BIO
Ashok Bhargava is a multilingual poet, speaker and essayist. He has published 4 books of poetry. His poetry has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. He has been featured on CBC Radio (Sounds like Canada & North by Northwest) and Chanel M TV as well as Word On The Street, explor Asian and Chapter’s Under The Cherry Tree. He has received the Poet Ambassador, Poet Laureate, Humanitarian and Lifetime Achievement Awards. He is an avid volunteer, supporter & organizer of various social and artistic activities. He is the founder of “WIN – Writers International Network Canada.” He believes that volunteering enriches us spiritually. He finds living between cultures and languages very intriguing and stimulating.
Fragile Stones
I love stones
revere them
admire them
talk to them.
My poems arise out of stones
in the morning silence
strong and
poignant.
I worship stones
bathe them
cloth them
deities reside in them
Behind the stone temple door
I utter prayers
to invoke them
to receive stone blessings.
Stones are my friends
they shift and lean over
to speak to me
in perfect stillness.
In my dreams
they open up
bloom like flowers
sweet and fragrant.
Why do you look at me
as if you were the moon
distant
smiling over the Tempest
as choleric waves break
in your amber light?
Why do you look at me
as if you were the sun
sovereign
laughing on an ardent day
that burns the Dust
and boils my thirsty blood?
Why do you look at me
as if you knew
that the earth loves you
that Evening pursues
that the melancholy Peaks have lost you
and are blind with solitude?
Why do you look at me
in the phlegmatic air that blows
over the cold Morning’s damp skin
as she wraps herself in her solar poncho?
If from the blue Sky you look down again
be careful how you look at me.
The Return
Our plans to drive through
the wind-swept valley
giant boulders
crumbling rocks
prickly pears and
Joshua trees
did not include
you at the doorway of a sushi place
in a red blouse
with a tempura smile
sake-warm hands
waiting to come out
from hiding.
You must have
wished for such a moment
otherwise how
would that be possible.
*****
