Poems

Sisters

Both the sisters are

Deeply ingrained in each other-

The elder: Ignorance, and

The younger: Naiveté.

Complement they do

Each other often;

And are known to be

Permeable, too.

Where the elder stands

Holding her ground, arrogantly,

Insisting on her own,

The younger,

Without understanding

Or even any thinking,

Intrudes often

In the elder’s defence,

And gets clubbed thus

As the stubborn Interference.

Though, both remain

Innocent in their perception,

Detached from the

Worldly entanglements,

Where the dominant influence

Is always held by

Some legendary wise man.

But then does crop up there

The fundamental question

Like a judge brought

To the scene of dispute

In an ongoing heated debate,

Seeking resolution first

Of his own doubt:

As to whether,

That wise man of the yore

Remains innocent

As per the present perception

Or prejudices plague him now

In his very disposition;

Isn’t he one from the clan

Of the Ignorance and the Naiveté,

Sharing their perspective

In his own configuration?

– Bimal Saigal

Primary School Days

Chequered tunic, green and white.

White blouse on the inside, eyes so bright.

Little girl, just six years old.

Going into a world, unknown.

My hair plaited so neatly in two,

My white socks and my brown shoes.

Ready to learn my lessons well.

The future looks bright. Time will tell.

At lunch time we played Dandy Shandy,

And on our way home we ate cotton candy.

Chinese skip was a delight,

Elastic bands linked together so tight.

At our desks, discipline was instilled,

In reading, writing and arithmetic drills.

St Georges Girls’ School is its name,

One of the best Primary Schools in my day.

On Duke Street, this institution stands,

Developing the most virtuous women in the land.

– Kadecia Wilson