NEHA RAUTELA

NEHA RAUTELA

Extreme Survival

Fleshy soft on the inside,

Prickly thorns on the outer layer

A bright coloured flower or two

Defying the exterminating angel's order

In the hot sun, living without water!

- Cactus

Growing in too much salt,

Roots sending spikes in the air to breathe

The king of harsh coastal conditions

Submerged in deep water,

Adaptability is the key to survive

A life's that's hard otherwise

-Mangrove

The silver ant braving the Saharan sun

Legs longer than others

Producing heat shock protein

Shaped by God to exist in extreme

Still has to run, rapid movement racing

To scavenge creature's corpses

Thus we know, the universe helps the brave

And for that Lord should be praised ...

Slum children

The houses are congested

There is no hygiene

Only sickness and disease

The definition of want

Is redefined here again and again

In the bottles of addiction

Lives the household

Drenched in domestic violence

Hungry for food and love,

These children have the saddest smiles!

Siachin Soldiers

Living at towering heights

Sons of white snow and ice,

Oxygen is so scarce,

Many soldiers die in their sleep

Uproots all, violent shouts turn to whispers

The callous gale doesn't spare anything!

All the ration, tomatoes and eggs

Become cold and turn to stone

Food has to be boiled for an awful lot

Similarly drinking water poses problem...

If by mistake bares body part,

It freezes and has to be cut

To save the life of soldier,

The wounds don't heal,

As if the dawn of death has no veil!

No brushing, no shave

The skin becomes too delicate

A small cut and you bleed...

Still the soldiers protect the borders

Against every evil plan of neighbours!

NEHA RAUTELA

NEHA RAUTELA is a poet, writer and editor from India. Her poems and short stories have appeared in various international anthologies & journals. ‘In Our Own Words', ‘The Art of Being Human Vol.–4 An anthology of International Poetry’ publications of Brian Wrixon Books (Canada), PEN International Austria’s book on Malala, Lovelets – by Butterfly and The Bee and All About Books Global,  India,  Persona by IIM–C,  Synthesis – duet poetry by Poiesis, Zest of Inklings, Harvest of New Millennium to name a few.  Her short story ' Rainbow' got published in Blank Space, an anthology of short stories. The warrior heart, December edition featured her story 'She loved again'. She truly believes that art is cathartic and loves to indulge in colours. She is a dog lover and stands for being kind to animals. She worked as a fashion influencer for Myntra.