by Avijeet Das

Sylvia Plath and Me

Sylvia Plath 
And me,
Met a long time ago,
A really long long
Time ago,
Think it was
A beautiful winter day,
No, a November morning,
Time stood still!
That much
I know!

Her words
They stung me,
Pulled me high,
Her thoughts
Unknown rays
Golden and silvery
Darting about
In myriad directions 
Commanded me to follow
Enraptured in them
I flew with my mind’s cockpit!

Her words 
They engulfed me
Hovering in
My days 
And Sailing 
In my night’s dreams
On a yacht,
To a faraway island,
Marooned,
Heart-wrecked!
My mornings would
Awoken 
With resplendent love,
A warm after-glow,
A radiance just sublime

Today,
Her words,
Still boomerang
In my days,
And in my silent nights,
When the cricket’s
Shrill cries
Only reverberate
But my mind
Only listens
To Sylvia’s words,
Her thoughts,
The magic
Of darting about
In unknown directions!
Sigh!

Scar-Face

The hair is thinning,
At the temples,
This moustache of mine,
Is growing thicker,
Though!
And this beard of mine,
Stronger!
And Grayer!

My face has,
Scars now,
And so has my soul,
Shall I call myself,
Scar-face
Or Scar-soul!

She Still Teaches

She teaches there, the village kids,
Below the Peepal tree, on the outskirts,
They say its the Punasa village,
Under the Kandwa district of Madhya Pradesh,
The River Narmada flows by,
With great fervor.

Marriage proposals, come by the dozen,
Denied, they are flung to the dust-bin!
She looks longingly at the Amarkantak Mountain,
It stands firmly, strong and unwavering,
They both share that unknown bond!

Its a promise that she made, many full moons ago,
To her father and mother, when they felt great pride.
“I will nurture the Next Generation.”

Till day, Twenty-five full moons have passed,
Marriage proposals, come by the dozen,
Denied, they are flung to the same dust-bin!
She looks longingly at the Narmada River,
It flows deeply, with care and concern,
They both share that unknown bond!

She still teaches there, the village kids,
Below the Peepal tree, on the outskirts,
They say its the Punasa village,
Under the Kandwa district of Madhya Pradesh,
The River Narmada flows by,
With great fervor.

Sylvia Plath and Me & Other Poems