BHARATI NAYAK

BHARATI NAYAK

Bridge

How do I see this bridge

Spreading from my end to the other end?

It is the road to jump my limitations

To overcome the hurdles

Be it a river, sea or mountain

I have to reach my destination

My hope, my aspiration

Who made this bridge for me?

Someone else?

I can build for myself

As many bridges as I wish

Bridge, my courage

Bridge, my hope

Bridge, my way to success.

Fight The Devil

The black smoke

Terrorists' bullets

Sounds of explosion

Blood splattered streets

Crashed towers

Spangled bodies

There is a gash

In the heart of the earth.

There is a war waging against humanity.

Will some mad men

With some poisoned mind

Who do not understand 'God'

Will take over this earth?

Shall we remain silent spectators

To our beautiful earth

Turning into ashes

The green lands becoming barren

People deserting their homes

Cities becoming ghost cities

Families losing their loved ones

All beauty gone from life

Will darkness be the last fate of our earth?

Oh right thinking people

Of all countries

Oh wise men of all religions

Set aside all differences

Come, unite and fight

The Devil of terrorism.

For Them Whose Sweat

Flow For My Comfort

I pass by them

As they carry

Loads of metal sand

Sand on their heads

In building roads

Houses, dams and bridges

I feel nothing

When they are

Engaged in hard labour

In factories working near

Hot furnaces and sharp machineries

I do not feel

When they work underground

In the mines

In toxic smokes and black dust

My ride is smooth

Because of the rickshaw puller

My shoe shines

By the brush strokes

Of the cobbler

But when they look at my silk saree

And the bag of vanity

The smoke and the dust in the air

Leaves me with a sense of guilt.

I Save This Tear Drop

I save this teardrop

Invaluable as it is

For my journey

Full of rocks and bushes thorny

And I drink it

As a drop of rain

In hot Summer.

BHARATI NAYAK

BHARATI NAYAK, born in the year 1962, is a bilingual poet, critique and translator from Odisha, an Indian State lying on its eastern coast. She writes in English and Odia. Her poems have been published in many magazines, journals, anthologies and e-books of national and international repute such as The Tranquill Muse, Rock Pebbles, Orissa Review, Utkal Prasang, Creation and Criticism, Circular Whispers, Nova Literature-Poesis, Poetry Against Terror, 56 Female Voices of Poetry, The Four Seasons Poetry Concerto, Tunes From the Subcontinent, Amaravati Poetic Prism, Glomag   ,OPA  Anthology and the like. She has published three poetry books- 1-Padma Paada (A poetry book in Odia language) 2-Words Are Such Perfect Traitors 3-A Day for Myself.