cushioning of nests

murmuring i heard coming through windows

not shut in heaven closer to corridors

opened to slums of children!

heaven confused of ambitious preachers

serving prestigious churches in cities

while sanctuaries elsewhere permanently deserted!

generous gifts and atmosphere of apathy

produced by great organ-music so expensive

are signs for pinnacle of worldly success!

costly stained glass windows permit not

into sanctuary rays of light from slums

and the loud grief and cries of children!

supply station has been transformed by the rich

and their angelic allies into the place of refuge

with no errands except cushioning of nests!

henry victor     21.07.2002

nothing to nothing

he died alone

with barely a cloth

merely to cover

just his loin

a cloth? Yes

but not to take with him

no! but to make the other

feel a little better

and with it

he left a challenge

a deeper thought

an inspiration

again, a muse

to return

making me disown

all i foolishly own

or, i strive to own

even that love

i have for him

who is nothing

henry victor     22.10.2002

last act

dying with courage is the last act

i wait to complete, emptying the body

with all its craving and envy to enjoy

the ecstasy of no more misery

then i shall join the multitude

of my ancestors hitherto have departed

to the enviable mansion; happy

they are now with no more tears, nor pain

many men and women struggle to depart

this life with ease avariciously clinging

to this world with ache; emancipation

they see not in healing death

henry victor     29.10.2002

fellow creatures

domination and desire

for greater dominance

over other fellow creatures

multiply their powerlessness

unseen they suffer

unheard they cry

in agony they linger

in loneliness they die

powerless!

and their fate

under human control

until the rise of a volcano!

henry victor     10.10.2002

conquering the insubstantial

i remember well: i was not even ten

and my brother in teen

you taught me to beat the devil

conquering the insubstantial

as we walked in the dark

where non-stop the dogs bark!

now i take rest in the thought:

to come out too late, i ought

not, lest my daughter fear the devil

when one, for sure, she finds

in this land where two are absent:

dogs that bark

and nights that are dark

henry victor     29.10.2002

paradigm of gratitude

mountain ash, elm, poplar and weeping

willow, my cherished sisters

children of my mother earth

you are a paradigm of gratitude

the blanket you knit to cover

our naked mother as the cold winter

advances to cover her feeble body

sustaining us in life and in death

shedding your very organ, you absorb

the energy our father sun sends

with such impartiality on the selfish

and the very liberal to warm and nourish,

your willing sacrifice puts me

to shame that i, the leader

with all my learning have mastered

nothing but egotistic grabbing

and have miserably failed

to learn even basic skills

on generous giving

you teach eloquently with regularity

henry victor     09.10.2002

i submit

gentle breeze; can be

windy, rarely cyclonic

i watch and submit

henry victor     13.08.2002

smashed soul

i make a mental note, or a verbal promise

then go and put off errands forgetting

my commitments like a potato to simply sit

not following through the unspoken word

or in haste spoken

though they still define

my being, my reliability

and soul’s integrity!

my following through, in fact

my negligence is also followed up

with greater care

now sitting on the throne

as judge with mitre on head

and fire underneath

to slice self before it is fried, or boiled

thoroughly before it is mashed

a verdict i may not cherish

looking for more energy to bury self               

as deep as i can so no gods may resurrect

to haunt, or hunt me

when i’m already burdened

with too many baggage

broken promises and unfinished tasks

to fly away, or to run and hide!

henry victor     09.08.2002

masking truth

to love and to be loved by you

i kept concealing facts

masking truth

and invented an apparent reality

i said to my soul when rooted

in love and assured of your growth

and when that moment has arrived

i shall plainly speak

but when the moment was here to speak

accuracy, i spoke another lie to cushion

your heart while carrying in my heart

the pain caused by speech not so plain

henry victor     15.08.2002