The Spirit of Life

 I walk down the jolly road 

Basking in the Christmas glow, 

Families decorating trees, 

Fairy lights and all things pretty. 

I witness them make merry, 

Decorating homes with reindeer 

Lucky are they to have one, I swear. 

Homeless in an alien land 

I find myself alone again. 

No festivities for the beggars 

The crowd only mean more alms and onlookers.

I shrugged almost in a sarcastic smile, 

"Are you only for the rich, Almighty Divine?"

Suddenly, as the sun still shone bright 

A shower of rain came pouring down, 

While the sky looked bright white. 

People ran to find shelters and cars 

I stood in awe, looking up. 

Soaking wet in the winter rain, 

I noticed the droplets hitting my face. 

There they were, tiny drops 

Shining in the rays, in bright colours. 

Smiling, I folded my hands in thanks, 

He had given me my own colourful lanterns.

~ Suranya

Burning

Skins charred, bodies saved 

Living yet gasping for breath. 

Here She stands watching on, 

Not a soul to be seen.

And till it lasts, getting worse and worse 

Just flesh and blood in a sinful curse 

Exploiting Her without remorse 

Destroying Her bit by bit;

Ignorantly intelligent, foolishly wise, 

She had seen enough, 

She had heard helpless cries.

Her rage engulfs them now, 

Before they can realise 

In a slow and steady apocalypse, 

Which could have been averted otherwise. 

~ Suranya

See You Soon

 In the darkness alone I sit 

Flickering shadows in the lamp just lit. 

Soaking in solitary bliss. 

I know not how time flies by 

Like an eternity in just a while; 

Lost in thoughts, alone I lie. 

Uncertain, in the hands of destiny.

There you are, miles away. 

Under the same sun and moon; 

Alone I am, losing my way, 

Hoping for fate to see you soon.

~ Suranya

Fairytale

As long as Hope stands, Faith lives.

So does your Fairytale.

~ Suranya

Heart

The deepest secrets of your heart, 

Are usually the things

You don't even admit to yourself.

~ Suranya

Home

How is your home?

I am still looking for it.

~ Suranya

Smell

Some things linger on even after they are over. From the smell of the incense in the peace of the Pandal, which reminded us of all the Pujas that had gone by, making us nostalgic about our childhood and cap guns, to the smell of perhaps that one perfume that reminds us of someone we knew. Then there is the sweet smell of the seasonal flowers that bloom in the autumn, or perhaps a hug from mom that feels like home. Then there is the smell of Biriyani. The one thing that reminds you to screw your diet and will to look good, for five days a year. But then you know it's all over, and you are back to the usual routine of rat race and monotony. But somewhere you still pine for that feeling that seems to be gone too soon. The vibes of positivity and happiness that we wait for throughout the year. Can't we just be that happy all through the year? But then, perhaps we would forget to cherish these precious days.

~ Suranya

Ma Elo Bari

আজ মেঘের সাথে বৃষ্টির আড়ি; 

সিংহ চেপে উমা এল বাড়ি। 

আজ সবাই মিলে আনন্দে মাতার উৎসব, 

ধর্ম বর্ণ আজ তুলে রেখে মুছে ফেল বাস্তব; 

আজ ঢাকের আওয়াজ আর শিউলির গন্ধ, 

মনে ফোটে অফুরন্ত আনন্দ। 

নতুন জামা ভাল খাওয়ার পালা, 

ডায়েট ছেড়ে দাও, এ কি বেকার জ্বালা! 

আলোক পথ আজ শহরের রাস্তায় হৃদস্পন্দন, 

শহরের আজ ঢাকের তালে নাচে মন। 

আজ নীল আকাশে ভাসছে দেখ তুলো, 

ঘরেতে আজ দুগ্গা বুঝি এল।

~ Suranya

A Girl Like Gauri

Gauri was a very beautiful and wise young girl. A perfect combination of beauty and brains. Pampered by her doting father, her mere presence attracted a lot of attention. And like every young girl her age, she dreamt of Love. Gauri was a mere teenager when she first met him. The widower.

The older man. Eyebrows were raised. Questions asked. Why was She trying to in over such a man's broken heart? Didn't She deserve to be someone's first? She had broken the stereotypes by marrying him.

