in

The Ocean: A Poem by Rajshree Rathore

An array of vastness yet centered with contentment,
Sometimes those silent aspirations skirting under the current of ‘absolutism’,
The sunrays so precise in their indentation creating that soft golden transparent canvas,
Once in a while those ‘ripples’ meeting the usual suspect – the wind rather pleasantly,
I the ‘Ocean’ take pride in my armour of calmness, deep caution, and discipline flamboyantly.

The under marine display neatly crafted with corals and sea pearls,
The shells effervescent like Mughal motifs,
Or the sea horse hanging gracefully like a master artisan’s imagination embedded,
Those coral reefs and weeds swinging softly to some old country music,
The presumptuous meeting with a dolphin: signifying ‘never a dull moment’.

I remain thankful to the universe for demarcating my area of responsibility,
My waves meet with the sand: a tradition bespoke,
The tell-tale signs of my geometry much debated upon by sailors and pirates,
I have seen those ‘wars’ not as a silent spectator but as the ‘only spectator’,
An indignation to humanity I justify.

Life has facilitated me as a gallant soldier,
Humans giving suffixes and adjectives munificently,
My receding waves a gentle reminder: don’t take me for granted!
I remain sincerely feral to the rich traditions of spirituality carrying on for centuries,
The sun and the moon finally converging in me: an ode to my heroic aura!