Climb the hill
Then jump across the small gap
Bravery feels free …
Tag: poetry
Étranger
Sometimes, I find myself simply observing those who seem ‘normal’, the way they speak, the words they choose to describe their experiences, how they react, or how they present their abilities with such careful confidence. Their ease in communication fascinates me, as if they instinctively know how to navigate social expectations.
At times, being among them makes me feel out of place, as if I exist on a different wavelength. Yet, I take myself lightly, even when they joke at my expense. I do not mind, because their amusement does not define me. In fact, I feel a strange sense of joy when they fail to understand me, because, deep down, that’s exactly what I prefer.
Those of us who are born different, who experience the world through a mind that society struggles to categorize, are often labeled with terms and diagnoses. But these labels do not define us. We are nature’s unique creation, wired to perceive life in ways they cannot grasp. And perhaps, they do not need to understand us.
Only a few people ever truly see us for who we are, and that is the rarest gift. The most powerful truth is that we are the ones who teach them how to understand us. It is not luck that allows them to connect with us, it is our choice to let them in. And for that, they are truly fortunate …
A tale from a psychologically challenged soul
.
Étranger/ french
Meaning is ‘Stranger’. It reflects the sense of being apart from the norm, of existing on a different wavelength, and not being fully understood by society
A Love Story
A love story happening everyday, here
Now and forever …
They stood by the river
Hands barely touching
The city humming around them
Unaware of the quiet storm within …
Big Ben watched in silence
Counting the seconds between heartbeats
While the London Eye turned slowly
Seeing love form and dissolve in its arc …
The water carried their voices away
Soft confessions lost in the tide
Until only the wind remembered
What they could not say …
A love story happening everyday, here
Now and forever …
I♥️
Ya’ Aburnee
She used to be calm,
But now she’s even calmer …
She walked slowly,
But now she walks even slower …
She talked freely with the right person,
But now
She barely talks at all …
She mingled happily with her best friend,
But now
She avoids everyone …
She expressed herself openly,
But now
She keeps everything inside …
She used to dream of the stars
But now
She barely looks at the sky …
She used to dance in the rain
But now
She stays inside, dry …
She used to laugh with abandon
But now
Her smiles are rare and shy …
She used to sing her heart out
But now
Her voice is just a whisper …
She used to chase after adventures
But now
She hesitates to even try …
She used to believe in magic
But now
Her wonder seems to die …
She lost her beloved, her heart’s anchor,
Now she drifts, untethered and forlorn …
Grief has woven shadows in her days,
And joy, once bright, feels tattered and torn …
.
.
Ya’ Aburnee/ arabic
(n.) lit. ‘may you bury me’
a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how unbearable it would be to live without them
.
.
.
Have you ever felt like these for anyone?
I Have a Fondness …
I have a fondness for breaking apart
A fascination with the fragile
The delicate dance of hearts
Walking unsteadily on the edge …
In love …
I have a fondness for breaking apart
At times it seems
Love’s other name is
Broken hearts …
An echo of longing …
A symphony of cracks …
I have a fondness for breaking apart
In love, I find
A beauty in the fracture,
In the spaces …
Where light seeps through the wounds
Where the raw and the real collide
In a blaze of truth and tenderness …
I have a fondness for breaking apart
It’s a mosaic of
Shattered dreams
Pieced together with hope …
A courage of feeling
The audacity of connection …
I have a fondness
For the breaking …
For the way love demands vulnerability …
For the way it strips us bare …
For the way all its flaws are revealed
I have a fondness
For my unguarded heart
Breaking apart …
For in the breaking,
We find the depth of love
The resilience of the beautiful soul …
The beauty of a heart
That dares to love
Even knowing it might break …
That’s how I have a fondness
For breaking apart …
Pondering
In puzzled ponder, a name I’ve heard
Though “Roksana” my soul preferred …
Yet as time passed by
A fondness did arise
Love’s influence moves my heart …
Let the name be my tender song
In love’s embrace, I truly belong …
Quiet Contemplation
Your absence has gone through me, like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.”
Separation by W.S. Merwin
Nan Nikkeoya
My thoughts are scattered …
Oh dear!
Restless I feel …
My heart aches deeply …
He captivates my heart …
My thoughts are scattered …
Right now …
Oh dear!
