Creation and Criticism

Prof. (Dr) Sagar Mal Gupta (Born: 1940) was educated at Edinburgh University in the UK and at the University of Hawaii in the US from where he earned his Ph.D in Linguistics. His poems have been published in IJES(2015), IJELLS (2015), Literaria Linguistica (2016) , Muse India (2016, 2017, 2018), Café Dissensus (New York, 2017), The Ghazal Page (New York, 2017, 2018), Poetcrit (July 2018 & Jan 2019) and The New Ink Review (Zambia, August 2018), Langlit (Sept. 2019 ), CLRI(2019, Vol6.3). He has two collection of poems— ‘The Cresent Moon’ (2018) and ‘The Songs of India and the World’ (2019) to his credit. He resides at 69/81, V.T. Road, Mansarovar, Jaipur-302020 and can also be contacted through email: guptasag69@gmail.com.

1. Success

His eyes are fixed on the target

without any distraction and temptation

like the Aspre bird that

dives three feet deep in the ocean

from the altitude of hundred feet

and catches its prey in five seconds.

because the usual sleeper is not therein.

The only solace for the bed

is that this pain is temporary

and my pain is

that sleeping in it is temporary.

2. Words

You can take the word strong

Put it before tea and

it becomes strong tea.

You can take the word powerful

But you cannot put it before tea

to make it powerful tea.

But you can put strong

before a man to make it a strong man

You can put powerful before a man

to make it a powerful man.

Even words make a difference

between things and homo sapiens.

3. Covid

Gone are the days of partying

with numerous friends .

Gone are the days of wedding bashes

providing Indian, Italian and English

cuisine to hundreds of guests.

Gone are the days of disco-dancing

with young girls in the fumes of

Marihuana and LSD .

Gone are the days of eating out

in restaurants frequented

by dozens of young boys and girls.

Gone are the days of travelling

by train or plane accommodating

hundreds of people sitting together.

Gone are the days of neglecting

one’s wife and children

and not spending time at home.

Arrived have the days of means of transport

carrying only one or two passengers.

Arrived have the days when

wearing masks has become a fashion.

Arrived have the days of paying attention

to yoga and meditation.

Arrived have the days of self-interospection,

self –analysis and enjoyment of loneliness.

Corona has not been totally disastrous

but a change maker too.

4. Shattered Dreams

Have you ever seen a house

collapsing with the buffets

of a spiteful river

like the shattering of dreams

of a young man by unforeseen

circumstances beyond his control.

5. Fame

Fame , a mirage

so close

and yet so remote

O fame! come to me.

Musk carrying deer

musk inside

searching elsewhere

O fame! come to me.

Juicy tomatoes

and pine apples

every drop falling apart

O fame! come to me.