1
Love tickles
with erect pistil:
hibiscus
2
Oleander and
hibiscus blaze with passion--
making love in sun
3
Suspended
on the spider's web--
a hibiscus
4
Narrowly escape
the midair web of spider
perched on hibiscus
5
The lone hibiscus
waits for the sun to bloom:
morning's first offering
6
Red oleander and
hibiscus calling morning
to Kali
7
Without washing hands
he touches hibiscus for worship:
her frowning glance
8
After little rain
lilies smile with hibiscus--
the sun in May
9
Too short
can't reach the height:
hibiscus
10
To reach the branch
raising her other arm--
twisted hibiscus
11
Chrysanthemum
on the mossy roof
deeply rooted
12
Too big for its web
between two roses--
a yellow spider
13
In their webs
spiders racing to spin
their meatless prey
14
Around falling leaves
a lone dreaming flower--
mid-February
15
Stands alone in
the assembly of flowers--
Valentine's Day
16
Not sad to die
blooming after a day's rain--
the mushroom
17
Fresh mushrooms
hidden in decaying leaves:
missing the season
18
Shrouded in fog
the lone pomegranate
in the courtyard
19
Lying in the dust
a guava bitten off
by the parrots
20
Pausing between bites
on the guava tree
the parrots
21
Ravined inner shell
of the walnut--
his face
22
Her shapely figure
in orange blouse and blue jeans
strained at the hips
23
Taking a nap
on oranges in his shop--
a fruit vendor
24
He stands before
the nude Venus awaiting
her gown to drop
25
Diving in the sky
apsaras on the stone caves--
God-touch in motion
26
December morning--
the first roses in the lawn:
fragrance in passing
27
Leaves sway
to fly like birds
free in the sky
28
Waving down
a leaf settles between
her breasts
29
Veiling her breasts
with the season's first snows--
the hill blushes
30
All night trees wave
with roaring winds:
autumn in the courtyard
31
The autumn flame
infects his reverie:
panic in the leaves
32
Raising her saree
above the thighs bends to ease
and blocks my way
33
Rising early
to make tea for everyone
the newly wed wife
34
Mouth opened
to lick her ice cream--
brown tongue
36
Dissatisfied with
each other the two of us
in an empty house
37
In the grey of dusk
sway between hope and despair
their dream promises
38
Leaning sideways
she looks at mango pickle--
caries ache
39
Basking in the sun
files nails in garden chair
my wife's friend
40
No joy in lighting
the candles this Diwali:
both the children away
41
Awaits his son's
phone call from the border:
dogs and cats wail
42
His son's voice
not relayed by wire:
tense borders
43
His first winter
inside a fibre-hut
swirl of snowflakes
44
With sweated smile
stands behind the broken fence
his aged father
45
Not age but
years of worries
his furrowed face
46
Shadow of age
on the wall--
second full moon
47
Whiteness of the moon
and rocks howl with the wind--
December in the veins
48
A star shines bright
beside the crescent moon
she fakes a smile
49
A crescent
in the western horizon--
missing the moon
50
A thin fog
hides the wintry moon
rising slowly
51
The half moon
on her neck reminds of love
before departure
52
Enveloping
all of the moon at night--
white chrysanthemum
53
The sky couldn't retain
all of the moon now enveloping
my house through windows
54
Setting moon
leaves behind sparkle
on the waves
55
Noisy birds
don't let me sleep:
midnight moon
56
Through the window
gaze at the moon hid behind
cloud after cloud
57
Fearing allergies
he misses full moon party
savours white light
58
Wet bodies
of bathing women:
full moon night
59
Squeaking
under the blue moon--
the dry sky
60
They all look for
a little more moon coming
back from movie
61
Standing behind
the window bars observes
darkness in shapes
62
Unmoved by the wind
he sits on a rock wearing
peace of the lake
63
Night bombing
leaves the garden
white as death
64
An A-bomb victim
from behind the window bars
bowing to the sun
65
Vultures waiting
for the leftovers
of the sacrifice
66
In the ruins
searching her photo:
evening
67
Alone
on her bed rings
the cell phone
68
A dead voice
calling up at dawn:
drowsy eyes
69
Waiting for the train
alone on the platform
swatting mosquitoes
70
Without humming
mosquitoes alight and bite--
all night awake
71
The lone poet
watching his interview--
two minutes fame
72
Night's rumblings
prayers add wings to breezes
morning's serene calm
73
Meditating
in the morning sun--
his long shadow
74
Unmindful
of the body's joy--
the ascetic
75
A young couple
under the red umbrella
rejoicing privacy
76
Awaking
before the climax
the other woman
77
Between virgin curves
he deep-breathes evening mist
rests in the hollow
78
Shell-shocked or frozen
he stands in tears on hill top
craving nirvana
79
The lone mushroom--
a pregnant woman
stares out of the window
80
Facing the sun
the lone flower
dying to bloom
81
A dead leaf hangs
by a spider's thread
invisible in sun
82
Under the tree
