

upon the ‘might be dozing’

or ‘might be moving’ feet

that bear the chest wherein the heart

 brimming forever with passion closeted…..

that carry the head

inside which the skull encasing the brain

of a Magnificent Muse resides …..

engulfs my whole being in a delicate warmth.

The exquisite quiver travelling from head to foot,

along the whole length of spine

proves pleasure and pain

so closely entwined.

Longing surges as a perennial flood

gushing forth towards

a land afar

on a distant shore

that can still be reached in a matter of hours _

a little after 6 a.m., or even before!

15.RAIN: REAL AND SURREAL

Yet again a Rain

gathering momentum…
gripping; wholesome.

There

wishing for Love Infinite

some hope…. some despair….

some ecstasy here…. some agony there ….

some expectation…. some frustration

some leap…. some halt….

Caught entangled in the labyrinth of words

some longing indescribable

some loneliness incomprehensible….

The heart melts; freezes _

taking turns….

Rain Real _

Rain Surreal _

On the terrain _

In the brain _

Gains galore _

Pains aplenty _

Nature can’t be fixed

as a ‘twenty-twenty match’

there lies the catch.

Golden eggs are hatched

with each little Rain-drops!

By and by

Rain turning delirious

does a ringa-ringa roses;

with Lightning and Thunder

providing the backdrop

filling the heart’s parched rivers

with successive showers!

From deep down surges

the Spring;

Rain’s Offering!

16.INTO THE RAIN…..

Work for the day is over.

(Is the expression ‘at last’ appropriate – I wonder…)

With the taste of black coffee still lingering

(associated idea: black day, one might say….)

I step out and start walking….

Within a short distance

Rain commences in right earnest.

Several stray drops

soon turning into sturdy ropes of water

swinging from the sky,

landing straight on to my head

soaking the whole,

including my soul….

Strong twains of raindrops encircle me

going round and round;

Having no umbrella at hand

(can it be called a real loss ? I muse…)

I get more and more thoroughly drenched;

Even big trees are not big enough 

to spread a canopy over my head.

In fact, nothing is there to provide shelter.

Men, women, children, wagon run

helter-skelter….

Realizing with a shudder

that a tree with an electric post standing near

is always a deadly combo

I choose to move on.

Get –Set – Go!

Into the Rain -

ever a mysterious terrain!

Mesmerizing to the core

as ever before!

Wiperless spectacles

make me wade through wilderness;

voluminous waterfalls;

each step I take into the rain

terrifies me as intercepting a speeding train….

leaves me standing at the

(razor’s) edge of a lofty mountain.

The fall into an unfathomable abyss 

looming large

Life stands enlarged!

The Rain resembles a fairy-tale!

I proceed, with wings and tail!

A wide-screen image of a vacuum

pregnant with the possibility of

atoms innumerable!

Beyond the outer layer of fear apparent

caused by the craving 

to reach the safety of home

there lurks another down under

so inherent; insistent;

having a code name!

Hurling the choicest abuses

at the target

the realization that stoic silence

is what makes one the worst-hit

strikes me as Truth Fundamental.

Its raining Cats and Dogs.

Nay – Lions and Tigers;

Whales and Anacondas;

Antarticas and Saharas….

I continue to remain in Rain

inside the four walls of my cabin.

Ø       

17.RESONANT RAIN!

Though the sky  turns grey Rain stays away….

Will it or will it not…?

The heart is all set to start the countdown

One to ten? Oh, when ? and then…?

My ears strain to catch its resonance.

Tears, Rain, Microcosm, Macrocosm _

Association of ideas keep accumulating on their own.

In the midday heat while translating ‘Possessed’

From nowhere a visual surfaced within…

A supple female hand travelling through

a sturdy torso in honey-hue

lying in the nude, somewhat relaxed,

with its mind ever embarked.

