Come let us wash the time!
Dr. Naga padmini
Translation swatee sripada
Time …
When says sweet words,
Hitherto,
streamed through me
And made me polymorphic
Do you ask how?
When first introduced
It stood in front of me
as if a laugh took the form!
On the sea shore
With the touch of cold sand
Took me to the highway of childhood
Laughing mesmerizingly, it went off the screen.
Buttering the time
I wanted to hide
In childhood play!
Cheating the time
I wanted to remain cool
In the streams of Penna!
But time had eyes everywhere!
Even in thick forests
I’ll greet you -it chuckled
It brought me with it
Into the colorful world of youth,
Suddenly it vanished
To the stretch of my sight everywhere
Melodious play grounds of the love of god only
The romantic deeds of love god only
Cradle songs of kinships only
Chit-chatting with butterflies
Enrapturing with moonlight waterfalls
I pleaded that I’ll stay in twenties building a house
even holding the feet of time
I planned to go into listlessness by the side of my love
Time chuckled loudly! It preached mythologies!
It said ask Rama and Krishna about my strength and see
Even Bhima and Bheeshma can’t stay in front of me, it said
I was astounded to the skill of its talk
Becoming a prisoner in the fist of time
Entered into the count of sixties!
Wherever I listen, the tunes of loneliness
Wherever I watch strange stories of old age
On every branch
matured leaves are anxious for a cool touch!
The strings of flute pictured as philosophy
What to say,
I wanted to burn time in my looks
And wanted to demand what is this vice
If visible as a furious I wanted to swallow it
But!
Time melted and turned into vapor long back
Till now
The time that showed heaven in palm
In half a second it disappeared
What to do now?
Started talks with grey hair
Arranging a dais for the aged
Planning
To invite time as a special guest.
And wash it in front of all
So, I have come to you!
Has anyone seen the time?
If so
If you know it
Give me its cell number
Or
The driving license information
Or Adhar card details
Don’t you provide me please?
*****
A native of Nizamabad, writes poetry in English and Telugu, Novels , stories In Telugu. Translates from Telugu to English and English to Telugu.
Published 5 poetry volumes in Telugu, 5 story anthologies, 5 novels and 32 translations. Loves and lives in poetry.
Very deep poem, with a nice touch of humor. Our relationship with the passage of time comes through very beautifully in the poem. Especially like the line “I pleaded I’ll stay in twenties holding the feet of time”