LILY
SWARN
The Life Force
Hush a
baby on the tree top
When the
wind blows the cradle will rock
Lisped
the nursery rhyme
In dulcet
tones behind swaying mamas
Whenever
a fresh grave is dug up in the generous bosom of earth
I pray
for that new life that is awaiting it’s turn in the wings
It will
guzzle new breath , cry out in fearless abandon
And
declare the arrival of an amber evanescent dawn
Each tiny
ticking heart an opera of life force
Each
little foot formed from wonderment
Proclaiming
the ceaseless march of magical breaths
Raising
its tender shoots from sweet smelling blooms
Life is
tenacious
Life is
stubborn
Life is
love
Life
cannot give up
It shall
parade in New Orleans
Or dance
the flamenco
It shall
pirouette in Ibiza
And stand
on tip toe
It will
play the mridangam
Or go
round round in Kathak attire
A broad
enough shoulder
A warm
thudding chest
An
affectionate embrace
Is all
life craves
Copyright
Lily Swarn 2020
Messiah Any One ?
A modern messiah
is much
awaited
People
lording over and
blackmailing
each other
Stress is
the new normal
and
tyranny is rather in vogue
Apartheid
found its Saviour in Mandela,
Gandhi
peacefully fought non violence
Humans
hammered and reassembled
To fit
into moulds sans thinking caps
Lincoln
was suspiciously
not far
off the target
When he
desired a place
where
democracy wasn’t pretentious
Where
despotism didn’t need
to be
alloyed with hypocrisy
Dictators
withhold information,
letting
chains sit lightly on us
Keeping
us tethered tightly
to a
fool’s paradise
Veiled we
are by fragrant,
transparent
chiffons
Defenceless
humans
beleaguered
by despair
Artfully
leading lives
of
controlled smiles
Aadmi
ko chahiye waqt se dar kar rahe
Kaun Jaane kis ghadi waqt
ka badle mizaaj
( one should fear destiny
/ who knows when its mood changes )
Sahir Ludhianvi
Copyright
Lily Swarn 1.5.2020
The Good Earth
Why
should we look for a heaven beyond
Tennyson’s
brook,gold strewn streams,
aesthetic
formations of monsoon clouds,
When the
good earth stretches
its lithe
toned limbs for us
Each
oxygen rich life breath given freely
Each
glorious sunrise injecting life in creation
Cereals
feeding conglomerations of humanity
Fruits
dangling seductively from verdant green
The alarm
bells ringing loudly
Hark! It
could have been a dirge
Time may
be running out on us
A planet
raped, abused, lynched,
Mobbed,
destroyed, plundered
Wild
animals cowering In fear
Their
habitat getting smaller
Air
emitting toxins, pollutants
Waters
poisonous, cadaver ridden
Pesticides
growing inedible food
O save
our world dear Lord!
Forgive
us our trespasses
Stop us
from staining sins
Keep
showering your mercy
The Good
Earth writhes in pain
Copyright
Lily Swarn 30.4.2020
LILY
SWARN
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