Gauri was strong and independent. She decided for herself. She didn't want a father, brother or husband to protect her. She could do that herself. She fought for her own rights. She made her own rules. She lived life in her own terms. She decided what she wanted to do. Where she wanted to go. She decided to have kids when she wanted. Gauri stood up against the bossy men who dictated the society.

She came home when she wished to. She questioned everything at her own free will. She didn't like being judged. By behaviour or skin colour. She was sometimes the rebellious, fiery girl, a timid wife. She wanted a daughter even after having two sons. She stood by her husband in his decisions and opposed ones she didn't like. She had a voice, the most important one in the family. She balanced work and home. She raised her voice against everything wrong openly.

Now, would you like your daughter to be like Gauri? Living life on her own terms? Daring to be brave? Will you be scared that she can face difficulties in this chauvinist society, so better she doesn't try to match up to them? Will your male ego be bothered if your wife is more successful, your sister more popular, or your mother more ambitious? Don't kid yourself. Of course, it bothers you to bow to a woman. Let her run the home and society.

Now think, what if Himalaya thought so too? What if Shiva thought so? Would we have had a Mahisashurmardini then? Let your Gauri live her life the way she chooses to. Who knows, she can bring the next reform to the world.

~ Suranya

She

 A crowd was gathered, busy making idols of clay; 

She placed her luggage down there, looking for a place to stay.

"Excuse me, can you help me out?"

They scrutinised her in doubt. 

Hair unbound, curls falling back on her waist, 

"Tie it up, good girls don't let their hair loose." They said.

Her skin was dark; she didn't care. 

They told her, "Oh, true beauty is always fair!"

Her attire was short and sassy, 

"Clothes often make a girl easy."

Her opinions strong, her determination fiery, 

"Opinionated feminists are intimidating and scary."

She stood strong, ready to do a man's job. 

"You can't do what nature has decided as a man's work."

She smiled at them, ready to take their leave, 

"Oh, wait, where are you going, giving up so easily?"

She stared back at the idol, almost ready, 

"I will come back in a few days, 

Or when you are less heady anyway."

They frowned at her, got back to work, unaware, 

She was the One, whose idol they painted every year.

~ Suranya

As Long As It Lasts

 What is it in you that I fell in love with?

I can't remember right now.

Perhaps because you and I have had similar lives

Betrayal, loneliness, misunderstanding

Is this how love is supposed to be?

Mundane, stable and unlike the slow-motion drama

Rom coms promise you?

No jitters, no fake promises

No jealousy hidden in the facade of possessiveness,

No entitlement or ownership 

Just companionship with a touch of reality

As long as it lasts?

© Suranya

Yajyaseni

 I rose from fire and fire I am, 

Witness my fight for right 

Against this society and your scam;

Everything you build in pride of might 

All will turn to ashes in my sight.

I stand alone, a pawn in your game, 

Stripped, with all of you to blame. 

Silent, shocked, watching them claim, 

You can now hang your heads in shame, 

But it won't bring back my lost name.

I vow to God that you will pay; 

You who stare at my tears in dismay, 

You thought I would bear your little trick; 

Here I am, a woman and 'weak', 

Lest you forgot, I am Adi Shakti.

Here I am cursing your Virtue, 

And each one who stands today like a statue.

You will compensate for the overdue respect. 

Burn you will, in my flame, 

I will smile and see your end.

~ Suranya

Jahanara

 A Fakira, 

Cursed to be a Princess, 

Lived and Died in Oblivion, 

Her sacrifices forgotten 

By those who wrote history 

And sang the glories of the kings.

~ Suranya

Bazaar of Love

 Around the bazaar of Love I roam, 

Spotting souls for sale, guarded by gnomes. 

Hearts are being weighed for sins and pleasures.

Some sold away like valuable treasure.

Exchange of valuables, time and money; 

For keys to unlock the hearts of many. 

"There is no guarantee", the sellers forecast, 

"Take at your risk, they may not last."

The gate of the bazaar has a signboard hanging. 

On it lies another fair warning, 

"Leave your brain outside for all seasons, 

Here, there is no place for reasons."

~ SURANYA

Untold

In between the half-torn, half-lost pages 

Of the past that once was, in ink and emotions

I look for stories of love, life and chivalry 

Amidst the soot bricks that I touch.

A tale grows in my heart, 

Waiting for the words to weave it together

As I witness magic unfold.

