Where Poetry Comes From? Poem by Arun Maji

where poetry comes from?

let me ask you-
where you come from?
from your father?
your mother?
but where do THEY come from?
where your great grandfather comes from?

from sky?
from river?
from divine dusts?
who knows?

where do water comes from?
from river?
from rain?
from cloud?
from sea?
or from another water?
where that "another water" comes from?

poetry is seeking
the meaning.
poetry is asking those questions
we forget to ask otherwise.

poetry might not know a thing
but it will lead you to everything.
everything that you need to know
want to know, love to know
or even hate to know.

you want it or nor
poetry already exists.
you love it or not
poetry is already written.

pain needs expression-
so does your laughter, emptiness
and ignorance.

so you seek-
the meaning
the healing
your ‘self' within.

world is too big for you to see each of its things.
but the good news is-
even without seeing them
you can experience a lot of things.

and that is through- love, poetry
and song.

poetry is the connection
between you and everything.

where poetry comes from?
it's you.
where YOU come from?
your ancestors.
where do THEY come from?
who knows?

may be
life is already there since birth of this universe.
may be
poetry has been floating in the wind
since then.

© Arun Maji
Painting: Ravi Verma