Thursday, June 21, 2012

Forbidden

Hello Bloggy dosts,

I know I said this is guest bloggers month and only guests would do all the posts this month but I happened to scribble these lines last night and I couldn't help but put it here. (I hope you understand the feeling).

FORBIDDEN



How could it be wrong
When it felt so right?
The love we felt,
The bliss and glory of it,
The warmth that engulfed us,
The joy we knew,
When our forms coalesced into one
During that moment
Which felt more than eternity.
Dear Brother,
Tell me
Was I wrong
In loving you
Different from how they said I should?
Was it wrong
Just because you share a quarter of my genes?
Dear Brother,
Tell me
Isn't love one's own?
And its definition unique for each?
Then why are we afraid?
Then why is our love wrong
And their's right?
Tell me who decides
What's wrong and what's right?

Am sorry I can't write rhyming poems (I envy those who can do that). My lines are not structured as my life isn't structured either. No rhyme, no pattern it is. 
Well, coming to the subject of the poem, its on sibling incest. Yes, it is a tabooed subject for almost all countries in the world. I don't mean to encourage or damn it, the poem is an after thought after reading Tabitha Suzuma's book Forbidden. Its the tale of Maya and Lochan, brother and sister by birth but partners by fate. The subject was so beautifully and sensitively handled that I cried hours after reading it. The poem is about a hypothetical situation where fate has entangled two individuals who fall in love and blood ties do not make a difference. The fear, the insecurity they face is something I tried to portray. Let me know your responses.

Love 
Swarnali

20 comments:

  1. 1st of all I love the new look of the blog and 2nd I absolutely love the fact that an emotion that is not experienced by you first hand is expressed beautifully through words !! You should be proud of your this ability!! :)
    M proud!!:)

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    1. Am glad you like the new look :D
      And thanks a million for those kind words, they mean a lot to me :) <3

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  2. Nice subject and poem. I used to only write poems that rhymed, but then I envied people who could write poems that didn't rhyme. So now I've come to realize that both are equally as good and impressive.

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  3. Dear Swarnali,
    Good write my friend. You have hidden talent. Use it to touch hearts. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you so much Andy, those words came in a needed hour. :)

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  4. Beautiful words Swarnali...who makes a subject or an issue as taboo? These issues needs to be addressed and you have done it beautifully.

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    1. Thank you so much Janaki!! I can't tell you how much that comment of yours means to me. Yes, we do need to be more open and talk about issues that are maybe not so pleasant. But they do need to be discussed. Thanks a bunch again. :)

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  5. Great Swar! Touching… After reading your poem, now I should read that book…
    About poetry, don’t worry about rhyme. English isn’t like Hindi, Persian and Italian where it is possible to rhyme. In fact it is advised not to, unless the words fall by themselves. Otherwise it gets clichéd. Poetry is principally distinguished by its rhythm. How you achieve that is up to you – meter, consonance, internal rhyme, etc. Also, attempt to write metrical verses, and gradually grow out of it to free style if you wish too. Great Swar, looking forward for more…

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    1. Thanks a million Sarat!! You just made my day. Am humbled, very much. I highly recommend the book, its beautiful and heart wrenching.

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  6. Very touching poem on such a sensitive topic. The beauty lies in the fact that you just happened to read something and managed to emote it so well through your words....!

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    1. Thank you so much sweetheart. Those words mean a lot :)

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  7. This is just beautifully written! One of the poems I have read, very different, very unique and very inspiring, all-in-one.
    Poem needn't rhyme, feelings in a poem should. And that's what I found here. A clear flow of feelings. Great one Swarnali! :)

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    1. Thank you so much Rachit. That is the most beautiful thing anybody ever said to me. Yes, I do agree that poems should have those overflow of emotions but rhyme does make it more beautiful when read. :)

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  8. Something considered immoral by some, abnormal by many, normal by a few and a non-judgemental, neutral stand that can be taken shown so well by you... Thathvam' asi

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    1. Hello!! You're here after a long time :) What I wanted to do was keep an open mind. if you actually go back to the roots why incest was damned and called amoral was because people had started to realise the ill effects of inbreeding and this was a measure taken to create a sort of fear about it.
      "Thathvam asi" - the God and the devotee are the same. I agree :) Sabrimala, that is where it is inscribed, right? My dad told that to me when I was a kid :)

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    2. oh and thank you so much, a neutral view is what I wanted to maintain. :)

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  9. Wow wow wow ... this is one of the most sensitive poems I have ever come across ... you handled this complex situation so well ...

    "Dear Brother,
    Tell me"

    This line rings so crisply, and hits straight like a dagger, challenging age old notions of relationships. This is a brave poem indeed, one that doesn't deserve comments but a serious applause.

    Hats off to you girl :-)

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    1. Thank you so much, Greenie...your appreciation means a lot...
      Am overwhelmed, really :)

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