Thoughts In A Used-Books Store | Ranjani Neriya

used books tell tales
which cannot be read
but peal in an ancientness
of light, forgotten sacredness,
of  memory-d space, lost lives

I see a palmy patio set
in alluvial, auburn air
starry sigh of dreamy eyes
heart’s woozy delight
when Lizzie said ‘yes’ to Darcy 

I see a carving of entwined names
in the hollow of an old sycamore
a skylark in the balmy blue
of the speedwell, attuned
to fountains, moonbeams, sea   
Shelley-g love’s philosophy

I see a gramophone being cranked
for the last time, perhaps, a fire
being laid, a checkerboard of light 
on rafters, the buffed shine of books, hear
the crumbling echo of lamplit hallways
mementos being hauled away
families in disarray
 
and in the riffled silence of this shrine  
each turning, yellowed page serenades
the gold of age, dulled to a richness
through tinkling nights of rain 
gentle peroration, long coffee breaks
and romancing skies.

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… A Variety of Indian Literature and Poetry in English on Indian Literature Review….

Ranjani Neriya’s poems have featured in many magazines/journals in India and the U.S. Ranjani has also published short stories and articles in Indian newspapers and magazines. Ranjani’s second book of poems titled Promise- A Life – was published by Leadstart, Mumbai, in October 2013. Another book of poems — THE FLOWERING WORD TREE  –published in the U.S. by Kelsay books in 2022.