Indeed a Zen Moment

with dozen undercurrents…

Kind of a split-personality

I went on writing,

simultaneously into the scene…

‘Yet to come’ Resonant Rain _

In anticipation do I remain….

18.SOMETIMES RAIN…..

Sometimes a distant dream;

sometimes a flooding stream;

sometimes a terror-struck scream;

sometimes a tasty ice-cream!

Sometimes making you feel so secure;

as part of the Great Grand Universe;

sometimes leaving you shaky to the core;

at the receiving end of a bitter curse.

Sometimes serene;

sometimes a violent hurricane;

sometimes your eyes can see through it -

sometimes you stand thoroughly blinded.

Sometimes it turns everything anew;

sometimes it leaves you feeling so blue;

so transparent, yet so mysterious

so soothing, yet so unsettling.

Sometimes a watery wilderness

sometimes caves chaotic;

sometimes roaring flood;

sometimes rhythmic circulation of blood.

Sometimes a benign fairy;

sometimes a dinosaur in fury;

sometimes a solemn empress!

sometimes a demon deranged!

All said and done there still remain

similes in tons, images millions!

Hen or cock ? is this empty rhetoric?

Who to tell? What to yell?

Why ? How? Which? When?

Do pour in this region

My Own Rain

that belongs to all _

Woods, Hills and Plains

weaving heartrending visuals,

with its magic wand, time and again!

Now and then, or all too often

do pour Rain, cooling my terrain

turning it fertile,

causing green to happen;

crops to grow;

grains to harvest;

North South East and West!

Keeping my fingers crossed, 

I stand at the Day's threshold…

Little Lizzy wants to play

Oh, Rain Rain don’t go away!

19.BRAINRAIN

Hardly a few drops and the Rain is off;

Haunting disappointment beyond words….

What stupid fantasy is this ?

A fallacy indeed -

feeling romantic about Rain

which comes and goes as suits its whims and fancies.

Why crave for it

when it is never known to have changed its course

for anyone, ever?

Never once has the rain poured for you alone…

Then why nurture this feeling of communion?

Has it ever knocked at your windowpanes

when you yearned for it

 with wide-opened arms?

Oh, let’s face the truth – no harm…

But unfortunately truth too has an other side

just as the rain playing Dr.Jeckyll and Mr.Hyde!

And, no matter how far away you be

It is sure to entrap you with its cool and warmth 

and wakeful lullaby!

Thunderous or littlefairy- like _

Rain casts its spell alike!

Poem for Rain or Rain for Poem…?

The query remains, hanging suspended

Or rather, open-ended….

All the same

the two prove one and the same

in my present mental frame.

As I continue to run on

in a never-ending marathon

Drizzle, Shower, Monsoon, Downpour _

Rain unravels itself, stage by stage

With each passing hour….

All along the mid-sunny lane

besieged  I remain

experiencing the pleasure and pathos of BrainRain.

20.RAIN READINGS

No trace of Rain….

Raging heat seems to have 

ascended the throne 

once again.

Having no power to bargain

with the conspiring 
elemental forces

this day wades along 
an arid terrain

through horrid hours,

saving itself from swooning

aided by the fountain 
inside the brain.

Is the Rain waiting for 
an opportune moment

to shower its blessing

or stays away with intent -

to keep me guessing…?

Oh, why so?

Why not Come, See and Go

without turning into something

‘Long Long Ago…’?

To and fro

oscillates the pendulum

The micro-monitor screen 
stays mum….

Yet a few more hours 
or the day’s farewell…

With tolling bells

the yearning for Rain 
swells…

Caught in a quagmire, 
hope tends to wane

so the heart keeps bemoaning, 
woebegone,

with eternal thirst for Rain 
ingrained….

Half-cup full; 
half remains empty -

In between these 
two refrains

Life hangs 
Humpty _ Dumpty….

Though appalled,
I quickly take refuge

in the Weather Forecast,

[Far more reliable these days, 
at last!]

that there would be rainfall 
without fail…..