Alka Dwivedi

Category: Poems

  • Standing Tall

    alka-vasu
    Today, you seem vulnerable
    And frail
    Judged, dismissed and ridiculed
    By peers.

    You come home crying
    Over some silly barbs
    But deep in my heart, I know my dear
    For you those are not silly at all.

    But the day is not far ahead
    When you will realize
    Their mistakes of
    Standardizing you, stereotyping you
    Fitting you into a mould,
    But I know, you are your mother’s daughter
    They couldn’t find a mould for her too!

    Flap your wings
    Carve out your own sky
    Be ready to forgive and forget,
    Don’t carry any burden around your neck
    To weigh you down,
    Stand tall and proud amidst all.

    When in doubt,
    All you have to do is,
    Look into my eyes,
    And you will see the reflection of your true self,
    It’s a promise,
    That I will never break.

    Image Source: Travel Tales From India

  • 9/11

    people-looking-out
    When I had seen this image in my newspaper, I was deeply distrubed. Even till this date, whenever I remember the incident, everything just stop within me.

    =================
    Newspapers showing
    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    Peeping out of windows.

    As if asking,
    Office hours had JUST begun
    But how could life be over?
    Suddenly, definitely, precisely
    And clinically for everyone?

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    We were just balancing
    The morning coffee in one hand,
    And files in another,
    But how could life be over?

    A man made lightening struck,
    From the sky
    To plunge everything
    And everyone in darkness.

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    Would we melt together
    With concrete and mortar?

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    Was it our destiny
    To be one with steel girdles?
    And not with mother earth?
    What had we done
    In our lives,
    To not to deserve a few feet
    Below the earth?
    But to evaporate
    With the vapor of morning coffee?

  • Success!

    I just want to thank Dr. L.B. Verma sir for treating the subject history the way it should be treated. Whatever understanding I have of history, is solely due to his way of teaching. I remember students from other disciplines used to come and attend his class and if there was no place to sit, students preferred to stand at the back of the class and listened to him. Its because of him we used to understand how a mere common man defeated mighty emperors and church priests and they had to give up their power to the common man in the form of democracy. I don’t know where he is today. But I know one fact, a teacher affects eternity. Its really true when I think about Verma sir. I wish he can read my poem. He will perfectly understand what I am trying to convey.

    Success!

    Another reason to float on cloud nine
    World’s most envied automobile, at my doorsteps!!
    Father! Come & look at your birthday present..

    Later my son later, right now I am busy,
    Busy?
    Father, talking to a perfect non entity and
    Busy ?

    Father! You will never be a success!!
    I can’t thrust it upon you anymore
    You refuse to join the list of also arrived!
    I shouted down the frustration of my entire life..

    Calm down my son. Calm down.
    I always defied those instruments which,
    Standardize me, classify me, categorize me..
    I laughed out loud,
    Always!

    Just crosscheck, my son, when the King tried
    To dictate terms on me,
    I’d proclaimed proudly
    Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!

    Crosscheck, my son what happened to the priest,
    When the priest issued the passport to heaven,
    I have confined him to the pages of books
    Today you have to sit in the lap of history
    To search for his power!!

    If the circumference of the human intelligence
    Has shrunken so miserably, then
    It is high time, My Son! Learn from history,
    And don’t decide for me, overtly or covertly,
    What is success!
    Because History ever repeats itself!!!

  • The Salute

    I am reposting one of my old poems. The idea of reposting this poem germinated yesterday, the Valentine’s Day. But I resisted posting it on that grand day. 🙂

    Music floating in the air,
    Whispering voices
    enveloping me,
    Fizz of dainty wine,
    Playing on my tongue,
    Transporting me
    to a different planet,
    Not at the happening restaurant
    Of town.
    They promised a slice of heaven
    And kept it too!

    At peace with the world and myself
    laughing vivaciously,
    I came out.
    The Doorkeeper sprang into action
    Saluting us promptly.

