1. HELPLESSNESS
I have no magical power
to change my restlessness
into glory radiating
peace or purpose in living:
they give me no room to better
men or myself but condemn
as one hanged for nothing:
poets are no living lessons
I stand aside ruminating
what I couldn't do or be
or await miracles through
circles and zigzags of the mind
even corrupt faith and curse
destiny for the maze
of my own making and yet say
I know the spirit's upward fire
2. I AM NO MOSES
I am no Moses receiving
God's message in lightning or thunder
none recognise me in the dark
nor can I see any without light
the cyst on my neck constantly
reminds me of my ugliness
the whitening chest and pubic hair
teel of the death of my potential
the earth needs timely spell of rain
and elements saved from human fears
I must redraw my dreams and visions
to brave life and the intriguing future
3. I WANT TO FORGET THE MYTH
I don't endorse their pact
to squeeze adulation and
control faith of the masses
to shed blood and spread darkness:
Idols may draw crowds to kill
and the spell may not last long
the temple doesn't attract me
I want to forget the myth
after the fascists owned him
Ram has ceased to be God
4. I CAN'T SING AND PRAISE
I couldn't make my bedroom church
reading psalms and Lord's prayer
the light of my lamp and
the portin of my cup couldn't
lift my soul mired in passions
and silence of the morning
the confessions couldn't remove
my anguish of ages
nor the tears and cries strengthen
faith, hope, and love-- the rock
slips the grip for enemies
within don't halt my body
glues to the ground seeking
darkness of the womb and joys
ever restless the child doesn't
grow and the father fails
in verses I can't chide fears
my face I dispise, can't find
freedom from the chemicals
sprayed in the air and the smog
oppressing my breath, the sun
fails to keep the covenant
the terrors of death are real
the traps overwhelm, I can't
escape my own creastions
the bed, the flesh, and serpents
that seize the house of God
I can't redeem, can't save
the soul in battle with me
in bed I can't sing and praise
--R.K.SINGH
About Me
- Ram Krishna Singh
- Ram Krishna Singh is an Indian poet and academic, whose main fields of interest consist of Indian English writing, especially poetry, and English for Specific Purposes, especially for science and technology. Born on 31 December 1950 in Varanasi, India, he has authored more than 160 research articles,170 book reviews and 45 books. His works have been anthologized in over 150 publications. Dr Singh's poems have been widely translated and explored in several M.Phil. and Ph.D. theses. Till recently,Professor of English at IIT-ISM, Dhanbad,he is now happily retired and pursuing his literary interests.
2 comments:
There is an unspoken holiness in “I am no Moses” that is extremely powerful. Your admission that you are but a simple man with no special powers – perhaps even the possessor of a certain ugliness, speaks of a truth few will concede. I can feel the heaviness in your realization that death is more than some far off future event. This is a wonderful and compelling piece.
Thanks, dennis, for your very thoughtful comment on my poems.
I look forward to reading your repsonse to other poems too.
R K
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