Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Saturday 12 December 1970

This Ancient Land



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My very own
How strange this country looks ,
Through borrowed eyes
Of a foreigner .

The very same
Uninteresting once ,
The sights are so different ;

Now provoking thought
Urging the inner self
To defy despair
And act ,
To break the spell of night
Lingering on this

Ancient land .


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Dec 1958

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Wednesday 9 December 1970

O Beloved Life ( Once again smile ! )



_____________________________________________________I know
I could love you more
If I were not
So constantly dying ;
So unceasing trying
To outlive every breath :

O beloved Life
Bring back
Just a little more
Of sunshine
A little more of snow ,
Once again

A little more smile .

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Sunday 6 December 1970

Beneath the Sun ( Roll Again , Wagon )



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Now roll again
The wagon ,
Along uncharted course ;

This sweet repose
Beneath the starry sky
Knowing not
Your destination
Unknown ,

Roll again
O wagon
To blaze a trail
Your own

Beneath the sun .


Shivaji Park
Nov-Dec 1959



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Who will cry ?



_____________________________________________________
I will die
So who will cry ?
You will
And you ,
And you ;
All for a little while ;

But who will
In the cold grave
Lie ?

Who else except

I  ?

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Soon it will be Friday



_____________________________________________________
Let me have
Some more of this ,
A goddamn whole lot
More of this
Fire in my veins ;

‘ Cause , soon
It will be Friday
And my bones
Will grow weary
And my blood
Will no more boil ;

Ah , my stars were not
Right tonight
As they never were

On any other night .

------------------------------

06  Dec  1963

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Tuesday 3 November 1970

Creator – Preserver – Destroyer



_______________________________________________________
What a fool am I ,
Or really am I ?
I know not .

Why ?
I am not .

For
What I feel ,
Many more have felt
Since the dawn of knowledge ,
Take Adam and Eve !

And this is the way
The man shall live
From here
To eternity .

To be sure
In that I was a fool –
To have donned this cloak
Of the make – believe ways
Of a super being !

And small wonder
They accepted me
The way
I made me appear to be ;

When I should have been
More humble
In accepting the call
Of my own nature .

But looking down
From across the ages ,
With a face so serene
What have you to say
O , Trimurty ?

Does the God manifest in you
As the Creator ,
The Preserver
And the Destroyer ?

And that ,
Man
Being a part of God
Shall always act

In His capacities ?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawrence
03 Nov 1956


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Sunday 1 November 1970

Emptiness



_______________________________________________________
A certain emptiness
Fills the heart
And the vacuum

Has a heaviness



Lawrence

1-11-1957
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Tuesday 27 October 1970

In the midst of a winter



_______________________________________________________
My fair lady ,
I do not know
What spell you cast on me ,
But your charms
Are still clouding my vision ;
And something is astir ,
Deep down my heart ,
Where
But for a moment
You played ,
The eternal tune ,
On the strings
Of my emotions come to life
That were frozen dead
In the midst of a winter

That forever seemed to last .

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27-10-1956

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Friday 9 October 1970

Campanile



_______________________________________________________
Campanile
Standing like a guard
Deaf , but not mute
I hear you speak
From dawn to dusk,
A word of vigil
To all the youth
At thy feet ;
The makers of the future
Theirs ,
And of this ailing world –
And as I listen
You speak the story
Of all those dead
In whose memory you stand ,
I wonder
What would they have to say ,
If they knew
That this world , to day
Is farther from the end
To which they fought ,
Than on the day
They were dead ;
And that this ,
You , O Campanile ,
Standing tall at KU campus ,
Serve but as a summon ,
To the 8 o’clock class

On M , W  and  F  !

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Thursday 8 October 1970

Vision

                                      https://youtu.be/567-c9bDfiU

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When my thirsty eyes
Rested on thy slender silhouette
Delicately carved like crescent
In the glow
Of the sinking sun ,
I knew

I had found my oasis
In the endless
Sands of Sahara ,
That until this –
Thy vision ,

This life but used to be .

