ALL POEMS OF KALYANI RAJALINGA

Poetry Series
Kalyani Rajalingham
- poems -
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Kalyani Rajalingham (December 25th)
Nickname: Kally
Origin: Indian origin(but I'm from Montreal- hometown)
Spoken languages: English, French, Spanish, Hindi & Tamil(am currently
learning to speak it)
Latest publication: 'Little black book of poetry: Past Masters and
contemporary artists', 'Immortal Verses'
HOBBIES
Shopping, Learning to play my Veenai (fav instrument!) , Painting, Drawing,
Writing Poetry, Ice Skating, Playing my flute, Singing, Dancing (Baradam) ,
Skiing, Computer Programming, Badminton, Tennis, Chess.......
'How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of
the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of
these.'
Love,
Kally (Kalyani) Raj
Works:
All my works are published.
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* A Million More
A Million More
By Kalyani Rajalingham
A million doubts to the thousands I bore
A thousand answers to the millions more
Ah! May the mortal and his tongue
That Has long since been done
Pose many questions
To which answers they may never know!
Kalyani Rajalingham
4
* A Speck of Sindoor And The Secret to Lasting Love
A Speck of Sindoor And The Secret to Lasting Love
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Let me tell you my dear of the secret to true lasting love;
“Never Shall I let Pow’r Almighty rule my heart
Nor let the shine of gold tame my dart
Never shall I shun the maker of my virtues, Nor hide my hand
Should he need my warmth
Never Will I shun his fingers when he wishes to keep his lust away from the touch of
frost
I lurk beneath, As though there never was
But you may find me in his work, his ways and his words
I Grace him with the will to strive
And the zeal to bring forth all his hidden skills
Never to him would I hide my face
My judgments, my views, my skills and my history to him are known
Along with my bold’d flaws for him to pick upon
I am his support and shelter, Am I not the source of all his powers?
And should he fall crush’d, I re-write his soul’s memory and awaken his faith
So that he may never shed another dropp of tear or be shaken by fear
A feeder when his Manly pride prevails
And his poem when like a child he flaunts his peacock’s tail for praise
And quietly with a single smile my heart he sways
He may venture far from my shore
Away from my sight, Away with lore
And though there I never may be
I am tuck’d beneath his arm
As his thoughts will quicken to clutch my hand, his guide
While I to him dictate the way, I have unsurpass’d command
What have I to fear? I wish to be his body’s only heart
Pulsing to the beat of his mood, Singing to his tempo and tune
And In the palm of my hands, Till my very grave
I will hold his follies, his sins, his glories and its groans
Ah! But flow’ry hills have their slippery rocks
And it is a woman’s patience that can withstand it all in all
The sweet needs the sour, like poison needs its cure
For only they can tame each other
Like hand and glove, the both of us like shield and sword
Dearest, A woman must learn to bend as she goes forth
For she, like old scriptures, will be the shrine where bleeding hearts fall
Ah! What a heavy burden indeed that my duty bids
But for the love of my life, I know I can withstand it all
Love him with your life my dear
And he will worship you as his soul’s overseer”
This my dear Is all that there is to keep true love
Till the end of your days on this bless’d old world!
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Note:
As a child, I used to watch my mom in the morning give my dad the sindoor and ask
him to put it on her forehead......................Obviously, this was a pleasant sight (and a
hilarious one at that) for me and my siblings but we never really understood her or
him for that matter and we knew we needn’t bother ask “why” because their reply was
always the same “this cannot be taught......you have to venture a theory and when you
think that you’ve understood it, come to us and we’ll fill in the blanks”...............It took
me a long time, but when finally I had, it brought out my respect for my
customs..........I grew up in a very French environment with my parents as the only
Indian or Asian people in my life and let me say that these are some of the things that
first impressed me the most, that made me seek out my culture....... So here’s my
theory, my opinion, my view, and my interpretation but for all I know, I could be
entirely wrong...........The woman, before the day begins, asks her husband to fill her
forehead with sindoor........By offering the sindoor, it is the woman’s subtle way of
telling her husband that she will be his source and support for everything in life, a daily
reminder you may call it.........In other words, if he is hungry, it is to her that he will
run; if he is thirsty, he will be asking her, no other; if he is lusting, it is to her that he
will find his way and so on and so forth......By offering the sindoor, she is
acknowledging this responsibility with full heart and by accepting it, he is vouching his
fidelity, knowledge, trust/confidence and strength to her.....In other words, no matter
where in the world he wonders off to, he knows that his life will be with her, that no
matter where he goes, he will remember that in his time of need, he can rely on
her.....It’s as though she bears all the gifts of life (wealth, fame, education, intellect,
talent, luck, victory, valour, fame, health, power, beauty, children, food...) that he
may need and holds it all for him............And in an odd way, they then become a need
to each other, not an option...............And she in return knows that without her, he will
be a depressing sight and a lost soul......A tree without roots cannot stand no matter
how big, no matter how strong.....and though the roots are invisible to the naked eye
and so much smaller than the tree, it is the anchor that keeps it in place, it gives it a
place to call home......The man, like the tree and the woman, like the roots can make
life blossom anywhere........This is what I’ve come to see in the Sindoor......
Kalyani Rajalingham
6
* A WORD OF ADVICE
A WORD OF ADVICE
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Noble Man of Manhood years,
Shame Upon you,
If your heart’s bloom for a maiden,
Turns cold your stare to the blood that bore you
Unafraid to hunt blood or bank their poor world & virtue
All but for a distant chant from a far away land,
Then, may I say that you are the King of Fools,
Your foolish declarations shall not be heard!
Follow my words & I’ll show you of your true possessions & worth
In the little here or the larger there,
In poverty, In wrath, In wealth, In life’s ever growing sphere,
Where you stand, they stand near,
Since your first step, Since your rambles, since ones & twos,
They held on, did they not? Day after day, hour after hour
Page by Page, they wrote their own Fate
All for you & you alone
All achievements are of no value
If to your source, you do not give its rightful respect
Or pay a price for the blood & birth they gave you,
Learn to hold dear first those who stand near
For, they alone would fight like mighty Kings
Or shelter your heart with their life’s worth
Young Man of Manhood Youth,
Right or Wrong,
To the width of this world, by hand they took you,
Your young vein, does it not remember days of old?
For any maiden’s love is nowhere near,
The splendor of that which lies right in front of you
Present & Past dictates Future, young fool,
Trembling before the woman, who bore & fed you,
Daunting your sisters, perhaps brothers too
When I wonder what they ever saw in you!
Flames come, Flames go,
Be brave & learn to let go
It’s not an obligation,
It’s the silent expression of a thank you
NOTE:
Your parents provided you with a shelter, love, care, education…all that they could
afford for you, so when they grow old, would it not be your responsibility to give them
what they gave you?
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As you grow strong, they grow weak. But logic tells me that it’s just an inverse – a
reversal of roles if you will. Think of them as your children & give them what they once
gave you; a shelter, care, love, & a family to love. I never understood the point of
shunning them into a home (for elderly) . For, old age implies experience, maturity &
wisdom; people should be seeking them, not avoiding them.
In nature, with just about every species, there are at most two generations that live
simultaneously – parent & child – simply because most animals will care for their
young for a set period & then leave them to be. There is but one species on earth that
has three simultaneous generations at any one time & that’s us. You know why?
Because, when you grow up, no matter how brilliant you are, raising a child will be a
new experience, and thus mistakes are a part of the package, but not to your parents
– they after all raised you, they know what they should or should not do. Nature may
have thought that this could help because with time comes maturity & to have it by
your side when you’re still blooming would hardly be wrong.
In life, you need two legs to stand: One is made from your past; the other, you make
from your present & future.
Place the word friends, love & your life in one eye, place the word family, siblings, and
responsibility in the other. Now, open your eyes and you may with time see that the
one is just as important as the other.