The wind wants to whisper to me 

Stories unheard:

Of moonlit nights when the ripples danced, 

Or perhaps how a lover waited for romance.

How doves carried messages across the land 

Or wars were strangely the only survival chance 

How years passed by in a trance 

And homecoming was almost like a triumph.

Upon the ruins of the once mighty fort 

Now in rubbles and ruins 

The magpie sings on the dome 

As I sit upon its ridge, 

Listening to the wind whisper a song 

One that I could sing along.

~ SURANYA 

Fate in the Stars

 Showed faith upon constellations afar, 

The Sun, the Moon, 

A universe ajar. 

Cards, Crystals, beads 

Telling the future of human beings 

Claiming to be written in the stars, 

Alas! None could tell the fate 

Of a falling star.

~ SURANYA

Blue Love

I see the blue hue of endlessness, 

I see You there, Adi, Ananth, Limitless. 

O Blue-Necked One, Destroyer Almighty! 

Tell me why You can't turn emotions into ashes!!

O rattling Damroo, tied to a string of beads; 

Why play like anger on His dancing grip 

Why do You stir forgotten regrets 

In the restless brain, breaking me to pieces?

I see the grey clouds swirling in the storm, 

I see the Dark One dancing in whirls. 

O Cowherd, behold! Preacher of Love! 

Why can't You teach to endure the pain it causes?

O melancholy flute, 

With a peacock feather on its tip; 

Why do you play like pain on His fingertip?

Why do you bring tearful memories 

That strings this heart, shatters it.

Does my agony amuse You? 

Do my questions entertain 

Do You know not answers I seek, 

As I look into Your music for them?

Rustling winds, playing nature's tune 

Bring me Your notes in the afternoon 

Pitter-patter raindrops on the murky river, 

Flirting with the earth, quenching the lover's thirst.

The music You play sometimes inflicts pain, 

Sometimes it tries to heal the soul of the same. 

What do You want? What do You sing 

Is this what I want, what the soul seeks? 

Your language feels difficult 

To decipher and believe. 

Understanding love, a hard truth to live.

Tears shed and emotions unsaid, 

Sometimes the pain is a journey too, 

One that takes me closer to You. 

Then one fine day, when I rise above them 

Pain and Love will cease to be the same, 

You will be me, I will be You, 

In the Enlightenment

That once set me apart from You.

~ Suranya

Tu

 Tu Mujhme hai basa 

Tujhe kaise dhundti rahi kahi aur?

Kitaabo ke panno mein, 

Kisse kahaniya, geet mein, 

Har ek shakal mein.

Kaise bhul gayi jhakna apne andar, 

Jaha kahi dhadkano mein 

Bas Tu basa.

~ Suranya

Drops of Heaven

 The sound of raindrops on my panes. 

Haunting wail of puppies in the lane; 

The dark night in its silent, unwelcoming coldness,

Existential crisis of mindfulness.

No moon to muse on, no stars shining 

Only the city is visible in the lightning, 

Wide awake, not a wink of sleep. 

Such are the days when thoughts run deep.

I gather them together in the warm blanket, 

Carefully hide them away in my emotional casket; 

The mask of the strong has fallen for the weak, 

The rain wipes it off like a magic trick.

Slowly, I blend in the waters of heaven, 

As it flows upon my cheeks 

And I know for sure I must endure 

In the path that I seek.

~ Suranya

Stories

Stories reincarnate themselves; with time, they refuse to perish. Instead, they change forms. From the wise men who once told tales, to the handwritten books and printed texts, audios, ebooks and visuals, Motion pictures and animation. Stories don't die. They always find a way to reach your heart.

~ Suranya

Finding You

In between surviving the apocalypse. 

Breathing and being unable to breathe, 

Living yet not being alive, 

Loneliness, depression, anxiety. 

Sleepless nights and unsaid words, 

Happiness momentarily stops by 

As I find bliss in You.

You soothe the broken heart with hope, 

Mend the scattered dreams to cope 

Let's not fool the world, shall we? 

Let's not tell them we are alone in bliss.

We crave someone to stay and keep.

A hand to hold, a voice to reassure.

A hug so warm that worries melt.

Attention, validation, momentary crushes, 

Temporary things can make you happiest. 

Yet you crave the fights and hurt, 

Permanent tattoos in your heart. 

