The ancient city is not harsh, surely not in itself,
Looks forward to the lights turning into bonfires
A whisper and then the prolong silence,
The tenderly sibilant rhyme sounds,
As if all notes of the night are echoes
And all echoes are subtle low notes.
It used to be most moving and inimitable moments
Nugget like moon yearns for respectability,
Interrupted by the tiny yet masculine stars
Looks back haltingly with a hand shading eyes,
What it may be, to shatter the solitude,
Upon those reflections in the shining river water,
Balance between the two but committing to neither,
To push the time farther and farther out of reach.
” Inimitable moments ” , has that narrative phrasing and exposition about it that for me was strangely reminiscent of Miles Davis style of jazz.
Lovely write, Gopal. Much enjoyed.
In this poem, talented Gopal typically takes the reader on a journey where routine phenomenon becomes strange spectacle—via a mix of intensely-charged words, feelings and images re-experienced as something new. He performs the job of a poet so well. Masculine stars and nugget-moon yearning for respectability—among others— are startling expressions. Night for me is never captured so well and so vividly in so few words.
Thanks Sunilji, Rahul and Louis for wonderful comments.
Destiny Poets’ International Community of Poets ( ICOP ) are pleased to announce that for June 2013 , the following works have been chosen in the categories of Poem of the Month and Highly Commended . *** Poem of the Month..The infinite mirrors of Ocean – Iulia Gherghei…***…In the category of Highly Commended ( tabulated in alphabetical order)… **..Akhmatova – Ampat Koshy..**…**..(The)Charred Page – Sana Rose..**…**..Fever – Mary Annie..**…**..Field Walking – Elizabeth Hexberg..**…**..I’m Walking Mammy – Sharon Elizabeth Walker..**…**..Inimitable moments – Gopal Lahiri..**…**..(The)Modern Mourning – Nalini Srivastava..**…**..(The)Morning – Sangeeta Suneja..**…**..(The)Music of soul – Diwakar Pokhriyal..**…**..Swing – Rahul Aithal..**…**..Thought Chat – Reena Prasad..**…**..You – Jobale Wihnope..**…….* The ICOP Poetry Critic (Bi-Monthly) for May/June 2013 is.. Nalini Srivastava.