Criticize me all you want, I’m stupidly stubborn about my thoughts, yes, but let me say
this much- What you do to your parents, your future children will do to you.
Kalyani Rajalingham
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* An Echo: Its presence confessed
An Echo; Its presence confessed
By Kalyani Rajalingham
As its First Breath allotted at birth
Was woe to the wretched on Earth
‘Twas left behind as a silent whisper
As welfare to a warm heart’s painful prayer
Grasping for air; ‘twas deaf to all but one ear
And toil to prodigy’s lovely heirs
For it never was and never will be
But the dust that fell from the monarch’s fleet
That learned to while with joy while it may, here & there
Returning, renewing all, as it hastens away
As thunder sounded reality’s cold truth
The thought that it belongs lingers no longer,
As but the remnants of a silent murmur
Blending with Nature, for every bud blooms with but care
The echo is but a hope, a trust in another self from head to toe
Foe or Friend, each voice’s mirror is still a whisper,
Though deaf be the ear that fashioned heart & mind for Fate to bear
‘Tis the Bearer of Confidence until silence sets it asunder
Walking, Singing of lightening, of thunder
Will sound to the sullen sea or the willing hour
Of conscience’s first breath that was not permitted to linger
And therefore, the echo; its presence confessed
Signing all that it may; still falters,
With nothing; indeed at its best
An Echo; Its presence confessed
As a bloom of Nature,
That Lives in the signature of her tears
Note:
All that blooms need care. Never have I seen a bud blossom with beauty if, not love,
but trust & confidence in its abilities is not promoted. In life, I have but seen people
who trust or doubt others, forgetting to first impose this rule on themselves & their
own abilities & worth. Emphasis on love & forgetting about care is what I believe to be
the flaw. There would be no need for a father & a mother if both provided the same
thing. The night & day share time half-way because otherwise all that lives on this poor
Earth may end up with burns or frozen by the darkness of what surrounds. An Ego will
always find a way to speak, but at times, it must be laid to rest. If morning & night
were the same or that they fought for grandeur, we would not know of a day. In my
life, what I give is not as much love as care & not as much friendship as
trust/confidence. What's the difference? Nothing! It’s the same person, the same voice,
the same words but trust/confidence promotes resonance of every capability &potential
to confess their presence without questioning or doubting their worth. There’s always
someone better & always someone worse; listen to the silent whispers of the
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conscience that lies somewhere, it alone permits every echo to rest. Lightening &
thunder to show of light & sound; one without the other leads to neither being at their
best.
Kalyani Rajalingham
10
* And Ye Shall Win My Heart
Perch’d on wings of claim,
A well nurtured praise, to Beauty, he profess’d
To whom he forfeited his presence, his illustrious gaze
Ah! But She with him was not pleased
For in his worthless mind, does reason reign?
Nay, the pen and the scroll are not his ways
Lo! May life be a dear with this lost wanderer,
For He is charm’d by but Beauty’s trifling air,
While She is condemn’d to hear in his vacant stare
Every Man’s stupidity and their crazed flare
And so Beauty to him said in Her defiant stare:
“My eyes have been graced by many suitors with unmatched Beauty
They have been begged by those with unbounded wealth
And though, many were but refined in the art of kindness
None could command My Love, None could command My Respect
Dear Lost Soul, I am not smitten by what I see
Nor Taken by the sweetness of what I hear!
Challenge my knowledge, Teach my genius and Seduce the mind I have well raised
And Ye shall win My whole heart with dizzy delight! ”
Note:
Everyone I’ve come across think that love is a union of two people, but I think that it’s
a union of two minds that think and challenge each other but still learn from each
other........Beauty like a flower is a bloom that wilts with time, Wealth in a single
moment of bad luck can disappear, Strength is weakness when it was young, Talent is
practice’s sweat...........For me, beauty, wealth, strength and talent are in the
mind................As a child, I spent most of my time with my Daddy and one of the
things he told me was that physical beauty is a gift to those whose hearts aren’t filled
with venomous thoughts. Oddly enough, in my life, I’ve witnessed that to be true.
When you lose the selfishness, you learn to live for those you love dearly, you learn to
weave your life into a web to help land the fall of others.......When slowly your heart
becomes a warm resort for those in need, it’ll show on your face........it’s what others
will perceive as beautiful........At such a crossroad, when you become vulnerable, you
will have Nature by your side which will gift you with the will to withstand anything and
the talent to undertake and complete anything with the uttermost perfection.........
Kalyani Rajalingham
11
* AS FLAMES FASHIONED FROM FIRE
AS FLAMES FASHIONED FROM FIRE
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Unwelcomed into birth,
I still wandered with might,
As flames fashioned from fire
Forms Fate from Fear and Fright.
Good Will, Good Cheer, my Lance, my Spear,
And blind Faith still to mold my tear,
I set forth to find my worth that lies not here,
Unwelcomed into my right,
I know not whence I came,
Nor the smile that cradles my vein,
But I walk forth, for I know my aim is right,
With the sun, the stars and the sky above me
To guide my strength and ambition alike
And my conscience to teach me wrong from right
Unwelcomed into life
To set these wrongs to right
Against what comes my way,
To test the strength of my might,
The taste of blood and what hate conceived
Drives my Will to further my soul to highest of heights
I stand guard of unwelcomed souls,
Who were left to trot on earth like me
Like Silence cloaked by a Wintery night,
My smiles can hide sorrow and grief alike,
‘Tis the scent to the beauty of a flower
Note:
My favorite place in the whole wide world is the garden next to the library where I
spent most of my days as a child. Six year olds tend to do idiotic things on a regular
basis and so did I when I saw a bee hive. All I wanted to see was the larvae, so I
poked the hive. Then, stung, I ran home crying where, after a lecture on the stupidity
of what I’d done, my dad said that those bees guard the hive. The next day, though I
stayed far from the hive, I was stunned by this little creature’s behavior. My little
garden looked different, full of animals that found themselves a purpose to live & there
I found mine: Reach my peak and stand as Guardian of those who have known of but
sorrow, pain and bitter tears; unwelcomed into life much like me. I’ve learned to bear
it all, every bitter tongue, bear every shame or sin that is not mine because I know my
heart, I know how I’ve lived my life & nothing another says can undo the facts I know
to be true. Nature is my mother, she alone bore my every tear & in time, I found my
strength in her. And somehow, in my garden, in its silence & solitude, I found peace of
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mind, I learned to trust Nature’s laws embedded within us as a conscience. From
childhood to womanhood, it’s the only place where I’ve ever felt at home; like a
prescription to a cure. Now, all grown up, I can’t walk past another suffering soul
without lending a hand simply because that was once my own. I’ve grown past it, but I
cannot forget it-it lingers as a sparkle in my eyes. Lesson #1: Pain can be well hidden
beneath a cheer and a smile. Lesson #2: Never ever mess around with bees, ants,
spiders, centipedes, caterpillars (those sting badly too, I speak from experience)
………..
Kalyani Rajalingham
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* AT THE FOOL’S FAIR
AT THE FOOL’S FAIR
A man I found lost in battle
Sowed with weakness, bearded and brittle
How sober, how fallen
How greatly bitter to time’s weapon
Won’t you tell me what rotten sins
Have flushed your life and flatten’d your grins?
“Drench’d in wealth,
I lived the poet’s mute and fancy theme
The king of the forest, Ah! The Wit at a fool’s fair
Pleased with the many garland of flowers that adorn’d my neck
And the false friends that were buried beneath my crest
I was pronounced the dreamer of my fair land
And though glory, shine and wealth are still mine for the keeping
When old age so painfully sought my famished soul
The fools that fed my tramper’d ego
Have sought newer fields for their seeds to sow
Now, Words exquisitely thought and politely penn’d
Cannot pride of my genius, misguided and stranded
But grace the periods of my poetic fall
Into solitude as true foes lurk beneath it all
To cripple my polish’d hands where once these thorns perch’d
As I fell into the spring from whence I forthright sprung
Lost, as my body tamed my mind, As my thoughts enslaved my will
As the one turned against the other, sober and fallen
Bearded and brittle, Indeed I am the lost man
Thus into this world was I born,
Buried safely amidst wholesome thorns
Sowed for solitude to scorn”
Note:
In the modern day and age, many do not care for the old fashioned way or
traditions/norms. However, they are what I value & cherish most; they are what I find
this world has lost. The world may have evolved to live without them, but they are
essential to my life. Many a problem of the modern world is self-imposed; we are the
cause and the reason for our problems and thus must also suffer its consequences.