in meditation sunken
a lone stone
83
So many headlights
and my myopic vision--
walking difficult
84
Setting ablaze
Muslim houses and children
seekers of Ram
85
White-yellow trail
the Mirage on mission:
ten souls buried
86
Amidst roaring guns
clouds blossom snow lotus:
light hilly terrain
87
On the margin of
home-to-work-to-home routine--
life's achievements
88
Shivering in the cold
young boys sell balloons late night--
New Year revelers
89
Half-fleshed faces
track from behind the windows
rawness of journey
90
Journeying tries
to raise his silence
to prayer
91
Never enough
the earth's hunger for graves:
peace barricaded
92
The red light is on:
they all have secrets to hide
no use peeping in
93
Disposable blades
one over the other--
dusty switchboard
94
Seismic lab
a network of cobweb:
no earthquake for long
95
No Zen thought--
scribbling haiku with
gun in hand
96
With her breasts bobbing
up and down she challenges
the moon as she walks
97
Sees the eyes
in walls as I rise
to kiss her
98
Drowned
in empty whiteness:
love
99
Wiping tears
from each other's eyes
two souls in love
100
Writing with strands of
watery hair on her back
a love haiku
101
Shedding bitterness
of the tiff in sex act
she and I
102
Moist lips parting
on a tea cup promising
expectation
103
Tastier my tea
with her one sip--
I keep the cup
104
Bending down to pick up
apple she presses
piercing embrace
105
Looking lovingly
she bends his head down to hers
twines like a creeper
106
She preys the body
behind obsidian sheath
fatuous flap
107
After burns
leaving the body
the dead skin
108
Rain-soaked sun
sheds its sultry light:
her bare back
109
Crouching out of the bath
with hand on the genital
his new tenant
110
A pregnant woman
bending over the mushroom
bloomed under a tree
111
Awaits the bloom
of love in her womb:
silent action
112
Lovely with hope
the glow in her eyes:
no need of sun
113
Her body--
the night's perfection
in dim light
114
Seeing her
a liquid sensation
between the thighs
115
On a canvas
a poet in twilight
painting her skin
116
Sensing her presence
he stares down the street--
lingering perfume
117
A star in making--
but an island appears:
the palm amuses
118
Sipping gin with lime
he says he loves sex each night
but hates the smell
119
Looking for Taj in grains
through sand-storm find history
trapped between toes
120
Bleeding fingers draw
new domes of betrayal in
windy matrices
121
He walks down the aisle
looking for the nave in her
to kneel and slide out
122
His tongue
between the teeth--
sudden sneeze
123
Fed up with my sex
she threatens to move
to our daughter's room
124
Leaves him alone
to escape daily rape
in bed his wife
125
The bedroom altar
no substitute for temple--
sacrifice of sex
126
Winter's chill--
sweating under the gown
her thighs and breasts
127
Scanning
her stooping breasts--
the first night
128
Measuring life with
ejaculatory rhythm--
envies sparrow sports
129
Her thighs--
resting place for my head
on bed
130
Trying to decipher
the complex curves on my palms
in the morning rays
131
Fondling her breasts
I incite a poem
on her body
132
A film of mist
between my eyes
and her image
133
Locked in her eyes
the bright glow
of the goddess
134
Melting in
the colour of the heart
the sun in the west
135
A lizard shrieks
before the climax:
love making
136
The blood passes through
green veins I hear the heart play
melody of dews
137
Every breath
love in action--
fire in the hole
138
No bottom reader
but the shape and the lines do tell
she can stir the soul
139
The aching limbs and
blood dripping between the legs:
love-making postponed
140
With his head between
the knees he squats and smells
the body's sweat
141
Bones rattle to make
a song of flesh in the night---
togetherness
142
Insomnia
blaming her
not old age
143
Lies with her
in freezing cold:
an empty tube
144
Invisible
jangles odours presences--
twinges in bed
145
Drying on the line
pork venison and beef--
the room smells their vests
146
Don't know their tongue--
the stars beyond the mountains
whisper among themselves
147
While I lie alone
shapeless fears rest on my eyes
heavier than time
148
Searching salvation
a moth flies into the lamp:
oily burial
149
Colours sparkle in
the morning's dew on the blooms--
my breathing changes
150
Nobody cares
burial of my dreams
in coal dust
151
Besides allergies
so many other complaints:
sudden weather change
152
Bronchial breathing--
the only sound audible
in the soulless space
153
Noisy birds
don't let me sleep:
midnight moon
154
Sparrows couple
on a withered creeper--
peep of day
155
He sweeps yellow leaves
or gathers years in a heap
burns to merge with dust
156
Cleaning dusts from
the old sandals for a walk:
again the same pain
157
Peeling paint
from the drawing room--
shaows flicker
158
Seeing no image
in the mirror of time--
