Poems by Minati Pradhan

HUNGER

Hunger:
Running naked, to the bakery shop
On the roadside, at the intersection,
Mom’s food is a distant dream,
And the money in the pocket is valueless.

Hunger:
Just not limited to
Beggars queued in front of the temple,
On near the traffic signal
It’s in the eyes of the child
Staring from the mother's shoulder cloth bag.

Hunger:
Was crossing road when the signal turned green-
Through the eyes of a corporate mother,
She had left home in the morning
A child's emotional cry
And in the solace of the baby-sitter.

Hunger:
It also reaches abroad
In the educated son's suitcase
This shop to that restaurant
Back like an empty pocket-
Grossly disappointed!

Hunger:
Laughs out loud,
Earth trembles, showing her big belly
Money, wealth, all these are worthless
Filling a hungry stomach
Is truly the glory of greatness.

Hunger:
Exists everywhere
Hidden, yet can be felt
Like the presence of an invisible enemy.
When hunger strikes
There’s no religion or race
No wrong or right
Hunger teaches man
What humanity is!

This poem was originally written by me in Odia (Oriya) and titled “BHOKA” and published in an online newspaper.

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HUNGER DURING COVID-19

Hunger came,
Unnoticed, sneaking covertly.
Bigger than
The virus scare
Spreading its wings.
Injuring many lives,
Puncturing every segment of the livelihood
Preying on tender lives more often
Took away all the new possibilities along.

As they say, "Difficulty comes with kith and kin."
True to the proverb,
Came along cyclones and locusts.
Hunger is often accompanied by
Blasé towards the hungry and deprived
By the so-called elite mindset.
Whom neither the picture of the dead dog eater
Nor the dustbin digger, deterred.

Will a new day come?
When every heart will ache
For hunger attack
Every eye will open to the injustice
Every hand will reach out to the needy.
A hungerless new world will be smiling.

This poem is awaiting publication in an anthology titled “Unlocking Hopes”.

Minati Pradhan writes poems, short stories and essays in English and Odia languages. Her interest areas include nature, gender equality, women’s empowerment, education, social justice and spirituality. Her poetic insights are thought-provoking and compel the readers to take a new perspective. Two of her books- collections of poems, have been published. She has co-authoured two books of essays and one each of stories and poems. Her poems, short stories and essays have been published in many magazines and newspapers. She has presented her essays, research papers and poems in various seminars and workshops. She is also a certified counsellor who specialises in guiding the parents of differently-abled children.

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