POETRY : The Awakening by Dr.Supatra Sen

Forced confinement... and the virus continues to play havoc

Silent afternoons stretching endlessly

The monsoon sky making way to mellow autumn

Only this time all rejoicings would be subdued

A bare skeleton of rituals without life

The lights, the crowds, the jubilation would be

Memories of the past years

And I remain isolated…as always.

 

I bury myself in the worn-out frayed pages

Of old albums

Monochrome pictures turned sepia

Of countless emotions and untold stories

All seem to come to life

In the blink of an eye

The black and white blurred photographs

Have subtly imprisoned so many memories…

 

The new born in the mother’s arms

So lovingly held close to her heart

The first step, the first tooth in a mischievous smile

The first visit to the zoo

The first day in kindergarten

So many firsts remain everlasting

Moments of affection with the elderly

Cutting the richly garnished birthday cake

The balancing act on a bicycle

All fun then… for the unexpected topples hardly mattered

High school… of concerts, exhibitions, sports, prizes

Proudly in the school uniform and badge

Soon to become a memory to an expanding world

College and awarded degrees

Certificates won…documentation done

And so much more followed…

 

Births in the family

Deaths of loved ones

Close friends drifting away

Solitude…

In between hectic work schedules

Lectures, seminars, presentations, travel…

 

Those ever memorable trips

Sometimes to the hills or the sparkling waters

The Paradise on Earth, Dehra-Mussoorie

Mesmerizing Taj…with the mandatory photos

The senior ailing mother taken for a change

To a neighbouring state, possibly her very last

The lasts too remain trapped and embedded

In those frayed pages blessed by time

Characters, stories, events, moments

Festivals, occasions, arrivals, departures

All speak, without uttering a single word

While the battle between me and me rages on…

But the journey is yet incomplete

There is work to be done

Commitments to be honoured

Promises to be kept, roles to be played

Duties beckon, expectant faces await

Alas ! a part of me remains ever imprisoned

In the past, those by-gone days…

While the other spurs me on

Forward…ahead…onwards

 

The threads must be picked up

Dust cleansed, the cobwebs removed

Plants watered, the weeds cleared

The strays need food, the ailing compassion

The solitary --- companionship

And they to whom I owe my very existence

Those brave-hearts who have staked their all

The flame is to be ignited in those young hearts

They must learn to chase their dreams

Swim against the tide, brave the storms

All must not be over…yet.

 

The wounds are to be healed

Peace must be made

Keep well my vibrant past

Till I return some other day…some other time

Across miles of pain…centuries of solitude…

Tomorrow would be another day…another dawn

Yet another chapter would be added

Farewell the old…

Time to greet the new

Time to rise from the ashes

To a new Awakening…
About the Poet:

Dr. Supatra Sen, Associate Professor in a reputed Kolkata college is a researcher -academician of three decades. Her international books, papers and reviews are chiefly in her academic subject. Her poetries have been published in Indus Woman Writing, Story Mirror, Indian periodical, Ode to Poetess etc. She edits e-journal ‘Harvest.’