Traditions and norms were not imposed for no reason, rather, they were enforced
because they can help us avoid running off the curve. We may have much more
freedom in the modern world, but there is no stability. This may be all right for a
while, but on the long run, everyone looks for stability, a sense of security, at which
point it’d be too late. Marriage nowadays comes hand in hand with divorce. In my
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opinion, there’s no point to getting married if you can’t walk with that special someone
till the very end of your days no matter how hard, no matter what happens. In the
process, you may only end up learning to perfect yourself.......Even if you get divorced,
if you couldn’t make the first one work, there’s no reason why the second would work
out...or the third..or the fourth....In the end, what are you left with? ? Nothing but
hatred, fear and resentment towards life and love............People rush into things too
fast these days...............then claim that life isn’t fair........Which I find is ridiculous!
.....It is the mind and the will that should tame the body and its thoughts not the other
way around.........
Kalyani Rajalingham
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* How to Forget
The school of time preaches the art of remembering
But souls I’ve crossed crave the art of forgetting
And though they say time fades memories
‘Tis not an absolute truth
For time reinforces, remembers ever so much more
For that which you own, not time nor fate can rob it
No event can change it, no circumstance deny it
But it is that which fate denied that time remembers most
It is what carves some souls, and sheds blood once again
But that which was taken was not yours from the beginning
It was a momentary possession,
Be it love, sorrow or joy
Time does allow partial healing
Not by forgetting, but by replacing
‘Tis the long neglected secret to forget
Kalyani Rajalingham
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* THE FICKLE, THE HESITANT AND THE UNDECIDED
In this sad old world of mine,
I see beings scared of but solitude and loneliness,
But I reckon that ‘tis their fickle ways
That has swayed in their soul an untrue illusion
Of their eventful past as meaningful evolution
Of love, of lust, of bondage unspoken
And this I claim shall stand true
That solitude can only be swept by the mind standing firm and true
To one’s own possessions, one’s own values And its reasons
Kalyani Rajalingham
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* TITLES, HONORS AND HIGH ESTATES
Life does not remember the honored name
Nor does it judge virtue and shame
All must be forgotten in time someday
Except the pen and the word that quietly stray’d
Ah! Fame, strength, wealth and genius
Form the wings of glory indeed
And though I pursue them like high estates
My worth will not be retained by my titles,
My honors or the weakness in me that conflates
Nay, It is the word I lay as the confessions of my mind
That will not be forgotten or be out of date!
Kalyani Rajalingham
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* A KING’S TALE
“As an infant, my eyes flatter’d the brow
But beyond the cradle, I engag’d in but war
Hardly happy or content shouldering my throne
I was the fool that revell’d at his own flaws
Alas! Tides of pleasure were adorn’d by time
While patterns of grace and courage spill’d their shine
As true foes gathered at large where’er I dwell’d
Flattering my thoughts as my true friends fled
But my power quicken’d without a thought
Then esteem’d the inestimable that shred the ach’d heart
So victory refuted alas all that I tread
Measur’d my plans as they sift’d and fell
I watched my throne awaken’d by my stead
For the valour I bribed and the judgement I lost
Ah! Long were the hours I ventur’d in vain
As truth spur’d though fear remain’d”
Kalyani Rajalingham
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A CHILD’S PATH – Part Two
A CHILD’S PATH – Part Two
By Kalyani Rajalingham
My Fair Child,
Go bid farewell to life’s sweet summer blossoms
For Pillows and bobbins may comfort the ear
And man’s eloquence may be a sweet old dear
But they cannot hold your rusty little hands
Or summon your skill or strength to your command
Shake fear, Let it falter to the ground
Upon a thorny road whilst the nightingale chirps above
And the grasshopper labours hard down below
For, soon shall rise the morn from this prais’d old dawn
To guide your eyes through history’s printed and patterned lawn
Seek counsel so that you may creep over weeping foes
In Silence, Turning weakest of flaws through never be it told, never be it mourn’d
Capture every dormant Skill, every Intellect, Talent in your blood burrows
Awaiting not an Aid, but knowledge that Pamper’d you will not be in growth!
What is a Man behind his unkerchief’d neck and mincing stare?
He but Fears, Dreads and Doubts his Willing Hand! Not much prospect,
Though Pompous his air and Arrogance masks his glare
Darling, How blooms a man’s Esteem?
By Finding the Will that cannot be found,
And Becoming the World’s Wear of Envy
Small your lonely hands,
But Let it not tremble as you take this tremendous Oath,
For you are the Guardian of those Worthy of your care
A Force, Seldom Heard, Sometimes Seen, Ofttimes Felt
Be Pure of Mind My Child, But Be not Dumb,
Be Pure of Heart My Sweat, Be not Outsmart`d by the scum
Be Pure of Body My love, But Be not Lonesome
May Perfection, Purity, Beauty and Skill
All merge within you as one
With my blessings and a kiss for Good Luck
Love,
Kalyani
My Creed:
We are born alone, We walk & stand alone and as such we must learn to pull ourselves
through anything; Don’t expect any help, Don’t expect a hand, Don’t waste your time
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and Don’t ever shed any tears; Look at the highest peak, Fix your eyes on it, Aim and
Walk, No matter how slow it may seem & don’t be sadden by the prospects of a fall;
Ignore the bitter tongues, Put aside any and all of your desires, Shun flashy
possessions, Strengthen your Confidence & Self-Esteem, Sharpen your thoughts,
Deepen your knowledge And Gift yourself with every talent and skill in this world so
that you may never seek another’s hand and stand as the Guardian of those worthy of
your care. In life, if you want anything to last, you have to sweat, cry, fall and carry a
few potent scars. So walk forth like you have no one and don’t look back or wait
around for anyone. Find your throne and Reign; A gift for your sacrifice.
This is my creed and philosophy in life, it may seem wrong to many, crazy to some, but
I stand by it. Learning to handle your life by yourself is the best gift because it gives
rise to this feeling that there is nothing that you can’t handle. Let it come! Perhaps I’ve
learned to enjoy the thrill of the ride? This doesn’t mean that I don’t shed tears, but
instead of wetting my eyes like an imbecile, I discard them in what I do, in my words,
in my work, in my music, my dance, my song, in an innate need to master every skill.
Why? Because living life to the fullest to me means merging my dreams and my reality,
breaking the line that stands between me and that which is supposed to be impossible.
Kalyani Rajalingham
21
A CHILD’S PATH -Part One
A CHILD’S PATH I
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Strive, My Sweet Child, To Stand
Stand, My Tall Child, To Seize Skill And Strength from this Land
Land, My Cautious Child, To Providence does your Safety owe a Hand
Hand, My Mannered Child, To Others a Voice To Speak and Rise
Rise, My Strong Child, Rise To Command
Command, My Leading Child, To Ease Eyes that but Weep
Weep, My Devoted Child, To Never Let your Memories Sleep
Sleep, My Beautiful Child, To Show your Worthy Smile
Ah! Smile, My Fair Child, For this World is Now in your Hand
‘Tis an open land My Fair Child, tell me not that ye cannot enter!
‘Twill be a harsh path My Poor Child, Tell me not that ye will surrender!
Walk it My Confident Child, May you be Praised for Ages to Come!
‘Tis your Earn’d Victory!
For, ‘Twill Stand through Time in Recorded History!
