Naresh Chandra Mandal

Nothingness

Nothing and nothing and nothing

Yes, that appears like mirage.

Happiness is followed by sorrow.

Morning sweeps away

Stars on the country yard

In the sky.

Sweeps away

Dirt of my mind and

Deception of the past.

Expels the indication of

My helplessness.

From the cracked soil

My destiny eagerly looks

At me.

Lightning of rainy night

Roars.

Pursues to fight.

The words of my

Old Love letter reminds 

Me of my childhood.

My tiny happiness and desires

Become silent by the

Pressure of curse.

I do not become tired

In the crucial moment.

I keep plucking the flowers

Of friendship and

Love making.

You see, now good time

approaches

And very soft news breaks.

Excellent message with

Golden morning

Knocks the door.

This is high time to

Love. 

Odisha

Such an earth

(who) converts Chandashok

Into Dharmashok.

Where bravery of

Kharavela strikes

On the body of Barabati.

The graffiti written on the wall of

Raibania and the sense of touch

Flows down into the

Auspicious sea.

To speak of Odisha

What else more!

Such an earth

where the soil of

Two thousand years back

Throbs   and whose language

And flag of victory

Flies in Srilanka, Borneo

Chelitol, Palur and

Story of heroism turn

Into the congregation,

Religion and incantation

of Budhha, the dedication of

Nanak, Kabir and Chaitanya etc.

To speak of Odisha

What else more you want?

Such a soil where the

Beauty of Charufula

Reflects on Konark

(The Black Pagoda)

Reflects on the field of

Paddy, on the Filigri and the

Canopy of Pipili the world famous.

Also echoes the songs of

Chaitra, and sweet verses of

Similipal.

The sense of war and

Struggle flows down

Into the blood of artery

And vein of the heroes.

Hope, belief and aspirations

Take rebirth in mines and

Forests wherein Odisha dreams.

If you look into Odisha deeply,

Open up your heart and come out

Of the chain.

So that you can imagine whose guardian

Philosopher and friend Lord Jagannath

Is standing by you and the motherlike Mahanadi

Flows down and you can hear

The incantation Bande Utkal Janani.

Thousand and thousand years will be

Passing on and we will be hearing this

Slogan in the years to come.

About the author: Naresh Mandal is a post graduate from Ravenshaw University, Odhisha. Some of my poems have been reviewed by one renowned poet from Austria.