bird’s eye view!
Perched at my window sill
since the day I arrived
in this body of a bird
another phoenix that rose from its own ashes
a bird murdered by its own kin
minions could not carry that tarred body
it lay there scattered on this window sill
weathering sun, moon, rain, hail, storms, air, fire
then one fine day an alchemist arrived
and poured serene rainbow plasma
I became I became I became
some feathers, a few small muscles
one beak that learned to peck
two clumsy paws to hobble around
one sweet tweet emerged and melted in background
two small black buttons looked around
a sky stretched from oceans to mountains
spread over its little head between two horizons
it hobbled on its paws and saw horizons move
there were not two but many
starting from east, reaching far into west
passing through north till south becomes
and in between some match boxes
faded but mingled amongst themselves
men and women large and little
running around for life’s chores
but do they know how they came to be?
Do they care to know who they are?
Each one is given a name and class
each has their own world
to live day in and day out
some do smile some laugh aloud
some of them just play around
bird zooms in to see some more
it dives deeper and touch the ground
dust is here in every eye
sad tears smiles wry
wounded hearts swollen prides
souls cheated for being divine!
Shoulders carry burdens of hives
yet when tongues need honey
they search and search but no one finds
disillusioned bird flies around for some more
some respite from drowned dreams
some flowers in dingy drenched forgotten interiors
some fragrance in stolen roses
some life in dead oceans
bird is tired bird is dying
diving down towards the earth
it’s eyes are filled with tears
bird’s eye view is swimming back and forth!
…Hi Dear Pritts… the deftness and tenderness with which you have introduced us to the prophetic journey of the phoenix through its many lives is amazing … and the ironical flow of the vagaries of insurmountable grief is sure to make every eye blink under the weight of the tears that simply roll out…
…this piece has many inter woven facets…
…this is where Gautam’s precept about all pervading sorrow in a seemingly meaningless life meets the freudian premise of desire getting seated in command holding out at the reins …not letting us venture with any kind of freedom even for a mere namesake…
…it lay shattered for the world could never follow the subjective vision or perception…’coz it is entirely governed by its own dynamics…
…but the soul never surrenders…and that always carry a desire to set things right… to find right kind of world…if not here then in the world beyond…
…even though the bird was lucky enough to find an alchemist who could once again set her cruising across the world(s)…but alchemist potion could not touch the context anterior to the protagonist and even this revisit could not bring peace… to the restive (restless)individual…
…and we have the soul succumbing to the disenchantment ultimately…’tongues need honey they search and search but no one finds …’ and disillusioned bird flies around for a while…but with no will to take it anymore dives down …whence it shall have no more of life …no more of birds eye view…
Great Dear…I wish to read this over and over again … thanx for having shared with us…all the best… 🙂
Prateek!!! your review of my little piece of poetry has become an alchemist to it.thanks a ton for this rejuvenating discription…
after reading your review second time I am amazed by your understanding, depth and sensibility
…that is my pleasure Dear Pritts…that you liked my writing…but this poetry is more than being just ‘a little piece’…birds eye gathers the whole world within the confines of two small black buttons … this is about souls n their journey…n all the depth it takes to write the log of their travels…!!!