Lampshade Poetry Writing (Earth|Sky)

Lampshade Poetry Writing is our monthly theme-based writing series. For the month of September, our theme was Earth | Sky. An in-person Reading on the theme was held at Kolkata and the poems and other details can be read here.

Here are a handful of poems by our poets who submitted online.

Sky

By Navya Sree G

As I kid I would run to the sound of plane and be astonished by you, 

So blue and so magnificent, is there a bound to you? 

Somedays blue, somedays clear, some days black, how do you manage to be so gorgeous in all colors and weather? 

Some love it when it rains, some love to watch the stars twinkle upon you,

Not just childhood but 20 years later too,

I still run out to watch you, so magnificent and still so blue. 

My very fond memories are watching you post my logout. Everyday, every hue..

If there is love that exists, then I have to tell you, it's you ..

Bionote: Navya in her words, is, just like any other wandering Engineer, trying to pursue what is beyond Math and Science. She enjoys reading and writing. She is an anthology writer, who is currently enjoying her time writing poems with Lampshade Writers 

The Sky

By Priyamita

She looked up at the sky and that's when the truth hit her...

Unrelenting, brutal..it would not let go of her.

She felt the fiery tempest arise from within, 

Tried to stop it.. but finally gave in... 

Was it really thunder? Or a figment of her imagination? 

The sky was ignited.. without any justification.

She felt alive in years.. dancing to the beats of thunder, 

She tried to fight it... but succumbed to it's sweet surrender.

'Twas at once sheer agony and pure bliss, 

'Twas something she wouldn't ever want to miss.. 

Her long suppressed fears..finally perished;

Now she knew what it was..to finally feel cherished.

As she looked up at the sky, drenched in the rain, 

She knew she would never feel the same again.

Lost though she was in the mercurial cyclone, 

She knew she would never again be alone.

The sky was lit up and all were vandalized.. 

Yet she wanted it to remain a dream.. never be realized.

She looked at the sky and like a Phoenix that was reborn from the ashes, 

She finally found herself.. amidst the thunder and the flashes.. 

Bionote: The poet, Dr. Priyamita Ghosh, is a doctor by profession. Poetry and Story Writing are her hobbies and even amidst her busy schedule, she makes it a point to take out time to write some poetry now and then.

The Wishes of an Old Star
By Anurav Garg

I am what they call “the Sun”,
A lonely, solemnly, shimmering star;
For millennia now I have observed,
A certain blue planet from afar.

It used to be a tranquil place,
Its rivers streamed with joy and mirth;
As divine as God’s own face,
This paradise, they christened ‘The Earth’.

Then out of the blue, as a pious hue,
I saw something I had never seen;
As I shed my light, Earth set alight,
And with the fire of life, blazed green.

From Pandora’s Box of creation,
A beast in making opened its eyes;
He, who’d one day command it all,
Man had begun to infect paradise.

He plundered it to his might,
And yet, nothing could quench his thirst;
And when the Earth gave back a fight,
Like a cornered beast, he did his worst.

From the darkness radiate the rays of hope
And shower on one his reasons to live,
Oh human! Wipe off Earth’s tears,
For she is still ready to forgive.

Oh! Humans, return what you took,
Forter peace, with love and care,
Give the joy back to the brook,
For there is no Earth to spare.

These savage beasts who destroy their home,
Is there no way to stop these men?
For they gave this lonely star a name,
And if they perish, I’ll be nameless again.

Bionote: Anurav is a 3rd year engineering student at BITS Pilani Hyderabad. He is passionate about writing poems and stories.

Earth

By Nigel St. Romaine

Stronger than the rocks that adorn her

Yet soft as a cotton ball and gentle as the breeze blowing through her expanse

She opens her arms to all 

The flowers, animals, birds and humans

A mother to all who abide with her

Protective, kind and providing, she is Earth!

