শেষ আলিঙ্গন

সেদিন আকাশ মেঘাছন্ন...

গুড়িগুড়ি বৃষ্টি

জালনার কাঁচে 

আঁকলো ভালোবাসার 

পদচিহ্ন ...

আমি তখনো 

এক দৃষ্টে 

বাইরে তাঁকিয়ে 

তুমি গাড়ি হাঁকিয়ে 

এসে দাঁড়ালে 

আমার হাজার স্বপ্নের 

গা বেয়ে ...

দরজায় কড়া পড়লো 

ছুটে গিয়ে খুললুম 

ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়লুম 

তোমার বক্ষে 

তোমার বাহুর বাঁধনে 

ধরা দিলেম ....

চোখের জল 

মিশে গেলো 

আকাশের জলের মাঝে 

দিন এর মাঝে হারালো 

না যানি কত রাত 

রাতে হারালো 

হাজার দিন

অন্তহীন ....

কেটে গেলো 

না জানি কত বছর 

সেই বৃষ্টির গন্ধ 

মুছে যায়নি ...

থেমে যায়নি 

আমার হৃদপিন্ডে 

আটকে থাকা 

তোমার স্পন্ধন ...

জানি না কি ভাবে 

বেঁচে আছে আজো 

আমার মাঝে 

তোমার আলিঙ্গন 

তোমার শেষ আলিঙ্গন ....

~মঞ্জরী~

Celebrate Again

Come let us celebrate again

The essence of our own being

The glare of our hearts

Come, for a while, let us be

Together again..

Somewhere far off, beyond the hills

Or across the deep blue ocean

Or maybe, where woods are thickest

We sit together, hidden

Let us be, together again..

Let time stop breathing

And wind freezes like us

Let there be complete stillness

Movement, whatever, let it be

Only, of our beating hearts..

Let the wine be poured again

And the stars raise a toast

Let us both be each other's guest

Let us be each other's host..

Let us rewrite our tales

On the sand of the coast

Let us carve our desires

That the mountains can boast

Of our writing on its snowy terrains..

And let us whisper our wishes

On the ears of the windy plains..

Come, let us fall in love again..

So deep that love should be..

That in it we both get lost..

Never to be found again..

~Manjuri~

Uncelebrated Love

You and I,

In constant conflict

Yet in perfect harmony..

Not sure of that

Soul burning love, anymore

Nor is it completely uncared for..

Still locked in heart's dark chamber

Somethings that we forget to remember

Feelings that are now out of range

We, in a process of everyday change..

Gently when the wind lay its kiss

And ask us, 'Do you not remember this'?

Answers we, have none to spare

Blankly as we sit and stare 

Wondering, what has to us, fate served

More or less than we really deserved..

Traces remain of what is gone

Neither are we together, nor alone

Flee, flee, flee.. let us flee

I from you, you from me

What a worthless ego mind holds

Heart's eyes it blindfolds

Uncherished, uncelebrated love within

Neither alive, nor dead, and still breathing..

~Manjuri~

A Night For You

Day End

My sky, on fire this evening

Burning like my heart

Why the day end keeps on reminding me

That we are painfully apart !

Why the hues appear to be dull

And the sky fades into the arms of vignette

Why the day end keeps on reminding me

All that I intend to forget !

Why my evening fills itself

With a fragrance, once I knew

Why the day end keeps on reminding me

That, I still love you !

~Manjuri~

When A Star Bloomed

When a star bloomed in my garden

I watched from far

Wondered, if I could gift you

A sight of this flower..

Deep are its hues

Heart it has, of gold

From me to you, can it reach

By its stories, untold..

Morning it has unfolded

By evening it shall wither

How can you set your eyes

On its petals tender..

How incomplete is my garden

How very insipid is it, sans you

Come to enhance, come to flourish

Come, my florets are dying without you..

~Manjuri~

An Expedition, Unknown

My heart takes its flight

Once each dusk

Once each dawn

Destination unknown

Route unknown

This rendezvous never ends

Beyond myself somewhere

A piece of lost me

Holding onto an obscure sky

Staring, blankly, day and night

Yet my not taken maiden flight

Seeks all that is unknown

The destination, the route, the journey

I, only travel... only fly..

Sometimes low, sometimes high..

If someday, my nest surfaces

I too, will sit and rest

With my head, on your shoulder bold

On an evening cold

Warming the souls

And thawing the frozen memoirs 

Living the years, in a moment

Shaping all the void

Touching the core

Once more..

A flight from unknown towards unknown..

An expedition, probable

From my heart to your soul..

~Manjuri~

Garnished Path

I have bedecked your probable path

I have laid flowers in it

I have garnished my soul

With love and joy

For you, when I chose to wait !

