Poems from the Reading at Kaleidoscope, Hyderabad (Theme: Love Letters/Meeting)



On Saturday, Feb 10, 2024, a few poets gathered at Kaleidoscope in Begumpet, Hyderabad, to read on the theme: Love Letters/Meeting. We read poems, shared anecdotes about letters. We end the meeting with a cup of chai, some coconut water and a promise to write a letter to each other. 

Here are a few poems from the Reading:


Theme - Love Letters


At the Marine Drive

By Sandeep Kulshrestha



At the junction, the name of which I forgot already
in the company of stale sea breeze and a gloomy sunrise at the backdrop
I met you and the color that you wore resembled black
your mascara clad eyes and the fragrance of yellow roses
looked as if we were having a date
but then I had other plans
When you were looked in my eyes,
my impulse was to look in yours
for a moment I forgot the moment
and took a deep breath
I held your hand then, as tightly as I could
and started my walk
I don't remember what you said
but you were laughing and giggling
and I was loving all of it,
the whole-body experience of the energy that you brought
was not enough for me, at all
The walk continued till I saw a better view of the Sun
in the silent vision of the sea
And I was looking at you and you were looking everywhere around
My hands were in your hands still
and the breeze was letting your hair look disheveled
and your pristine innocence
took me in and we embraced
The waves had started crashing in,
on the shore
and I was in love
Can I really call it a dream?

*


His love letter
By Nivy 


His love letter in my wallet
unfolds on a longish noon;

the noon somersaults
and I flutter towards the moon.


*


Dear lover

By Shravan K


Dear lover,


Of words, of worlds 

Of flowers, of birds.

Of stones, of rivers 

Of mountains, of seas

Of trees that hold nests

Of bees with whom 

the honey rests


Of blues, of reds, of greens and of violets

Of rainbows and of rains 

and all that it begets


Of dreams, of utopias

of brotherhood and of sisterhood 

Of children, of innocence

and all that is *felt* good


Dear lover, 


Of light, of sound 

Of cinema, of stage

Of adventure, of mystery 

Of kindness and of poetry 


when the sky holds dark clouds 

and i shudder

remind me to look for blossoms

after the storm

remind me dear lover, 

that the sky's torrent for the earth 

is its love letter.


*


Aaj chaand naal kuch gal karni thi mainu

By Gayatri Ingle


Aaj chaand naal kuch gal karni thi mainu

Kehna tha usse ki yun baar baar baadalon vich chup kar
Meri dil di baatein na sunaa karey

Yun mere khidki de baahar

Aasman se, mainu bahaar aane ka ishaara na karey

Je ik baar main chaand nu wekh lu 

Tey usey der raat tak takdi rawangi 

Aur pata bhi na chalega kab teri yaad dil di dahliiz par dastak de jaegi

Kab main un yaadon ke samundar vich duub jawangi

Te in yaadon di dor se saari raat alfaaz piroungi

Aaj phir ek aur khath main tere naam likhaangi

Aur chaand nu bas ek hi guzaarish karaangi

Ki bas alfaaz nahi, aaj mere jaazbat nu vi tujh tak pahuncha de

Main nai jaandi main tere khayaal di chinag vi hu ya nahi

Bas inna jaandi ki tu hi mere khayalon vich rehenda hai



*

Roses for you

By HimaBindu Chintalapati

Roses for you

Thorns for me

I don't mind the pain

As long as you are happy

As well as peaceful you remain

Since love is always not taking

But it's also means giving without any

Expectations

Love is pure, sweet and simple

Yet powerful enough to shake the world

Like the butterfly effect

which when flutters its wings

Can bring a tornado over the other side of the world.



*


Echoes of Unspoken Love

By Shrey Rodricks


Their eyes met,

Her natural ebullience shone,

His gaze, admiration and longing, alone.

Swept away to a world of togetherness,

Their spirits in blissful oneness.


The day came, the groom's party to send,

With her cousin, the bride, around the bend.

He approached, bold, into her misty gaze fell,

A note in her hand, a risky tale to tell.

She clutched it, rushed inside, his warmth still felt.


Quiet fell, and night took its place,

The note unfolded in her secret space.

Words penned for her eyes alone,

Years passed, the love unshown, its seed sown.


Wedded she was, with treasures and tales,

Among her jewels, the note prevails.

Life surged forward, in relentless flow,

Her secret, untouched by time's tow.


The day came, her daughter, confidant and friend,

To higher studies, her path would wend.

The secret shared, a moment so tender,

“What is it?” asked the receiver, slender.


“Twenty-one years ago, from a love so bold,”

She read, “By the main door, your hand I'll hold.

If you stand there, my love you'll declare,

Forever yours,” a vow laid bare.


Tears fell, as the ink blurred,

The unread words, the past obscured.

Yet, did the love truly wash away,

Or in her heart, did its echo forever stay?



Theme - Meeting




Meeting Sadness
By Ananya Sarkar



I meet you from time to time
At the end of the horizon
I used to be afraid
When you knocked at the door
But no longer, dear friend!
When you arrive now
I pull you close in an embrace
And then we sit together
Sipping tea
Just you and me
In harmony.



 








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