Vol: 1 Issue 2 Managing Editor : Waseem A Malla Editor:Shalini Samuel
Apr-Jun, 2013
Editors Note Dear Readers,
Cover picture by Sheri Wright Glad to meet you again though Fragrance's second issue. The response we got for the very first issue was great and we were overwhelmed by your mails and comments. This issue has got more wonderful submissions from talented poets all over the world. When we planned of a themed issue, we were not sure whether it will work out. We had an idea of relaxing the rules as we were scared submissions would decline. But to our astonishment our talented poets jumped into action flooding our inbox with wonderful poems. Every poem was fantastic and we had a tough time choosing poems for our magazine. Every poem gave me a different picture to the word flower. You all would be very eager to read Fragrance and I am sorry for delaying it a bit. I hope your enthusiastic and patient wait won’t go in vain. Regards, Shalini Samuel, Editor in chief, Fragrance.
SHE IS‌
As fresh as first grass Is the velvet green wrap Enclosing the bud leaves amass Dark petal tears shiny trap
Little bud emerges out to the rays of sun Like someone who has awaken in the morn She blooms to the fullest in little run Wide open like smiling eyes yet stubborn
She spreads the scent of love Standing erect on stalk, with sepals Drooping down and taking a bow Who guards her rich royal petals?
To quench the thirst of her love She remains pious holding nectar till the end Blending her fragrance with breeze above She waits until dusk, bids farewell taking a bend
Ends up on the grave of someone’s beloved Or brightens the color of love in a lover Or becomes a subject to a poet unloved Her sacrifice is unrevealed still, she is a flower -Basilia
Desires Colours all that come with red, rosy, white, purple and yellow have gone to these flowers. Should some flow of meanings carrying spectacles of life be spilled once over the people who are entering darkness black like coal carrying with them the sadness with faded colours, in great haste scorching in fret and hunger! I have a desire to see a transformed face of the world. Bhisma Upreti Email: bhisma.upreti@gmail.com
Flowers in the Hills This year, too Flowers blossomed in the hills. Bukis bloomed and rhododendrons too.
Flower-like maidens went running to the plants plucked blossoms to put in their hair. Wet in the drizzle of colors, bathed in the fragrance of petals, they ran to the brook and saw their own faces. Shy of themselves they ran away and took shelter in the hearts of young-men.
In the hills of rocks suffering there is harder than the rocks.
Like hopes, if these flowers, too, were not blossoming here how could people live in such heights where living is hard. Bhisma Upreti Email: bhisma.upreti@gmail.com
Orange Day Lily I mean, a Bright Orange Day Lily One that encapsulates all shades of Orange Looking like an electronic charge, Bounding forward You arose from a green cocoon, Surround by darker green leaves Your smell is an aphrodisiac, and draws me in Taking my breath away, I stop and stare at your outward beauty Bees around and abound being drawn to you, And your magnetic charm Mother Nature’s calling card, Is doing business in my back yard I am awe struck; want to bring you in, But can’t end your life Leaving you to garnish my yard, I will settle on being a peeping tom Till you dry up, Then blow away, In the warm summer winds! D Everett Newell 6/17/2011
NEWBORN SPRING
A new colored blanket, a shine on the lustrous greens. The cuckoo is heard humming a hymn, the cherry tree is dazzling in pink. Young daffodils and lilies have just woken from sleep, what’s so special of this new dawn, The wind carries a message and gives a ring, Rejoice people, welcome the Newborn Spring!!!
Elvira Lobo. Mumbai, India
FLOWERS My intellect fails to uncover the truth, How thee succeed to, thyself soothe. When filth engulfs every realm of earth, From where thee extracts colour of mirth. And glow to display thy untainted grace. You are envied by every race. Thee born to bloom, so thee remain. Displays thy prowess beyond thy domain. Thy fragrance subdues every odour, Thy bloom attracts the cloudy cover. Out of Love, it rains, thee to embrace. Enrich thy base, kiss thy face
Indrajit Rai
Flowering Time
When ever the world grows darker from death, war and gloom. Hearts must heal from all these pains for flowers still bloom. Music of soul must journey so far out through clouds of dust and ages passed. We shall walk, dance, pray, and sing, for a heart’s joy brings what will surely last. Recesses of anger, shame, guilt and blame shall not hide nor rule in our lives forever. This day we shall decide for pure love for we’re all in this garden together. Celebrating our blooming essence of giving
beautiful joy everyday in life we’re living. For when night shall come to fall, we can rest in peace as we lay. Grateful our flowering pink lotus life is bringing us a new dawn. Happiness sings its laughter in our blossom’s fragrant song!
Poem and Photo by: Jen Walls 10/28/12 mywritegift@gmail.com
A Summer Jasmine With pearl pale glitter, and placid odored toxic tone, I initiate fiery summer’s radient sprinkle. With festive presence, and feliciting gifts flown, I relish in my beauty twinkle.
With mangoe sweets, and children’s games of their own, I invite bridal dreams to every eye’s to replace tiresome crinkle. With fulfilled colour and uniqueness of my own, I envey Indian women of their accomplishedness without gloomy wrinkle.
