Four poems by Kalpna Singh-Chtinis

A Pale Monday Morning - I

• I went to sleep late last night,
• and woke up early this morning.
• A very kind note to a friend
• wasn’t kind enough!

• I woke up feeling sad and knowing
• that sometimes we unknowingly
• touch the hearts of others,
• only to create ripples.

• Sometimes,
• ripples aren’t bad,
• yet, it’s okay to feel sad,
• only to understand the heart of a pond,

• filled with sadness.

A Pale Monday Morning - II

• The Christmas sun is not warm enough,
• and there is no fireplace in my house.

• I stand alone in my patio,
• hoping for some sun flakes at noon,

• knitting a warm winter hug
• with my tangled breath,

• for a recipient unknown!

Jungle - I

• The jungle greets century a new year,
• centuries greet millenniums;
• millenniums greet eternity,
• and eternity greets the sacredness in us.
• Let’s rise in gratitude,
• and blossom like wild flowers;
• open to the core,
• and perfume the jungle!

Jungle - IV

• Every birth in the jungle is a celebration,
• there is no death in the jungle ever to be ever mourned.
• The jungle breathes life in all deceased,
• in the jungle everyone resurrects,
• every tear is counted,
• and becomes an offering to the river of eternity!

Kalpna Singh-Chitnis is an Indo-American poet, writer, filmmaker, and actor based in the United States. Author of Bare Soul and three collections of poems in Hindi, she won the Bihar Rajbhasha Award (1986–’87) given by the government of Bihar, India, for her first poetry collection, Chand Ka Paivand (“Patch of Moon”) before she was 21 and was given the title of Bihar Shri (“Jewel of Bihar”) in 1988. She has been widely published in India, Europe, and North America, and her poetry has been translated into several languages. More about Kalpna Singh-Chitnis at kalpnasinghchitnis.com.