Gurbhajan Gill

Gurbhajan Gill (b. 1953) is a well-known Punjabi poet. He is deeply involved in Punjabi folklore and is conscious of the rich cultural heritage of Punjab. He received Bhai Vir Singh award for his first collection of poems, SheeshaJkutBoldaHai(\91%\ at Guru Nanak Dev IJniversity, Amritsar.

That Poem was Not Mine

The one you lauded so highly
wasn't a poem of mine

Waitings they were
with unshed tears
pangs they were
of distressed hearts
keening that was
of the mother-earth
flames they were
touching the sky
ignited by the sudden loss

That poem was not mine

That was the clatter of watchman's staff
shooing away the dogs
barking in the wilderness of the night
that was the throaty voice
of the old man in wakeful sleep
else its was the grufiy challenge of a young man.

That poem was not mine

That was the dainty unrealized dream
of a garlanded bridegroom
(the son of a farmer with small holding)
to walk a little ahead of
the bashful bride taking small steps

the smarting pain it was
of the feet with cracks and fissures

That poem was not mine

The one you appreciated as poem
was the bubbling laughter of flower-like children
venturing to take the first step
along the expanse of the cot
that was the enchanting aroma
of the rice-fields fully ripened
else it was the scented-wrapper
(that made the children delirious)
of the soap-cake
bought from the town market
for an occasional guest

That poem was not mine

The one you considered a great work
was in reality a eulogy
aftermath of half a dozen of whisky bottles
and an equal number of broilers
that was pseudo intellectualism
brewing in the universities of world fame
prancing about in seminar halls
like call girls

That poem was not mine

The one you perused disdainfully
wasn't the woman
soaked in scents
nor was she the slim and trim damsel
in see-through clothes
shimmering like golden fleece
the one you considered
the first-born daughter
of the goddess Saraswati
and licked the soles of her feet

That poem was not mine

The one you termed as poem
was an account of illicit relations
else it was the depiction of the figures
of pretty girls
the daughters and sisters of others
or it was the long list of amorous liaisons
unrevealed to the prudent
that was the tale of woe of
the female of the family
caught unawares in the whirlpool of sin
that was the fiery race of the lusty stallion
untamed and unbridled

That poem was not mine

My poem was riding the steed
frantic and frenzied
akin to Dulla Bhatti's challenge
it was the glowing spring
wet with the blood of martyrs
it was the rebuke
flung on the forehead of an autocrat
like a rough stone
the one you acclaimed
as the paragon of greatness

That poem was not mine                                 Oh kavita meri nahin si (1996)