With moonlight clarity, and flawless snowfall sown, I preach this invered world the innocence winkle. With short life and challenging this big world upthrown, I live for the moment, for creating momentous mood in elevating everyday tinkle.
By Jyothsnaphanija jyothsnaphanija@gmail.com
A Saffron Rose Fallen leaves of pulchritudinous spring, Forgotten lyrics of a classic song, Gloomy sunshine of morning daylight, Glittering pearls of splintery ornament, Like your celestial
dreams deliquesced in the dusky life,
Are timelessly dwindling like the snowstorm in the red-hot river. Time with its ironbound hand has shellacked light before your eyes, When will you see it again?
The golden cradle of selfish love, The crimson penumbra of poisonous love, The sepia string of scrappy love, Have sundered your cerulean space of selfless love. But your lovely appearance is untouched by lovelessness of pulverizing purpled pennoned love.
Your beauty did not shell out euphoria, Your skilled redolence did not please you, Your plangent petals of clement soul is needed to none, With thorns of little tussle even, you are flimsy quintessence.
In the nocturnal hush of despair, Your whishes are not voiced. In the breathless water down of usual febrific routine , You forgot to laugh. In the uphill waves of sea of life’s hardships cycle, You lost yourself.
Your loneliness of incessant lacuna, Your hopelessness of solitary space, Scattered dreams of your shattered recollection, Still longed to be soothen, to share With coloured eyes lingering persistently, Remains ever loosing saffron of everlasting rose. By Jyothsnaphanija jyothsnaphanija@gmail.com
The Flower In Red
Energetic is my gait Passionate is my style Determined is my will Stimulating is my profile
Intense is my desire Fiery is my bearing Resilient is my behaviour Courageous is my being
I give love for love But am dangerous too If you bamboozle me I can retaliate too
Red is my being Red is my hue With my vibrant spirits I colour the milieu
Neelam Chandra C-164, RDSO Officers Colony, Manak Nagar, Lucknow-226011
Acrostic Flowers F lowers L ive near open doors, on the mantel piece, in designer vases but O ften absent in unsmiling eyes from W here quarrels emanate and curses fly E legant carpeted floors R un under unfriendly souls S ans welcome smiles
F ine art work on walls L ooks at hostile undercurrents swirling beneath the O pulent lace W orldly pleasures and E vil thoughts make R andom joys run awry S ee the hearts flawed beyond solace!
F orlorn are the houses with lush blossoms where L ittle joy bloom in human bosoms O pt not for hoarded antiques nor for W ooden tiled designer floors E verlasting are the homes with laughter galore R ule is a hug a day to S ee a heart become a garden. ŠReena Prasad
Destiny of Flowers Approaching spring season Bring ecstasy to blooms Creating a new world Banishing gloom Blossoming into flowers Sadness then overcomes Shortened life, boon or bane Getting plucked, time and again Killing a living one for personal gain ! For temples to adore For deities to proffer For hair to beautify For bonds to testify None can justify Act of fingers Fragrance still lingers Through the seasons Waiting for a new beginning And end too Destiny of flowers. All rights reserved/Tribhawan Kaul kaultribhawan@yahoo.co.in
Reincarnation of a flower Offer me not in temples worship me not with gods pluck me not and kill let me wither on the branch itself fading away, won’t die still. Living in seeds will sprout again under the heaps transmigrating into buds blooming to flowers spreading fragrance all round and everywhere. All rights reserved/Tribhawan Kaul kaultribhawan@yahoo.co.in
Flowers Amazing creativity of that unknown artist! Colour splash like a multi-dimensional artwork, Genius brush strokes create unparalleled beauty With indigenous shades. Inexhaustible range of fragrance Soothes mind, body and soul. A womb filled with re-generating and replenishing seeds, Opens a gateway for Many awe-inspiring and immortal creations‌ Welcome to the enchanting world of FLOWERS. - Vinita Surana (vinitasurana14@gmail.com)
The Book of Chicory Chapter 2 ...Verse 1
I remember the wandering meandering river wild dandelions (yellow as the sun) & bitter chicory
(blue as a sky) grew upon its banks time passed & memories etched into a mosaic to remind me so never again will I forget
CHICORY POETRY
Beautiful Imagination 1. I wake up on thorns to sleep on bed of roses Not letting me forget i live in between thorns of roses.
2. Waft of wind whistled to open the smile of flowers Fragrance ran out to hug waft of wind Wind carried fragrance along to unknown land to spread love Love was stirred to bring joy in all hearts
3. Wind walk slowly,softly With whistle like lullaby As the night falls Beautiful flowers sleep soundly It's a raat rani awake spreading fragrance To tempt you Come to her to stay awake
Perhaps you may not know In the hours of day when you come Don't come with your confidence overly grown Mind you! It's sun that will stop you It is sure to impede your flirtious move It's his daffodils, sunflowers and marigold If you dare eye them! Such will be the heat of envy If once it hears you whistle You will be burnt to ashes Kalpana Shah
The Life With Blossoms waterfall I photograph its mist on blossoms
spring morning – a rose wallah dresses a boquet
distant hill a river carrying the cherry blossoms
spring’s end my infant fingers the fallen petal
autumn drizzle a wallah shakes the orchid bouquet
Ramesh Anand Bangalore, India rameshsvce@yahoo.com