~Manjuri~

Gifts Of Love

Gifts of love

Neither given

Nor taken

Lies somewhere

Shrouded in dust

Accumulated over 

The lap of time

Gifts of love

Neither forsaken

Nor rejoiced

Confused they are

In their life's dusk

Do not know

Whether to hoard

Or to let go..

Gifts of love..

That are forlorn

In the hearts of

Aging lovers

Who do not die

Nor do they live..

Burdened by their

Own un-given and

Unaccepted gifts

Wrapped in tears 

Waiting to be unwrapped

In the smile of joy !

~Manjuri~

A Lover's Note

I have nourished you, with the blood of my heart,

I have drenched you, with the water of my eyes,

I have blown life in you, with the air of my breath,

I have given you form, in my existence.

I have enriched you, with my rich treasures,

I have colored you, with the paint of my thoughts,

I have fed your hunger, with my love,

I have given you form, in my existence.

I have filled your ears, with the music of my laughter,

I have dawned on your eyes, the beauty of dreams,

I have given a meaning, to whatever you do and say,

I have given you form, in my existence.

I have existed, in the very heart of your creation,

I have given you a custody of life, merely by living mine,

I have throbbed inside you, in numerous imaginations,

I have given you form, in my existence.

~Manjuri~

Before I wither,

Before I wither,

Give away to

My wrinkled skin,

Fade away,

Into some

Forgotten memories,

Die in my own

Tireless efforts,

To be,

Or, not to be..

Grant me a life,

Allow me to live,

But for a while,

By being myself,

Where no echo,

Of shore reaches,

As I surf,

The heart of waves,

Deep below the,

Blue ocean..

Let me live, but once..

~Manjuri~

Poetry

Drops of rain on the parched earth

Drenches me from within..

A poetry sprouts from my heart..

And, you are born once again !

~Manjuri~

Rain

The burden of untold words

Haunt... echoes... 

What is said.. is heard..

That which remains veiled..

Is in the unsaid..

That which churns me.

That which grinds you

Let us tell..each other all..

On a rainy night..

Let our voices mingle

In the drops of water

Let us flow

Me to you

You to me

And.. our words..

And our silence ..

As the sky breaks..

Cloud bursts..

Let us break too..

Break for each other..

Break to each other..

So that.. if at all we are fixed..

Let it be for each other..

Let not the rain wash..

Let it write..

A new story of love..

~Manjuri~

Wings Of Freedom

A day, a single day, years back in calendar, 

The poet, get to steal, from the lap of time, 

And earn a life again, afresh, from the,

Very beginning, from the start of creation;

Poet shall live it then, solely on her own terms,

Her own conditions shall she apply, she shall defy,

All the set rules of life, otherwise, tends,

To eclipse her existence, grasp her all,

In a grip so firm, that however hard she may try,

Cannot escape, cannot unbond, cannot give up.  

Life, like an octopus, with thousand tentacles,

Embraces her from all sides, strangulated she feels,

But cannot escape, Oh! the breatheless poet,

Struggling to be free, and spread those wings,

On a much dreamt blue sky, high very high,

Above those floating clouds, above all you and I,

The poet wants to fly, give her wings, and bid goodbye!

~Manjuri~

Intoxicated Words

I am too drunk with life

My words are losing balance

Almost like my feet..

So forgive me tonight

Am at plight 

My senses slowly getting drowned

Into life's opium

All that remains, now in me

Are some feeble memories of thee

Neither me nor my words

Are in a condition to fake

We are scared, truth might leak

Because both me and my words

Are intoxicated tonight !

~Manjuri~

Given

You gave me words,

I assorted them..

Made a poem..!

You gave me tunes..

I played them..

Evening got its music..!

You gave me rhythm..

I mixed it in my soul..

I danced, and danced..!

You gave me light..

I opened my eyes..

I glimpsed at beauty..!

You gave me colours..

I dipped my brush..

Painting, they said, it was..!

You gave me a smile..

My lips sparkled..

I fell in love.. !

~Manjuri~

That "You"

Now my soul is intoxicated

Wine, like hemlock spreads in my blood

So many thoughts rush in like torrential flood

And I lose myself, I get lost in you..

Who is this 'you' ?

I know not..

A 'you' appears like a long shadow

Cast by the setting sun

On the shore of timeless sea

And in it, I adrift me..

Completely submerging myself

In those watery eyes

That I once set my eyes on

Blending completely on that smooth skin

That I once touched intensely

Beating together rhythmically 

With that heart beat, 

Once I had listened so very closely

That 'you' , a real illusion

That 'you' I know yet recognize not...