    But why this salute?
    Done nothing
    except, having fun
    Money can offer.

    Searching for answers,
    I remembered
    those weighty sentences,
    ALL of us being greatest creation
    Of nature.
    Why does one equal
    bow to another equal?
    Why this abject gesture
    of one creation
    to another creation of the same God?
    Why? Why? Why?
    I asked aloud.

    Stupid!
    Spirit always cloud your faculties,
    He was saluting to
    The Distant future,
    Sparing his progenies
    from saluting my progenies.

  • September 11

    Newspapers showing
    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    Peeping out of windows.

    As if asking,
    Office hours had JUST begun
    But how could life be over?
    Suddenly, definitely, precisely
    And clinically for everyone?

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    We were just balancing
    The morning coffee in one hand,
    And files in another,
    But how could life be over?

    A man made lightening struck,
    From the sky
    To plunge everything
    And everyone in the eternal darkness.

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    Would we melt together
    With concrete and mortar?

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    Was it our destiny
    To be one with steel girdles?
    And not with mother earth?
    What had we done
    In our lives,
    To not to deserve a few feet
    Below the earth?
    But to evaporate
    With the vapor of morning coffee?

  • Beautiful

    This poem is not written by me. But its for me. 🙂

    The stars in your eyes
    The blooms in your smile
    Vindicate why I was born
    They make life worthwhile

    The purest of the pure
    The strongest of the strong
    Your love is for me
    A bliss lifelong

    You give form to reality
    You define beauty in your ways
    You bring me back to my path
    Whenever life betrays

    In the perfume of deceits
    In the orbit of lies
    I flew directionless
    Like a bird of false skies

    A kiss of your lips
    A touch of your hands
    Gives me power to proceed
    Where the destiny stands

    All the ones who mocked
    At your heavenly face
    Were the greatest losers
    Wallowing in disgrace

    The poor souls never knew
    What they had failed to see
    They couldn’t comprehend
    Someone pure and free

    Now that we are together
    I couldn’t ask for more
    You’re beautiful my love
    You so much I adore

    Amrit

  • September 11

    people-looking-out
    When I had seen this image in my newspaper, I was deeply distrubed. Even till this date, whenever I remember the incident, everything just stop within me.

    =================
    Newspapers showing
    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    Peeping out of windows.

    As if asking,
    Office hours had JUST begun
    But how could life be over?
    Suddenly, definitely, precisely
    And clinically for everyone?

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    We were just balancing
    The morning coffee in one hand,
    And files in another,
    But how could life be over?

    A man made lightening struck,
    From the sky
    To plunge everything
    And everyone in darkness.

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    Would we melt together
    With concrete and mortar?

    Expectant faces,
    Fearful faces,
    As if asking
    Was it our destiny
    To be one with steel girdles?
    And not with mother earth?
    What had we done
    In our lives,
    To not to deserve a few feet
    Below the earth?
    But to evaporate
    With the vapor of morning coffee?

  • Identity

    I have learnt to talk like an American.
    I have learnt to laugh like an American.
    I have learnt to greet like an American.

    I have learnt to listen to American songs.
    I have learnt to drink their drinks.
    I have learnt to eat American food.
    I have learnt to term that bland McDonald’s burger as “cool”.
    Totally disregarding opinion of my taste buds.
    I have learnt to use knife & fork,
    ignoring the best fork, I am born with!

    I have learnt to watch Hollywood movies.
    I have learnt to make their icons mine.
    I have learnt to look up to their leaders ,
    To show me the way.

    But I always encountered this damn irritating thing,
    What to do with my parents?
    How to erase the identity,
    They have provided?

    I went to “Time”, the greatest leveler,
    Even death respects time,
    Stands in queue,
    Waiting for his turn to come.
    Time can�t let me down,
    I sought his help,
    In annihilating my identity,
    And “He” surrendered,
    Lifting his hands over his head!