I continually shatter my heart,
Dispersing its fragments
Until they touch
The depths of your being,
My beloved …
The Poetry in That Girl
I reconnected with that girl anew –
Who once embraced life fully …
Who danced with every step and radiated joy
Whose eyes were some sunflowers, blooming
And whose soul ignited fireworks, dazzling …
I played music for that girl again …
In hopes that its melody would ignite her spirit within
Creating a haven for her to emerge from the shadows
And dance once more under the stars …
Knowing that she would find solace within these moments
With each sunset painted in hues of gold
And each gentle breeze whispering
Through the trees ….
I hoped to create a sanctuary where she could feel safe enough to reveal herself once again …
Deep within, I felt her presence stirring,
A flicker of recognition amidst the silence …
Longing for my kindness and effort that shimmered with possibility
I vowed to nurture her return
To guide her back into the light
Where she rightfully belonged ..
She belonged to the poetry within her …
The pic is from the archive of memories of a young girl; another of her mirror image. She was travelling by train, from Kolkata to Delhi ….
It was an amazing journey!
Wonderwall
Do you realize the depth of my longing, the relentless ache for your words that consumes me day after day?
As time slips away, I find myself bereft of the anticipation that you’ll come to me with your thoughts woven into words …
Every passing day feels like an eternity, a solitary bird yearning for the life-giving touch of rain …
I yearn for you incessantly, akin to a tearful child yearning for the comforting embrace of its mother …
My wait for you echoes the patience of a patient seeking their cure …
Do you understand the extent of my yearning, how it wraps around me like a heavy fog, casting shadows of melancholy and confusion?
You are a constant presence, flowing like a river, your thoughts swirling within me, sometimes quietly, always tumultuously …
I ache for you, as if my very spirit is on a quest to find you, while my physical self remains anchored in the depths of my heart, waiting …
I long for the days filled with twinkling moments shared between us, each one a precious gem amidst the vast expanse of time .
Wonderwall
(n.) someone you can’t stop yourself thinking about all the time; the person you’re completely infatuated with …
According to Gallagher, Wonderwall‘ describes ‘an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself; a source of support and strength; a soulmate …
Weathering
My dear,
Often these days
My thoughts are spreading out to you
With too many questions hovering upon me..
Is the heat too intense where you dwell?
Are you navigating it with ease?
What’s the moisture like in your realm?
What’s the humidity level there?
I sense the weariness in your words;
It seems like a struggle for you;
Are you truly alright?
Here, we’re also dealing with scorching heatwaves –
Yet, amidst the swelter, my mind wanders to you
How do you cope up in this relentless weather?
Often these days
It crosses my mind …
Do you think of me too,
Sometimes?
Do you remember my disdain for humidity,
And how it worsens my headaches ….
Do you remember my aversion to doctors,
Yet now they’re an inevitable part of life?
My heart, already broken by your absence,
Feels the toll of days passing …
I find myself overthinking,
Lost in thoughts of you,
Especially in these days,
Days of relentless heat,
Days of suffocating humidity ….
Though
You may never grasp …
There’s an essence about you that I can’t shake
Even amidst these sweltering heatwaves …
A grip on me akin to
The greatest tale left untold …
So,
Could you narrate an episode or two from your journey?
Could you paint a tale of your eccentric existence?
Could you recount an experience
For me?
To me?
In these sweltering heat
Amidst the scorching waves there? …
Meanwhile
Take care, my dear,
Know that I pray for you …
In every moment
In every humid day and night
Of these days ….
Yours truly
^^
I do drink lots of water in these scorching conditions. I do keep my body cool. Though I hate to use sunscreen, just I avoid sunburn. I do like coconut water a lot. And Nimbu Pani too ☺️. Then I love ice cream too 🤷🏿♀️
Do you?
Tacenda
My longing, a relentless tide
Your absence, a void deep inside ….
Am I flawed, or loved?
Tacenda
(n.) things better left unsaid
Ethereal
Connected, unseen thread binds,
Across time, place, situations unwind …
Stretched, tangled, yet resilience found,
Improbable love, unbroken, and profound …
Avenoir
In strokes of paints and words
My soul opens up inviting you to breathe life into my world …
Yet you missed the essence, and
The depth of my art … Only once though … yet
The entire ordeal leaves me to ponder, and
Torn apart …
Do you feel the echo of my heart’s despair?
Or does indifference cloak the air?
It matters not, for distance now weaves
its sway,
As I journey on,
far from yesterday’s bay …
Though you missed my art’s embrace,
Let its sigh lingers, finding their place …
Somewhere within you …
As you hold it close to your being in time to come
Let its essence, eternal, be freeing …
Let my art reside,
As a silent companion …
As a comforting guide ….