My drunken heart writes a verse

And that 'you' lives in it, till eternity !

~Manjuri~

Synonyms

You are my solitude, 

I am your wild

You are my matured half, 

I remain a child

You are the smile in my lips, 

I am your smoky eyes

You are my new white gown, 

I your tattered guise

You are my sunny morning, 

I am your dull noon

You are my star filled sky, 

I am your eclipsed moon

You are my bubble of joy, 

I am your sad soul

You are my pet, loaded with love, 

I am your fish in leaking bowl

You are my thousand words, 

I am your deep silence

You are my daily worship, 

I am once in a while reverence

You are my life after death, 

I am your nirvan

You are my song complete, 

I am your tune half-sung

You are my celestial sky, 

I am your dark night

You are my enlightened soul, 

I am your soul bereft of light

Yet we are we

You and me

Parted in unison ..

You live in me

I in you

Abandoning all rules of reason..

~Manjuri~

You, Flute and Me

You gave me your divine flute

I play your tunes..

Your music I breathe

Oh my love..

My divine love..

Just by holding your flute

And blowing the air into it

I play in your chest

Your heart's rhythm mingles into mine..

This silence is beautiful..

For now we are one..

You, flute and me..

One we become, from we..

In this silence

The celestial notes travel..

Reaches my soul..

Ripples in my blood..

Oh my love..

Now we are one...

You, flute and me...

~Manjuri~

ভালবাসাহীন

বহুদিন ধরে বাগানের কোণে 

যে  ফুলটি ফুটেছিল 

অবহেলায়, অযত্নে 

তবুও পাথরের আড়াল থেকে 

দেখা যেত তার মিলিয়ে যাওয়া কিছু রং 

আমি খেয়াল করিনি তো 

আগাছার মত উপরেও ফেলিনি তাকে 

আমার ভালোবেসে জল ও দিনি তার গায়ে 

তবুও সে ফুটেছিল, খানিকটা হয়ত আপন গরজে

ভালবেসেছিল হয়ত আমার বাগানখানাকে সে

তাইত অজত্নেও , ভালবাসার প্রকাশ পেয়েছিল 

আমি তখন গোলাপ আর  লিলি নিয়ে ব্যস্ত 

সেই নাম নাজানা ফুলটির কথা মনে পড়েনি একবারও 

আজ সকালে দেখি অকালে ঝরে পরেছে সে 

অভিমান কি না বুঝতে পারলাম না 

কিন্ত সে আজ আর আমার বাগানের কোণে নেই 

হাওয়ায়ে দুলছে সদ্য ফোটা গোলাপ 

কিন্ত আজ আমি মুগ্ধ চোখে দেখিনি তাকে 

হঠাত কেবলি মনে পড়ল সেই ছট্ট ফুলটির কথা 

মনে মনে ভাবলুম, এই আমার উচিত সাজা 

বেশ হয়েছে , ভালবাসতেই যখন মনে নেই 

বা আধখানি ভালবাসার বোঝা ভেঙ্গে সে আজ ঝরেছে 

গাছটা রইলো, আবার যদি ফোটে ফুল 

তারই শাখায়ে কোনদিন 

ভাসবো ভালো আমার সকল দিয়ে 

ততদিন নাহয় থাক এমনি , ভালবাসাহীন। .

~মঞ্জরী ~

Ignited Spirit

You set my heart on fire,
You ignite my spirit,
Its you who live in my soul,
In my song, you are the lyric !

~Manjuri~

Words Inscribed

Beyond this world of reason,

Far away from rules of logic,

Come and feel the pulse of joy,

Be here to know, love is magic!

Admit you are in love, to yourself,

Drown your ego, in that wavy sea,

A single breath, in rhythmic duet,

All mingles, in a 'you' and in a 'me'!

A death shall steal all, it shall creep in,

While life is spend tirelessly in waiting!

I now sit to compile, make a rough graph,

You, rewrite them in italics, on my epitaph!

~Manjuri~

I Do..

Silently, I surrender.....

To your strong hold,

My heart and my soul!

To your each silent call,

Myself and my all !

My days and all my nights,

My peace and all my fights!

All my losses and the gain,

All my joy and throbbing pain!

All that I have and want to give,

My grudge and all that I forgive!

I surrender, to you, that which,

I hold in each breath,

I surrender to you,

My life and my death!!

~Manjuri~

Tender Time

In the womb of some tender time

Let me love you

Like I never did before..

