A collection of poems by Mandar Kokatay

Birds song birds sing life's anthem soulful melody melts heart sly hunter takes aim © Mandar Jayant Kokatay

Thunderstorm - Nor'wester ( Kaal - Baisakhi ) - Haiku (5-7-5) Rain ignites thunder Heaven showers angry tunes Thirsty earth rejoices © Mandar Jayant Kokatay Note : Nor’wester is subject of universal interest for a number of reasons. It not only gives relief after mid-day heat but pours well its crops. Its nature is unique and the causes are really interesting. During the hot weather period i.e from March to May the eastern and North-eastern states of the Indian subcontinent like West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Orissa (parts) and Bangladesh experience dramatic appearance of a special type of violent thunderstorm know as Nor’wester. In Bengal it is known as ‘KalBaisakhi’ or calamity of the month of Baisakh (April,15-May,15). Apart from its destructive effects like sudden rise in wind speed, lightning, thunder  and hail the rainfall associated with the storm although small in amount, is extremely helpful for the pre-Kharif crops like jute, Aus paddy, summer till and a large ...

Water (Haiku-5-7-5) Life giving liquid, Dissolves Earths impurities, Some forms convey death © Mandar Jayant Kokatay

The banyan tree The banyan tree stood tall on the hill behind my house I watched it with awe and respect as a child It was a symbol of infinite strength, firmly rooted to the earth If someone would try to pull it, the entire hill would come along As I was growing up, it was also growing stronger So I thought until one day a gust of wind came along and it fell It was just a gust, mind you, neither gale nor storm And yet it lay broken, totally hollow from inside I felt deceived , heartbroken People came, cut it and took away the pieces And as the banyan tree slowly disappeared so did my childhood © Mandar Jayant Kokatay

Silence - Dedicated to Earth day Branches scoured fruits devoured bark crumpled roots shriveled The tree is silent Trees chopped shrubs cropped vegetation vanished animals banished The forest is silent Soil eroded rocks abraded inners hollowed toxins swallowed The mountain is silent Water corrupted flow disrupted motor boating filth floating The river is silent submerged ships wrecked Oil spills unchecked species near extinction killed by pollution The sea is silent billion spouts smoked aerial routes choked stars intangible climate unpredictable The sky is silent flooding population nuclear radiation weapons of mass destruction Humans - God's own creation The Earth is silent The silence has a meaning The silence is threatening The silence is deafening Is anybody listening? © Mandar Jayant Kokatay