Pratap Jayavanth
India
Pratap JayavanthIndia |
|
Born in Madras on 29 July 1946, I developed a keen interest in writing from a very early age. I was encouraged by the Jesuit Fathers in school and greatly influenced by my grandfather, a missionary and my father, an army doctor, who had served with the Allied Forces. Having worked as a doctor in the Middle East during the Gulf War, my poems reflect the fragile guarantee of peace and the inevitability of conflict in the modern world. My love for writing poetry is shared by my son, Deepak who has already blossomed into a poet of international repute. I now reside in Dumfries, UK. |
Mirage In The DesertOver burning sand dunes and through merciless desert storms.Like their forefathers who taught them how to face nature's fury, The Bedouins with their goats and donkeys, horses and camels, Push relentlessly ahead against all odds in their eternal search, For the shimmering oasis of life, far, far away in the distance. When the heat of the day melts into the cool darkness of night, They would sink their weary limbs around hastily-built campfires, As they feast and drink, the young sing and dance in gay abandon, And elders watch the sparkling stars and the shape of the moon, As it plays hide and seek like a virgin bride behind a veil of clouds. Even before the golden rays of the sun could herald another dawn, They prepare for a long and gruelling journey into the unknown, The battle for survival must continue as it always has in the past, While the crusade for peace shall ever remain an eternal struggle. Will the footprints on the sands lead to the mirage in the desert? |
War In The GulfAs sleep descends silently like a dense fog to envelop the whole city,The old and young in homes and hotels relax in beds of warm luxury. Suddenly, all around, screaming sirens spear the Arabian tranquillity, Brutally shaken, men, women and children listen to impending danger, With beating hearts, they scramble through a maze of chaos to safety, The more cautious, with gas masks, the less fortunate with wet towels, Earth-shattering sounds reverberate as they watch in horror and anxiety, Different nationalities together today, bound by fear but united in hope, As silent prayers escape from parched throats to seek out the Almighty. |