A poem in praise of the lovely Gulshan parks where I walk everyday, and all the other parks where I have walked and found peace and pleasure in nature.
Park Harvest
Absorb a buzz of solitude
from dizzy drone of feeding bees,
breathe abundant spawn of happiness
from exhale of balmy breeze,
source a stream of sweet simplicity
in bird song amongst bright leaves,
picking fruit of calming common sense
in fresh foliage of the trees.
Dhaka 2014
With monsoon season officially ending but heavy rain continuing in the catchment areas floods are still spreading across Bangladesh.
Flood
Seeps, creeps, whispers, across a wide green land,
spread of countless fingers,
murmurs in the dark.
Searching, finding, filling
low-lying spaces
fit for fish.
Sliding, pushing, pulling,
searching
for the sea.
Unstoppable, un-crossable – evening blanket wide as dusk.
Rippling into holes and ditches,
stealing quick and quiet,
creeping still as night.
Swelling pools,
swamping gaps,
rustling through the standing crops,
sweeping over delta lands,
bobbing ducks,
lifting boats,
searching for the sea.
Dhaka 2014
If you want something to remain undone,
ask someone with nothing better to do,
to do it.
Dhaka 2014
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A poem dedicated to all those women who know and enjoy the pleasures of a women’s- only networking night out.
Ladies night
Dear sister-ship of ladies,
oh, doers of great deeds
an evening in this company
is what I greatly need.
A chance to talk of policies,
of plans and budget flaws,
of office wars,
of household chores
and maybe, as the night goes on
we’ll plan some weekend tours.
This world is full of challenges
with men who push and shout,
who seek the best man for the job,
not that they mean to keep us out.
We might not be invited
to the old-boys back-slap club
the late night pub,
their network hub,
but don’t lose faith, just smile and wave
and keep on handing sisters up.
Each day you have to watch your step
the ladder’s steep, the ceiling’s glass,
there’s no upgrade to business class,
just cling on to your boarding pass.
And here in female company
we can let our spirits glow,
our ankles show,
our laughter flow
and rest assured, we’re marching on
to change the status quo.
Dhaka 2014
Freedom
Life is a journey –
each stage a step on the way;
if you feel shackles loosen –
fall away,
you know
you’re on the right path.
Dhaka 2014
A memory from adolescence prompted by the rediscovery of an old favorite musician.
Realization
We should have questioned more,
been braver,
more perceptive.
Our rebellions were small
and mostly selfish.
We could have been less gullible,
fought against
sugar-coated lies;
prejudices
that made us the lucky ones,
But at least,
in our choice of music,
we showed we had good instincts.
Dhaka 2014