In a world where options are plentiful 

Yet distances as a compulsion, 

Never could be easy!

Has the heart stopped looking?

Has the soul stopped calling?

Pray not, it keeps the kindled spirit burning. 

~ Suranya

Abuse

She hid the bruises beneath the full sleeves. The concealer perfectly hid the blue patches and dark circles. Taking his arm with a smile, she walked into the party, ready to play the perfect wife. After all, her parents had reassured her, "It will be alright. He loves you." Of course he did. Every time he hit her and apologised. He said so. Voices echoed in her head every time she forced a laugh. "No one should know of this. You can't walk out just like that. We won't be able to show our faces in society!"

~ Suranya

Lost

 My salty tears turn themselves 

Into oceans of turbulent emotions; 

In the darkest night 

When the moon cannot shine through, 

Even the most transparent soul, 

Thick blanket of clouds 

Of doubts overshadow the light 

You refuse to come to my view, O sleep!

That takes me to lands beyond my reach, 

The soul feels trapped in the mortal body now.

Perhaps waiting to be released. 

I seek an identity beyond this face, 

A recognition beyond this name. 

My hands reach out in the darkness in vain, 

Find only names, titles, and relationships

That sinks my soul further into mortality.

© Suranya

You Live On

We desire to be immortal, 

Fear the claws of death. 

What happens with it? 

An end or a beginning? 

The ashes, all that is left, 

Perhaps become in themselves 

Stardust in the Universe. 

When the body is gone, 

The soul becomes a part of chaos.

Are you part of that chaos, too? 

Today, now, in this moment, 

Are you studying the Universe 

More closely than you intended? 

Realising how insignificant 

Every cell of ours is, 

To all its vastness?

Realising, perhaps Murphy's law does work, 

And it leads us where we should be. 

A journey, a life, a destination, 

Such small fragments in the scale of Time;

Yet in this insignificant fragment, 

A few leave a mark, 

A few touch the heart, 

And a few live on. 

Even in Death. 

That's how perhaps, 

You live on.

~ SURANYA

Delusional

For all the times I believed it true, 

I had searched the world for You. 

Up in the mountains, down by the seas, 

Dense in the forest, by the fort's gentle breeze. 

Dawn and dusk, winter and summer, 

I have looked far and near.

"Magic and love", they say, "are illusions, 

Never stay in their delusions."

But I woke every day with a faith stronger, 

My heart couldn't wait for you any longer, 

And in my darkness I looked for your sight, 

In my soul, I sought Your guide. 

It was just when I started losing hope, 

It was then that I couldn't cope; 

That You showed Your true sight, 

Oh Beloved, blessed I am 

Drenched in your light.

My dawn meets Your dusk, 

My morning meets Your night; 

I dance and I sing, 

In the joy that you bring; 

And fearlessly now, 

I proclaim to the world, 

"If Love truly is delusional, 

Let me be called His frenzied Lover."

© Suranya

Phoenix

 This Fakira is like a fire-borne Phoenix, 

Upon the red that shines through;

And here she lies at your feet, 

Her soul is willing to submit, 

Hoping that her restless heart 

Will finally be set free.

© Suranya

Apocalypse

The bells are ringing 

Of ambulances and aid, 

Waves surge over, 

But of sickness in thousands.

There is an unusual fire, 

In anxious hearts and stressed minds.

Not an individual in sight, 

Just numbers on a graph; 

As though scavengers are out hunting, 

Not a fearless soul is in sight.

Wails reach the sky 

From the crematoriums and graves, 

This is Apocalypse 

But in a different way.

The one they didn't tell you about, 

The one that came out of the blue; 

Unprepared, scared, humanity struggles, 

What are we but fools and hopefuls 

Thinking we have control over the Universe, 

Until Nature turns us into chaos.

Here we are fighting against each other, 

Over caste, creed, religion and country 

Created from the infringement of our minds;

While Nature, to heal herself 

Decides to lash out her wrath on us.

You are still looking for your God, are you? 

Crying to prove if the idol is better than a shrine?

You just angered God, 

She was in front of you all along. 

~ Suranya

Destruction

 The Storm gathered speed; 

It roared in a ear deafening spirit. 

It picked up droplets from the Sea, 

Ready to destroy the Land 

As his messenger of wrath.

The Sea was fierce 

Like a warrior focussed 

To destroy everything around him.

