What hope of answer or redress?Behind the veil, behind the veil. (Tennyson)
When I lie on my couch,
Which our German grandma
Used to fondly call chaiselongue,
I drink a cup of Ilam tea.
I am so awake
That I kiss your lips,
Caress you,
Listen to you
Speak to you,
After every sip.
I talk about our children
About our house and garden
About our dear parents,
Friends, new or old.
It’s a superb idyll we’ve created.
I’m too tired
To open my eyes
To see you and to realise
That you are not here,
In this sunlight flooded room.
Which our German grandma
Used to fondly call chaiselongue,
I drink a cup of Ilam tea.
I am so awake
That I kiss your lips,
Caress you,
Listen to you
Speak to you,
After every sip.
I talk about our children
About our house and garden
About our dear parents,
Friends, new or old.
It’s a superb idyll we’ve created.
I’m too tired
To open my eyes
To see you and to realise
That you are not here,
In this sunlight flooded room.
-----------------------------
Without you life is nothing
Only the silence,
Die Stille.
Without you
I cannot enjoy
The flowers in the garden.
Without you
There’s no joy
In this world.
Without you,
A success or victory
Is nothing.
Without you
I’m dumbfounded
For it is your countenance,
Your sparkling azure eyes
Your sympathetic smile
That make me speak.
Only then do my words
Have a meaning.
Without you
I speak only
With myself,
Or with our small Florentin.
Little Flori longs for you,
And so do I.
You are the queen of our hearts,
Our Mama,
Our Seelenstück,
Who loves us
And now needs repose.
So relax.
Be happy and contented
With the other children.
It’s true that we all need you
And love you,
The way you love us
Without bounds.
Glossary:
Die Stille: silence
Seelenstück: soul
Only the silence,
Die Stille.
Without you
I cannot enjoy
The flowers in the garden.
Without you
There’s no joy
In this world.
Without you,
A success or victory
Is nothing.
Without you
I’m dumbfounded
For it is your countenance,
Your sparkling azure eyes
Your sympathetic smile
That make me speak.
Only then do my words
Have a meaning.
Without you
I speak only
With myself,
Or with our small Florentin.
Little Flori longs for you,
And so do I.
You are the queen of our hearts,
Our Mama,
Our Seelenstück,
Who loves us
And now needs repose.
So relax.
Be happy and contented
With the other children.
It’s true that we all need you
And love you,
The way you love us
Without bounds.
Glossary:
Die Stille: silence
Seelenstück: soul
---------------------------------------------------
Why do I love you?
Because you love me.
I love you,
And no one else.
I have to love you.
I cannot do otherwise.
And you?
Do you love me,
Because you have to love me,
And no one else?
Perhaps you love me
For I am, the way I am.
And I love you
Because you are
The way you are.
Now we love our children
And the children love us
And we love each other.
Perhaps it was our destiny
To love each other,
As destiny goes.
-------------------------------------------------
Because you love me.
I love you,
And no one else.
I have to love you.
I cannot do otherwise.
And you?
Do you love me,
Because you have to love me,
And no one else?
Perhaps you love me
For I am, the way I am.
And I love you
Because you are
The way you are.
Now we love our children
And the children love us
And we love each other.
Perhaps it was our destiny
To love each other,
As destiny goes.
-------------------------------------------------
One wintry evening I saw love.
She wore glasses
At the university dancing classes.
We danced fox-trot, cha-cha
Then came the rumba.
I looked deep into her sky blue eyes.
Eyes so blue, without a hint of a cloud.
Clear blue eyes,
Like the waters of the Maladives.
A joyous feeling overcame me.
My hormones were out of control.
My cardiac status said ‘tachycardie.’
My lungs began to over-function.
Hyperventilation.
My knees were sagging.
By Jove, I’d fallen in love.
-------------------------------------------
She wore glasses
At the university dancing classes.
We danced fox-trot, cha-cha
Then came the rumba.
I looked deep into her sky blue eyes.
Eyes so blue, without a hint of a cloud.
Clear blue eyes,
Like the waters of the Maladives.
A joyous feeling overcame me.
My hormones were out of control.
My cardiac status said ‘tachycardie.’
My lungs began to over-function.
Hyperventilation.
My knees were sagging.
By Jove, I’d fallen in love.
-------------------------------------------
& poet: Satis Shroff is a writer and poet based in Freiburg (poems, fiction, non-fiction). He has studied Zoology and Botany in Nepal, Medicine and Social Science in Germany and Creative Writing in Freiburg and Manchester. He describes himself as a mediator between western and eastern cultures and sees his future as a writer and poet. Satis Shroff was awarded the German Academic Exchange Prize.
experience: Satis Shroff write regularly for http://www.americanchronicle.com/ and its 21 affiliated newspapers in the USA. He has written two language books on the Nepali language for DSE (Deutsche Stiftung für Entwicklungsdienst) & Horlemannverlag. He has written three feature articles in the Munich-based Nelles Verlag’s ‘Nepal’ on the Himalayan Kingdom’s Gurkhas, sacred mountains and Nepalese symbols and on Hinduism in ‘Nepal: Myths & Realities (Book Faith India) and his poem ‘Mental Molotovs’ was published in epd-Entwicklungsdienst (Frankfurt). He has written many articles in The Rising Nepal, The Christian Science Monitor, the Independent, the Fryburger, Swatantra Biswa (USIS publication, Himal Asia, 3Journal Freiburg, top ten rated poems in http://www.nepalforum.com/ (I dream, Oleron, an Unforgettable Isle, A Flight to the Himalayas, Which Witch in Germany?, Fatal Decision, Santa Fe, Nirmala, Between Terror and Ecstasy, The Broken Poet, Himalaya: Menschen und Mythen, A Gurkha Mother, Kathmandu is Nepal, My Nepal, Quo vadis?). Articles, book-reviews and poems in: http://www.isj.com/, http://www.inso.org/. See also http://www.google/ & http://www.yahoo/ under search: Satis Shroff.
What others have said about the author:
Satis Shroff writes with intelligence, wit and grace. (Bruce Dobler, Creative Writing MFA, University of Iowa).
Wonderful clarity and good details. (Sharon Mc Cartney, Fiddlehead Poetry Journal)
Satis Shroff writes with intelligence, wit and grace. (Bruce Dobler, Creative Writing MFA, University of Iowa).
Wonderful clarity and good details. (Sharon Mc Cartney, Fiddlehead Poetry Journal)
