The Trout Lily (A Nature Poem)

The Trout Lily

As I was reaching

The waterfall crossing the woods

The little golden flower

With orange eyelash-like

Filaments -

It looked at me like

A crawling grandchild

At my feet

I stopped

“Do you know me?”

“No, this is the first time

Seeing you bloom, lovely

Color”

“But my siblings and I

Have been here all along”

“Oh! How long, if I may?”

“Perhaps hundred or three

Hundred years. These shrubs

And Trees are just babies”

I got startled 

A great awakening

Of

Conscious life

In the midst of

Decaying leaves, moss,

And rich compost on the floor

No,

I did not learn humility

Not in the college

Not in the port city

Sprawled university campus

Not in the Institute at the capital

But 

My parents had it in good measure

Even the rich landlord had it

I could see it in their gestures

And living examples

Now

After years of learning

And knowledge gathering

After collecting degrees, diplomas,

And certificates

I suddenly feel humbled

In the futility of mounds of intellectual

Stuff –

Stuff, it is after all

There is lot more unknown to man

And

Even the gigantic Cloud, IBMs,

Vast repositories of libraries 

Spread across the continents

Yet we do not know

Or comprehend

All the songs of Annamayya

Or Tyagayya

Neither the dark matter

Nor some intricacies of 

Human body’s defenses

Or the cloning process

This

Little Trout Lily

Taught me a lesson

Today

On this spring day

There is much in my own

Backyard across the gaze

Through the window

There – I clearly see

The Life spread across space

And vast stretches of Time

“sarvam Vishnu mayi”

Copyright 2023 by the author

Lone Dove (Forlorn Dove)

Lone Dove (Forlorn Dove)

Lone Dove (Forlorn Dove) Where, Where are those days? Those yesteryear’s kisses, caresses, And tickling teasings Days, hours at a stretch You’re after me Once on the banyan tree Once on the electric transmission wire Once you gave poking rough kisses at My glistening gray coat You pestered me with forced romances And advances You never let me stay at one place (You) didn’t let me swing in the cool breeze In the shades of coconut tree Relaxing gracefully for a moment in The open sky Today, after so many years Now only memories and sweet symbols They all are … In this old age Who will look at me? (Who will look after me?) Who cares about me? The young ones won’t come Attracted by my feathery glimmer Their friends and struts - are different. The shops they frequent, Their living palaces, and Fifty-storied sky-high buildings are different The trees they perch too are different If I hurt my leg, I just have to limp Now No one looks at me No one does anything for me Forget about endearing calls Now there is not even cursory greeting My eyesight too has dulled No more sweetness in my cooing I’ve become a lonely bird My only companion Is Your beloved memory Won’t you forgive me? My only fault – That one time indifference, rather neglect That one infraction I did during the prime of youth’s arrogance Where ever you’re Won’t you come once? And embrace me? Won’t you kiss me – just once? My darling pigeon, my golden bird My handsome honey-candy, my harvest pumpkin Of romance.

ఒంటరి పావురము 

ఏవి?

ఏవి ఆ రోజులు?

నిరుడు ముద్దులు, మురిపాలు 

ఆ రసభరిత కేరింతలు 

రోజుల తరబడి, ఎన్నో గంటలు 

నువ్వు నా వెనకాల పరుగెత్తావు 

ఓ సారి మఱ్ఱి చెట్టుపైన 

ఇంకోసారి కరెంటు తీగపైన 

ఓ సారి గ్రుచ్చి గ్రుచ్చి ముద్దులెట్టావు 

నా బూడిద రంగు ఈకల కోటుపై 

విసికించావు నన్ను నీ ప్రేమ సలాపాలతో 

ఒక్క చోట నిలకడగా ఉండనివ్వలేదు (కదా)

నన్ను చల్ల గాలిలో ఉయ్యాలూగ నివ్వలేదు 

కొబ్బరి ఆకుల నీడలో 

విశ్రాంతిగా ఉండనివ్వలేదు 

విశాల ఆకాశంలో

ఇవాళ, ఇన్నేళ్ల తర్వాత 

జ్ఞాపకాలు, తీయటి గురుతులు మాత్రమే 

అవే ఉన్నాయి (మిగిలాయి)

ఈ ముసలితనంలో 

ఎవరు చూస్తారు నన్ను?

(ఎవరు చూస్తారు నా బాగోగులు?)  

నేనంటే ఎవరికీ లెఖ్ఖ?

నా కెవరూ ఏమి చెయ్యరు (ఇప్పుడు)

ప్రేమ పిలుపులు, కూతలు మాటే వదిలేసేయి 

ఇప్పుడు మాట వరసకు పలకరింపు కూడా లేదు 

నా చూపు కూడ మందలించింది 

కూతలో మునపటి తీయదనం లేదు 

ఒంటరి పక్షి నయ్యాను 

నీ అనురాగపు జ్ఞాపకాలు మాత్రమే నాకు తోడు 

నన్ను క్షమించావా?

నా ఒక్క తప్పు - ఆనాటి ఉపేక్ష 

ఆ యుక్త వయసు పొగరు 

రావా 

ఒక్కసారి రావా ఎక్కడున్నా 

కౌగలించుకోవా?

ఓ సారి ముద్దు ఇవ్వవా?

నా ప్రియా పావురమా, నా బంగారు పిట్ట 

నా అందాల తేనల తుట్ట, నా వలపుల పంటల గుమ్మడి!  

Copyright 2021 by the author both Telugu original and English translation 

  

Cuke Speak

"So, you want me

To exhibit my most precious

Cadmium-yellow flowers

Both male and female

And

The nascent newly born

Little Christmas-lights-like

Pickling cucumbers;

That’s what you guys call ‘em.

For me both the flowers and little fruits -

They’re all my lovely children.

No, I won’t display them

Like the modern selfie-Facebook-Twitter

Addicted self-absorbed brazen

Loud-mouthed parents;

Always gasping for more attention

And self-promotion.

We are what we are

Nature’s simple, yet ingenious botanical inventions

Passed down through the ages.

Of course, with the help of 

Good-hearted gardeners and farmers.

We always hide our children

Behind the doors, windows of cool bristly green leaves

Hind the Venetian blinds, so to speak

Away from the casual onlookers

We’d only reveal ourselves to 

Our kind grower and the 

Benevolent creator. No, we’re not

Solely meant 

For your stomach nor for your Mason pickling jar prisons.

We are part of a greater scheme,

Ask your enlightened

Buddha, the realized Sri Ramana

Or a biologist like Dr. Khorana” (Copyright 2021 by the author)