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Sunday, December 15, 2019

EIGHT POEMS BY PINAKINI NAIK INCLUDING "SILVER STRANDS"




Pinakini Naik is a bilingual poet, fluent in English and Hindi, born and raised in Indore, India, currently residing in Southern California, USA. She holds a Bachelor of Computer Applications, a Master of Management Sciences and a Diploma in Yoga Therapy from DAVV, Indore, India. In 2001, she graduated from the University of Dayton, Ohio, the USA with a Master of Business Administration. After running the rat race for a few years in the corporate world, she left it in 2006 to devote her time to family. Her two children and their rambunctious puppy, Happy, keep her on her toes. She has a natural flair for music, art, dance, and photography. When she is not busy contemplating the metaphysical workings of the universe, she loves going on nature hikes, sitting under trees and listening to what they have to say.


Pinakini was a group administrator in Poets Artists Unplugged, an international poetry group from 2014 to 2017. Her poems have been published in various Anthologies: Resonating Strings - Lehar Lehar Ek Tara, Resonance - Spandan, Colours of Refuge and Mytho Manthan. Currently, she is working on a collection of poems for her debut book.




Union

eager winds announce my arrival
i can’t help but meet you as an onrush

ardor unrestrained, torrential
beyond the floodgates of no return

time is of no consequence to a deluge
ever teetering over the razor edge of adieu

rocks of reason surrender adamant form to
insistent onslaught of our commingling

churning, tumbling, plunging, interlaced
putty molded into an evocative embrace

and after all’s been said and done
we’d carry imprints of a fervent season

inhales crisscrossing exhales, balanced
love borne witness to a heady confluence

the signature of a life lived as free verse
a fiery poem born regardless of the audience

~pinakini ❤️




Silver Strands

A sunny afternoon resides
in my heart
of when she stood on the terrace
drying her shimmery waist length tresses
with her weathered hands
under the warmth of the sentient sun,
her graceful frame as tall as ever,
a defiant shadow of years gone,
cascades of gleaming silver
spilling over her back,
reflecting the sun’s glory
in all its sincere simplicity.

Moments from the past
play on rewind,
the pitter-patter of my childhood,
dark tresses flying
disheveled and riotous
wildflower of her garden,
she would catch hold of me,
sit me down firmly on her lap
under the benevolent sun
chiding me would say...
“Take care of yourself, sweet child!”
as her weathered hands
oiled and braided my strands into order.
A cherished ritual
I miss so much.

I carry this part of her in me,
no matter how far I may be,
tidbits of her love that she hand-fed me,
sweet like puranpolis* that only Grandmas can roll,
cherished and passed on
as I grab hold of my little girl
running wild in my backyard
I sit her down firmly on my lap,
oil and braid her hair
with my weathering hands
and chide her
“Take care of yourself, sweet child!”

Now, when I brush my hair, before braiding it,
gleams of silver peek through
leaving me wondering,
how many more tales
would have to be lived through,
to be crowned in complete silver,
For you see,
they don’t come that easy or for free.

Silver strands have always been homespun,
quietly having learned to sing their own melody,
each a life lived by itself,
a tale on its own
braided into crisscrossed patterns,
endearing memories interwoven,
treasures of wisdom amassed and held together
by the resilience of a single pin in
a beautiful bun!

~ pinakini ❤️

*puranpolis - sweet bread





No Agenda Heart

i was born agenda-less
bound within a sentient spark
to embody and be unconditional love
a gift from an endless source
from which I emerged

immersed skin deep
in this mind-born world
what is concocted by billions
desperate to leave their mark
a cacophony of strident opinions
a tasteless salad carelessly tossed
dressed up with a caustic drizzle
of incessant expectations
each voice raised over another
scratched onto delible pages of time

breath tight in my throat
i struggled to bloom
the eternal flute muted
for what seemed an eon
until I shut my eyes
shut my ears to noise
until finally my epiphany
the loud voice in my head
was never ever me

the universal heart awakened
whispering within and without
the language of omniscient winds
evoking the scent of shy petals
revealing my hidden map
highlighted by an awareness
tucked deep in my bosom