The Land stood like a silent saint.

Guards let down, 

Accepting the storm's message;

Not scared of the noise, 

Of what harm might come upon her.

Destruction was her only way, 

To soak in the love of the Sea. 

Naive as she was to understand, 

What she mistook as love 

Was always the Sea's attempt 

To display his strength.

© Suranya

Bhoj Raj's Home

War and bruises, battles and scars, 

The hope of returning home fades further. 

But Home is where the palaces are, 

The stone-cold walls and luxury calls? 

Every soldier here, big or small, 

Has someone to return to, Someone to hold on.

Me? Their leader, a prince at war, 

My home is further away than she appears. 

There she sits, on the marble stairs, 

Singing to her Beloved, 

Soothing people who come to hear. 

The only heart she can't calm is this, 

For with every lyric, a flood of pain engulfs it.

Yet I find myself lost in her thoughts 

Feeling emotions raw and undeciphered. 

Her touch is healing, pure and holy 

Her words pierce through my soul 

Touches me in places only she can mould. 

I find myself at her door every night 

But destiny is cruel, my life its prey, 

I have given up this fight.

For in my soul is a temple shrine 

She is the God, my beloved divine. 

In her soul, someone else resides 

He, her blue-skinned, mischievous cowherd. 

Neither of us knows how reciprocation feels 

Yet we both know the divine reality 

This love is enough for us three. 

~ Suranya

Dance of Love

 Oh! As the Raag Bhairava plays, 

The emotions pour on the Syahi, 

The string of hearts on the Sitar, 

And the voice of longing wakes the sleeping soul; 

The wind sways and the branches dance, 

To the magic of music all at once.

Hear! As the music picks up pace 

Does your heart not cry to lyrics unsaid? 

Does the Alaap not make you yearn 

For someone lost, somebody beyond? 

The birds sing along in the morning sun, 

And somewhere the Beloved is summoned.

Feel! The way your body lightens 

Gives up on its worldly burdens. 

Your soul twirls in a Sufi Whirl 

And reaches out to Him.

There you find yourself in Heaven, 

As the music reaches its zenith.

~ Suranya

Lover of God

 There she danced, twirling away 

Singing his name, evening and day. 

There she sat, under his lotus feet. 

The princess, the saint, the humblest to meet.

Love, they said, was the strangest of things. 

Sensual, spiritual or unconditional in being: 

But the love she preached, unique it was. 

For God became lover, and love a cause.

But what about the world? She cared not. 

What about the society? Scared it was. 

For a woman stood, a woman chose

Who she was against the odds.

The woman lived, the woman sang. 

The woman left them burning to the ground. 

And she became an immortal being. 

Girdhar's Meera, still searching for him.

~ Suranya

Art

Art is like the soul to our bodies. It gives us imagination, wings to fly, and a happy escape if needed in the rat race of reality. Witnessing a pandemic, we are pursing our escapes of reality through poetry, Photography, painting, singing, dancing etc. to cope with the sense of fear and uncertainty. It is time to acknowledge art, that heals the earth, and is present right at its core, musing on the nooks and corners of nature. 

Roopmati's Song

In the midst of my melancholy night, 

When the crickets sing and the owls hoot in the distance, 

Standing on the pavilion in anticipation, 

I search for your face on the crescent moon.

The gentle breeze whispers 

Erupting my skin in goosebumps 

As though you touched my soul again. 

I shiver and wrap my quilt around my heart.

I feel you in the excited beat against my bosom, 

A tiny sparkle of a precious pearl drop on my cheek,

My eyes drawn in Kohl smudged, 

Yet a smile lingers on my lip 

As I sing for you the holiest lyrics 

Adjusting the strings of the Sitar 

To that of my heart, calling you home to me.

Did you remember me today 

When at dawn the cuckoo sang?

Or the waters of the Narmada 

Splashed across your tired face?

Did you whisper a prayer for me

In your Namaaz today?

Like I did for you before the Lord, 

Who plays the flute in the music of love, 

Just like we do?

Do you also wait for me? 

Counting every moment spent apart, 

Waiting to come back home, 

To the music we make, 

The love we create 

Words unspoken 

And a story perhaps unheard of?

There you are at war across the land, 

Protecting your flourishing kingdom; 

Here I am, Begum, to only your soul 

I possess not the vermilion in your name 

That they proudly behold. 