Eons and Civilizations Dinosaurs and cavemen, she saw them all

Leaders and Kings came and went 

But all feeble and small

Compared to her stature 

As she always seemed to stand tall

She is Earth, witnessing the beginning and end through every season, every rainfall

As trees shed their leaves

Swaying in a raging tempest, she; Earth braced it bravely , braver than the  bravest of Bravehearts, keeping the ones within her safe from the onslaught

Man will pass through generations

Other livings things will wither

The rocks may change shape and rivers their path

but she Earth is here to stay never to depart...

Sweet September
By Hima Bindu

After rock hard August

September has finally arrived

With mellow,soft come september music

With oranges & lemons 

September has arrived

With soft tunes & beautiful flowers

Blooming in the gardens

After the long rock hard month of

August,

Sweet September has finally arrived

With breeze from trees;

shrubs with colorful butterflies

Flying long distances

From flower to flower

In search of sweet nectar

Then blooms the chrysanthemum

With yellow petals with

beautiful brown center

Thriving in long ,winter months 

Asters & morning glory

Morning glory symbolizing

Undying love & affection

After the long rock 

hard month of August,

Sweet September has

finally arrived with

Beautiful & sweet dreams 

With golden sunsets &

Luminous full moon nights

Lots of clouds in the sky

Hiding the sun behind

Lots of rains giving respite

From hot weather of summer

Sweet September has its own weather

Sometimes hot & humid 

Sometimes lyrical filled with melancholy

Sweet September is continuing with its

Cloudy sky & tweets of birds 

It's temperature mild & easy to manage

Sweet September is still available

To connect with each other

 in midst of hectic schedules &

busy days with festivals in between & long weekends

With friends and family members

Like time is giving chances to mingle with

Your kinships and rediscover

your own relationships with yourself and others

Sweet September is still continuing

So you can make the best way

And pave the way for your pleasure

Or use this opportunity to your growth

For your future endeavors.

Bionote: HimaBindu Chintalapati works in Shadan women's college of engineering and technology, Khairatabad as a librarian. Her passion is writing poetry. She has written two solo books called "Naturalia" & " Silent Nights" on poetry of Nature, which is now available on Amazon and Kobo. IG: @himachintals

चलते बादल

गरिमा मिश्रा 

कुछ पत्तियों और पेड़ों को,

हवा की धुन पर नाचते देखा है ।

आज बहुत अर्सा बाद मैंने,

बादलों को चलते देखा है ।

दूर पहाड़ों पर जमा कोहरा,

धीमे-धीमे हट रहा है ।

रात में हुयी बारिश का जमा पानी 

फूलोँ की पंखुड़ियों से छट रहा है ।

एक नाजुक कमसिन बेल,

आज फलक तक जाना चाहती है ।

अपने बैंगनी फूलोँ की खुशबु,

आसमान से बांटना चाहती है ।

कुछ पत्तियों और पेड़ों को,

हवा की धुन पर नाचते देखा है ।

आज बहुत अर्सा बाद,

मैंने बादलों को चलते देखा है ।

Bionote: Garima Mishra is a Pune-based independent writer and consultant.  She spent more than 15 years as a journalist for The Indian Express. She further served as a research assistant on the biography The Extraordinary Life & Death of Sunanda Pushkar written by Sunanda Mehta. Udaan Naye Parindon Ki, a collection of poetry, contains several of her poems.

चाँदनी कि गझल 

कवीता संग्रस कन्हेरीकर

रात ये धुंधली पूनम की ,

मानो चाँद नीचे उतर आया ।

जमीन पर जैसा फैला स्वर्ग ।

चांदनी को छा जाना रास आया ।

सफेद चादर में चमकिले तारे ,

कोने कोने ने रौशनी को पाया ।

झुम उठी धरती छुई-मुई सी  ।

चराचर ने अमृत पी लिया ।

परावर्तित हो उठा चाँद का रूप ,

पृथ्वी कि सुंदरता का साया ।

रातभर खेल चाँद सितारें का ।

एक दिन कि असमंजस माया ।

Bionote: Kavita Sangras Kanherikar is a Hyderabadi. She has been writing poems since her school days. Before social media platforms took over, she used to write in her diary. Initially she wrote Shero-Shayari, mostly limited to Hindi and Marathi. Recently, she began writing in English. She maintains a blog: Kavyanjali.