Two Poems by Snigdha Agrawal

 

Faith, Hope and Charity

Faith is losing its grip

slipping like sand grains

hourly

impacted by naysayers’

utterings

in dire need to be reinstated

through fair means

 

Hope hangs like a flimsy curtain

manipulated by

the wily breeze

losing credibility

promises unfulfilled

pulling the wool

over the eyes

of the gullible

 

In the name of Charity

who is benefitting?

Not the intended

beneficiaries

middlemen profiteering

through foul means

layered with caveats

widening disparities

 

Faith, Hope and Charity

is losing its sanctity

politics ruling each entity

acting as tectonic plates

pushing towards

destruction of the planet

 

Make believe world

 

It came gift wrapped

tied with satin ribbons

heavy on my arms

nearly fell on its weight

but then, gifts are gifts

always welcome and cherished

never mind its dimensions

Unwrapped

…taken by surprise

…just what I had wanted

…for a very long time

 

It was all there

pots and pans, skillet, teapot, kettle,

colander, peeler, chopping board

everything and more

than what mother had in her kitchen

she kept so spick and span

 

Next few years…

Cooking became a passion

feeding my teddies, rag dolls,

stuffed animals

to the exclusion of all else

unlike other girls of my age

interested in sports, dating

being centre stage

 

All this came

abruptly to an end

when mother passed

leaving a space vacant

in the real-world kitchen

 

I can no more take

up the ladle, stir pots and pans

without tears clouding my vision

dimmed further with advancing age

My kitchen lies in shambles

 

 

Snigdha Agrawal (nee Banerjee), has an MBA in Marketing and Corporate work experience of over two decades. She enjoys writing all genres of poetry, prose, and short stories.  Educated in Loreto Institutions (run by the Irish Nuns), and brought up in a cosmopolitan environment, she has learned the best of the East and West. She is a published author of four books, the latest titled TRAIL MIX, is a book of short stories for all mindsets, and is available on Amazon. in

A septuagenarian still on the learning path next to writing is her passion for travel. She pens down her travel experiences in her WordPress blog randomramblings52.