Three poems by Ruskin Bond
Editor’s note: Ruskin Bond, evergreen and eternal, has a new collection of poems out now, called I Was The Wind Last Night. Featuring both new and old works, this is a definitive examination of Bond’s oeuvre and his deep connection with nature, as he takes us on a joyful, nostalgic, humorous ride through his life and his world. Here, we feature three poems from the book.
These poems from I Was The Wind Last Night: New and Collected Poems by Ruskin Bond have been published with permission from Speaking Tiger Books.
*****
The Trees
At seven, when dusk slips over the mountains,
The trees start whispering among themselves.
They have been standing still all day,
But now they stretch their limbs in the dark,
Shifting a little, flexing their fingers,
Remembering the time when
They too walked the earth with men.
They know me well, these trees:
Oak and walnut, spruce and pine,
They know my face in the window,
They know me for a dreamer of dreams,
A world-loser, one of them.
They watch me while I watch them grow.
I listen to their whisperings,
Their own mysterious diction;
And bow my head before their arms
And ask for benediction.
***
***
Flowers I Have Known
1
Lovely have been the flowers
That kept me company
These many years
Of lonely walks and solitude.
Now, upon an old wall
I lean, a dandelion for company,
Recalling flowers I have known:
The iris, like a prayer-flag on the hill,
Wild roses near a mountain stream,
A crowd of sunflowers
Turning with the sun,
And violets—
Violets springing a surprise
In early Spring,
When flowers are rare.
But all the year
The ferns are here,
They raise
Their fronds
In shaded corners
Free from frost.
2
In Winter dreams
Himalayan poppies bend
To the bracing wind,
And rhododendrons fling
Red petals at my feet.
***
We Must Keep Loving, All Our Days
We must love someone.
We must keep loving, all our days,
Someone, anyone, anywhere
Outside our selves;
For even the sarus crane
Will grieve over its lost companion,
And the seal its mate.
Somewhere in life
There must be someone
To take your hand
And share the torrid day.
Without the touch of love
There is no life, and we must fade away.
*****
These poems from I Was The Wind Last Night: New and Collected Poems by Ruskin Bond have been published with permission from Speaking Tiger Books.
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