Right there on the threshold! - For Gagan Preet and Kagaz

The heart full, and the words came paper-thin,

the sky outside was a stretched night’s parchment skin -

a tent over the earth and a silver gap

through which a pale moon poked a finger in.

She came by in that moonlight and her anklet

made no music, it gave away no secret;

that curve of heel and that flash of movement

once seen quite impossible to forget.

One heartbeat on the path, and then no more;

no trace was left on paved road or floor.

He ran out in the moonlight but no signs,

no footprints showed the way to her door.

Pale silver lay the path, beyond nothing,

the moon fluttered like a broken bird wing.

He walked home slowly. There beside his threshold,

a red tassel had fallen from her earring.

Continuing with the theme of love and the Eastern fixed form rubai, this poem goes out today for Gagan Preet Singh who is 21, a young graduate from Delhi University, a professional photographer and an entrepreneur, wow! Quite a few feathers in his cap at such a young age.

Gagan Preet won himself a blog post here in a contest, the second winner to do so, and he wanted this prize dedicated to his new start-up ‘Kagaz’.  Kagaz is a brand of lovingly crafted hand-made jewellery.  And jewellery and Gagan Preet’s name (Gagan means ‘sky’, and Preet is ‘love’ – a love for the sky) are the prompts for this poem.  I Know! Too much to be a coincidence, right? Both the winners connected to ‘love’ and coming at a time and season when love is in the air and on my mind more than usual! :)

I hope Gagan Preet enjoys reading the poem as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  Wishing him and Kagaz every success! May what you are looking for be found right beside your threshold :) It’s been absolutely amazing writing for both the winners (read the other poem here).

This unique contest was part of a pay-it-forward initiative at Buzzaria, my heartfelt thanks to the team there for this opportunity to participate.

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A word here also about the A-Z Blogging Challenge which starts tomorrow and runs throughout April. All month long I will be posting the works of great poets and my own poems in response to them, every day except for Sundays.  There will be giveaways for the top commenters after the month is over, so do check back and make your opinions heard. 

Truth's a hymn : For Amarjeet and Gayatri

The primal source, first vines that exploded

into life, gone dormant now, but nothing’s dead.

The truth’s a hymn, whether each sang or not

and love is truth, even if they left it unsaid.

The tavern’s full, but there’s always a spot

for those ones that the great patrons forgot.

The crowds nudge closer to clear a little space

and the Saki sets a cup and pours a shot.

There’s always love, and truth, and a small place

for those who cannot sing, don’t know the ways.

The vine knows to bloom and offers its pressed

red gifts to those who love, and self-efface.

And the Saki knows them too, all those blessed.

Love’s immortal but too rarely expressed;

but she knows that nothing’s ever wasted,

nothing’s lost from the goblet of each guest.

This poem, based on the Eastern fixed form rubai, goes out today for Amarjeet (Amar), the husband of Gayatri Gahlaut.  Amar is a keen golfer and a sports lover, and Gayatri is a poetry fan. They live in Delhi and are fond grandparents to Reyansh.

Gayatri won herself a blog post here in a contest, and she dedicated the prize to her husband.  An amazing uncanny coincidence, as love is on my mind right now. Well, to be honest, love is always on my mind, but it seems to have a special weight and texture this season J Gayatri’s name (which is the name of a particular goddess in the Hindu pantheon, and also used to refer to a hymn to the same deity), and Amar’s name (which means immortal) combine to form the prompt for this post.  Amr, which is a popular name here in the Middle East where I live, incidentally, derives from the root-word for ‘long life’ in Arabic, another uncanny coincidence that blew my mind. 

I hope both Amarjeet and Gayatri enjoy reading the poem as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

This unique contest was part of a pay-it-forward initiative at Buzzaria, my thanks to the team there for this opportunity to participate.