Note:
Think of a baby; Standing on its own two feet is a challenge, it struggles, falls but once
it finds the courage to stand upright, its eyes can see so much more. The baby that
stands is the one who will be able to see the width and depth of his land And the child
that perceives this depth will be the one to seek, find and master both skill and
strength, one by one. But a child is hardly ever cautious, if he jumps without knowing
the depth of a mountain, who knows if he will land on his feet or fall into quicksand? ?
In such times, let him hold fate’s hand and let her guide him. To her now does he owe
a debt. And though, this child may grow, cultivate his skills and master his mind, can
he also not teach, as he was once taught? Is it not our duty to lend others a hand?
Give a voice to those who cannot speak and let them rise to stand by our side. Then,
rise; Let this child rise without fear to command its world because so many seem to be
blind. It’s not enough to open his eyes. If needed, he must guide the blind. Ah! But
power is seductive and he must remember that it is his job to wipe away the tears of
all those poor souls and not steal from their hand! He must acknowledge to himself
that position and authority comes with a hard sense of responsibility. Indeed, what a
harsh journey his life must have been. And when tears unwillingly wet his eyes, let him
weep, weep and weep, but under no circumstance should he forget his past! It is the
source of all his strength, force, courage and knowledge to withstand anything life
presents to him, much like the lava that adds to the size of a volcano. Then only may
he sleep, perhaps the only time when you’ll see his true smile on his face as he dreams
of his sweet cherished memories. And one day, his task will be over, let him smile, for
now this world has come to depend on him. He no longer needs power, authority,
beauty or youth to be called worthy. The average man lives, loves, learns a little and
dies, the tale of all, but the child that seals his name on printed paper for history to
love, cherish and remember, is indeed one in million to have been born, breathed and
lived!
Kalyani Rajalingham
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A DROP OF BLOOD
A DROP OF BLOOD
By Kalyani Rajalingham
When blood stings,
The pain is a thousand fold
For the kindness you give a stranger,
I doubt you would give your own
Man and Beast differ by a conscience,
But never have I been wounded by an animal before
While some weigh their worth in gold,
Never knowing that Time does not lie cold
The blood in a body lies as trust within the soul
And what the heart may, the mind will not behold
For, Kindness of heart does not imply stupidity as a whole
Nor lets sleep forever the very generous foe
Suppositions led me to believe in the warmth of blood
But observation & fact proved me quite wrong
If each blood cell in a single body tried to kill each other
Then, blood in your veins would not flow
Life that’s come to be, you would not know
Note:
Ok, I seriously should not touch my pen when I’m angry but this is becoming a pathetic
problem in our modern world.
In life; this is what I’ve observed: It all seems to be a war, a competition between
families, between races; between cultures….Who’s the best? Who can dominate all
others? Forgetting that at our worst, we all are capable of immense evil – after all,
that’s our default behavior!
Self-control it is much harder & normally, it’s the role of the society & its culture. But
as one plants protective fences, another always seems to remove it, thinking that kind
people cannot be a worthy or generous foe if need be. Throughout this planet’s history,
no one kingdom has been known to forever rule or dominate, nor can one individual
survive by beating all others to a pulp. Our body functions and depends on so many
systems, now if the brain told the arms and feet that it’s no use & threw them away,
then this brain would be stuck in one spot. If then it told blood that they are not of its
caliber, the brain with its wonderful reign & worth would die instantly; its Nature’s way.
It’s the difference, the diversity & functionality that helps build a better system, the
more, the better. If we begin with the courtesy that we give a total stranger, then
maybe one day, we can learn to tolerate each other.
When I see a person, young or old, what I see is someone’s child, as someone’s
parent, as someone’s lover, as someone’s enemy and therefore give them kindness
first simply because they mean something to someone. This doesn’t imply that I can’t
hurt them; of course I can, but how long before someone else hurts me?
23
Kalyani Rajalingham
24
A FOOL AMIDST THE LIVING LOT
The Fools:
Ah! They feast and they sing the serpent’s song
And mend blessings into tortures for one and all
For their heart is brave but their mind is weak
That bends like the grass at another’s mild critique
The Others:
The Grandest mass of the living lot
They presume their grandeur without much doubt or thought
They begin the madness; they are where it shall all cease
When in time comes the deadly death of peace
Kalyani Rajalingham
25
A FRIEND
Life can take you on wild roads
Close your eyes, and begin anew
Fate can challenge high and low tides alike
Calm your heart and let your soul guide you
Destiny can lose its grip
Hold my hands, my destiny will hold on to you
Is that not what friends do?
Kalyani Rajalingham
26
A Question of Time
A Question of Time
Through the golden moments of the stream
Was made a small refuge from the drizzle
That cast forth a beam of eternal remains
Whereupon lingers my present, past, future
In fortitude and alliance into singleness
Kalyani Rajalingham
27
A WORD
Guard what you may
If it be thine, save all that you may
And should rules apply, To which man owes his word
Defeat the less sublime, it is after all but mere play!
Kalyani Rajalingham
28
AFAR
Afar, on the lands of which they speak
Blood was spilled, revenge was sought
As each man quenched his thirst
For the loss he suffered in a moment of partial deceit
Every man, a raging fire, one against but each other
And I, the Tale Watcher, laugh at these creatures
That blind each other for their land, their sea and its fortunes!
Kalyani Rajalingham
29
Affair of the past
Beneath the shades of a fallen tree
Under faded gravel and fain leaves
Was inadvertently set a seed,
Slowly setting upon its land, slowly luring sound and sand
Grew stems and leaves, tiny but grand
Plucked by brave hearts and much poisoned flowers,
Its body trembled to the spell of chanting breeze
And wept to the weight of the drizzle and hail
But, scorned sight of its ancestors laid slain
Upon this land, their home and grave
Kissed kindled courage anew
And through deluges and drains
To the sky’s weeping and veins
Grew and grew, mighty and strong
To stand once more, the pride of its land
Till he caught the hungry blade’s frosted teeth upon his chest
And fell at once to the ground where his ancestors rest
Kalyani Rajalingham
30
AGONY AND JOY
Joy and Agony gossiping over a cup of tea:
Joy with proud demeanor claimed
“I am a title, I am a feast
And I shall never perish as I wrestle feeble beasts
I am uplifted and crowned anew
When cheerless souls claim my hue
The wiser man showed me the way
The sadder man sought me night and day
And all have fallen under my touch
Like a bee at the nectar’s sweet forbidden touch”
Agony with sin and shame spoke of his existence’s fame:
“I am the ally, I am the beacon
I serve, I warn, I guide the rich and the forsaken
And Like the balance that tilts its burdened head
I am found where reason has painfully sinned
True, I while my time not in the sun but the shade
But why, without me, there would be no need for thee”
Kalyani Rajalingham
31
AN INTENSE DISLIKE
That in this world I most abhor:
Stupidity, like a bladeless knife
Is a convenient tool for a trenchant tongue
Hypocrisy, Is the unwearied finger’s
Omission of its own touch of the vile ground
Innocence, a mark of weakness
Is the fountain that feeds the infinite wrongs
Envy, a bitter cry
For the worm of pride to return
Religion, a fight against the shadows
Is the blind man’s perception of a distorted truth
Bigot, blind and deaf
Is devoid of a cure
These in this world I most abhor
For they are worse than evil, weakness or rancour
Kalyani Rajalingham
32
AND SO THE STORY GOES.....
Strong if I rise above changeless laws
To abate power as everyone knows
And when falling tears I see
I reckon sinews grew the best to be
And so the story goes,
The blush of folly blooms with gold
Kalyani Rajalingham
33
As Truth met with a lance
As Truth met with a lance
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Ignorance crowned Falsehood’s frown
As Truth met with a Lance
For, the Judge’s gown went tumbling down
Sealing Falsehood as Truth’s holy meltdown
NOTE:
Take everything with a pinch of salt. Rumours are quite easily spread by bitter tongues
but the blame is upon the ignorant mass who takes it as but the one and holy truth.