As a cherished part of me …
May it dwell Within you,
So I may live on forever through my art
With you …
I love my Jian Bird Creates journey … it’s a journey of creativity and joy and resilience of a lot more than you could ever think of …
Forget Me Not
Avenoir/ latin
(n.) the desire to see memories in advance or desire that memory could flow backward …
What It Is
It is madness
says reason
It is what it is
says love …
It is unhappiness
says calculation
It is nothing but pain
says fear
It has no future
says insight
It is what it is
says love …
It is ridiculous
says pride
It is foolish
says caution
It is impossible
says experience
It is what it is
says love …
What it is by Erich Fried
Love this poem and read it many times. Do you love such poems?
I love many of them …
First and foremost, allow me to share Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43, ‘How Do I Love Thee?’
It begins with the iconic lines:
‘How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways…’
These two lines alone contain volumes of meaning, and I find myself revisiting them often …
There’s another poem, I love, and that is ‘Hope’ by Emily Dickinson
‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all’ …
I may not be good at recitation, but I have a deep passion for reading and appreciating the intricate artistry of language. The way words are arranged to evoke emotions, convey wisdom, and capture the essence of life, love, and nature resonates deeply with me. It’s in these moments, amidst the twists and turns of expression, that I find myself enamored with the beauty of language and the emotions it encapsulates …
See, when you read ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost, won’t you just love this famous poem?
‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep’ …
Here’s another eloquent excerpt from the renowned poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost:
‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.’
This poem resonates deeply with me and holds a special place in my heart, as I often find myself reflecting on its message of making pivotal choices that shape one’s journey.
I have a profound admiration for another poem, namely ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.’ Its expression conjures the sense of companionship, as if the lover is spiritually present, ensuring one is not alone:
‘Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky’ …
Isn’t it beautiful?
I’m certain many of you appreciate these poems. There are numerous others, but I’d like to share just a few of my absolute favorites with you all, such as ‘Leisure’ by William Henry Davies:
‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare …
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.’
To selectively share excerpts from the poem is my means of conveying:
Please delve into the poems I’m presenting here—
read them when solitude surrounds you,
read them in the company of your beloved,
read them among friends,
read them with strangers,
read them in tranquility,
read them amidst chaos …
but above all, I hope you
read them in their entirety …
Read
Sharing one of my recent painting video from ‘Chaos’ series. Hope you may like it. Also I tried to read the poem ‘What It Is’. Hope you would like listening to it as well ….
And also please do share here about your favourite poems …..
Let Silence Reigns
Let silence reigns…
Afterwards let words flow freely, endlessly through us, like a gentle stream ….
Let certain words remain unsaid …
Let some words remain unheard …
Let silence reigns …
For if all is voiced
What remains in the silence?
For if all is listened
What remains in the voice?
Let blank pages be as it is
For me and you, for the time being or for long, long time …
Let silence reigns …
Afterwards let words flow freely, endlessly through us, like a gentle stream, unbound, serene and graceful ….
Hope
Blooms glow …
Hope is in petals bright
Nature promises in breeze …
Part of my morning rituals are spent in my little varandah garden! It refreshes me …. Love the sound of the chirping birds, the warm light, smell of the wind and greens and flowers … Some days I read here with a glass of warm honey water and some days a cup of tea … with a little conversation … These days are Ramadan days, the most blessed days and I’m healing from my broken finger …. I hope it’ll be alright soon … and everything too
Hope …
Let the blooms bring hope …
Hijr
Your thoughts are coming in waves …
Ceaselessly, constantly …
Crashing upon my mind’s shorelines;
Uncontrollably …
Hijr/ urdu
(n.) the feeling of having lost or been separated from a loved one ….
In Poetry We Say …
In English we say,
I love to write …
In poetry we say,
Ink spills from the pen,
Words dance upon the page’s breath and
Each letters have taken my heartbeat
And thus poetry becomes my infinite playground …
How do you say in poetic verses about your love for writing?
I love to connect through words and I feel so happy when you write to me …. I love to read as well …. Now in poetry, how would you say that?
Sielvartas
If someone asks me,
‘What did you do today?’
I won’t be hesitant to say,
‘It was difficult but I could breathe the day …
It’s a hopelessness yet hope found its way …
Though I cannot predict if all will be well,
But I tried my best, trying to break through the spell …
It rained a lot today, a lot, a lot, a lot; after a long, long, long time. …. It made me a bit contemplative …. Does this happen with you when it rains?
.
.
