शब्द

कुछ मित्रों की फरमाइश थी ,कि मैं हिंदी में भी कुछ लिखूं।

तो ये कोई कविता नहीं, बल्कि एक कोशिश...आपबीती कह लीजिए !☺️
लेखन के क्षेत्र  में नए होने की वजह से जो अनुभव किया है या जो और रुकावटें आई हैं, बस उन्ही को बयां कर रही हूँ।

मैं जब अकेली होती हूँ,
मन के किसी कोने से निकल आते हैं,
दबे पांव...शब्द!
कुछ छोटे,कुछ बड़े,
कुछ सीधे, कुछ पड़े,
कुछ नए,कुछ पुराने,
कुछ जाने,कुछ अनजाने,
कुछ शराफत से पंक्ति में बैठ जाते हैं,
कुछ शरारत से इधर उधर भागते हैं,
पकड़ती हूँ,पर फिसल जाते हैं,
कुछ मुँह चिढ़ा कर निकल जाते हैं,
ढूढ़ती हूँ ,पुचकारती हूँ,
कभी उनके पर्याय से काम चलाती हूँ,
कुछ इतराते हैं खास जगह बनाने को,
मचलते हैं पन्नों पर सजाने को,
कभी फूलों की रंगत पाने को,
कभी पक्षी बन चहचहाने को,
कभी अक्षर अक्षर बिखरे रहते,
अटपटे से पसरे रहते,
कभी आपस में गलबहियां डाल,
गीत बन के निखरे रहते,
कभी भावनाओं से बुहारती हूँ,
कभी आंसूओं से पखारती हूँ,
कभी इतना कोलाहल करते हैं,
कि चुप कराना मुश्किल,
कभी ऐसे चुप,
कि बोलवाना मुश्किल।
ये मेरे दोस्त हैं, मेरे हमनवा,
जो आते हैं, कहीं मन के कोने से,
जब मैं अकेली होती हूँ।

The tree and I

The charade is played out every World Environment Day (June 5th),in countless organisations. A photo op, with senior officials holding a wilted sapling ,putting some soil sparingly and finally drenching it with newly bought shiny plastic watercan. The sapling doesn't survive beyond a week.

Another snapshot is that of the hundreds of trees uprooted after a fierce storm recently.
That torments me.

A humble request...plant a tree ,any tree, this season and look after it.

The Tree and I

The slender stem stood confident,
My steps were shaky and diffident,
I wobbled to stay upright,
Though we were of same height.
The tree and I.

Branches arranged in orderly whorls,
I pranced with a mop of curls,
Delicate leaves in perfect symmetry,
My chubby hands touched with glee.
The tree grew a bit.

Summers passed ,and time flew,
Boughs got denser before I knew,
My red shoes changed to black,
Heavy books filled my shoulder sack.
The tree grew taller.

Parrots, mynahs ,and cuckoo,
Their chorus rang all day through,
Yellow florets mesmerized me,
Inviting hordes of buzzing bees.
The tree grew sturdier.

Sun filtered through verdant lattice,
Grass beneath grew in patches,
Back to the trunk, and book in hand,
I sailed into utopian land.
The tree flourished.

Then, wise men armed with skills,
Came to put away dust and ills,
They built around, a concrete noose,
Biting, stifling, not at all loose.
The tree was stunned.

Leaf by leaf the pain dripped ,
Baring brown and foliage stripped,
My suitcases packed, I went away,
To join ,what life held in fray.
The tree wept.

Naked, but valiant it stood guard,
Its arm stretching heavenward,
Braving storms and squalls,
One night ,it took a fall.
The tree died.

Some silver has sneaked into my hair,
I look out of the window in despair,
The luxuriant green I so adored,
My majestic tree is no more.
I grieve, I mourn.

Memory Lane

As we age, the urge to reconnect with the past becomes stronger. Some images are still clearly etched, while most are not. Eyes go misty and a lump forms in the throat as we reminisce of the days gone by with our friends and family. A photograph ,a card, a notebook, a box of knick knacks, a dress buried in the wardrobe, an equipment lying in disuse ...any of these can be a trigger to take a trip down the Memory Lane. I am currently visiting my hometown Patna...need I say more ?!☺️

Memory Lane

I didn't find it on Google Maps ,
The broad street , or was it narrow?
Was it straight or meandering?
Lined with homes with open doors,
Winds zinged through uncurtained windows.
Dusty images of people long ago ,

 Smiling eyes, questioning eyes, quarrelling eyes ,

Basking in lemony winter sun,
All enveloped in warm cotton wool. Laughing voices ,shrieking voices, carefree voices ,
Sailing across cool terraces,
All muted in layers  of felt .
A patch of green, a thatch of blue,
A batch of fragrant white,
All colours watered and pale.
I wipe my glasses ,
I strain my ears,
Trying to catch a glimpse,
Trying to snatch a note,
Of my receding past,
When I turn the corner
of my Memory Lane!!