Poetry

The Power of Poppy - 25

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyElection is round the cornerPoppy loves election mostElection time Poppy timeA time of election freebiesWhen Poppy fangs out shamelessly..

Our Eternal Kangleipak

Dr Ranbir LaishramGenerations have come, generations have goneLeaders have come, leaders have goneScholars and pandits have come and they have goneCrorepatis have flourished, crorepatis have perished, But our homeland will shine as ever! Devastated Wars h..

The Valor Within

Dr Soubam SophiaraniIn realms where courage reigns supreme,A brave king stood, his noble dream,Yet amidst the gallant and the bold,Lies a tale of treasures untold.Not all hearts beat with strength and might,Some falter in the throng too long.While kings c..

The Power of Poppy - 24

Rajendra Kshetri“Never ever underestimate“The Power of Poppy “P-O-P-P-Y! What an acquisitive acronym!!“If phrased into multiple meanings“Politics of Private Property Yields“Politics of Pauperising People Yearlong“..

Love and Harmony

KN AgarwalThe Sun has risenThe Warmth has descendedThe Flowers have bloomedThe butterflies swim in the airThe birds are chirpingThe earth emits fragranceThe sky has openedThe rivers are singingThe trees are green and swayingThe hills look majesticEverythi..

The Power of Poppy - 23

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy is not averse to changeEconomic Political and SocialA change to serve parochial interestA change to strangle 'co-existence'A change to 'live and let die'..

Gift of Life

Aditya RajkumarOh the dearest gift,that is what life is.To be born is a gift,in this world of bliss.To this world we come,with nothing to our claim.And all the things to come,is a story waiting for a name.When death comes to greet our ends,greet him like ..

The Power of Poppy - 22

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy is not afraid of any power on earthPoppy has arms and ammunitionsMen and machinesMoney and musclesPoppy calls the shots ...

The invincible sons of Kangleipak

Dr Ranbir LaishramMiles away from your humble abodes,Miles away from your loved ones,You dwell in the scary thicketsAnd keep a night-long vigilAt the foothill conflict zone of 'Kangleipak'Against the ruthless terroristsTo safeguard our homelandWearing hea..

The Power of Poppy - 21

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy speaks(only) the language of violencePoppy knows violence paysIn the land of MahatmaIn the land of 'non-violence'Where 'non-violence' has been hit for a Six...

O, Martyrs, Martyrs

Irengbam BijentiSpringtime has returned, nights and days smiling,oh Summer;The laments of the nightingales have became louder;And now the world is made of humiliation, despair and pain;The breeze is like a poem sung by the Loktak Lake;And its beautiful wa..

The Power of Poppy - 20

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy fabricates and distorts the historicity of historyPoppy perpetuates lies and lies and liesAnd thinks a hundred liesWill make fiction a non- fictionA fake history a genuine history...

Earth Civilization

Thongram Birjit SinghAwake youth of nation civilizationCourageous &  powerful daughters & sons of the soilArise from slumber,Friends have conquered the spaceRace for bliss of development in this mother Earth.Be a victorious Nation striving wi..

The Ethnic Strife - The Cost of Deafening Silence

Dr Ranbir Laishram  They say that silence is golden !But what if it comes at a cost ?The reality of the ethnic strife in 'Kangleipak'The humanitarian crisis,can anybody ignore it?Untold miseries of the displaced persons,Flattened villages,loss of pre..

The Last Smile of our Fallen Comrade

Dr Ranbir LaishramAt the foothills of our crumbling homeland,At the conflict buffer zoneAll through the long day,Bullets are flying in the air,Macabre bombs blown, like play toysWhile villagers were lying lowYou still braved.Like a ferocious lion on the p..

May 3 violence

Rahul KhangembamScentless flowers,Where narco money produce,Where countless refugees cross illegallyThrough porous border.The violence on May 3Where religion was brought into play,Nine months have passed, and now how many more?People’s questions all..

The Power of Poppy - 19

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy is second to noneWhen it comes toPropagating/Speaking/Telling LiesPoppy is past masterOf falsification...