Yet I feel richer than them all, 

Who have a marital claim 

On your body than your heart. 

There you stay, perhaps lost in someone's arms 

Engulfed in an act of possession and pleasure; 

Here I wait to perform 

Sing and be heard, my only true desire.

~ Suranya

Chaos

Lost in the universe in specs of dust 

Lies stories of the ancient past. 

Or perhaps the secrets of the future it holds

While the mysteries of Chaos it unfolds.

~ Suranya

চা না কফি?

 আজ বৃষ্টি ভেজা বেলায় যেন আলাদা একটা অনুভূতি হাত নাড়া দিয়ে গেল। বেরিয়েছিলাম কাঁদা জল এর মধ্যেই একটু কফি খাবো বলে। বাড়ির সামনে ক্যাফেতে খুব ভিড় দেখে ভাবলাম কি করা যায়।

হটাৎ একটা গানের সুর ভেসে এলো কানে। দেখি একটা পুরোনো রেডিও বাজছে একটা ঘুপচি ছাউনি তে। হটাৎ দেখলে চোখে নাও পড়তে পারে ছাউনিটা। একটা ছোট্ট চায়ের দোকান। সামনে বিস্কুট এর কাছের কৌটো সাজানো, তার উপরে রাখা বান পাউরুটির সারি। স্টোভ এ বসানো ডেচকিতে ফুটছে গরম চা। আর তার ধোয়া দেখা যাচ্ছে ছাউনির বাইরে। একটা লোক সেন্ড গেঞ্জি পরা, গুনগুন করে সুর ভাজছে আর চা তে মাঝে মাঝে নারা দিচ্ছে। সামনের গাছের তলার ফাঁকা বসার জায়গা। এগিয়ে গেলাম সেদিকে। চেনা সুরটা আরো স্পষ্ট হয়ে উঠলো। আমায় দেখে সে ভাঁড় এগিয়ে দিলো।

জিগেস করলাম কত। বললো পাঁচ টাকা। খুচরো পয়সা বের করতে গিয়ে বয়াম এর বিস্কুট দেখে ছোটবেলার কথা মনে পরে গেল। একটা

চাইলাম। সেই পাঁচ টাকা। একটা নোট বার করে চা হাতে বসলাম। দূরে কফির দোকানে এখনো ভিড়। তবে আজ মনে হলো ওই দুশো টাকার এক পেয়ালা কফির থেকে এই ভাঁড়ের চায়ের মূল্য অনেক বেশি।

তুমি আমার জীবনে সেই ভারের চা-টার মতন। বৃষ্টির দিন আর শীতের বেলায় স্নিগ্ধ উষ্ণ ছোয়া। একটুতে যেন মন ভরেনা। আজকাল জানো চা দেখলেই তোমার কথা মনে পরে। তোমার হাতের বানানো চা খেতে ইচ্ছা করে। কে জানে আমার বানানো চা তোমার কেমন লাগবে। মনে হয় কোনোদিন হয়তো ওরকম একটা ছাউনিতে বসে তুমি আর আমি ভাঁড় এর চায়ের মাঝে চোখে চোখ রেখে ছিনিয়ে নেব কিছু ফিরে না আশা মুহূর্ত। ওই চা এর মতো আমাদের ভালোবাসার সুগন্ধে ভেজা মনটা আবার জেগে উঠবে। জীবনের ছোট ছোট ফেলে আশা আনন্দ গুলো ফিরে পাবো আমরা। একে ওপরের হাত ধরে।

© Suranya

A Love Song

 In between the lyrics of my favourite song 

And the music that plays along. 

Just when the night meets the day. 

My emotions take me to places. 

In the streets of Love I roam. 

Looking for you in faces unknown 

Beyond the ruined arches and domes 

For a place to call home.

Perplexed, I turn to the pole star thus 

Wondering if on a night so dark 

It could probably guide me through, 

I didn't know why it led me to you: 

At dawn among the sunflower blooms 

Where our worlds synced in a tune. 

As I stared at you from a distance, 

Scared, I turned to what I knew best, 

Thoughts unfiltered in ink, heart restless.

~ Suranya

Chattrasal's Promise

 In the darkest room of the brightest palace

Sat a princess in turmoil, 

Her mind in distress 

Questions unanswered 

She lets her thoughts float in the night sky.

