Rucha Club: Creative Space (Poems)

World Poetry Day 2022

2019-21 batch

A poem by Venisa Dias on the occasion of Parents' Day

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2018-20 batch

Pooja Gawde Mirji won the First Place in a National Level Poetry competition organised by H. J College of Education.

Way Past Quarantina

Between the fatigue from colours and the preparation for the Triwizard Tournament;

Suddenly, life got singed by quadraginta, the fire from red dragon;

And since the touch of that warm, acrid breath, life has been nothing;

But a series of unending deadlines and lockouts;

Yes lockouts and not just lock downs because what we are living is life interrupted.

Yes, we have not flat-lined yet, but not sure how far that is;

And you will see why as the deepest, darkest fears form some very black words on a very white paper;

Like the very white shroud that attempts to hide the stagnancy of the dead.

On March 16, 2020 when places of recreation and education announced breaks, panic-buying seized the populace;

The unknown words from beyond became the buzzwords of the day; Coronavirus, Covid-19, Isolation, Infections;

And came the words that altered our known paradigm of life seemingly forever, the dreaded lockdown and quarantine.

I turned a new leaf and became the indulgent mother I always wanted to be to my little butterfly;

Became the student that wanted to ace, for quite a while;

Turned the wife to play the childhood game of “homemaker” soaked to the bones in contentment.

Though of course, I should have known better because days starting March 24, 2020 began to cramp my happy cherub, stealing her gardens away;

My husband who rarely frowns began to worry more about tomorrow than today;

And I, well I has yoga, YouTube videos on craft and recipes, my B.Ed Sem IV material and long chats with family to keep me cocooned.

Come April 1, 2020, I thought that all the panic was just some gigantic April Fool’s joke;

Though deep down somewhere, Dementors of doubts chilled me down to my core;

And I had it all together because the mother and the wife always has to maintain a grip and hold.

Denial, anger, fear and depression began to lurk and jump in on me from shadows;

Bills and EMIs were filled in, but as if from the last grain of rice that fed Krishna’s gut;

And supplies needed to be re-stocked even more and more.

April came and went, no respite and a dark future in sight;

Came May and still no end, while the migrant crisis intensified;

No sight of exams, continuity of jobs or schools and open spaces still locked out!

These are my days in quarantine, the etymology of the word that’s coming all the way back from the century seventeenth;

We are all now seizing and griping like animals about to be sacrificed on a guillotine;

Knowing not of jobs or the return to normalcy;

So dear reader, if you will, forgive me if you don’t find the usual poetic devices and all elements of poetry and language in my frank account of what’s beyond quarantine.

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Time of My Life by Grecienne Misquitta

Time that taught me to be myself,

Seems to be changing these days.

Time that made me vulnerable of the various deadlines,

Seems to keep passing tirelessly nowadays.

Time never waited for anyone,

That is the reason I always used to miss my 6:51 am local from the station.

Time is just passing by each day and not waiting for me any way,

And now it seems like I miss the sound of the last bell at 2pm today.

Time changed me at every phase of development,

Seems like yesterday was a rebirth of me.

Time moulded me to see the world differently,

Seems to change my thoughts and say “let it be”.

Time let me grow just like a tree,

It happened to built a strong foundation where I stand firm and free.

Time has always let me see a different me,

Just like every passing turn has a different destination to be.

“Time waits for no one, that’s why don’t waste it”,

My mom told me this before my board examinations.

“Time is changing, and this is Generation Z”,

My sister told this when she worked better off with technology.

Time is important and it teaches us lessons as it passes by,

“The past is history and the future is a mystery” this is what I cannot deny.

Time spent with friends became memories,

Whilst today I was remembering people important to me.

Time never works in your favour this is what I learnt in the past few weeks,

It can change your plans and destine you to somethings beyond your imagination.

Time that is set for baking a cake is crucial,

This is what I learnt that patience is not a ritual.

Time gives you glimpses of the things you did good and bad,

It caused me to open my mind to things I thought I never liked.

Time today is just a joke to some or misery for the others,

It all depends on the way you want it to be my dear brothers and sisters.

Time in quarantine is more cherished by me,

Because I never knew the fun to be around family.

Time also taught me to be a better pastry woman,

Than just laying around like a bear in hibernation.

Time passes by every year just like 2019 I see,

When many said “2019 wasn’t my year but 2020 will be”.

