Ram Navami Poem by Bijay Kant Dubey

The spring has given way to,
The scorching summer has started to show
And fall upon,
The fire flames as icicles hanging by
Showing the fluctuation in temperatures,
Heat waves swirling,
The bouts of the loos
Scorchig the faces

And against such a background,
Begins it the Basanti Puja,
The akal-bodhan (untimely worship) of Lord Rama
As well as Ram Navami,
Shri Ram Navami,
The birth celebrations of
The seventh avatar of Vishnu.

The day drawing out utmost,
The tender leaves glistening,
The earth parched dry
With an acute scarcity of water all around,
Ram Navami starting with,
Rama worshipping Bhagavati
With neelkamals
As for her boon and blessing from
To win over Ravana.

Somewhere the processions on their way,
Somewhere the kirtana doing the rounds,
Hare Rama, Hare Krishna,
Sita-Ram, Sita-Ram, Jai Sita-Ram,
Somewhere readaing from the Ramayana
Or Ramchartimanas,
The Ram-Sita temples tidied up
With those of Hanuman.

The red flags fluttering,
The idols of Ram with Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman
Looking beautiful,
Dressed and decorated well,
Somewhere the Hanuman standing
With the open torn heart
Showing the Ram-bhakti,
Sita-Ram written over the heart.

The day seems drawing out utmost,
The earth looking parched and dried up,
In the heat and dust and humidity
Of the season,
When Ram Navami begins with
Wile on the other the little cuckoos too
Have not stopped from cooing sweetly
From the green olive branches.