ASHOK RAJAMANI
pulitzer prize-luminary commended author
.
May 4, 2020
"THE CORONAVIRUS TRILOGY"
As I cloister myself in semi-solitude along with the rest of humanity, there is a feeling of anguish and fear of
CLOVID-19, and I wonder if we can ever put together the pieces of this broken world and make it whole again. Penning my thoughts and emotions in words, I set my pen on fire.
I.
A BROKEN WORLD
"If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us?"
-Buddha
In a deeply chaotic world
No one to be seen, no voices heard.
The walls go up, borders demarcated
Families apart, mournful voices heard from afar.
Lights dim, it is dark
The human spirit shattered.
Holed up in isolation, children fear.
A virus descends, the universe torn apart.
Moments and memories to hold onto
The present in crisis, a piercing sound.
Tomorrow will come
With sanguine, peaceful echoes
A moment of reflection--
Of need, not want
Of giving then greed
Of support and strength
Of comfort and love to a broken world.
II.
CORONA/KARUNA
"Our human compassion binds us the one to the other--not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future."
--Nelson Mandela
Tiny buds spring atop branches
Nature comes to life--
Yet there is no sight and sound
Life coming to a screeching halt.
A pandemic unleashed, a global crisis
Devouring indiscriminately in its path
The young and old
Rich and poor, the abandoned and homeless.
Pain and suffering abound
The healers and practitioners
Losing the war
No missiles nor guns to fight this unseen battle.
Lights shine, bells toll
Nations thrive again
Sight and sound re-emerge
Children come out and play.
The universe smiles
Corona slayed
We are Karuna--compassion and kindness prevail.
III.
COOKIES, CAKES, AND CHILI POWDER
"Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever. Women never throw out spices -- The Egyptians were buried with spices! -- I know which one I'm taking with me when I go."
--Erma Bombeck
People rush, mask and all
Protected from head to toe.
A grocery game, the race has begun.
Toilet rolls, paper towels
Clorox wipes and sanitizers
Ah! Corona you truly stumped us
The cleaning, healing has begun.
Black beans, garbanzo beans
Canned fruits, macaroni and cheese
Spaghetti and meatballs
The cart rolls on.
Aisle after aisle, empty shelves
Periphery vision, self-distancing
The grocery war has begun
Who gets there to spinach and kale?
Apples or oranges, cookies and cake?
The condiment shelf, a chef's delight!
I smile, I see
My curry, my cumin, my coriander
And ah! at last my chili powder!
Delighted! I exit
Bon Appetit.
JUNE 5, 2020
IN FLAMES
“ If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
Mother Teresa
In the still of night, the fires burn
Ignited by sparks of rage and hate
Hearts broken, lives lost,
We weep, we mourn
The loss of our humanity.
A confluence-
Of selfless action
Of knowledge,
Of thought and reflection,
Of our oneness
The colors of the human race
Step out and march
To right the wrongs
The voice of the voiceless
To say, NO MORE, NO MORE, NO MORE.
To all of the non-violent protestors, you will remedy this world.
In your honor, I am sharing one of my poems from TEA UNBREWED, a collection of poetry, titled:
GALORE
“ Endure and persist”
Ovid
Who will remedy this world in despair?
Its chagrin, its anguish, its trepidation, its indignation-
Innocence lost, spirits shattered
As each soul departs to an unknown grave!
The spirit cries, “ let me be free”
The fiery skies signal, “this cannot be”
Children scurry in a hurry
Mothers weep, husbands buried.
Stop! Stop! This mayhem, this madness.
I hate the battle
Must face this war
Like heat untamed
Like life galore.
_____
June 20, 2020
We have all waited patiently for almost a hundred days to finally step out, and adjust to our new normal since the lockdown and to find some semblance of order in our lives, as we also continue to battle the economy. We have also walked fearlessly amidst this pandemic to protest for equality and justice, to right the wrongs of a society discriminating on basis of color, religion, caste and creed around the globe during these past one hundred days. We have been fractured, we have had a big fall. However, unlike Humpty Dumpty, we will come together as “ONE”.
ONE
In the still of the night, the fires burn
Ignited by sparks of rage and hate
Hearts broken, lives erased
We weep, we mourn
The loss of our humanity.
A confluence of ideals-
Of selfless action and of knowledge,
Of thought and reflection
Of courage and conviction
Of our oneness-
The colors of the human rainbow
Step out and march
To right the wrongs
The voice of the voiceless
To say, NO MORE, NO MORE, NO MORE.
HUNDRED
One hundred days
Behind a wall
Tempered by fear
Afraid of the unknown
Human loss, there is a pause.
