Poetry as Sanctuary – A column where we explore poetry as a means of expression for voices of the South Asian Diaspora.
Like everyone else who loves poetry, I too see it as an art. An art of saying everything without saying much. A means of conveying the felt, without needing to justify the said. A formation of words which read like a garland, or convey the fragrance of a delicate rose, or sometimes the anguish of the pain caused by its thorns.
But I am no poet, for I lack that art.
I seek a voice
which is free
from the burdens
of the identity
of the face,
a voice
that can reach you deep,
irrespective of the distances
we seem to have created
based on
unfounded
ungrounded
unwarranted
egoistical states,
hear me
from where I hide,
and you’ll see me
with a knowing clarity
far beyond
the simplistic visions,
mechanically reflected
by your
curious eyes.
For me, my writings remain a liberating one-way communication. A release, a vent, an outpouring emanating from the palette of emotions that simmer within. Sometimes for identifiable reasons, and often, just out of a longing for an elusive, imagined, or wishful state of being.
Divinity enters life
in many ways,not all can be seen
or held in tangible forms,to feel the invisible deeply
is often an insane job,and I’ve never felt any remorse
for letting my sanity go.
Words help me find myself and sometimes lead me to discover and identify parts of others which over the years have become an intrinsic part of me. Till it lasts it is a fun game of hide-n-seek, in which thankfully, there are never any losers.
A fellow blogger friend invited me to join a poetry group, the Poetry of Diaspora in Silicon Valley, which instead of their routine physical meet-ups had started connecting virtually due to the COVID restrictions. And I found myself virtually amongst a group of strangers, strangers who slowly began to seem more my own than them that I often see around.
Was I diaspora where I sat, or were they it? Them who carry their roots with them even when far away from a land which still remains green in their souls.
It is a thought which renders me somewhat eligible to be a valid part of this group, for in those hours once a week that we meet online, I too am ‘diaspora’ connecting with my own.
Personally, this space has been a journey of discovering my words in my own voice (a first for me). Listening to the many other voices which can write, recite, and even sing poetry in different languages. A sharing of worded sentiments emanating from different cultures, regions, poets, writers, and time periods. An interaction which invariably touches and tingles various chords of emotions within. I remain grateful to each one of them for this very unique experience and for giving me an opportunity to share some of my own.
Gentle souls,
past
their own
painful
transformations,flit around
like angelic
butterflies,
uplifting
falling spirits,by their
thoughtful,
cheerful
presences
alone,and in those
moments
of soulful
gratitude
within,I bridge
the distance,
between
earth
and sky.
Vidur Sahdev is a 50-year-old guy who lives in Delhi, India, and writes on his blog titled VerseInEmotion. In its essence, his blog is a collection of some thoughts, some words, some memories, some moments, some dreams, some fiction… inspired by the elements of nature, the people who came and those that went away, some remembered, none forgotten, a few bits of his journey over the lived years. The rest ‘about him’ keeps changing faster than he has ever been able to pen it down.