The Living Song

Shanthalembi Lisam  In these churning daysThe sight of the birdsWhich once used to flockOn these wetlands,  Gently fondles my soulArousing the spirit to lifeEnlivens this fleshCome ye! All yelhoumeeTo sing our beloved songSana leibak Manipur!Let..

Cease the strife

Dr Soubam SophiaraniA place where love once bloomed,A sanctuary of care, now marred,Burdened by conflicts, hope jarred.Leaving despair in a community once groomed.When leaders turn a blind eye,Bullets rain, houses burn, people sigh.Innocents suffer, angui..

As Time Ticks Away

Dr Ranbir LaishramIn life's journey, as time flies by,Closer we come to saying goodbye.Leaving behind our history vast,As our future dims, it's fading fast.Our lives, once filled with memories grand,Now more about the past, less about the present.Sharing ..

To Our Fallen Village Volunteers

Dr Ranbir LaishramOh, Our brave young frontline warriors !Now that you have left all of us halfway,Tears are our only farewell offeringsEven though you are no more,Your sacrifice will live on,You led us to a new dawn,We reaped peace as you faced war,Got b..

The Power of Poppy - 18

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy has umbilical relationship with politiciansPoppy pampers politiciansPoliticians oppress peoplePoppy tempts politiciansPoliticians put Poppy above People. ..

Ethnic Strife - Where Do We Stand Now ?

Dr Ranbir LaishramWe've lost precious lives, and it's scary to count.We've lost our dear homestead, an indelible anguish!Our houses were demolished and torched.A life-time remuneration pitilessly looted,A multitude of our people  internally displaced..

The Power of Poppy - 17

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of Poppy'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun'So said MaoPolitical power grows out of the Poppy seedsSo says PoppyAll roads lead to Poppy fields...

A New Year, A New Dawn

Dr Ranbir LaishramAmid deserted roads and markets stand,Bandhs and curfews, lifelines blocked at hand.Colossal walls rise between groups,Whose hearts were once aligned in a merry symphony.           &..

The Power of Poppy - 16

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyFor too long Poppy has waitedFor too long Poppy has prepared the groundFor too long Poppy has kept the agenda hiddenFor far too long Poppy has greased the palms of politiciansNow Poppy unleashes an..

Nature's priceless gift

Dr Ranbir LaishramA  precious gift of the Mother NatureExisting since inception of 'Jeweled Land'Survived over myriad generationsBraving all weather conditionsAnd providing shelter from amoeba to humansSanctuary of the migrant birdsA heritage of reno..

The power of poppy - 15

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy has the best of relationship with 'Government off the people Buy the people And forbid the people 'Oh dear 'Honest Abe'! forgive Poppy...

The bubble of comfort zone !

Dr Ranbir LaishramA sovereign tiny kingdom decades agoPeaceful was our homeland 'Ima ManipurRuled by Monarchs with hearts of goldSelf sufficient and contended massesFestive seasons all around the yearRich cultural heritagePeace and harmony among nativesLi..

Love and Wisdom"An ode to my Grandpa"

Neelofar"An Angel, I lost,The one who meant the world to me,The one who cared, cared like nobody,The one who cherished me like nobody.The one whom I adored solely,The way he embraced me with his love is uniquely profound.The one who cherished me with his ..

The power of poppy - 14

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy is not an overnight flowerBut Poppy makes billionaires overnightPoppy is not governmentBut Poppy makes and demakes government (s)Poppy loves you for reasons you cannot fathom...

The great sacrifice !

Dr Ranbir LaishramOh, tender budding youths !Beloved sons of the soilSome displaced by ethnic strifeEmbracing love for their motherlandWith a mind to safeguard our homelandDeparted from their cozy homeOn a mission, leaving their loved onesOn way to an ass..

My grandpa’s brew of stories

Depiya ThoudamWinter has arrived bedecked in icy laceFoggy and chilly morns, a placid embraceBy the fire, I and my Grandpa would sitA ritual so true marking the day has begunWith a cup of hot steaming tea in our handsThe swirling aromas of the steaming br..

The Power of Poppy - 13

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy is a beautiful flowerA flower with a distinct differenceA flower in love with opiumOpium that opaques peopleOpium that depraves people...