walls collapsed into nothingness
inner galaxies blended into outer
rejoicing stars fell into me with abandon
and the universe following suit
anything and everything possible
when a heart grows wide enough
to encompass the girth of a blue planet

the sacred fire of a loving heart
now ignited, lost no more

~pinakini ❤️



The Return

you’ve explored all serpentine mazes
to your rebellious heart’s content
clandestine footsteps
stumbling through rocky lands
teeter now at the edge of oblivion
with nothing else left to do but
chart a complete return

eagle-like you hover over contrast lands
of snapdragons and touch-me-nots
reduced to grief-ridden contours
meager offerings of woeful thistles and thorns
uninteresting to a warrior's palate
having tasted all valleys and peaks
of human experience
but by now you have learned to savor
the tug of restraints placed upon you
tattooing your desirous flesh
as you try to walk every inch
of the tightrope, a bittersweet mean
to the ra-ta-ta rhythm of your heart’s compass
emblazoned as fiery kisses across your chest
constant reminders of every single time
you reached unerringly for me beyond all constraints

disarmed and defenseless
you turn your steed around
to forge on pointedly towards home
without a backward glance
emerging from clouds of memory dust storms
brandishing the revival of insurgent spring
timelines collapsing behind you
to arrive at the threshold of inception
surprised to see me at the entrance
where I have always waited for you
wearing nothing else but my bare breath
tears of longing as pearls strung around my neck

before you enter the subtle sanctorum
you pause meditatively to strip off
the dark cloak, life props, masks, and playthings
only bringing with you the silver vial
carrying the mystical essence
of our love’s remembrance
doused in whose fragrance
we proceed to walk in fearlessly
embark upon our final adventure
entwined as branches of trees
plunge into no-time as our lips meet
eternally bonding over cosmic skinny dipping

~pinakini ❤️





The Initiate

i delved and roamed
the catacombs of mind
carved figure eights
in infinite loops of time
explored my way
out of dark forest intrigue
to stumble upon
a zen clearing within

virginal snow-clad lands
welcome worth of my weight
as i kneel, reverent, intently focused
awaiting the onset of spring
forbearance silently steeped
into my restless bones
a natural consequence
of a season, long-drawn

disquietude dispelled
from a centered, still frame
i sit alert, aware, alive
heartbeats resounding
in a warm bosom
the gentle breath of hope
swirling around, grazes my neck
arouses ardor of the reckless

the sweet inkling
of a sunny overture
glints crystalline peek-a-boos,
from a pristine heartland
snowflake-like, i melt
capitulate to its charm
surrender my form
to its quiet insistence

homebound miracles are born
as stark contrasts, show stoppers
red roses blooming against
the ravages of bitter winter
the potency of their passion
smeared boldly across blank palette
in the belly of the unknown
immaculate, blood upon snow

~pinakini ❤️


Alcyone

Ever on cliff’s edge,
fearless Love’s
deep dive
aflame, alive
solitary flight
piercing my eager night
limbs like vines
reach out
entwine
distances collapse
starry furlongs
swirling galaxy
where you rightfully belong

Illuminated souls
heave bitten shoulders
drunken thievery
of warm breaths
a passion-flower lives
blooms, then dies
happy death
muffled sounds of tortured sighs

Swan spines sway
flaming tangos
etched on heart’s canvas
forever
snugly astride
no nook for pride
your lap, a throne
our love, my crown

Lips breathe vulnerable
against ears that can’t hear
foreheads bump softly
lashes touch temples
interlaced fingers
co-creating wantonly
rebellion thighs
brimming eyes
tunnel vision
brilliant explosion
Grand Central Sun

~pinakini ❤️





The Mystery

the cuckoo has flown the clock
time left utterly bereft of meaning

the cornucopia of life imprints itself
upon the receptivity of my soul

the call of the unknowable
overrides what senses can feel

the inner eye has awakened
nothing is as it seems

but of this, i am quite certain
i belong to the unseen

~pinakini ❤️



Moonflower

if your inner being is attuned to listen
to the slight pause before our lips meet

you will hear me speak a secret language
of ardent flowers, clandestine bloomers

surrendered to the copulative suggestion
of a softly insistent, fertile moonlight

sentient guardians of seductive fragrance
the throbbing pulse of our midnight hour

~pinakini ❤️






20 comments:

Geethanjal Dilip said...

