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Àŧùl Sep 2014
Finally, today I'll get to meet an old friend for the first time ever.
She lives in Amritsar.
I have never met her.
I'm gifting myself a tete-â-tete because *it's her birthday today.
My HP Poem #669
©Atul Kaushal
Steve Bailey Feb 2011
I softly tread down marble halls,
my bare feet echoing on white stone floors
that have seen millions of souls
just like mine.

I pass over the stoop
that has felt the endless touch of foreheads
prostrate in humble reverence.

I stand silently by an altar,
coins and offerings scattered at my feet
before this monument that is
the silent ear for so many unknown prayers.

I can almost hear the silent supplications
of all those that have come before,
endlessly echoing from these golden walls.

This place spoke to each of them
just as it speaks to so many today,
just as it speaks to me.

Though my knees do not fold
and my lips do not kiss the marble floor,
though no muttered scripture falls from my tongue,
though the songs on the air remain a mystery
and their lyrics tell stories I do not know,
though I bring no offering, leave no coin
at the petaled base of the altar,

even so,

my mere presence here
has bound me both to this sanctuary
and to these strangers.
To their prayers.
To their alms.
To their songs.
To their hearts.

Every heart
that has been bathed
in the golden light of peace and charity
is forever brightened
and strengthened and soothed.

And now, my heart is counted among them.
Many hearts,
One love.
Written at the Harmandir Sahib ('the abode of god,' commonly known as the Golden Temple) in Amritsar, India.
Àŧùl Mar 2015
So aged he is, but still so zealous for his job.
It feels like he has only known his rickshaw.
The ancient bard in him tells Punjabi poems.
He belies his wrinkles as he pedals his ride.
Just putting to shame his fellow rickshaw pullers.
None remembers or even cares to know his name.
He just pedals and remembers his deceased wife.

He told me a Punjabi tale of partition...

"We were really happy when it happened,
I was 16 and married to my beautiful wife,
But then he pressed for a separate Pakistan,
Just so much wicked was this demand of his,
Punjab was alight due to some people's doing,
We were to cross river Ravi en route to Amritsar,
In Lahore my childhood home was burnt to ashes,
My beautiful wife was still so young at that time,
She was ***** on the banks of river Ravi & killed,
In no cloth was she draped as they burnt her body,
After pouring whiskey all over her lifeless body."


His voice broke and a stream of tears escaped,
Down his eyes they flowed like the river Ravi,
"In front of my two eyes the men had ***** her,
Her mistake? Looking at them once & smiling,
Sin as great to be punished by such brutal drab?
What God, Ishwar or Allah did they follow?
I have known all & none advocates ****,
To which parents could they born?
Must be the devil & the witch."


By now his nose was red and his sobs audible.
He said, "She was not just *****, she was also killed,"
The ancient rickshaw puller gasped for breath as he said,
"Would the high heavens thank them for killing my wife,
She was a Hindu and an idolater with my mangalsootra,
Why they spared my life I have no idea but just remorse,
Will their Allah or God spare them on Doomsday?"

==============
And Google knows who pressed for a separate Pakistan in the name of communal majority.

My HP Poem #813
©Atul Kaushal
Michael Briefs May 2019
On a morning
misty and silent
I lift my gaze.
I float in the air with my friend
-- in a Balloon of many hues! --
above a land of
unbridled diversity,
a land imbued of an
ancient haze.
Ages of untold
days blur in
literal abstraction, in this
enchanted place.  
Alas, I struggle, bruised by all that
my mind cannot capture.
Rationality wants its place
at the table of experience
and reason seeks to define this rapture.
But I have to leave the doors
open to something else...
something wider, some
new synthesis.
I reach for a new level of existence.
In time, I will
learn to dance
to this dislocation;
I will
learn to let go and
accept what I
cannot fathom.
A heady view from our craft
of levity and lightness
supplies a calming reprieve
from my apprehension.
We drift high through hot
atmospheres and above
pungent savannahs,
seeking to release tension.
We let ourselves drift in
the limitless space of God's
breath, bringing our
breathing into the pattern of
eternity.
The hush takes hold...
Suddenly, we are over come
with spontaneous celebration!
We exalt in the
wisdom of the Sage sublime!
We embrace it all, in thrall
to visions divine!
We pray to the ineffable
with our laughter and
make love in the moment
with our tears.
All our fears are cast away
and we accept a gift offered
by the mystic pulse
of Mother earth.
A view from our balloon
is the prism which
opened our eyes
to the everlasting
light!
This lofty vantage from a
buoyant craft birthed
the soul's
transcendent flight!
The picture that inspired me to write this is at this address:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208529862980071&set=a.10208174166607884&type=3&theater
Àŧùl Dec 2016
I** thank you for showing your true colors.