At the crossroads of a new society?

Dr Ranbir LaishramWhere - Might and money power is the lawLaw enforced has many new facesHumanity has been abused mercilesslyOne has the license to be brutally cruel Voice of the people is chokedSpeaking truth is a crimeWhere- Some people thrive on drugs ..

The Power of Poppy - 12

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy in full bloomWhat a beautiful sight to beholdA la Daffodils!Alluring as it isPoppy is perilous...

The Power of Poppy - 11

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyThere is a sway of Poppy in the virgin landA powerful force to events unfolding in the landA force antagonistic to co-existenceA force hostile to environmentalismA force detrimental to human existe..

Ethnic strife in Manipur - The reality we all endure so far

Dr Ranbir LaishramAmid ongoing ethnic strife for monthsWhat one sees today -Strife -torn deserted villages and ghost townsBuffer zones guarded by armed forcesHilltops decorated by bunkers and guerrillasWhereas, a lonely dog stands and whines all night in ..

The power of poppy - 9

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyHome Is not where you were bornHome Is where Poppy is plantedHome Is not where the heart isHome Is where Poppy is grownHome Is where Poppy is harvested...

In the stillness of night

Dr Ranbir LaishramAs the sun sets at the horizonDarkness engulfs the green oval valleyAnd the night grows more quietAnd the stars become more stillWhen all the world is at restAnd mother nature in restful sleepBut her children have an eerie feelingOf fear..

Time’s ceaseless voyage

DepiyaThoudamTime as always, on its ceaseless voyageLike grains of sand through fingersLike a river’s unrelenting stream It flows unceasingly, waiting for noneIt wouldn’t hinge even a little bitEven if we beg it to stay, that’s its ..

The Power of Poppy - 8

Rajendra KshetriNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyWhere have all the roses goneWhere have all the paddies goneWhere have all the guns came fromWhere have all the bullets came fromPoppy fires a fusillade of bullets...

The last gaze that makes the heart of millions weep

Dr Ranbir LaishramWhat Crime the tender soul has committed ?For which she has been butcheredThe innocence in her faceHer deep powerful gazeLooking at a far away distance - her homeA gaze earnestly pleading for rescuing herFrom the clutches of Indomitable ..

Time’s ceaseless voyage

Depiya ThoudamTime as always, on its ceaseless voyageLike grains of sand through fingersLike a river’s unrelenting streamIt flows unceasingly, waiting for noneIt wouldn’t hinge even a little bitEven if we beg it to stay, that’s its creed..

For those who stood

Nirbason KhunjamayumTo all MeiteisTheir sacrifice a reminderFor me and for youA tale of strength and honourThrough the annals of timeTheir stories unfoldIn every sacrifice,A legacy to beholdTheir dreams and aspirations,Forever aliveIn the hearts of Meitei..

The Power of Poppy -7

Rajendra Kshetri Never ever underestimate The Power of PoppyThe hills are blue and lovelyPlants trees and woods are aplentyDense forest it was And happy was NatureThen came Poppy...

The Weary Traveller in the Ethnic Conflict Zone

Dr Ranbir LaishramWhat lies beyond the conflict buffer zone?At the foothills and green hilltopsCapped with thatched bunkersAnd people in  combat dressI can't know what lies aheadUntil I reach the edge of my villageI fear the journey long thoughAnd my..

The Power of Poppy - 6

Kshetri RajenNever ever underestimateThe Power of PoppyPoppy requires no hard workWhy work hard and labourPoppy fetches you billionsPoppy gives you Passport to the KingdomWhere angels fear to tread!..

Forgiveness

YashimaDeath is a sure promise,Even if we don't kill one another,We are sure to die one day. Smiled together yesterday,Who knows you will be crying at his funeral the next day. Anger doesn't bring anything but chaos and regret,There's none a greater virtu..

The abandoned swallow’s nest

Depiya ThoudamOnce again I stare at it The abandoned Swallow’s nestA woven cradle, finely spunTwigs and leaves artfully arrayedAn intricate architecture it isI still remember the day so clearWhen two swallow birds with zestLabored tirelessly wi..