Beautiful and ethereal is Pinakini’s style. A delightful read.

Santosh said...

Sensuous , soft , sensitive -each poem leaves you with a fuzzy feeling ! Bravo,Pinakini ! Kudos Dr.Koshy.

Poonam said...

Pinakini! Well done and beautifully articulated... I'm so proud of you ♥️

Kashiana Singh said...

treasures of wisdom amassed and held together
by the resilience of a single pin in
a beautiful bun - So adore and so relate to this!

Shannon Naik said...

Congratulations Pinakini! Such beautiful words!

Kashiana Singh said...

Each one was a delight and left one with something meditative! Thank you Ampat Koshy Sir and the writer for these beauties

Aniruddha Sastikar said...

...the signature of a life lived as free verse
a fiery poem born regardless of the audience.

Best collection. Well done.

satbir chadha said...

Lovely poems

Vrishketu Rathore said...

Loved the poems Pinakini.Specially Silver Strands,The Mystery,No Agenda Heart.Great going.

Vrishketu Rathore said...

Loved the poems Pinakini.Specially Silver Strands,No Agenda Heart.The Mystery.Great going.

sheikha ! said...

Your words are beauty! There is such strong fluid energy that flows through your words, most times the images and vision don't even matter but the sound of the words, and to achieve that kind of effect is simply stupendous. Everytime your poems are read, as many times they may he read, it produces a different effect and energy which clearly indicates your poetry comes from meditation. I'm glad to be able to tap into their secrets. ❤️❤️❤️

K Bonner said...

These are so beautiful! I especially love Silver Strands and Moonflower <3

onefiftysix said...


This collection shows a poet with great depth of insight and a timeless voice that is sometimes muse, sometimes sage. What a discovery. What talent. Lines that stuck out to me with their wisdom and timelessness, their melodic magic:
From union:
“the signature of a life lived as free verse
a fiery poem born regardless of the audience”

no agenda heart:
“breath tight in my throat
i struggled to bloom”

the return:
“teeter now at the edge of oblivion
with nothing else left to do but
chart a complete return”

the initiate:
“the sweet inkling
of a sunny overture
glints crystalline peek-a-boos,
from a pristine heartland
snowflake-like, i melt
capitulate to its charm
surrender my form
to its quiet insistence”

as for the poem moon flower, I have learned an expression that says it best: “ufff.”
A most wonderful collection. A poet with a great future. Worthy of praise and encouragement.

Don Yorty said...

very nice work

Anonymous said...

Beautiful poems
-noor

satbir chadha said...

Wonderful poems loved Silver Strands 👌👌

The Agnivesh said...

Superb poems! Each one leaves one craving for more...

Abhay Naik said...

Loved them all.Beautiful pinakini! Everyone starts the dance of life with the The Beat known as 'No Agenda' and proceeds on to get entangle into the complicated movements of the dance of life to finally concluded it ,if possible, with the realisation of the most beautiful beat of life called 'No Agenda' from where it all began. Wonderful are all your poems full of such depth of understanding.Loved them all. 'No Agenda Heart' is just wonderful.

Abhay Naik said...

Loved them all.Beautiful pinakini! Everyone starts the dance of life with the The Beat known as 'No Agenda' and proceeds on to get entangle into the complicated movements of the dance of life to finally concluded it ,if possible, with the realisation of the most beautiful beat of life called 'No Agenda' from where it all began. Wonderful are all your poems full of such depth of understanding.Loved them all. 'No Agenda Heart' is just wonderful.

Craig said...

I have always appreciated your poetry, Pinakini, and was thinking of your words today. So thankful to find them here... as if in a secret pathway filled with summer. Hoping you are well... filled with joy... and inspired beyond belief. Your friend, Craig

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