Time is precious in its own ways for you and me,

I chose to be around living healthy daily and watching out for my family.

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Summer By Grecienne Misquitta

Summer, Summer, Summer,

The vacations we never wanted to get over.

Summer mornings were spent by playing in the park with friends,

While we never bothered about our skin getting tanned.

Summer afternoons right after lunch,

We kept an eye for the ice popsicle man in a bunch.

Summer evenings were meant for cool showers after park,

Then sitting and playing video games for long hours till dark.

Summer memories were made to tell stories after May,

But in actuality we were just having fun in the sun and wanted it to stay.

Summer reminds me of different things once I finished school,

Volunteering at summer camps felt so cool.

Summer Camp for kids, It was new to me,

Meeting strangers and working with them made us a family.

Summer never felt so right especially before,

New perspective and new people opened a door.

Summer vacations took us to our native land,

Meeting family, aunts and uncles, and cousins could never end.

Summer made us go wild and carefree,

Just as to spent the time of lives among the trees.

Summer made us realize that nature is so beautiful,

When we were away from the city it felt so blissful.

Summer is what we always wished for,

But regardless of the heat, we made most of our memories.

*

Tree of Wisdom by Natasha Punnoose

In the garden of minds
Where chaos seems Interferring,
Where stress and depress twins shall haunt you,
You must plant the seed of thoughts.
Nurture it everyday with knowledge and observance ,
Pray for its steady upbringing in wisdom,
Water the seed of thoughts to sprout gradually into something unique,
Let the warmth of ideas strengthen the plant of thoughts ,
Channel it with education
And let it grow taller and taller,
Let it be that huge tree who can stand firm by its own roots of wisdom and independent enough to share the beauty of its growth,
Let it be mighty in its appearance but grounded as it used to be not forgetting its origins ,
Let it bear the best innovative fruits of its endeavours ,
And it's taste be the sweetest and never seen or heard before ones,
Let it bloom the most beautiful flowers that emit the fragrance of tranquil and serenity.
Discipline thy tree to stand upright to wade of the envious minds,
Armour thy thoughts through thick and thin of temptations.
Be ready to face the seasons of varied opinions launched by the like and unlike minded trees.
But your tree shall sway in what is right,
And gracefully brush off the unwanted leaves of lies.
Be at the center of that garden that other young plants look up-to you
While other trees watch you with pride ,
And finally, be that tree of thought that intruders hesitate to cut you down and look at you respectfully.

2017-19 batch

St. Therese our patroness by Ria DSouza

You and your virtues will never erase,

Called to be the greatest saints of modern generation,

In your faith nurtures our Carmelite congregation.

Being the youngest of Martin family,

You continue to inspire our life journey.

You are a little flower God chose,

He answers intercessions through a rose.

Amidst in us even today,

We witness your good in every little way.

With the present world filled with hatred,

‘Doing ordinary things’ makes our lives sacred.

Your teachings ‘That great love matters more than deeds’,

We pray to you, to shower on us those LOVE seeds.

Your practice of spiritual childhood…

Has indeed in today’s world become a lesson for brotherhood.

Showing love by mercy and forgiveness are your conviction.

To serve world with a compassionate heart are your intention.

Your sainthood is described as a ‘Storm of glory’,

Truth of gospel message of love reveals your life story.

In God’s faith, you call yourself, a grain of sand.

The fading humanity in world today needs your helping hand.

With humans, becoming so selfish and wild.

We need a Therese- God’s spiritual child.

In the history of Carmelite you have shone.

You will continue to adorn the divine throne.

Love, charity, faith and hope are the values we learned,

‘Little Flower of Jesus’ is the title you rightly earned.

I promise to imbibe these Carmelite values with dedication,

As I enter the noble teaching profession.

Poem dedicated to MariammaMa’am by Ria D'Souza

Ma’am our journey began in the month of September,

It is assured by me, to be the one I will always remember.

There were not many instances for our interactions.

Yet I wish to treasure those memories built in fractions.

The mark you have left on us will forever endure,

Because the service you gave was from the heart that is pure.

Dedicated, passionate, disciplinarian as my words fall short,

You managed to stitch together Pushpanjali family in a cohort.

We really had interactions in minimal,

But even through those you taught us values essential for survival.

You are always like our motherly figure,

And your inspirational talks always played a trigger.

