Poems read at February Theme at Kaleidoscope, Hyderabad

On February 11, 2023, when the city was racing, so were our hearts with poems. In the warm and copy Kaleidoscope, few poets gathered and shared poems and here are a few.

Bala, Dipen, Vipin, Vikas, Mohit, Nivedita, Omana, Shrey Rodricks, Yashu

मेरा अक्स, मेरा हमसफ़र
श्रेय रोडरिक्स


जीवन की ठोकरें झेलते
व्यक्तित्व एक द्वीप-सा
स्त्रोतस्विनी में प्रत्यारोपित।
किनारों पर चलती
दलदलों में धँसती,
तैर न सकी स्वप्निल लहरों पर।

रिश्तों का तालमेल, कर्तव्यों का वजन,
ऊषा से साँझ, परमार्थ में मगन।
सघन रास्तों पर जनसमूह चीरते,
कुछ जाने, कुछ अनजानों से मिलते,

कितना दिया, क्या पाया,
उलझी दुनिया, साथ मोह माया।
कहाँ छूटा भाव, छोह, अनुराग,
विलुप्त अमृत और पराग,

छूछा गागर, मानस, प्राण,
अधूरी साँसें न मिलता त्राण।
भीड़ के बीच अकेलापन,

उदासी, चिंतन, निर्वात गगन।
झाँका नहीं किसी ने
मेरे मन के पट खोल,
फ़क़त उदासी, एकाकी कोने
व्याप्त जहाँ निराशा के बोल।
अन्तत्वोगत्वा विश्रृंखलता से परे
मिला आश्रय मानस के अनंत विस्तार में।

आई एक आवाज़ अंत:करण से-
“मैं हूँ ना,बिलकुल तुम्हारे पास,
हमेशा था, अब भी हूँ “
“कौन?” मैंने पूछा,
“तुम्हारा अक्स,
तुम्हारा सहचर, तुम्हारा हमसफ़र।”


*

Translation:

My Companion


Life moulded me
the way it wanted,
Rounding off my corners,
Chafed my smoothness ,
Moulding me like an island,
Rooted in the river of life.


Wading through puddles,
walking by the banks,
Never could drift on
the waves of my dreams.
Juggling obligations, commitments,
From dawn to dusk- Engaged.

Labyrinth of corridors,
Navigating sea of people,
Some familiar, many unknown,
Loosing some, finding some,

Delusion, deception
in the maze of this world.

Where did it all vanish,
Emotions, passion for self devotion?
Lost ambrosia, redolence,nectar.
My ewer contains nothing.
Shallow breaths do not
resuscitate soul and spirit.

Isolated in the crowd,
None peeped into my psyche-
the gloomy sky,
arid, parched land,
lonesome moments
of emptiness, a vacuum.

Fleeing from derangement
found peace within
my silent reverie.
Whispering, my inner voice said,
“I am here, right by you,
Was always there and will be.”
“Who?” I asked,
“Your image, your companion.”

Shrey Rodricks reading her poem

*

Sunday morning coffee and muffin 

by Sandeep K

Coffee brewed in my mind
when the drizzling Sunday morning arrived
and I thought
that a warm luscious chocolatey muffin
could give a good company
to the decadent latte
and I drove down silly
to the space where the endearing muffin
dictates taste and aroma
to the unwitting cup of a brown liquid
which had an ancestry of beans
not so long back
Muffin, all yawning and in its day dreams
was just out of the oven
not yet properly garnished or displayed
it was raw and fresh and kind
suddenly everything became uncluttered
and the naughty glimpse of the sun
dislodged me completely
and when I came out of my reverie
the muffin had cleverly melted in my soul
Sunday mornings can be so appetizing!

Sandeep reading his poem

*

My Many Companions

By Shravan K

Somedays it is a tree 

with its many arms and fingers 

stretching, reaching out to a fellow tree 

Or maybe the sky 

That spends time with me

Somedays the notes of a 

musical instrument, 

that travels deep within

And I travel deep into

Both exploring sans fears

Sans judgement 

Exploring each other 

Somedays the stars speak their twinkle language

And the heart's ear opens wide through my eye

Listening to the stars that prove distance doesn't matter

I stand in rapture, speaking twinkle language 

Most days it is the beloved 

Within my heart, 

Whose hand wraps around mine

And in silence we communicate 

The joy of being.

 

*

By Vipin 

अच्छे मौसम की तरह तुम भी कभी कभी दिखते हो

हमें तड़पाने के अलावा और क्या क्या करते हो

जाने कितने की ली है तुम्हारी सादगी ने जान

वैसे हो नहीं जैसे दिखते हो

प्यार है तो इजहार करो शुक्र

यू छूप छुप के पेड़ो में हमारा नाम क्यों लिखते हो

achchhe mausam kee tarah tum bhee kabhee kabhee dikhate ho

hamen tadapaane ke alaava aur kya kya karate hain

jaane kitane kee lee hai tumhaaree saadagee ne jaan

vaise ho nahin jaise dikhate ho

pyaar hai to ijahaar karo shukr

yoo chhoop chhup ke pedo mein hamaara naam kyon likhate ho

Vipin reading his poem

* 

Companion 

By Yashu Degala 

When there is a clash of views, Or in an argument,to agree to each other we refuse, When obstacles make the widest path narrow, When we feel as vulnerable as an apterous sparrow, When the brightest road turns dark, When we fear the chance of a fading spark, In every difference of opinion, Stand by me, my companion! the future doesn't seem scary with you by my side,at present, None other than your presence can feel as pleasant, Even in your absence,our memories give peace and content, You help me stand up each time I fall,never letting me repent, In every difference of opinion, Stand by me, my companion! as long as the night is moonlit, by your side, anyone shall sit, under a black sky and shivering chills, let me protect you like a warm quilt, In every adverse condition, I'll stand by you, my companion my heart strongly believes, that we have met much before than this, this bond feels like a connection since eternity, amidst the hustle and bustle of life, your company feels like an oasis of serenity, the pain of us drifting apart leaves me bereft and yet, until in me, a single breath of life is left In every helpless situation, In every mode of life's transition, I'll stand by you, my companion

Yashu Degala listening to feedback by Mohit

*

Companions

By Himabindu C When the night is cold and dark and in need of a big beautiful colorful quilt or a woolen blanket A fire burning in the hearth Mugs of hot chocolate Lying in between half drunk As well as conversations and A favorite person to listen to Sharing their views and opinions Or Singing their favorite songs or humming Sometimes a friendly squabble or a Companionable silence in between Two companions

Bala reading Himabindu's poem

Poets at Kaleidoscope 

Pictures courtesy: Satya