With us today is poet Pam Handa. Here is a little taste of her poetry and her views on the world of poetry.
What is a Heart bereft of Hope?
Hope brings me strength;
hope brings me joy.
Hope uplifts my mind
towards the sky.
Hope is that magic beyond
all logic,
That makes me smile or
run over a mile.
Imprisoned by sorrow when
my heart does mourn,
Hope, my anchor, inspires
me towards the dawn.
Then my winged feet carry
me across grief ’s line,
Willingly I drown in the
quicksand of past time.
Remorse withdrawn new
courage is born,
Ignoring the cruel
sundial of age I’m gone-
Far away where the
glimmer of hope I can see,
Clearly transform sad
feelings to comfort me.
When with heavy heart my
thoughts I strum,
Oblivious to this noisy
world I begin to hum . . . .
What is a heart bereft of
new hopes?
Simply an object that in
darkness gropes.
If life had more hope
than despair,
Could we our sorrow not
repair?
And if it were the other
way round
Would we not die without
a sound?
Because
Because of the hopes I
pinned on you,
Because of the optimism
you filled in me,
Because of the courage
instilled by you,
Because of the desires
exhibited by me,
Because of love, because
of hope;
Because of joy, because I
could cope;
Because of you, because
of me;
Because of the strength
stored within my spirit free-
The sea of despair was
easy to cross-
The burden of sorrow we
were able to gloss.
Now all is calm; quiet as
a breeze;
The life’s blessings
endure with sheen and ease.
Unforgettable memories
collected from yore-
The mark of our love,
which they undoubtedly bore.
Though my mind ticks away
like a grandfather clock,
The ship of life has yet
to dock.
The beating of emotions
solid as rock,
Will only stop when
breathing stops.
What Pam has to say about her poetry:
People often wonder why
I went into writing at this late stage in life. To begin with, I believe it is
never too late to do what you love. Secondly, since my parents had made huge sacrifices to give me
the best education of the times, I felt I should not let those sacrifices go
to waste.
Moreover, I have always had a passion for writing in general, and writing rhyming
couplets, in particular, ever since I can remember. My mother, who could rattle
off Shakespeare at any given moment, became my listening audience when I was
growing up. Unfortunately it is very late in life that I got published.
The subject matter of my recent anthology of
poems Wings of the Heart is varied. In addition to cultural themes,
this book dwells not only on sentimental matters of the heart, the seat of
soulful feelings and emotions but also on the heart of such matters. In today’s
crazy commercial world, the poems in this book transport us to the good old
days when music, poetry, dance and drama were the wings of the heart and soul.
In
each poem I don the required robe of a happy, sad, optimistic, pessimistic, loving,
caring or dreaming human being with particular dreams, problems, and thoughts.
In fact, once I decide to view life from various angles, I quickly transform
myself into the person I wish to portray. I am a happy person in some poems; I
become a disappointed lover in others. Often I transform myself into an
optimist and sometimes I become a complete pragmatist. There are times when I even
become an inquisitive journalist seeking answers to some important riddles of
life. In fact, sometimes
I seem to be in love, sometimes I become an idealist and a dreamer and often I
am full of the zest for life.
Readers, my poems are in the form of
traditional verse. They are rhythmic, soulful and meaningful. They describe a
panoramic view of the millions of thoughts, hopes, fears, joys, achievements,
failures despair, dejection, rejection we as human beings are bound to face in
life. They will surely touch the hearts of most of you who still maintain a
sentimental side to your characters even in today’s materialistic world where
there is no time to stand and stare!
In
our new tech savvy world, people often shy away from poetry. They think it is
too difficult or boring. They find it hard to find time to read. Believe me, poetry
is that powerful tool which enables us not only to convey our thoughts,
feelings and emotions, but also to unburden our very souls most effectively.
Poets are God’s chosen people blessed with His special love and can definitely
influence the world to make it a more beautiful place. In addition, the ability to rhyme thoughts into words is so fulfilling. I
feel so very blessed to be able to write out my thoughts in rhyming couplets. I
know it has enabled me successfully voice human joys, fears, thoughts, emotions
etc.
Finally, the
pen is surely mightier than the sword and if there were more poets than
terrorists, what a wonderful world we would be living in!
Poet Bio
My name is Pam Handa
nee Kochhar. I was born in New Delhi but have spent most of my life in
Ghana and the UK. I graduated from the Sacred Heart College Dalhousie, in
India. I received my Masters degree from the Punjab University as well as a
gold medal for coming first. I started my teaching career in the English Dept
of the same university. I married Dr Prem Handa, a Paediatrician, in 1968 and
in 1972 we emigrated to Ghana. Today, I am the author of two books recently
published by Trafford in the USA.
Of Kismet and Karma, my first novel, is a cross-cultural
blend of fact and fiction, based on my personal experiences in India, Ghana and
the UK. My anthology of poems is entitled Wings of the Heart. Both
books are available on Amazon.com, as
E-books and in all Barnes and Nobles shops. The EBOOKS are really cheap. Get
hold of them and spend time on going back to all that stirs the very soul!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/PAM-HANDA-NEE-KOCHHAR/121487404694554
Book Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17240630-of-kismet-and-karma
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