Creation and Criticism

Sharmila Maitra (b. 1988) is a marketing professional for a little over 4 years. Though she delved into the world of poetry in the 10th grade, she started performing her poems at open mic events only recently. She can be contacted at sharmila.maitra@gmail.com.

1. To You

I could have been yours,

And you could have been mine.

If only, you would have given,

Our forbidden love, an opportunity to shine.

If only, you could notice-

The wait in my eyes, the care in my voice, the love in my actions,

All of which, were devoid of any pretentions.

Oh! It would have been just fine.

Remember the fight, that I took up for you,

Yes, you did not tell me to.

But I took to the fracas anyway,

Yes, that is true.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat, I would do.

So that the blissful happiness and joy,

On your face, I can again view.

Love! I could have been yours,

And you could have been mine.

If only, you would have given my glaring attempts a thoughtful mind.

Remember our rides together,

When you use to tell me stories that were yours.

And I used to tell you mine.

I didn’t realize, when you became my dear one.

Trust me! I would have stopped this feeling,

If only, I could have given myself a single little sign.

My dear, I could have been yours,

And you could have been mine.

If only, I could say clearly that you are special.

And only if, you could notice my unsaid words.

You have always searched for love,

In every other woman but me.

And lucky you, at last you found your flame,

Only thing. Your beloved is not me.

Don’t misunderstand.

The friend in me, she is genuinely happy,

That you found your joy.

But the girl in me, she is torn and empty.

For not getting the affection,

She thought that she deserved from this boy.

The friend in me, she hopes and prays,

That the love for your flame grows stronger with time.

So much so that you both may eventually spend a lifetime.

But the girl in me, her heart aches and from within she moans,

Realizing that each day, it is someone else who, to you, grows close.

The friend in me, she wishes-

That you get all the joy and peace in the world.

The girl in me. Well damn!

She respects you, loves you and wishes your happiness too.

Even if that means moving mildly away from you.

To you-who could have been mine.

I could have been yours.

If only, our fates had lived up to their might,

And only if, our timing and circumstances were right.

2. The History

Memories some good, some bad,

A blend of emotions I had.

Career accomplishments,

friendships and one-sided heartbreak,

Solo trips, regular karaoke

and the first tasting of a pistachio cake,

Countless hangouts with a now once romantic interest,

A multitude of feelings, some calm others of unrest.

Last year has been an emotional roller coaster-

A subset of my many histories at best.

3. The Mystery

What the future holds?

I know not.

But what I hope it should bring?

Of this, I thought. A lot.

I hope to find my eternal happiness and peace.

And wish to live in a world

where freedom, safety and democracy are not on a leash.

I aspire for emotional enrichment and material success.

And desire to re-greet that emotion called love-

for it's being quite the recess.

I pray to be blessed-

this year and several to come,

With family and friends

all old and new some.

4. The Present

The ‘now’ is a gift

wherein I want to fully invest.

Enjoying every moment,

‘What they say!’

-Living to the fullest.

Deleting emotional toxicity and pains,

Learning from the losses

and leaning towards the potential gains.

The present is a gift –

That has, to me, been given,

So, I choose not to wallow in bitterness

and rather be driven.

5. I Listen to a New World

I listen to a new world,

I listen to it lately.

I encounter various emotions,

I encounter it daily.

The league of new words.

The breed of untouched sentences,

An unexplored lyrical culture,

is coming gradually into my existence.

Hand in hand, me and my pals

enter this new world slowly and steadily

And together, we listen to this

the humming of this new world,

We listen to it daily.