"I often wonder if you forgot me 

Every time you go back home 

Every time you see your kin.

Little by little, you perhaps realise

How different I am from you.

How different our lives are 

No matter how closely entwined.

I cry myself to sleep 

Ready to give up on our dreams, 

I move an inch closer to God 

A mile away from you 

And light years nearer to Love."

Far beyond the valleys and plains, 

Miles away from her sight, 

In a palace above a plain 

Stood a man in sight.

The walls around him shone bright blue, 

Pictures painted on the walls, 

Some of him, some of kins 

Others of stories heard and seen.

Could he ever forget her?

The smiling eyes he had seen?

His fingers lingered on the farthest pillar, 

Upon a painting hidden on the beam.

There she was, like he'd imagined. 

And the artists must have seen; 

There she was in a corner of his room 

And in his heart in entirety.

Could the distance demean such yearning? 

Could society stop such love? 

Could their souls stay separated long, 

In such worldly affairs? 

Decades later, her frail body awaited 

Whispering to the wind, "The time has come", 

There she saw him in the brightest star 

Smiling down, telling her to surrender 

Her long, tiring battle was now over.

He gave her his hand, 

Slipped her away into oblivion, 

With his soul to the Taj 

There in the moonlight 

The cupids witnessed 

The epitome of Love.

~ Suranya

Ajabdeh's Interlude

 The soil of Mewar was mesmerisingly bright 

In yellow, red, and green. 

Giving the eyes a spectacular sight. 

As the June rains arrived

Washing the Aravallis in an ocean of beauty, 

Beyond the Bhimlat's tranquillity 

A fort stood in proximity.

The land of Bijoliya.

Somewhere in the palace, there 

Amidst the bloodshed and might

Lived a girl who dared to love, 

The bravest the land bore in a long time.

Her days would pass in waiting 

And nights rereading letters 

He had often sent without being discreet. 

Words and feelings between the lines 

Her hand traced the curves of each letter 

As though she felt his fingers entwined.

Every evening as dusk settled in 

Or the rain blurred the horizon in mist 

She stood there, on the highest Jharokha

Eyes beyond the plains, far away 

Where she could see the silver-lined way.

He would one day come galloping down 

The dust gave away his presence in brown.

The people would rejoice at the return of a prince 

And her heart would finally find home in him.

He'd meet her in stolen stares, 

Seek her out in a crowd as soon as she appears, 

Let his hand brush hers where the bruises were 

The valiance that made her proud of him 

And made the wait worthy of a dream.

And then he would gallop away again 

Without a lengthy word exchange 

And she would watch from the domes 

Till his white horse appeared blue on the horizon. 

Once again, she would begin counting days 

Till they met each other again.

~ Suranya

Jahanara's Longing

 The darkness danced in the flickering light, 

The music played as the breeze swept by 

Dancing around was the water in ripples 

And the jasmine cast its aromatic spell.

The moon shone through the clouds that night, 

Upon the walls of the magnificent marble 

Of the golden-roofed palace 

And the red stone fort is in sight.

The Anguri bagh in fresh sown grapes

 The wine cups tinkling, poetry going on till late. 

Somewhere in the distance, the bells rang 

She dipped her quilt in the bottle of ink and began. 

A night of longing and of love, 

Of feelings bound and desires cursed.

Her soul was restless in search of her heart, 

She placed the quill on paper

But didn't know where to start.

The ink blotted the scented papers blue, 

Her words were scattered across the sky 

Like the veil of stars shimmering bright.

Had her heart travelled far across the land, 

Rode on a horseback into his desert homeland?

Followed his soul across the rough terrain 

Into the forests of the Aravallis again?

Did he carry her pearls close to his heart, 

Or leave it behind in a box, carelessly scattered?

Answers she sought to questions never asked

Only if her mind was as brave as her heart.

The quilt was wet, but with teardrops and muffled screams

The ink lay forgotten, just like her dreams.

The first ray of the sun touched the Taj in crimson red,

Reminding her of vermillion and blood,

One for life, another for death 

One that took him away, 

Another that cursed her to stay.

~ Suranya

Time Flips

EVERYTHING GOOD OR BAD ENDS SOMEDAY. SOME SLIP INTO OBLIVION. SOME SERVE AS REMINDERS IN HISTORY.

~ Suranya