ASIAN LITERARY SOCIETY PRESENTS

ALS 2021 AN ANTHOLOGY OF POEMS

COMPILED AND EDITED BY MANOJ KRISHNAN

Acknowledgment First and foremost, I thank Almighty for blessing me much more than I deserve. I take the pleasure to express my profound sense of gratitude to all poets who have contributed to the Asian Literary Society’s anthology of poems. I extend heartfelt thanks to ALSphere Foundation, the Asian Literary Society admin team, and chapter teams for their perennial support. And last but not the least, I am grateful to my entire family, friends, readers, and all the members of the Asian Literary Society for their invaluable support. Manoj Krishnan

Introduction Asian Literary Society (ALS) was started in 2017 to promote Asian art, culture, and literature all over the world. With over 50,000 members and followers across all ALS communities in more than 100 countries, ALS has successfully provided a vibrant and riveting platform for artists and writers from all over Asia where they get an equal opportunity to hone their skills, participate and showcase their talent. Asian Literary Society has promoted mutual understanding and collaboration among community members through its series of events resulting in overwhelming participation in its cultural and social initiatives. It also regularly organizes programs for special needs and indigenous communities as part of its endeavors to serve society at large.

One of our community-driven initiatives is bringing community members together for our annual literary project. Asian Literary Society’s members from all over the world enthusiastically contribute in our annual anthologies. In 2021, the Asian Literary Society’s annual awards contest received an overwhelming response from the writers. In “ALS 2021: An Anthology of Poems”, winning poems of the annual awards contest have been included. I hope these poems would touch the core of readers’ hearts. Manoj Krishnan Editor & Founder, Asian Literary Society

Contents Acknowledgment Introduction 1. Jacaranda Manoj Krishnan 2. Lonely Path Poonam Kakodkar 3. The Child Within Me Indrani Choudhury 4. My Restlessness Dr. Varsha Khare 5. The Sentinel Mousumee Baruah 6. Reshaping Past Kishor Kumar Mishra 7. The End of the Road Bhargavi Ravindra 8. I Know You Miss Me Jayashree Bhattacherjee 9. Flora and Fauna Samar Pratap Singh 10. On the Sea – Shore Rimjhim Srivastava 11. Diversity Jagadish Prasad 12. Amaltas P. D. Jonakii

13. Muted Cries Seema Jain 14. I Found Myself Anjana Prasad 15. Friendship Dr. Sanam Vaseem Shaikh 16. Moments of Time Swati Garg 17. A Wish Pooja Kabra 18. Missive Sugar Zedna 19. A Heartfelt Blessing! Lakshmi Ajoy 20. Dandelions Stand Tall Ritu Kamra Kumar 21. Emancipation Antara Pal 22. Seeds of Life Aida Roque 23. Newly Born Manisha Amol 24. The Deciding Moment Anwesha Bhattacharya 25. Empty Pockets Carry Real Stories Sonal Jhajj 26. Ellipsis Manasi Diwakar

27. The Invisible Picture Sriramadasu Amaranath 28. Autumn Khushboo Shah 29. The Cherished Epistle Ankurita Khajanchi 30. Come to Me Santa Saiprakash Kuntamukkala 31. The Gust of Dust Albert Onwuchekwa 32. Till We Meet Again Vaishali Chandorkar Chitale 33. Rhythm Divine Neeti Parti 34. The Aspiration Hong Ngoc Chau 35. Never-ending Anuradha Chelliah 36. The Pitch-black Room Hein Min Tun 37. The Evil Alcohol Anjali Srivastava 38. Missing You Mom Sulakshana Misra 39. Autumn Leaves Vasudha Pansare 40. Undaunted Bucolic Life Indrani Chatterjee 41. Earnest Voice

42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55.

Aparna Menon My Mother Nidhi Mathur Save Me Waheeda Hussain Mother Nature and its Power Deepti Shakya Truth of Life Vandana Bhasin The Destroyer Neha Gupta Freedom Dr. Aparna Pradhan Reconnection Dr. Paromita Mukherjee Ojha The Ordained Turn Around Banani Sikdar Spontaneous Happiness Banani Sikdar I Still Exist Pooja Mandla An Eternity Alka Balain The Eternal Search Alka Balain The Amazon Rainforest Fires Dr. Deviyani Singh Generation of Earth Suranjit Gain

56. Gunshots Akshita Sundeep Singh 57. Resilience Phalgun Hansrao 58. They are Humans as Well Ramya V 59. Out of the Ordinary Devi Vaidehi 60. The Mystical Cosmos Lalita Vaitheeswaran

1. Jacaranda The last flower fell from the jacaranda tree Marking the end of the vibrant purple spree Although I know this is the outset of its rest My soul yearns to relish again this floral fest I remember the days it blossomed in my lane Beholding that splendid vista I forgot all pain Though this sabbatical is brief before bloom How will I console my soul plunged in gloom Manoj Krishnan

2. Lonely Path She walked down the lonely path, Her silken hair in disarray, Long limbs eating up steps, A frown etched in the lines of her forehead, Her lips pursed in frustration, This wasn't the first time. She had walked out fuming, Fuming at the sheer futility, All the efforts have gone to waste, Like ashes floating down the river, Disembodied, no future, no hope, A home for which she'd toiled so hard, Was just red brick and mortar to others They would crack the walls, Creating fissures in bricks, Which would collapse in a useless Pile of rubble. The leafy green Neem trees Would be chopped, Reduced to a pile of fuel. Poonam Kakodkar

3. The Child Within Me The child within me refuses to bid adieu, To the exotic feeling of wonder, Which it receives while navigating its milieu. It sings and dances, Engaging in pure romance While viewing something as simple as, The giant leap of a grasshopper, Or something as marvelous as the constellation of stars. It gets overwhelmed while listening, To the songs of a solitary reaper, Or while observing the sonorous flow, Of a nameless brook or a renowned river. This child unleashes in me an unbridled passion, To live this life with hopes and ambitions, To dream big and to nurture a broader vision, To unite all by erasing division. It fuels me with an Epicurean scholar’s fire, Whispers me to get bathed in hedonistic desires, Inspires me to soar higher,

To greet life in all its colors. It dreams to touch the lapis lazuli sky, To meet a hyacinth girl by traveling miles, To breathe excitement by reveling with flamboyance and style, And finally, to celebrate the event called life. Indrani Chowdhury

4. My Restlessness Desire for reaching the sky Would be fulfilled with my try... Dreams of my parents Would be fulfilled with my efforts... Though I am seeing the dream Of working hard with full swing Yet I fail to... Hindrances make me restless I began to feel guilty! Yet I have a great belief Even knowing the path forward... I feel I am going towards darkness O! My stars you are the best I feel blessed with your grace… So, O’ Heavenly Father... And I resolve to work harder!!!! Dr. Varsha Khare

5. The Sentinel The wise old banyan tree standing on the threshold of a village gateway. The experienced banyan was once like a village Sentinel that keeps the evil at bay. Witnessed to the many stories of the dwellers The stories of living like a family together. Sharing joys and sorrows, love stories with sweet endings. Celebrating festivals, functions, and gala weddings. Near the banyan, many weary wayfarers took a rest. People expressed their feelings full of zest. Cowboys took the siesta in the evenings. Few religious even worship the old banyan tree with hymn chantings. A flurry of activities echoes the meadows. Twittering birds, rustling streams, ponds,