----------------------

Lawrence  
08 Oct 1956

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Saturday 3 October 1970

Not for Ever



_______________________________________________________
I cannot die,
Not for ever :
Death
It must be
For a shorter while ,
Until I ,
With a will to live
Revive.

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Monday 7 September 1970

Eternal Quest



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What do I know
Of the eternal quest ,
Of what is right
And what is wrong ?

Should I let my conscious guide
Or submit to the wisdom
Of the sages past ?

How can I know
They are wicked or sublime
The forces
Working within myself ?

If nature’s force supreme
Must have its way
Why resist ?

Or am I born
To conquer and control
At the very source ,
The waters
Unto the ocean flowing ,
Before they can flood
The sprouting bud ?

Who shall dominate
The self ,
The flesh or the soul ?
O , eternal quest

Let me not rest .

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Tuesday 18 August 1970

The Ever-changing Truth






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In this stale water
A myriad images dance ,
Of immortal love
Immaculate beauty ;

Also
Lowly , sunken
Rape of thought .

Quivering ,
Twisted forms of
Same undying yearning ,
Boundless of space
And time ;
The ageless
Turbid plasma of soul ;
Reflecting
The darkness
Of this futile search
And despair
Of derelict ,
Of blinded vision , and
All the decaying senses ;

In this stagnant water
Shadows lurk
Of death-inspired ridicule
Of mortal ken ;
The frantic search
Of the non – existent ,
The ever changing truth .


Monday 10 August 1970

Vasavdatta




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In the dark night
The storm was raging ;
And so did one
In the depths of Vasavdatta’s
heart .

For , at the yonder end of
The bridge ,
-     Which like her heaving
Bosom,
Swayed over Sipra’s
Turbulent waters ;
Her lover stood in wait ,
Singing a tune
On his melodious flute ,
That made the restless night
Still more .

Hasten Vasavdatta ,
The time was running short ;
And with gentle steps
Thru the courtyard
And the guard less gates
She made her way –
Though her hair hung loose
And the cheeks were smeared
With kajal .

Oh , such a terrible night !

She shivered in the
Clatter of rain –
Plodding her way
Through the flooded streets ,
She came to the outskirt
Of town ;

“ I am coming to thee ,
My love “ , cried she ,
“ Play no more the tune
That drives me wild “ .

But lo ! what strikes her feet ?
Holding her breath ,
In lightning’s wake,
Saw Vasavdatta ,
A smiling face !

“ Who you ? “, spoke she ,
“ In this dreadful night
And with what delight ,
Are lying on the ground ? “

Slipped words
From the stranger’s tongue ,
“ I am Upagupta
The Sadhu ,
Who has made a shelter ,
Of star-studded sky ,
And usually finds
A bed of grass
To rest a dreamless night “ .

“ Forgive me , O Sadhu ,
For touching thee with
My feet “ ,
Begged she ,
“ And for the night ,
You my guest be “ .

“ Not tonight
Vasavdatta .
He who waits for you ,
Shall have his time ,
But I promise you
To come sometime ,
Farewell till then “ .

And the time fled swift ;

For one full moon night ,
As a gentle breeze blew
On Sipra’s waters ,
Walked Upagupta
Across the bridge .

And on the same spot ,
Where they first met ,
Found he Vasavdatta ,
Ailing to death .

Whispered he to her ,
“ Look Vasavdatta ,
I have kept my promise “ .

“ Touch me not
My Lord ,
Touch not this leper ;
My sins must take their toll ,
The disease is deadly
And my hour is come “ .

“ And so has mine “ ,
The Sadhu spoke ,
“ I have promised you
Vasavdatta ,
And so shall this be
Our night  “ .

“ The stars are twinkling
The bells are ringing
The fragrance floats
On the westerly wind.
The heaven is whispering
To the earth below ,

 As I play the flute
You join me with the song ,
This is our night.

Our last night “ .

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10  Aug  1970

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Hindi Transliteration ( dt 23  July  2019 ) at :

https://poemshn.blogspot.com/2019/07/vasavdatta.html




Gujarati ( dt 24  Sept  2019 ) at :

https://hcpspoems.blogspot.com/2019/09/blog-post.html

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