when air holds dear treasure
smoke climbs into ancient's heavens
where today we see
much deeper into miracles of existence,
we of our small round world
much deeper into miracles of existence,
we of our small round world
When air is the last place we see
precious life, in residues of hopes,
in dreams of luxuries, in unspent love;
through heavy hearts and watered eyes
lifted to memory, and rich skies, so poor
are we, to stand and see – a brutal taking of beauty.
Amanat they now say, only a few days
from a time when the treasure smiled
felt the touch of heavy air, busy air
street airs, breath of those come near with love
breath of those come near…without welcome
When love was easy and violence crept
while a nation so oddly slept, mindless
accepting; the unlucky caste(--) now
revealed in the way we see a worthless thing(--)
a treasure- Amanat of clouds, Amanat
of grieving, Amanat of the hopeful
and fear has a brief holiday, a harder day
soon to come, in last blessing from…Amanat
Amanat an Urdu word meaning treasure. The name given to a young woman
whose brutal rape and murder had caused a world wide focus on the condition of
women in India, the lack of safety and due process of law.
soon to come, in last blessing from…Amanat
Amanat an Urdu word meaning treasure. The name given to a young woman
whose brutal rape and murder had caused a world wide focus on the condition of
women in India, the lack of safety and due process of law.
4 comments:
It a disgrace to the entire race that these thing keep happening.
Good job on the poem Howard.
It is difficult to put this into poetry, but it belongs in the thoughts of everyone, or it will repeat...thank you!...H
Howard, I'm amazed at how skillfully you weaved the notion of treasure (which is the meaning of Amanat) with the harrowing story of rape in Delhi. Your wise metaphors 'our small round world' "in dreams of luxuries, in unspent love" and skillful use of contrast - "a brutal taking of beauty" and 'only a few days from a time when the treasure smiled felt the touch of heavy air" make a powerful impression on the reader, leaving noone indifferent. I also like the parallel you make in the end mentioning the nation that so oddly slept... shocking, no less...
you have a rare talent to channel socially urgent ideas into poetry, giving them a new meaning and a powerful voice.
there are times when words are all we have to measure moments that seem immense; I can only hope that the heavy burden felt over India and I hope the entire world will not subside but grow-- end this acceptance of horrors...thank you..H
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