Monday, November 30, 2020

'Eye to Eye' in a contest Poetry in Pamphlets by verse of Silence journal

 Such fun to realise that my own college junior Kavya Sharma runs te Verse of Silence journal! Anyway, they had a contest Poetry in pamphlets, and my poem 'Eye to Eye' was adjudged among the top 25 entries. 

I love this poem. Do read. :-) 


 Eye to Eye

 

His eyes have the depth of salt watered oceans

And the clear reflection of water mirroring the transience 

Of emotion and sky. 

As soft as flower petals, as kind

as spring rain 

His eyes touch mine gently, not judgingly, accusingly, angrily, 

disgustingly 

They do not shriek at me, or growl at me, as so many others do 

They look at me curiously, as if I am a mystery they want to solve

Sometimes they look at me seriously, as if I am a truant schoolboy

Sometimes these eyes reflect humiliation, shame, embarrassment, pain

They look down in repentance , reluctant to look me in the eye, 

apologetic for my offence

remorseful for my transgression

At times they brush off my guilt, my hesitation 

Matter of factly, down to earth 

Saving me the awkward penitence.

Our eyes have also shared a mutual agreement, unspoken, eye to eye

His eyes flit in alarm from me to you

As if looking left and right to cross the road

Apprehensive of the collision of our traffic vehicles 

More agitated than our own eyes which wear coloured glasses of stoicism

He and I do not speak to each other. We do not look.

We only glimpse and glance, strangely mutual 

Continually in a game of hide and seek

Like February wind, and February sun 

He peeked into my Orkut profile after I peeked in his. 

Unknown, unimagined by anyone except us, 

bound by a strange love, shared yet completely different 

I have seen him at times and have chosen to keep myself unseen 

I respect these eyes. Honour these eyes. 

Deeply glad and grateful for such eyes. 

I cannot be jealous or ill-willed

More so, because they speak a  language, different 

From those other demeaning, scathing eyes

Perhaps, that is why, 

They mean so much to me. 

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