Sielvartas/ lithuanian
(n.) This term means deep sorrow or ‘soul tumbling’. It can simply be a state of seemingly endless grief …
Heartbroken
What broke your heart so bad
That you had to close every door,
That you say you have a dark soul
And can’t utter the word ‘love’ anymore?
Sanhita Baruah
Quite heartbroken wounded words these are, yet so beautifully expressed, I think. So I shared with you all …
I loved these lines so much that I even tried to recite in my naive voice. About the recording and my voice, I think I sound too childish, and that makes me feel nervous about it. It might sound boring to some, and it’s a bit dramatic also, as if I was actually telling you …
I hope you know this …
Love & Light,
Roksana
Natsukashii
I sit alone by the brook,
A thought, interrupting, time and again-
Better I put my words aside …
Natsukashii/ japanese
(n.) A nostalgic longing for the past; Fondly remembering something with a wistful sense of nostalgia ….
Palletes of Nature
Hello Artist,
That dream was planted in your heart for a reason. No one else can dream it for you, no one else can accomplish it …
Be kind to yourself …
Follow your dream …
Loving this colorful echoes, my little palletes of nature …
Steadily, Casually
Steadily, casually
I’ve become accustomed
To reading your words ….
What an enchanting time
It is ….
To be drawn to you
To be close to you …
Steadily, casually
Reading your words
I’ve become accustomed
To finding my heart …
Oubaitori
Lost, found, blooms anew …
Mountains stand in silent strength …
Far, but near, a song unfolds …
Oubaitori/ japanese
(n.) the idea that people, like flowers, bloom in their own time and in their individual ways ….
A remarkable day today, A Monday! Je t’aime comme tu es ….
I♥️
La Reponse C’est L’amour
Moments linger, serene and soft
Time embraces our cherished moments,
And memories bloom, and serendipity stays …
I’m in love with this music. And you?
.
.
La reponse c’est l’amour/ french
(phr.) “Love is the answer”
Gaman
Between the lines of a muted conversation,
Unspoken tales form a quiet foundation …
Heartbeats echo the stories concealed,
In the silent spaces, emotions revealed …
‘Don’t wake me …
I’m not dreaming’ …
Gaman/ japanese
(n.) Gaman is a Japanese word of Zen Buddhist origin which means ‘enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity’. The term is generally translated as ‘perseverance’, ‘patience’ and ‘tolerance’ …
Melancholy’s Song
The shadow cast
On that starless skies,
Where murmurs linger,
Subdued goodbyes …
A tune of melancholy’s song,
In thy heart where echoes long …
Oh this melancholy,
My silent guest,
A tear-stained story, unspoken, and so blessed
The weight of contemplation
In shades of gray,
In twilight hours, grips its sway …
A canvas painted with dull hues,
A whirlwind of memories, tattered and bruised …
Through hazy veils of nostalgic dreams,
The world in silent sadness gleams …
A poet’s pen on pages bare,
Twisted verses of a sincere prayer …
Thy melancholy’s tender art,
Nothing but a symphony of hurting heart …
Yet, in the depth of still despair,
Belongs a beauty, rare and fair …
A gentle solace for the mind
In the shadow of the ancient find …
So let the tears of misery flow
Like mists on a window’s glow …
For in melancholy’s gentle grace
There lies a balm for life’s embrace …
Ma Belle
Ma Belle!
Live upon the moonlit skies,
The place of hope and butterflies ….
Be well pleased with your passionate eyes;
Be right there….
And stare at the Gods with proud gaze
Be praised and praise …
Ma Belle!
You roundly speaker,
When you see any betrayal,
Don’t you shed tears …..
You get going, keeping head high
Without any fear …
Ma Belle!
Let all the new faces play,
With the tricks they sure will;
Let all those pass away…
You be calm, quiet and still;
If these be right
Of day and night,
You be chilled and chill.
Ma Belle!
Those images that may
Gather all the talk of doom,
But you think not of a single evil chance;
Play out all of your dream so fair,
With the host of the air
You be heard and hear and dance …
Ma Belle!
Until imagination brought
It was only a thought,
But keep your integrity …
Let it be for what it is;
They were dead and of a different kind,
You be weighed lightly and just don’t mind …
Ma Belle!
Pull down the blinds in pride,
You be in your country-side;
Where the sky falls kissing the earth,
On the balance of the wind…..
You take a lovely ride
Like a new smiling bride ….
Ma Belle!
My sweet little Belle!
You be known for the care you give
And discover the forgotten truth;
Your heart is your heart what it should be,
That hasn’t changed in years from youth …
Roksana Tales 