Picture Impact Poetry Challenge September Entries
Winning Entry by Ratna Prabha
My Overflowing Cup
The bounty of nature to nourish me,
The vast, blue sky embellished with glowing comets, dazzling stars to mesmerize me,
A roof over my head to protect me.
The gentle heat from the hearth to keep me warm,
The comforting warmth of my beloved to make me feel cherished and desired.
What more do I need?
And yet, why am I so unhappy?
Why do I cry and complain?
Why do I feel incomplete?
Aah yes! The culprit is my overflowing Cup of Desire.
Lord, teach me to empty this Cup of Desire,
And fill it with Overflowing Gratitude instead!
Entry by Daisy Bala
Festooned with love
Under the Star-spangled night banner
We sat engrossed in interchangeable love and lust
The camping site miffed at our proximities
The bonfire burned out in envious dismay,
shooting star came horridly calling us names
But we wouldn’t budge, my pining wouldn’t melt
It raced to the pinnacle with each ticking hour
The covet of possessed you, within me
Was watched by the drowning yellow moon
The breezy impulse picked up wind
Rustling hankerings.
The symphony of the naughty night kept inciting the lure
Crickets and katydids played in the interlude.
Entry by Medhini
A lovely love pair walked
into the woods, on a new moon night,
it was drizzling though;
and watched the sky, lit with a few stars.
Sat on the ground, placing each
one’s right hand on other’s lap.
Saw a streak of light falling down,
and coming towards them,
they sat still, holding their breath
with wonder and a little fright.
They wished to get into a tent like hut, nearby.
Vanished the streak of light too, at once
to their amazement; wild imagination
took them away to a heap of grass,
swaying flowers, with them shimmering inside.
Entry by Chaithanya Ajit
She gazes at the beautiful sky adorned by the coruscating stars.
It seems so same yet feels so different without him;
she in his arms, his radiant eyes just like stars to her.
A sudden gush of breeze brings her back to reality,
Tears roll down her cheeks.
The coldness of loneliness supplanted the warmth she once felt,
They loved each other, But it was insufficient.
Presently, trapped in the labyrinth of memories;
Of her moments, solely the stars are forever she thinks,
Though it hurts, she will never wish it hadn’t happened.
Suddenly, she feels an arm on her shoulder,
she looks up, and her unfeigned smile returns.
And as they sit together gazing at the stars,
Nothing else matters to her except that moment,
The moment when she feels complete.
Entry by Ritika Aggarwal
The Power of Dreams
The stargazers meet one more time
Under the lucid full moon night
Accompanied by the twinkling stars
Embracing each other in the warmth of the fire so bright
The pacific breeze caressing their faces
The shooting star promising many halcyon times
The makeshift tent, a symbol of their future abode
Relishing the serene silence and their inner chimes
The altruistic trees standing tall in all thick and thin
The silent lake teaching them to be supple
This moonlit night is now a witness of their dreams coming true
For, the struggling lovers are now an official couple
Entry by Indrani Choudhary
A NIGHT KISSED TALE OF LOVE AND LONGING
The nocturnal universe witnessed their cherishing dream,
As they immersed themselves to build their love nest,
By erecting a cozy tent amidst this kingdom of wilderness,
And by making a bonfire, near their nestled crèche.
The trees in their vicinity created a dark, impenetrable wall,
As if protecting their Garden of Eden from the outside, vicious world.
And the love birds resembled glow-worms, glowing in the fire,
As if waiting to be burned down in their own desires.
As the fallen leaves rustled musically with the soft breeze,
They huddled together to press their lips.
The star-studded, revealing sky again reiterated a cosmic tale.
And they spotted with wonder a shooting star.
“Make a wish! Make a wish!” , he murmured to her.
She pondered a bit, and then announced softly,
“I have you by my side, what more can I wish, my dear?”
Entry by Aditi Lahiry
Conversation With the Shooting Star
While camping in the woods
one summer , I chanced to meet the shooting star
I stopped it from moving further asked it ” why are you visible
in the vast , blue sky dear?”
It said ,” I have come to shape your dreams , ask me anything
and it will reflect back in the clear water of the stream ”
I said ” I have heard a lot about You
Seeing you visually is indeed like my dream come true.
can I ask you for one wish more, will you bring back my childhood soul.”
The shooting star smiled from the sky gleefully
It said next ” I have brought back your childhood friend.
Look outside , there you will find a pal , whom you
liked best, lost in the busy world he has come to meet
You , embrace and spend him well.
He is time , he flies too quickly from the wealthy
hands to the poorest of poor. ”
I listened engrossed to the words of the star speech less still
When I opened my eyesIt was dawn , alas the star
was gone yet the conversation stayed in my mind for many days
I decided to spend my time well.
Entry by Thamarai Selvi M
LOVE AND NATURE
Sitting on the red earth,
Breathing in the pure oxygen,
Eyes captivated by lovely view,
Ears filled with romantic breeze,
Hearts loaded with happiness,
And Mind rewinding the delightful memories…
Looking up the blue sky,
the falling stars reminds the moment I fell for him.
Looking down the green land.
the glowing fire recalls the moment he tied the knot.
The tent in front symbolizes Love – “Our Immortal Love”,
And everything around marks the beauty of Nature – “The Immortal Nature”.
Entry by Alifiyah Shabbir
Honeymoon
Remember the first time we came here?
Oh, how things have changed!
Was the sky this starry back then? Or
Was it that when we lay
On the coarse makeshift bed
We cared for nothing – not even the stars?
Everything different, Everything’s changed!
Last time, this season of the year
We’d promised we’d make it back here
But look how today
Everything feels new. Even her
That is clinging to you
Only one thing has remained unchanged;
That piercing pain after you rode the knife into my breast.
Entry by Elvira Fernandez
I promise…
As I sit miles away from you
I remember those precious moments few
When we sat under a canopy of stars
lost in a world of love, only ours
With my head resting on your heart
Your heartbeats, music, my sweetheart!
I saw a star fall from the cerulean sky
and quickly made a wish with a happy sigh!
Do you know what I wished for?
To fall in love with you more and more!
I still feel the warmth of your embrace
although we’re not together at the same place.
Darling, your love and warmth are my solace
I will wait for you forever, if I have to, I promise!
Entry by Deepa Gopal
In the wilderness when the world sleeps
We sit upon the dew-kissed cool grass
Over a bonfire and watch the moving skies
Bedazzled with dazzling charm on indigo terrain
A silhouetted melody in the distance
Amid the crackling embers before us
We sit shoulder to shoulder as the cosmos
Wraps us in an embrace, she smiles and the night is lit up
Reminding me we are all made of stardust
From ancient times, right then, “look a shooting star”,
She exclaims “Wish!” I look at her, her eyes wide
A fired dream caught between fantasy and reality—
A dream with wings and tail to fly
It comes and goes without a sign just like tiny
Miracles of life for which we need to pause and observe.
Entry by Tejaswita Sahoo
OBSCURITY TURNS TO VIVACITY
As a black blanket unfurls over the blue
Sapphire glitters in the dark azure
The shooting star makes her way through ether.
As gentle wind blows leaves rustle, branches quiver
Nature sings as if following an oeuvre.
As blazing flares clear away gloominess
Two boon companions fix canvas near creek
And tired sit beside each other.
As Warm radiance makes all luminesce
Fierce shadows become frolic.
As aura marks its soothing tranquillity
Two away from city’s hustle-bustle life
Are captivated by enchanting beauty.
Listen to in-depth voice of Nature
Singing for compassion towards humanity.