Dott sure I'm now that you're not true,
Am I in need for more cheating,
My happiness is in love - true love,
Not in your way of life - fake love.

Your hits I've taken to the heart,
Of hell you have shown me a glimpse,
Under your unfaithful behavior corrupted.

The person who you cheated me with,
Of course he is at bigger blame than you.

He sure is the bigger player,
Even you are such a poser,
Lame he is - you look uglier,
Living life freely you have ruined it.
HP Poem #1310
©Atul Kaushal
Àŧùl May 2015
You gave in to my courtship,
I cusped your face in my hands,
That was when we met in Amritsar,
I had clutched your cute fingers,
Nervous you seemed while smiling.


I can never forget that luckiest day,
Whatever anybody might bray,
Your eyes are truthful darling love,
I am very thankful to the dove,
Thankful to the **dove of love.
My HP Poem #872
©Atul Kaushal
Francie Lynch Aug 2014
After all, we're not savages. We're English.
And the English are the best at everything.
                                                     ­       (Piggy)
The hovelled huts
Near  school house ditches
Hardly sheltered starving children.
Emaciated, pale and ghastly,
Three million lost.
Exports defined them,
Imports denied them,
The world was told their hunger
Was the wrath of God.
For seven hundred years
Untolled Rachels wept;
Twice as long
As Jews were kept
Enslaved in pagan Egypt.
This was Ireland,
Not Auschwitz.

Beneath the banners of
Labour and Freedom,
Toiled the innocents.
Eyes burning from hot peppers,
Bodies weak and wrecked
From boarding;
Skin separated by flogging
Thousands of Cypriots.

Over soup and sandwiches
A demarcation's drawn,
So Hindus now face Muslims
Seeking their new homes.
Three million displaced
During lunch,
Brain salad served up on a hunch
By a line
Drawn by one man.
This wasn't Treblinka,
But Pakistan.

Millions fenced in labour camps
In what they called  
The Dark Continent.
The torture was horrendous,
With random executions.
Think the worse, you're still not there,
Think ravenous dogs and mutilation,
**** and human degradation.
Eyes gouged out, ears cut off,
This was Kenya,
Not Warsaw.

Sir Winston wore
His crocodile shoes,
Feigning the blues,
While blocking friendly supplies;
Letting three million hungry die.
His callousness was cruelly matched
When delivering Mahatma's epithet:
“Has Gandhi not starved yet?”
This was Bengal,
Not Dachau.

Their ****** count adds up.
Their new policy was errant:
Imprison all the peasants.
It was racist to the Nth degree,
A million desperate detainees
To exile when they're freed.
But half died on their knees
In Malay,
Not Buchenwald.


The Boer War and Apartheid
Were blessed with Royal Assent.
In Amritsar Brits opened fire,
To cut down Innocents.

This isn't just in history,
It's happened all too recently.

Argentina's watery graves
Gurgle from The Belgrano,
Sunk by Royal torpedoes
For a rock of sheep.
Such was the work
Of a band of brothers,
To fly their flag
Over Falkland waters?

There's no denying
The atrocities
Of her maternal
Ferocities.
The Spinners
Wrapped their glories
Furled in Jack's war stories.
The winners
Have detoured their crimes,
Enjoin us denouncing
**** times;
But the sun hasn't set
On Empire fires:
China, India, Kenya, Aden,
Ireland, Africa,
All invaded.
All degraded.
Imperialism is not benign,
The legacy lives on
In Palestine.

Under pretence
Of flag and king,
The English are
Best at everything
.
I removed this earlier in deference to some who found it offensive. I've re-considered.


Without YOU, I'm nothing
Without YOU, my world doesn't exist
If you're there, I am alive
If I find you, I find myself


You are my Mecca masjid (Muslim)
You are my Vatican church (Christian)
You are my Jerusalem synagogue (Jews)
You are my Banaras temple (Hindus)
You are my Gaya stupa (Buddhist)
You are my Khajuraho Parsvanath (Jains)
You are my Amritsar Gurudwara  (Sikhs)

I wander to every place of worship
I read every scriptures and pray
I am pathos of your LOVE
Chanting your name
This is my only purpose of living

Only when you've gone away
I've understood my LOVE for YOU
Don't break the thread of LOVE
I'm delicately tender in your LOVE