Ignorance crowns all that false and helps slash truth to the ground. Questioning a fact,
whether right or wrong, before placing a blame can counter ignorance’s blindness.
Why? Because it’s easy to talk of another or spread a rumour but everything that goes
around comes around and he who talks will be talked of one day.
Kalyani Rajalingham
34
Best laid plans
Best laid plans
Against the winds of fate
The master set his sails
But a playful soul is he, young hazard
That duped astray bold gusts and gales
And set the sails to fate’s particular ways
Kalyani Rajalingham
35
BLESSURE
D’une telle force dirigée, cette foule se fait mener
Vous les applaudissez, vous les rebâtissez
Et ils se croient devant la porte d’un triomphe assuré
Pour s’étirer sous mes yeux comme des bêtes écornées
Mais ce n’est point le courage
De se faire moquer, de se faire blesser
De pleurer ses peines avec une lune lasse chaque soirée
En dépit des obstacles, ils ont la force de la volonté
Ce fut sans doute leur seule force d’autorité
Ces êtres sans doute se croient futés
Mais Ils n’ont que la peine à partager
Kalyani Rajalingham
36
BURNT
They claimed to guard peace with riot
To bury murder within a thousand cuts
And so they seized the defective hour
And poured it onto the bearer of blames
As the cause of all troubles and woes
And stood aside to watch the burnt flames
As another’s folly and shame
Kalyani Rajalingham
37
Cause of Fate
A dropp of water spun from its cause
Spilled into the ocean bewildered of its loss
“Won’t you tell me what the angels sing?
To forget sorrows and follies against the summer wind
Through October’s fall, and winter’s squall
Onto the sunken cause of my faith’s swale
For, that which I draggle, I know naught
And that which I serve, I can hardly pursue
No more do I live, do I breathe wail
Cause is my fate, my destiny’s avail
I waltz through riven seasons, mingle softly to and fro
I thunder down brumal days
Onto the merry months of May, dreary days of frost and frore
Through spring’s squall and summer’s drawl
Never against nature’s boulevard”
Kalyani Rajalingham
38
CHANGE
Une pépite d’or, Un fil de soie
Rien plus n’arrive à changer qui que ce soit
On peut essayer, On peut se dire que l’on à changé
Mais, ce n’est jamais le cas
Un battement de cil et je te vois
Tu ne peux cacher qui tu es au delà
C’est un pouvoir étrange que je possède
Car au fond de ton rire, je puis voir
Ton coeur, ton âme, et tout ce que tu as été
Tous ces personnages, tous ces paroles, ces langages,
N’arrive à peine à cacher ta voix
Une pépite d’or, un fil de soie,
Ne peut changer ce que je vois
Tu peux le vouloir, Tu peux te cacher dans chaque couloir
Mais, Je puis te voir au fond de ton regard
Kalyani Rajalingham
39
Chez moi
Vers le nord, vers l’est
Les temps sont éternels
Chez moi, je suis chez moi
Qu’importe la langue, qu’importe l’endroit
Les neiges qui m’offrent leurs images
Les pluies qui pleurent plus fort que moi
Chez moi, je l’aime sans fin
Peu importe où je vais
Le soleil me caresse mon coeur
Le feu de mon soleil,
Danse avec les danses des vents
Et me rappelle toutes ces veilles
Passés sous la couche d’étoile scintillante
Qu’importe la place, Qu’importe l’endroit
Je suis toujours chez moi
Là, dans mon coeur, Là, dans ma souvenance
Kalyani Rajalingham
40
COURAGE
Tomber, tu le peux sans peine
Vieillir, tu le peux sans crainte
Car c’est la fierté dans tes veines qui m’enchante
C’est ce regard innocent qui me plait tant
Je ne sais pourquoi,
Ce besoin en moi
De vouloir te protéger à tout prix
De me mettre entre ta peine et ta vie
Pour te soigner, pour contrer ces petites blessures
Pour le Coeur d’un muet, pour donner des ailes à ton chagrin
Je me donne ce courage que je n’avais jamais
NOTE:
There is nothing you wouldn't do for your mother!
Kalyani Rajalingham
41
EROS
Gods hath beset upon him gifts
Sought by men time after time
A strange essence, a divine content
A perfect structure beyond an artist’s reach
He stealeth stars from the sky,
Cheateth the finger of time,
And weaveth his love merrily
In the cobwebs of tears and joys
He speaketh a wordless language
But the arrow shot always turns around
Slain was he through heart and spirit
From his cause, his own game at the heart of dawn
Kalyani Rajalingham
42
Eternal Succession
Now, when the colours are blinding
The breeze bends around the hedges
Beneath the midsummer morning’s grace,
And plays with the fleecy clouds
Whose eager eye meets his gowned pride
To the rhythm of the thunder’s loud beats
And sets the deeply conscious drizzle free
To the ever graceful need of the soil
Kalyani Rajalingham
43
EYE OF A NEEDLE
EYE OF A NEEDLE
The eye of the needle boweth before the thread
For the colours she carries weaveth virtue’s wealth
That bloometh in the stealth stone garden’s wraith
That prophets prate seeing the rich man’s writhe
Amidst golden shrines and diamond sceptres
But diamonds weave neither pride nor fate
Bends not the thread that threads needles amain
Captureth not the eye of the needle
That bowed before the endless beauty of the thread
Time and again, through fortune’s dear descent
Kalyani Rajalingham
44
EYE OF A NEEDLE II
EYE OF A NEEDLE II
The thread which binds virtue
Masters in quietude its own fortune
Wheresoever your feet takes you,
March with pride, dignity and a heart of candour
For plethoric wealth is but in the mind that begets fire
Challenges oceans above, and still rises
To the promise of the shores
Through triumphs where few men heed
Kalyani Rajalingham
45
FATAL IMPRESS
‘Tis a natural beauteous impulse
But a fatal impress
Noble heart, nobler man
He is my love, He is my man
At His riches and fortune, I laugh and scorn
For No wealth is grander than that of health and hand
At His abundant possessions, I gaze and toss aside
For No possession is worthier than that of love and learning
At His beauty supreme, I marvel and praise
For No beauty is more supreme than that of virtues, valour and reason
At His naked charm, I surrender and stand charmed
For No charm can surpass humble chivalrous ways
At His Arrogance and Pride, I bow but I do not yield
For No arrogance nor pride can diminish that which is mine
‘Tis a natural beauteous impulse
But a simple fatal impress
Inspiration:
Nothing is ever so beautiful as those traits that are hidden well beneath ourselves. A
noble and loving heart, virtues, valour, reason, and pride are those traits that are (in
my opinion) beautiful of them all.
Kalyani Rajalingham
46
FIE!
Fie! My heart doth not shatter!
‘Tis the blood that maketh the bond
Chain’d by an unforeseen incarnadine bane
Thou shalt not be abstained
Lest thou seeketh the road of sorrow
Hast thou betray’d thy inner self?
For thou hast cast aside blood’s legacy
Yet bond there is, for life prevails
Fie! My heart doth not shatter!
Kalyani Rajalingham
47
FLATERRY FOLLY VANITY
‘Twould thicken the bubble of fame
‘Twould thwart endeavour and aim
And though nay life its touch impedes
‘Tis both a blessing and a curse indeed!
