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forest, matheran hills

by Priya Sarukkai Chabria
in memory of Saroja Kamakshi

Monsoon in Matheran

here:
mountains smoke          still clouds
pooled water pauses       before spilling
lightning stalls             forest’s tousle
mists hang                 before parting
 

i.e.:
the elements grant
the trembled stay
existence needs
to return to living
 

once my mother used to speak
once I remained a child however old I grew
 

hear, she said, the body’s rhythm
                       the pause between each breath
                       the silence after each word

notice, she said, language body nature prayer
follow the same rules of resting
 

now unearthed she torrents
in me while unseen starlight drifts

on distant paths
 

Priya Sarukkai Chabria_author photo
Priya Sarukkai Chabria is a poet, novelist, essayist, and translator with five published books. Awarded by the Indian government for her outstanding contribution to literature, her work has been translated into six languages and is published in Adelphiana, Asymptote, the Literary Review (USA), South Asian Review, Caravan, Cha, Post Road, the British Journal of Literary Translation, Drunken Boat, Pratilipi, Language for a New Century, IQ, and Another English: Anglophone Poems from Around the World, among others. Forthcoming in 2015 are translations of Tamil mystic poet Aandaal (Zubaan) and a short story collection (Niyogi Books). She edits poetry at Sangam. www.priyawriting.com

2 Comments Post a comment
  1. I rarely come across fascinating poems to read. Those that touch you and make you pause a minute and think. This is one such poem. Congrats.

    July 21, 2014
  2. This is so beautiful, Priya.

    August 2, 2014

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