Poem: Part 4 of a 6 part series of Poem
Aaron LaLux Jul 2016
El Mirador

The Sikh man on the the rooftop balcony,
tells me if I have any problems in this city,
to come and see him,
and he will deal with it,

he’s serious,
and he’s loving,
and his black eyes reflect,
against the black streeted city,
in a way that leaves no doubt,
upon my incensed mind,

we are in,
a Belizean town,
on the Guatemala border,
it’s late the moon is there,
as She always is such a trusted companion,

the balcony smells,
of humid resentment,
there is a sleepy nostalgia,
blowing through the air,

everything looks misty,

tomorrow I depart for Flores,
then to El Mirador,
the largest pyramid in the world,
waiting for me to explore,

I have a few days,
found some extra time,
between flying to NYC,
then flying to Milan,
to find my way to El Mirador,
it’s a six day hike from Flores,
this is something that’s calling me,
told you before I’m a traveler not a tourist,

I’m packing my bags,
getting ready for another trip,
my business is straight,
and my 5th book is almost finished,

which gives me a few days to breathe,
to hike into the jungles in respect of the pyramids,
and I was packing my bags and getting everything ready,
when I decided to take a break and step out onto the balcony,

where to my surprise I found a man,
sitting in the dark,
resting in the infinite,
space of time and thought,

and when I discovered him,
he began to speak,
he told me he’d come from Amritsar,
and that he was a Sikh,

Seek and Ye shall find,
so I go with God,
and get back to getting ready,
for my trek to El Mirador.

— ∆ Aaron LA Lux ∆ —

The H Trilogy
Volume 1
7/7/16

Àŧùl Aug 2014
Where's that girl,
Sweetheart of mine,
Young poetess of Amritsar,
The very same who trusts me,
Yes she loves me for lifelong,
She won't ever forget my love,
I won't forget that to her I belong,
She won't forget it either, or will she?
She won't ever forget, that I am hers,
I won't myself or let her let it slip,
She panics about future a lot,
Yes night-out will be rainy,
This night won't be alone,
Youthfully we will share it,
So close it seems I say,
Was it yesterday?

She will ask me when,
I'll tell her with a smile,
'Back at that time when you were doubtful,'
I'll just be hugging her,
She will blush purple.
My loving fantasy for you my love

My HP Poem #662
©Atul Kaushal
Àŧùl Sep 2014
I went to Amritsar,
Her birthday it was,
And it was so good.

I felt at home there,
Hospitality so cordial,
And it was so good..

I presented her with a birthday gift,
She gave me mine & a return gift too,
Waking up in the morning to the kiss of the dew was so good...
My HP Poem #670
©Atul Kaushal
Àŧùl Feb 2017
An accident I suffered gave me amnesia,
Not she did suffer any internal brain injuries,
Tasked with loving her forever I was,
Especially sweet seemed her young ego,
Roses fell into my mind as she kisses me,
Offered I to her a promise of forevermore,
Generous she was to reflect the promise,
Rightly she knew everything about me,
Assumed by me it was too likewise,
Doctoring me in her fantasies to recovery,
Enriched by her love and my poetry our love.

Atul lost his identity for Mystery,
Muster I did every last bit of loyalty,
Networking my way to Amritsar,
Especially so for meeting her,
Sipped through her lips I did,
Into her soul, I struck a string,
A*las, it was all an illusion of mine.
Yet another secondary acrostic poem.

My first concrete acrostic poem.

I really like the way it has turned out

Anterograde Amnesia (Short-term memory loss) apart from my principles in part restricted me from loving her as she desired.

She wanted an open relationship of sorts, but I am a traditional conventional lover of sorts.

Even now I wish to propose her the day I get a good job and I think that the day I desire and deserve is not far away.

Our future children will have a story to get inspired by and I will be writing a book about the two of us very soon after my M.Tech gets completed and I win her back.

My HP Poem #1424
©Atul Kaushal
Àŧùl Sep 22
She had introduced me,
To Hello Poetry.

'Twas a day like none other,
I reached Amritsar for her.

Accompanying me that day,
Was my kind physiotherapist.

Yes, the very same physiotherapist,
Who I dubbed physio the ******,
For the pain used to be unbearable.

But no,
'Twas necessary for my betterment.

Coming back to Amritsar,
She was pleasantly surprised.

For she thought I'd play a prank,
Just like she had played one on me.

Giving me a false hope that she'll come,
Anyway, I went to her home.

I wished her on her birthday,
My physiotherapist went away.

I tuned her guitar as E A D G B E,
Eddy Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddy.

They laughed, her friends.
For who eats a Dynamite!

Well, that's the standard tuning,
Now I played a few songs.

Her friends were impressed,
Of me, she was proud.