Ma’am you will be in our memory,

As each and every one of us has their share of story.

Your mastery over languages being a teacher of English pedagogy,

But irrespective of that, we all were molded in your ideology.

My heart praises with glee,

To be fortunate to have a teacher like thee.

We promise you to follow your footmark,

As we step in teaching careers that is about to embark.

My sincere prayers to the almighty,

To bless the lady who dedicated her life being loyal to her duty.

Changed Perception !
by Audrey Carvalho(2016-18 batch)

I

You will laugh and play your day away.

(Audrey's talent can be appreciated by visiting her blog)

The Joy of Heaven

by Anthony Dias (2016-18 batch)

Lord remember me for paradise,

The Journey of my life is now over,

I have lived my life in happiness and joy,

I will not find it hard to say a bye,

I will always look upon the past years,

Years with you were so amazing,

Poems by Sonia Ruhi Goel (student 2014-15)

The Teacher

She,the holder of the light;

She,the one with emblazing power;

She,the one who taught us to write;

She, the one with the knowledge tower;

Her loving gaze,

Her gestures, so gentle;

Never seizes to amaze,

The heart’s open mantle.

Her stern looks,

When we forget our books,

Her persona, to the glory…

Her every memory is a loving story.

Ode to thee…

The gardener of roses,

Indebted for life are we,

Until our books of life closes.

Ode to Friendship

Darkness enveloped the skies;

Burning tears filled my eyes;

I looked beyond the yonder window for hope in despair;

All I felt was loneliness in the air;

Suddenly some hands reached out from nowhere at all;

They held me tight before I could fall;

Their warmth banished the sadness within me;

I finally felt I had been set free!!!!

For, all of them stood by me, to watch me fly;

And they made me forget what it is to cry;

They gave me their support and love;

God has been kind to me by sending his angels from above;

Now I know I won't die a lonely death;

For my friends will be with me till my last breath...

The Sands of the Land aren’t mine…

Oh! What a sight!

The towering buildings in all its might!

The roads, like elegant snakes, are intertwining,

One truly experiences the pleasures of driving.

The food, the gold, the spices,

The electronic devices,

Ah! I’m lost midst the oasis divine!

But the sands of the land aren’t mine.

I’ve left a part of me…

The part that longs to see the blossoming Gulmohar tree,

The part that misses the food so humble,

Oh that aromatic kitchen!....thinking, my heart crumbles…

The morning coffee, the refreshing tea,

The sweets, the snacks, the delicacies,

The seasons so refreshing! Be it summer, winter or monsoon.

The folk songs, that, my heart croons.

The wintery morning, the summer sunsets,

The rejoicing of rains and getting wet,

The earthy soil, the lush trees,

The fluttering butterflies, birds and bees,

The markets, the train and bus stations,

Hustling and bustling with people of our nation,

No matter how hard I look, I cannot find,

The culture, the roots, I’ve left behind,

How my emotions reach my heart’s fathom,

Each time I hear our national anthem,

The glorious tricolor, made of humble khadi,

The smiling face of Mahatma Gandhi,

I say this, on behalf of folks, far and wide,

Once an Indian, always an Indian…come any time or tide,

We may be happy, living in ultra-modernity,

But we can never forget our ethnicity.

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Pushpanjali Day in College

Bincy Cherian

Student, Batch of 2014-15

The pink day,

The feast day,

St. Therese’s day!

Each one wore a pink fusion;

Pinks in concoction, combination,

That fit their definition

Of the colour

Dark pink, light pink

Baby pink, shades of pink;

Varying from red to maroon to

Blue to purple to violet to

Green to grey.

We all looked like

Pretty flowers of St. Therese,

A Promise

Bincy Cherian

Student, Batch of 2014-15

My love is my Lord;

My delight is in my Lord.

I shall bloom and blossom

In the vineyard of my Lord God Almighty;

All the days my life shall contain,

All the days my soul shall live.

My heart rejoices in my Lord;

My soul yearns for my Lord

I shall be consoled and comforted

In the bosom of my Lord God Almighty;

All the days my breath shall contain,

All the days my spirit shall endure.

My name is engraved in His palm;

My heart is filled with His love.

I shall be nourished and nurtured

In the care of my Lord God Almighty;

All the days my Lord shall live.

All the days my Lord shall love.