One hundred days
Pandemic and all
Veiled with face masks
The silence broken.
Sounds of voices
Marching to a new call
Fear put aside
The peaceful march side by side.
With voices heard from afar
A gentler day is upon us.
HEAL
Voices so similar in their sorrow
Echo and resonate
To the tearful crying
As they lay dying in the street.
Spirit broken, the other voices
Internalize their sorrow with quiet elegance
Look upwards and look for guidance
To repair this tear.
THE BALANCING ACT
She wakes up each day
Bruised and broken
Teared up on the inside
Smiling on the outside.
This unseen force inching each day
Leaving so many with so little each day.
She keeps on moving, a balancing act
A little morsel for her at the end of the day
Knowing that tomorrow will come
And brighten up her day.
FOR ALL THE KIDS -YOU HAVE BEEN GREAT THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC;
FLY HIGH
Nature in full bloom
Lush green around
Children come out with a great big smile.
Swings and slides glisten in the heat
They run to it with a bounce in their feet.
Up, up and away they swing
Higher and higher they feel the breeze
Like ripples in water
Joy and laughter abound.
TRIBUTE
We did leave the door ajar
To permit the possibility
We did not have it exactly right.
Isolated from all
Wrought with pain
They passed away
No goodbyes to say
On to the other side.
A tranquil, serene garden
They lay down to rest
To inspire us, to guide us
To draw strength from their courage
To savor our ambience of temporariness.
_____________
July 3, 2020
A very special thanks as you step out this morning to perform your duty in your chosen field of work around the world. Thank you for all your sacrifice, being away from your families this day, and tomorrow and the day after, and however long it takes to heal the world of this pandemic to keep us safe. Please enjoy my poem in honor of Mother’s Day, which has just passed.
FOREVER
She is Mom, she is Mummy
She is Ma, she is Mama
She is Amma, she is Ammi
She is Mutter, she is Madre
She is Mere, she is Moeder
The name that reverberates in the universe.
She nurtures, she strengthens
Our mind and our soul.
She disciplines, she heals
She screams and she shouts
Sure enough, a big hug comes around.
With her checklist in her hand
She is always on the go,
She makes you laugh, so you always smile
She can never see you cry.
She is courage under fire
She is power, she is strength.
Dignified when faced with challenge
She is fierce under pressure.
Confident and elegant in her stride
She is beauty, she is grace
She is the Universe.
She is your past
She is your present
She is your future
She is MOM.
________
July 2, 2020
Thank you to all the dedicated and selfless souls, risking your lives for us at this moment during our time in quarantine. You are indeed our SUPERHEROES!
ODE TO INSTACART
“The Lord turned water into wine. All I’m suggesting is a trip to the grocery store.”
Jodi Picoult-American writer
What is old, what is new?
COVID19 has me confused!
A handshake gone
A face mask on
How do we just move along?
Adieu to a smiling face behind the deli counter,
Adieu to a warm embrace for a friend in the dairy aisle
Online shopping so confusing
Placing orders, keep on waiting.
Sleepless nights, groggy days
Each hour on the computer
No online shopper opening up
SORRY- TRY AGAIN!
Ah! COVID19, what have you done?
Try, try, try again
And with a click, a text message!
My Instacart shopper on the way!
Carton of produce, and sixty eggs
It’s green eggs and ham day!
Hence my friends be very calm
Your Instacart is on its way!
CLOUDS, RAINBOWS and COTTON CANDY
“Fantasy is necessary ingredient in living. It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”
Dr. Seuss
No end in sight
The virus still here!
How do I react to this anxiety, despair and fear?
I see, I hear, I learn.
The life experience of the elderly
One of patience and endurance,
The restlessness of the millennials
Always scurrying in a hurry
I hear, I see.
Making sense of their world around
The wisdom of the young, curious and profound
Their unconditional love,
My grandchildren reach out.
One fears for the future
Retreats to her island
Where unicorns fly high
Clouds are rainbow cotton candy
Feeling joy and being happy.
The other a philosopher, just seven
Looks at life through his spiritual prism
“Think about better times in the past,
Think not of the present, because these are bad times”, he says.
Each trying to hold and comfort
I hear, I learn.
Reaching out a helping hand
Brick by brick, we stand together
Defining for them this journey in time
In the goodness and beauty of life.
The simple joy of a walk in the park
Sharing a park bench, meeting someone new
Never to answer-
What do you do? Where do you come from?
Just say, how wonderful it is to meet you
With reverence, placing hands together
A NAMASTE- I bow to the divine in you
We are all one
I see, I smile.