I presented her a pen drive,
A Gaņesha adorned drive.

She loved it,
And thanked me.

After the party, she insisted that I stay,
I slept beside her father.

She shook me awake, and I was like,
"Who are you," she put her hand.

"Shh, it's me," she whispered,
I understood and relaxed.

She kissed me again at 3:30 a.m. on 24th,
This time I was awake and gave her my warmth.

Later, before sunrise, I went to the Station,
I had united with my Physio The ******.

I hugged her for one last time,
And we climbed on the train back.

Now nothing remains but memories,
Bitter ones to be more precise.

She cheated on me in 2015-16,
When I couldn't go to Amritsar.

My former best friend capitalised,
The ******* induced the breakup.

But that girl, who got so easily seduced,
She Wasn't Sad — Droņa Wept Like Kids.

And the immortal Droņa died,
Unable to trust anyone again.
My HP Poem #1997
©Atul Kaushal
Àŧùl Mar 2014
She is from Amritsar,
Home to the Golden Temple,
And a historically important city.

He is from Karnal,
Home for some research,
And Indian Milk Revolution..

She is still innocent,
Drawn to his charming self,
And that too quite righteously...

He is experienced,
Drawn to her innocence,
And is always there for her....

She is very receptive,
Often listens to his advice,
And much to her advantage.....

He is most supportive,
Showing her lighted path,
And so for her is all of him......

Both replace all pairs,
Many poets know of them,
And Mystery-Atul just rejoice.......
My HP Poem #566
©Atul Kaushal
Narinder Bhangu Nov 2018
A circular motion
of everything
centripetal force of what
keeps the world together,
yet the weak spots
where hatred is spread
innocent misled
there mobs gather
unbridled
uncontrolled
some sit and stand
others walk and talk
some enjoy
others ploy
some come and go
others break the flow
then the machines fail
for moans and cries....
( Badly moved by the Amritsar Tragedy)
Michael Marchese Nov 2017
Her muses are rather bazaar
From afar
To an Akbar they are
Saraswati’s sitar
For the river is vivid expressions of life
In a culture as distant
As discordant strife
When the songs are of mango trees
Sweet as can be
And her temples of riches
Are fertile and free
But still poverty seen
Inundating the banks
So much so in fact
That the monkey gods pray
Where the rhinos once drank
And I must bear witness to all the existence
Persistence resisting the suffering tone
For mine is so om that unknown is my home
But the homeless who roam like Dalits in the streets, still need places to sleep
And a harvest to reap
From the zamindar’s farm, could feed all of Uttar
Which is still so bazaar from afar to Akbar
That I wander the Thar as I wonder who are, All the bearers of Blue Star and Amritsar scars
Still polluting and looting
And shooting their brothers
And turning the tears of the Mother the Color
Of coal ash despair from unfair lady lovers
Still Partitioning them against one another
Michael Marchese Nov 2017
The children of Agni
Still tend to the fields
But they yield to what Shiva’s
Deals hope to conceal
By the bushels of bullets, pork barrels of grease
In the crease of the fingers
And trigger’s release
Of the anger, the rage of this Bengali cage
Made of famines of war
And the textile slaves
With the wage loomin’ over
Their shoulders in pain
From the Kashmiri soldiers
Still diggin’ their graves
And in chains are the children who bear the unfair distribution of loot
Still polluting the air
And I try and I try, and they stare and they stare
But I’m running in circles and getting nowhere

Just making a stand for this Hindustan sand
A mere man of unplanned patrilineal clans
Tryna’ offer a hand to the paving of roads
Without hellish intentions for humble abodes
‘Cuz I know, I’ve been shown where the wild things are
And now my state of mind is the state of Uttar
When I still see the zamindars driving in cars
And the Amritsar crimson Blue Stars from afar
People burning but still full of love and a spirit
That sings of the Ganges, each night you can hear it
It’s clear, without fear and sincere in its praise
For the guru I am, come to learn of their ways
No one's going anywhere no time never soon
so you might as well get used to watching four walls
in your room
or
you can google trip around the globe,

up to now
I've been to Curacao and blue bay beach,
to Bogota and Amritsar,
tomorrow
I'm heading off again,
anything
to get me out of this room and away from the rain.
Listing Listerine as a pathogen, oh yeah!!!
Holidays are here smearing **** on walls
Slamming upon my hand the door of a car
Enticing Sikhs to brashly assemble in Amritsar
Listing Listerine as a pathogen, oh yeah!!!
Holidays are here smearing **** on walls
Slamming upon my hand the door of a car
Enticing Sikhs to brashly assemble in Amritsar

— The End —