Saturday 10 August 2013

Poetry 2013 Shortlist, Vishal Gupta

The Song of Sun and Earth

The first time Sun saw Earth, he did not like her
she was nothing like he’d seen before
no heat no fire, yet she seemed to be brimming with life
Sun saw her for a while, not knowing what to say
while she innocently danced around
By the time Sun realised he was staring her
staring her was all he knew
and he did so at every opportunity he had
for the sheer joy in her beauty
to see her flowing like the rivers within her
were too much for Sun to take off his eyes
Not that there weren’t other beauties around him
He had Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons to gaze
But somehow this little lady with blue eyes
sometimes who saw him and sometimes shy
captured his imagination
Sun was in love, before he knew it
and if there was joy, it was in Earth’s smile
Earth, unsuspecting, danced along with her life
she took life from Sun, but knew not what he had in mind
Sun waited, to be a little brighter
so that one day his rays could shower the love he had for her
Sun waited, perhaps a bit too long
for by when he was ready to proclaim his love to the world
She’d fancied a new partner
one, who’d hurt her in the past
one, who’d sprung out of her
one, whom Earth fancied and Sun fancied Earth
Earth smiled, in moonlight
Moon, showered his love on Earth every night
Every day, Earth would talk to Sun
every evening, when Moon arrived, Earth would bid goodbye
Moon waxed and waned, Sun remained constant
but now he knew, he was to be a friend
Earth’s happiness lay in moonlight
and her smile was Sun’s joy
One day, unable to hold his feelings
he let her know, he wished to be near
But could not, for he would burn her
He could neither go too far, for Earth needed him for her life
His curse for his love was to stay
to watch his love choose another way
To watch forever, as Earth moved on
To never come near, yet not too far
They danced along, in a heavenly trance
circling each other, never seeing
Earth knew not, he still kept a watch
for now she waited, for moonlit nights
Sun wondered, if on moonless nights
she remembered him, and silently cried
if she ever wished, to speak to him again
if she knew, moon blotted him out on some days
if she knew, he still stays close
and would come, at her slightest haul
Sun wondered, and got used to crying
he shed no more tears, just watched them fly
He once thought he had time
but then from nowhere, came night
Our lives, the same, we think we have time
we live each day, hoping to work the night
and night we know, tomorrow comes
and live another day, waiting for the night
It’s the night which deceives us, yet that’s for what we wait
Our dreams our hopes, silently walk by
while we wait, for the right time to arrive
Perhaps if Sun was first, she would’ve been his
perhaps she would’ve said no, and asked him to leave
but now was too late, for him to go
and now he was surrounded by loved ones, yet utterly alone
For his eyes would not leave the one he once loved
for he still lived in hope, she might return
she never did, could never do
and Sun waits, for the day in his pain he erupts
engulfs her, makes her his, destroys himself
and leaves generations who see from a distance the splendid tale
there once lived a man who loved someone
spent his kips, in dreams of someone
lived like a star, and died like one
found no love, but loved someone
‘Was my life a waste?’ the final question he asks
or was it a testament to my love, which beyond me lives on

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