Kalyani Rajalingham
48
Foe, My Friend
Foe, My Friend
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Foe, My friend of hatred’s whims,
Many a thanks I owe but to thou,
‘Tis the violent bricks that you grudgingly threw,
That hath built my life anew,
For each rock that crumbles my life,
Hath become a stepping stone to thole thistles,
To stand grand amidst my trifles,
If thou wert pure and upright,
Why, my life may have been still waters,
Without the almighty tides to show me of greater acmes
Kalyani Rajalingham
49
Foi
Les vents cernent, la neige houle
Les eaux sont violentes, les maux se ressemblent
Quand la foi dissolue dans la froideur
Reste plus que nos paroles
Plus que nos passés, plus que nos propos
La foi qui se bascule d’ici là
Le temps qui se conte
S’enfuit, prends son élan
Il déboule, s’enroule sans ban
Il soulève, soumets
Mes ruses à son rire raillant
Mais la foi qui coule, qui se soûle
Se cache avec le temps et s’égare
Et la vie se défend, prends son élan
Kalyani Rajalingham
50
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
I have sought far and wide for a refuge
With sight so keen, flight so strong
Left, deception shot its arrows
Right, innocence fell to earth gashed
Past became but a lost memory
I walked, I knew not where
For my relief, holding destiny’s hands
Through the world’s bemused labyrinth
Kalyani Rajalingham
51
Grave of the Dead
Grave of the Dead
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Like a rose in the mire, bereft of courage to spare,
Let men bemoan their inhumanly ways,
Let them be victims of their proper malice,
For gold has the power to crush mighty pillars,
And in the hands of greed’s bloody ways,
Lets grass grow over graves of follies past,
To entomb the privilege of unyielding remorse,
Why, the world’s a beautiful persecution,
None may defy its moated dominion,
But the raging fire always sheds a dropp of water,
To let the pillars built by sin,
Fall by virtue amongst deepest furrow.
Kalyani Rajalingham
52
Hassled Controversy
Hassled Controversy
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Delicate Jasmine, with her tender smile,
Watched the splendid rose with much disparity,
Marked by shame from those of her kind,
Turned her sight from imperative eyes,
The chrysanthemum, grandest of them all,
Smiled at her whine and quoth all in all
“Why you could never match the beauty of the rose! ”
Nosy sunflower, defied her lover’s shine,
To respond to the execrating cry
“None denies the beauty of the rose,
for she is a pleasant sight to eyes of all,
But tell me not that gold coated suitors
Do not sigh for a glance at my delicate friend,
For her sweet perfume tends even the wildest of hearts,
Grandeur dwells in hearts of concording beats,
For they are alone to perceive each other’s worth,
Do not whip away the beauty of sun to the sand,
For one is treasured above, the other below.”
As the vanquished and the subdued
Turned cold to each other’s regard,
Both doggedly holding to their purpose, their belief,
Pervaded Jasmine, with saturnine beauty,
Suffused with her surrounding and admired the rose.
Kalyani Rajalingham
53
Le Coeur à ses Droits
Un soir, un matin,
Il se faufila doucement
Parmi les douceurs de mon coeur
Alla chercher mon âme et l’emporta
Loin, loin de moi
Au sein de son coeur, au-delà
Et il m’entour comme le vent qui cerne sa proie
Son amour, son amitié me caresse déjà
Près, si près de moi,
La vie s’en va déjà, il est toujours loin de moi,
Mais, J’irais quérir dans ce monde
Tout ce qui est à moi seule
Mais, mon âme, je le laisse au près de toi,
Là où je saurais qu’il vivra
Il est ma vie, il est ma joie
Kalyani Rajalingham
54
Life's Shadows
Sad man, Sad man, quoth what you may,
Of life’s raptures that has left you in dismay,
“My young pupil, my eyes weep from sorrow,
My fainting heart scatters at the mirthless world,
You know not of unwelcomed lives,
Begotten by the burdens of poverty,
Whelmed by burdens of possessions,
And starved by galls of smitten tears,
I, my dear, have witnessed misery,
Clutched the aching heart and embraced agony,
Should I be miserable if not for more? ”
Said the child to its master
“Words have weight, actions need control,
For if you welcome but perfection,
Deep set wounds will be but a blunder,
For none is sheltered from harm’s baleful touch,
Strength dwells not where weakness has not sojourned,
Happiness is inconspicuous to eyes gloom never caressed,
Life’s a weary thing; it always comes in pairs,
For each hidden frown, there is a grateful smile,
And sweet sympathy which crowns them all,
My master, jumbled strife,
Is but the builder of character,
Untried strength then beholds men,
Beholding space, forgetting known fears,
Each soul embraces struggle and weary strife,
Kisses slipping joy and escalating woes,
Like the touch of the thorn to embrace the rose,
Smile at your fate and let it come,
Pardon sullen sorrow and unearth the beauty of life,
For a path your feet have never trod,
Can never gape at the everlasting beauty of the frost.”
Kalyani Rajalingham
55
Love, Love of mine
Love, Love of mine
Love, Love of mine
That hath fain mine eyes
That hath vowed my loyalty
That hath touched mine dreams
That hath spawned my wings
To heights eyes doth not touch
Love, Love of mine
‘Twas destiny’s rhythms
That spun the wheel
To petal by petal shape the rose
One true Love for my whole heart
I wake to a lovely promise
Kalyani Rajalingham
56
MA PETITE SOEUR À MOI
Chaque matin, chaque soir
Ta vie te saisira
Il te surprendra
Je ne sais s’il t’accompagnera
Je ne sais s’il t’aidera
Mais chaque blessure, chaque injure
Ne valent moins que rien
C’est ton destin qui t’écoutera
Qui te guidera vers ce future,
Vers ce monde destiné pour toi
Alors, Peu importe où tu la mèneras
Peu importe où tu iras, Par ailleurs ou par ici,
Au milieu de tes rêves, au large de tes mots
Une soeur à toi te soutiendra
Aujourd’hui et demain
Vers ce future proche et lointain
Qui t’appelle et qui t’appellera
Kalyani Rajalingham
57
Mad
MAD
By Kalyani Rajalingham
World unfair, rejoicing at brawl’s sight,
‘Tis you I moan with bloody tears,
‘Tis you I dare question, ‘Tis you I query,
Why rob hope to imprison some to worldly hell?
Why drown some with overwhelming sufferings?
Why blooms the rose, for the mire to bespatter her life away?
Why crucify the innocent for blood spilled by malice’s progeny?
Why shatter a tender heart to warmly melt another?
Oh unfair world, ‘Tis not me that’s mad!
Kalyani Rajalingham
58
MIDAS’ MOURN
Lust for famed glory of gold
Tossed lofty hubris for forlorn dole
Soul after soul, starves and beggars
Hither and thither for tragedy’s own mourn
Kalyani Rajalingham
59
My Dower
My Dower
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Is it this sad world or my eyes?
That betrays the weakness of burden’s weight,
For he who bears great sorrow with resignation,
Who welcomes notions of death, poverty, and mighty misfortune,
Finds hidden in his repining breast,
The deepest sorrows and strife,
He is no happier than you, my friend,
He bows to destiny and challenges life,
Like the mother who bears her child,
He is strength in the rapture life,
He carries all burdens,
Who dares dispute my dower?
Kalyani Rajalingham
60
My Suitor’s Words
My Suitor’s Words
By Kalyani Rajalingham
A young man to his fair maiden:
“May this rose that I lay upon your chest,
Remind you of my undying love, tender and true,
May its perfume tend to your heart,
In days of lonesome company’s bitter dins,
May this ring that I burden upon your finger,
Remind you of my weighted heart you clutch within,
May its burden be the only strife you greet,
Let my arms wither away melted sorrow,
Let our life flow against the ripples of the river,
To the valley of hearts, of memories past,
For your glance alone melts my frosted heart.”
