Poetry 2017 Longlist Saiprasanna Bellur

Take My Hand

Take my hand and lead me through
Meandering roads of Life
Adorned by luring prizes strewn
Over these roads of strife!
It’s dark at times and at others
The brightness I can’t stand!
And when I’m alone and forlorn here,
Why didn’t You take my hand?
My senses tell of sights and sounds
But I don’t seem to know the way.
My world of dreams seems far ahead
Will it see the light of day?
Take my hand and my spirit guide
Guard me in your eternal clasp;
I see dark clouds of unreason -
Of learnings I cannot grasp.
Take my hand and erase those lines -
They seem to betray my mind.
I cannot tell a lie from the truth,
Nor loving from unkind!
A seed that grows into forestry
Soaks in all it can –
The wet earth, Light and all that air -
Anything that belongs in the Plan.
And then the misled, crafty ones
Begin to weed through those woods
The little seed that tried to grow
Seemed thwarted underneath their hoods.
Take my hand and show me light
My flowers and leaves will bear
Great fruit that nurture eternity,
That offer a spirit rare.
I am the seed that forlorn grew
My trees to Your woods belong.
The crafty weeds need no amnesty.
They too, Your Mighty woods throng?
Will You take my hand this moment, now,
And show them who has won?
I am closer to the prize of “All You Give”
While they’ll be dusted and done!