That us arrest the flow of hour

That us make the moments solely our

Will not allow anything to escape

Even our breaths entangled in breaths

Heart shall create music

As they beat in rhythm 

Your's a prelude, mine a song

We forget, from where we belong

In the ecstasy of divine joy

Shall we carry the marks of love

In a tender time, somewhere 

A dream painted in hues many

Fluffy hearts detain each other

And remain, once again..

In each other..

Overcoming all the fear

Of detachment

Soul's unison eternal..

~Manjuri~

যখন আঁধার ঘনায়

যামিনীর বুক ঘিরে 
যখন আঁধার ঘনায় 
তুমি কি ডাক দিয়েছিলে 
বহু দূর থেকে আমায় ?

শুনিতে পেলাম যেন 
তোমার কন্ঠস্বর 
তখন বহু রাত 
আমি নেশায় বিভোর !

তোমার বুকে মাথা রেখে 
শুনছিলাম যেন স্পন্দন 
ছাতের কোণে মিশে গেল 
আমার চাপা আলোড়ন

রজনী তখন তরুণ অতি 
আমি তখন জেগে 
কেন তখনও ঘুম নামেনি 
তোমার ক্লান্ত চোখে ?

কি ভেবে যে নিশা কাটে 
জাগি কাহার তরে 
শুধাও যদি কোনদিন 
বলব তোমারে 

নিদ্রাহিনা রাত্রি যেন 
পরম আশীর্বাদ 
তোমার মাঝে আমার জাগা 
রাতভর  আহ্লাদ 

জেগে থাকি , ভালো থাকি 
ঘুম কেবলি ফাঁকি 
তুমি আছ , তুমি নেই 
তাইত একলা জাগি 

কোনো রাতে যদি তুমি 
জাগো আমার পাশে 
আমার বুকে রেখে দেব 
তোমায়, জড়িয়ে আমার নিশ্বাসে 

পালাও দেখি সাদ্ধি কত 
লাগাও দেখি ছুট 
রাতের বুকের তারার মতো 
তুমি আমি অটুট 

রাত পোহালে ,যেমন মিলায় 
চাঁদের হাসি মুখ 
তেমনি আমি লুকিয়ে থাকি 
তোমার হাসিতে নিশ্চূপ 

দিন ফুরালে রাত হবে 
রাত বাড়লে জ্বালা 
ইচ্ছে করে বসে থাকা 
শুধু, তোমার জন্যে জাগা !

~মঞ্জরী ~

A Melancholic Retreat

I have plunged into the ocean

In an attempt to cross it

Wet, drenched, I swim

Not sure of the existence

Of any shore..

I drink aqua saline

Nausea grips my soul

Yet in a desire to reach

The alluring end

I plummet into the rough sea..

Somehow struggling the waves

And braving all the tides

I reach the verge

And surprise emerge

As I find no one waiting !

I broke the ocean

Into two halves

I made terrain in the deepest woods

The mountains snow clad

I slipped and gripped

Bruised my hands

And non stop bleed

Yet at the end

My blind-fold gone

I see, in the sparkling sun

I did reach the coast

But what I thought was my love

Emerged as ether in the breeze

Or a mirage in the desert..

I try to return

From my journey, almost done

Neither forward nor back

Can I tread

Now how to return..?

Half-kept, half-left, half hearted attempt

Chaos, furore and mayhem

Noise in the crux, noise in the shell

And each clamour tell

Go back, for here exists no space..

Why did I go?

To meet nothing, that wants or seeks me..

Chimera mocks, I smile

I though sit for a while

Not all voyage reaches shore

Nor all cruise sinks either

But mine neither accomplished

Nor undertaken

A rendezvous swindled 

A heart defrauded

A soul duped

A return, sorrowful..

~Manjuri~

Only

Only by loving you

As often as I do

Tell in words

And in silence 

That, yes, I do love

I do love you..

I write my verse on the

Wings of a butterfly

It then spreads 

My words of love

From one bloom to another

Then, each flower gather

My honey of love..

Then I hum my tune

Of love, in the 

Breeze's ears..

It then blows 

A thousand mile far

And spills in your cheeks

I see you blush

My love spreads its hue

Spring advents in your soul..

Only by loving you..

My words become poem

My lyrics become song

And love begins to long

Wait becomes divine

And you become limitless

Only by loving you

Did I make you

Immortal...

~Manjuri~

Closely Apart

When evening arrives
Wearing her auburn gown
Sliding through my windowpane
Some light of love
Enters deep within
I lose myself, completely
Get dissolved in your heart
So near are we
Yet so very far..
So very closely apart !

~Manjuri~

Home Unbuilt

So many thoughts 

Some half-said

Some unsaid

Some felt in silence

Fills the evening air

Its like a house abandoned

Or is it a home unbuilt ?

~Manjuri~