Kalyani Rajalingham
61
NEVER WE SURRENDER
It may be that mountains may not be uprooted
It may be that the dew of sleep may not breathe with the dusky rain
But here we are, giving all that we’ve got
Shining bright, standing up for all that is right
We will go, we will know how to slay all of our spite
We will chance, we will lance through what we learn
But here we live, through black and white
Seeking might, stroking all through the dawns of light
Here we stand, still a promise that survives
Kalyani Rajalingham
62
NOTIONS
The heights I seek may fail me
The sights I seek may blind me
The words I speak may hail me
But fear and faith holds my being
As the eternal memory that lives in me
Kalyani Rajalingham
63
Old sins have long shadows
Old sins have long shadows
Old sins have many a morrow
For beds of tulips and bones burrow
And though they blossom in the spring,
In winter, they are but a shadow
For they veil the eyes that saddles no sorrow
And blind peace and hope like they blind land and wallow
But shadows are long, they penetrate above like below
Onto the worlds of the past and morrow
Kalyani Rajalingham
64
Ouvre les Yeux
Ouvre les yeux
Un sombre pouvoir te cerne
Une illusion t’abat
La haine t’alimente
Le désir t’emprisonne
L’homme est trop amoureux
Des billets, de ses possessions
C’est un savoir caché, perdu dans l’envie, dans l’envol
Et les ombres du système que l’on voit
Ouvre les yeux
Sache que ton rivale n’est pas forcément discernable
Ton combat se dissimule dedans comme au delà
Il se cache en toi
Prisonnier de ce monde par soi
Tu perds tes principes pour les luxes
Mais, Dit-moi, qui s’appauvrit?
Ouvre les yeux
On se fabrique la confusion,
On se donne des doutes à la raison
On se dit que l’on n’est pas responsable
Et Je connais à peine ta vie
Mais je puis te dire cela
C’est ainsi qu’effleure la vie
C’est ainsi que la plupart la vivra
Tu dois t’en sortir
Alors ouvre les yeux mon ami
C’est ainsi que tu verras
Ouvre les yeux……
Ouvre les yeux……
Kalyani Rajalingham
65
Peu à peu
Y’a pas d’endroit où déposer mes douleurs
Y’a pas d’endroit où cacher mes craintes
Malgré les temps celés, malgré les pensés
Quelque part, au creux de mon monde,
Il existe un passage qui fait couler le temps
Et dans mes rêves, je vole le long de mon souffle
Sur mes lèvres, je chante mes prières
Et le temps se précipite malgré
Malgré mon souffle, malgré mes supplices
Et me laisse à mon monde
Kalyani Rajalingham
66
Pour mon amour
Pour mon amour
Un amour, une étincelle
Mon pauvre coeur brule
Fallait pas m’aimer, Fallait pas tant me donner
La vie m’a toujours laissé épuiser
Contre chaque combat, contre tant de foi
Mais je m’avère vaincu car je retiens
Dans les profondeurs de mon âme
Je détiens tous les maux de mon âme
Les joies qui m’amarrent à mon monde
Et tout ce qui me lie encore à toi
(french is my first language, so i am also publishing some of my poems written in
french....)
Kalyani Rajalingham
67
Pour mon meilleur ami
Entre la douleur et la douceur
Tu t’y trouveras
Le destin n’est jamais juste
Il donne la vie, mais il l’abat sans voix
Mais la mort qui s’est emparée de toi
N’a pas pu toucher à ce qui m’est de droit
Je retiens notre amitié
Et je m’efforce à vivre sans toi
Plus d’épaules pour pleurer mes peines
Plus de mots qui me font rire de joie
Je verse mes larmes, Je cache mes chagrins
Et j’apprends à vivre sans toi
Entre mes joies et mes peines,
Tu t’y trouveras
Kalyani Rajalingham
68
Quelque part
Quelque part entre la vie et la mort
On se dit qu’on respire la vie
On le poursuit, on s’enfuit
Ce n’est qu’un reflet
Mais on le vit quand même
Quelque part entre la crainte et la peur
On se cache de soi-même
On le touche, on se juche
Ce n’est qu’une illusion
Mais on le sens quand même
Quelque part dans les secrets de nos coeurs
Se trouve la vie déjà
La fouille que l’on redoute
Nous montre parfois nos esprits
Mais on l’enferme quand même
C’est ainsi que se déroule la vie
Kalyani Rajalingham
69
REFLECTION
City of dreams, Road of memories
Wave upon wave, ripples of stars
Reflects upon my heart’s mirror
‘Tis the memoir of my mind’s eye
That thunders the season of love
Kalyani Rajalingham
70
REVENGE
Ah! Revenge
Sweetest of all is but vengeance
What fool hath claimed it unworthy?
Would it be unfair to take?
As has been taken
For it may not heal a broken wing
But does it not calm the soul
And beset fear upon the once treacherous seeds
That shunned thy growth?
Kalyani Rajalingham
71
Seduction
Seduction
Whither goeth he, the fragrance that drives the breeze?
He cometh thither to embrace the wind that surpasses
He cometh to seduce the radiant beauty of the moon
To comfort in his arms those clouds that abide by her
To soak the silence that wafts through time
To color mine earth’s soil to his heart’s shade
Thou traitor, thou hast seduced mine soul
Captureth he the sparkle in mine eyes
Whence the rose shedeth her thorns
Smiling at the soars on fate’s wings
With all his might that swatheth mine life
That sheatheth, preserveth mine force
In the only comfort of his arms
Kalyani Rajalingham
72
Sounds of Shadows Past
Tell Untruths, Perjure Yourself
Walk miles in gardens, though you walk in frost and hail
Utter tales of falsehood and lie down rearing rails
That may lead to roads undue or prevail
But…..be caught and bewail
Kalyani Rajalingham
73
SPIDER’S WEB
Symphony of fears
Lest they be forgotten
Is the banquet of thy mind
To behold thy wounds
Weaved amain by injuries past
Not time, not power, not a borrow’d life
Can undo thy scars sewn to the spirit
‘Tis the token of battles fought
That echoes thy life in permanent resonance
‘Tis the seed of eternal force
Kalyani Rajalingham
74
Suffit d’avoir envie fort
Des trésors, y’en a partout
Suffit de savoir où fouiller
Suffit d’avoir du courage pour défier
Défier le destin qui t’empoche
Contrer les combats qui t’abattent
Et forcer vers ce qui se trouve devant toi
Si l’envie s’y trouve,
Y’a pas de quoi avoir peur
Si la peur s’y trouve caché
Suffit d’emprunter le courage de ton droit
Il t’y amènera où tu souhaiteras
Suffit d’avoir envie fort
Et la vie s’en occupera
Kalyani Rajalingham
75
SWIFT
SWIFT
Darling, breathe the golden grains that fly
Grasp the wind that spills it through
Seek the hand that pours
Under the stars that light the voiceless ocean
Love, glide through the woods
Unearth the leaf that soars through
Find the dropp that tinkles in it own light
Under the rain that dazzles the land,
Fear not Sweetheart, I have not abandoned you
I have pursued my poised destiny
To retrieve my stars, my own essence
Under the earth that swathes the vast sky
Beyond and onwards,
Life is a search, of the heart, of the mind
A course on the tracks under my moon
Follow the cloud’s silver lining to find my heart
Under the shield of love
Kalyani Rajalingham
76
Take My Breath Away
I have sought hungrily with heart and mind,
For beauty divine that eyes never touched,
Like a blind man devoid of dupes of illusion,
Whose sweet visions meet his heart’s expectancy,
I have starved for beauty – absolute and supreme,
This tellurian world soils a hundred hues,
To spirits that look serenely, closely,
Abreast, afar, I have sought the sun kissed dawns,
Sparred with the foolish moon marred with passion,
Dashed down the river, torn by its spelled excitement,
Embraced the rose, drunken on its own nectar,
Plighted the blossoms, robbed of their life’s brief span,
Breezed the wind, wild and free, sounding loudly against the sky,
Yearned for the morn, with her wonder for color and form,
Duelled with the seasons, rude and delicate, refined in their art,
And stroke the sunset, who knew of her cadential beauty,
Dispelled by beauteous visions of truth,
My eyes then beheld unbridled love
Of a mother mingled with dulcet joy and pride,
For her child, Cupid’s delightful gift for her passionate love,
My heart’s soil halted, drowned in its own spring.
