The First Gift Poem by Lovita Morang

half of my body w.holly wet as the waves of Juhu beach caress my feet
half of the world cracked into another two halves
another half into another and…rest for you

my eyes merged with each particles of the sun
sun that was setting bigger and bigger and bigger

beneath and beyond the ocean-big like you-

you said you will come back to me as the ocean...
millions of suns burst out

I could see the big world floating
Another side unfolds the mornings

Where I as a child still sleeping
The rays of the same sun seeping through the window
Seeping further through the pores of my skin
The rays running through the veins

Both the rays and the light
Seeping through my eyes

Like the images of all elements of this beautiful world play inside my mind
Like the ripple and the waves merged in eachother
as the ripples of river dihing and siang caress my tired thoughts

Beats of the hammer woke me up
I looked down from the wooden window
My fingers cleave to the iron rod


with each beat of the hammer
I saw two faces
Face of my father creating
Another face appearing
Creating and appearing

sculpting out a face
Face from that piece of wood
Slowly after sometime of the day the face ready to smile…

i opened my eyes as the distant beats of drums woke me
and through the waves something hit my feet
A shell lay before me
Empty shell
I picked up and blew the shell
And…
Music appeared
Music means you-as you say music all over-surrounded
Music of aliveness
Then you appeared

Like the sculpture my father’s first gift for me
Gandhiji smiling out of it-

today i longed for that smile

i trace the trails to Nongkhom-my birthland for the first gift
an ancient truth that magnifies lives

My father gifted me the truth
And I am living truthfully-
And…
Truly- you too were here
Like the heaven on earth…

moulding the halves - of the w.hole world
into one