Featured Poet
Ariadne’s Note: After a long wait, finally I am able to introduce to you some of those who have sent their information in. Mr. Waseem A. Malla has been waiting for a number of months. Welcome and thank you for your patience!
Waseem writes from Srinagar, Kashmir, India:
“I am an amateur poet from Kashmir, in the Indian Sub-Continent. I started writing poetry years ago as a child, but it was not until last year that I started to give it more time. I’ve experimented with different genres of poetry in Kashmiri, English and Urdu as well. I use a lot of imagery and metaphors in my poems which can be regarded as an influence of contemporary and classic Urdu poetry.
My poetry is influecedby Ahmad Faraaz, Parvin Shakir, Faiz A Faiz Ad Mewlana Jalal-ud-Din Rumi.”
Snow in Kashmir.
There on the summit of a hillock,
I waited for my muse to inspire a song;
And she came with a musing so bright,
It painted the valleys with snow, all white;
The red embers groaned in my Kangri,
Within my shivering being & cold body;
My Pheran keeping me safe and warm,
Settling in Kashmir is the winter’s charm;
All the mountain, farm, house & hill,
Were deep frozen in the winter chill;
The snow sandwiched between heaven & earth, Smeared on my lips an eternal mirth;
The icicles from the roof-edges, hanging- A feast for the mouth: numb & napping;
A divine bliss for the innocent hearts-
The sledgy slopes, with some bumpy parts;
Giving the urchins a roller-coaster ride, Falling back two with every up-stride;
The rays of the sun, so weak and cold,
Are like secrets which clouds unfold;
The blanket of snow hiding the land,
Makes my Kashmir look heavenly grand…
© Waseem A Malla
Srinagar, Kashmir.
** List of words used in the poem and descriptions:
Kangri: a small portable earthenware-lined wicker basket filled with hot embers used by people in Kashmir usually in winters beneath their traditional clothing called Pheran, to keep themselves warm.
Pheran: Traditional Kashmiri pheran – a must woolen shoulder-to-knee-down robe worn in winters by a majority of the Valley population.
Details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanger .
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