Kalyani Rajalingham
77
TALES FROM THE CRYPT
TALES FROM THE CRYPT
Once upon a weary night
Whence old moon pondered
Burning away her silver light
In days of yore she hath decorated
Perched amongst the wandering craven
Weaved tales of tales begotten
“Look on thy lands so tender
They speaketh unto minds moved
Of streaming springs and bitter kings
That hath paved the path of yore
To man his own vengeance and pride
That bloometh redder still than the white pitcher
And though they fought and bled
Through time’s endless days and dusky nights
They learn not, they rise not to the cry of sullen earth
My worn eyes need not recollect time’s age
For time and again, through ages and years,
Man’s ludicrous tale simpers, fleers and recommences
Prances beloved earth through heaven and hell”
Kalyani Rajalingham
78
TALK NOT
Boast not of virtues till you’re amidst temptations
Till you’ve slaughtered vices and fought gravely with your soul
Talk not of pride till you’ve met those dignified souls
Till you’ve faced foes like friends who have hoofs and horns
Talk not of strength till your heart has been carved
With moments of misery by knives of valour
Speak not of love until sacrifice has been known
Till understanding and passion have both been captured and merged as one
Adorn not in riches till those are ardently yours to stay
For, heights are easy to reach,
But hard are they to preserve, to sustain or stay
And he who holds these lasting treasures to his chest
Is the world’s greatest need
And the greatest gift
Kalyani Rajalingham
79
Tell Me of Love, Tell Me of Life
Tell Me of Love, Tell Me of Life
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Is love but a mere passion
Aroused by sight, subdued by time,
Tied by law, tried by time,
To become rags and tatters that haunts the heart?
Is love but a mere friend
Hidden within trust, unveiled by solidarity,
Tied by knots, tried by age
To become a deep memory that relieves the heart?
Is love but a mere foe
Whispering of torment, silenced by teases,
Tied by hatred, tried by itself,
To become a cached wound that scars the heart?
Is love but a mere bond
Spoken in silence, Appeased by union,
Tied by force, tried by life,
To become a blessed burden to a withered heart?
Dearest, won’t you tell me of love?
Kalyani Rajalingham
80
The Billow
The billow
By Kalyani Rajalingham
Day of discord, Day of misfortune,
Dismembered by strife’s assertion,
Submerged deep within the hollow amidst the billows,
Handicapped by daily mistakes, missteps and blunders,
And sweet coated through efforts of men of terrible temper,
Man and maid realize the theme of discord,
Some dwell upon the present system,
Curse with bleeding hearts the thriving evil,
And like a blessing or a curse,
Each stumbles upon the furrows of their path.
The wise man fills the ruts of his road,
With sticks and stones and puts a sign to warn,
The cynic dares not walk such burrowed roads,
Until it is mended just right by other’s sweat and dust,
The idealist of visionary’s blind ignorance,
Walks into unforeseen whirlpools upon all paths,
With strong belief of their serene depths,
And amidst it all, there exists a few lot
Who struggle to surmount billow after billow,
Who refuse to harp upon the thousand evils.
Sweet friend, some battles cannot be conquered alone,
And the very time of life is not the time to frown,
Break from the occupations of vice and sin,
Swim into the untroubled waters of vitality,
Rejoicing the errors surmounted,
Dear friend, Wait for it, work for it,
One day, truth and wisdom will merge with Father Time,
To crown efforts rightly with mighty shine.
Kalyani Rajalingham
81
THE OLD LADY
‘Tis the scar that ate my flesh
That now rests upon my soul’s creel
And the wrinkles that I once shunned
Shuns my sight, but pardons the child I once was
And though the body rests, the mind speeds
To those days of lively past that spun my tale
And the scar that ate my flesh
Kalyani Rajalingham
82
THE YOUNG AND THE AGED
Laced serenely upon his bed
He utters not the slightest tale
Hushed beneath the warmth,
He quibbles and smiles, proudly displays his wrinkles
To the whispers of the silent mad
“There he lays, the aged old man
There he lays, the foolish mad man
What a pity, what a shame
How boorish his life must have been
Wilted and worn, Of no use anymore”
The poor old man, The foolish mad man
Cannot speak, cannot argue this untruth
And so he takes the battle to his head
To whisper in his glare the answer of his mind
“Wrinkled and old, I am, ‘Tis true,
But no fool am I
Days I have seen come and go
Life, I have lived to and fro
And time has imprisoned me, no doubt
I shan’t deny, and though I speak not young fool,
My mind still laughs at you
For, Days will wilt the nights away
And the lights will shatter your days
To specs and blooms of silver mains
But, young one
Will your mind reason as mine?
For I, dear, think, reason, and understand
The fool that you claim I am
My fall was landed in these drapes
But there will come a day when these drapes will be joyfully yours
When my place will be taken by none other than you
Laugh at me now, I wonder who will laugh at you? ”
Kalyani Rajalingham
83
TO STRIVE, TO SEEK, TO FIND
TO STRIVE, TO SEEK, TO FIND
Days grow old, time loses trace
Swindling, stealing breaths and beliefs
And though much is taken, much is lost
In the clutch of chary circumstance
The path is narrow where wild winds blow
Through caverns of sorrow and valleys of fear
Whither we wander from nowhere to nowhere
In obscurity we march a path of self
To strive, to seek, and to find
Kalyani Rajalingham
84
TOUT EN FEU, TOUTE EN FLAMME
Tout en feu, toute en flamme
J’ai oublié le froid, les temps vécus d’autrefois
Ces minois remplis de rêves arrondis
Ces ailes en argile, inutile, peu futile
Tout en feu, toute en flamme
Ce n’est qu’un jeu d’enfant
À travers ces blessures qui content tout peu à peu
Qui se rappelle guère la fumée des chemins
Ah, quelle brume tragique!
La jeunesse s’envole en flamme!
Kalyani Rajalingham
85
TWO WOMEN
I once knew two women
One endowed with beauty supreme
One engrossed in kindness and virtues sublime
The one was applauded for her flaws
The other never dismissed a being for her cause
One always sped through crooked ways
One prayed to the Lord, night and days
The one was blessed with many a suitor
The other was cursed for her virtuous manner
One thought a child an impediment for her life’s cause
One longed for a child in absolute silence with remorse
The one pursued her throne, where she sits alone
The other took in her arms another’s child and held it close, night and morn
Now, both these women were born and lived,
Both these women, I have known and loved
But one grew horns, the other grew wings
Kalyani Rajalingham
86
Wedding Bells
By Kalyani Rajalingham
My suitor’s lips spoke a thousand times,
Of flowery praises and the honoured name of wife,
Of lifelong joy and his tender love so true,
As happy tidings chanted in the eyes of all,
Families gathered to celebrate this bond by the holiest laws.
In the midst of mirth and joy,
My heart fought a hopeless battle,
Foredoomed and forewarned to utter defeat,
My lips froze with despair, my grief was selfish,
For I wish not to lose my freedom,
For a gift of eternal love.
My suitor is a noble man of harmonious ways,
But I leave him to accept this sorrow and grow,
And like a blessing or a curse,
I care not for his half-crazed love,
And beset his life, false to hope.
I have witnessed many a marriage go astray,
To depths so dark, vanquished by the deepest sorrows,
Smitten mute and blind by sympathetic aches and pains,
No, We are dwelt by sight in worlds apart,
I stand alone, well poised, to distil my life,
With my hearty pride to foster my vision.
Kalyani Rajalingham
87
WOMEN
‘Twas where duty placed them
To naught their ambitions for the fierce avaricious men
With silent tears and hidden dreams
Would these women reason as they ought?
No indeed! In time perhaps
But they judge a believer’s hope
And condemn their kind to the foolish flawed flock!
For their courage was forced to burrow,
And grow amidst the roots down below
Where they are taught to love and perish for another’s measly cause
I, my dear, am the modern patriot
I will live for my freedom or perish with my cause!
Kalyani Rajalingham