foggy blankness
159
Hot bath or no bath--
the cough persists unmindful
of the New Year's eve
160
Sees in a flash--
opening the eyes
takes a long time
161
Linked with anxiety
my comfort at his home:
Ph.D. viva
162
Fear of forgetting--
car insurance premium
paid a month ahead
163
Fears the approach
of night with him--
twisting tassels
164
In the lone room
prefers haiku to yoga
drinking scotch
165
My bedroom
a maze of cobweb
spiders breed
166
Sunday afternoon--
waving into gin
two drops of lime
167
Difficult to change
I am what I have disowned--
dressing down salads
168
The bed is short
and the covering shorter--
crouching alone
169
Unruffled
by passions and clamours--
Buddha's calm
170
Seeks Buddha's stone bowl
to win the bamboo princess:
she dwells on moon beams
171
Her heart
a thousand doors of
oneness
172
Standing behind
the window bars observes
darkness in shapes
173
Disappears
into dust her last
photograph
174
Trying to read good news
I look at the lines taking
new turns on my palms
175
Looking for riches
in her left hand shortening
days on the pavement
176
They sculpture psyche
in the city of dumb dreams:
idols sweat in sun
177
Pulling out white hairs
she reminds increasing age:
time's fragrance unchanged
178
Still a child--
embracing a breast
sleeps her man
179
Exchanging
anger with roses:
petals fall
180
They all walk
like shadows in night
for themselves
181
Lying on his table
a few unanswered letters
and unrealized dreams
182
A little child
chases the painted dreams
on butterfly wings
183
Two butterflies
racing with each other
perch on the wire
184
A child's fingers feel
the butterfly lying
one with yellow leaves
185
Sudden rain drops wet
the wings of a butterfly
lying at the basil
186
Lost my way again
asking for direction:
a pleasant change
187
Locked between the cracks
cockroaches in the alcove
dropping their eggs
188
Awaiting their turn
to feast on a dead dog
crows in a circle
189
A crow hits
the scare crow and cracks
its earthen head
190
A crow picking
at the ripe papaya and
another waiting
191
A yellow spider
on the blooming marigold
weaves tiny webs
192
Two lizards fight
to mate on the wall--
balancing act
193
Swiftly passes by
a yellow snake on the grass--
moistened trail of love
194
After the quake
a dog sniffing his master's
presence in the rubble
195
Searching Christ's sandals
in the pile of shoes at
the church's entrance
196
Traffic snails through
the water-logged road I feel
a manhole cover
197
Dust mites devouring
the secrets preserved
in my diary
198
Seeing my shadow
three fish in the pond look
for a safe corner
199
In the well
studying her image
a woman
200
A hooker hides
behind the green letter box:
looking for a client
201
Cut wrongly
each body a slave--
grey faces
202
Too heavy
these man-made machines
choking weight
203
Students murmuring
over the class test result:
the teacher's curved lips
204
In the moving train
sleeping on his feet
the newspaperman
205
Flowers inviting
seeds of love scattered in
the perfumed garden
206
Looking for a prey
a snake slides through the fence:
warmth of the sun
207
Safe from sun
under nascent leaf
a gold fish
208
After sleepless night
a drowsy sun tears
the morning sky
209
With sunrise
gone to sleep
the morning moon
210
Two dreamy eyes
await the rising sun
through the fogged window
211
A sweating sun
after the midnight chill--
changing hues of spring
212
The sun conceals
aeons of darkness planets
mirror in the sky
213
Closing its eyes
in the setting sun--
the Ganges in autumn
214
A cloud-eagle
curves to the haze
in the west
215
A butterfly rests
on the butterfly tattooed
on her sunning back
216
The sun not yet set
but the full moon rises
as if in a hurry
217
Setting sun
leaves behind sparkle
on the waves
218
Suddenly rise
the sleeping waves from far off--
'quake in the sea
219
Swollen sea
boiling over the head--
roars increase
220
The sun rolls
on the waving Ganges--
whitens love-hope
221
On the wave's crest
travels a fallen leaf--
rot on the bank
222
Couldn't erase the wind's
soliloquy from the waves
breaking on the shore
223
Traveling back
from the waves of bliss
a foam-leap
224
On the waves rise shells
in accents lie with love--
beauty on the shore
225
A lamp floating on
river breast in bridal grace--
waves in the gloaming
226
Bathing in thousands
they float lamps on her breast
the river sparkles
227
Knee-deep in the pond
standing obeisantly
nude worshipers
228
Ends with ritual
one more morning--
sun-worshipers in the pond
229
Awaits the sunrise
in the chilly Ganges
a nude worshiper
230
Sees visions
eating food of gods--
mushroom
231
Fills the void
with illusions and self--
names them god
232
December almost
over what new wish to add
to Christmas wish list
233
On Christmas eve
santa claus takes leave--
mist on chairs in pairs
234
Standing
between flowers
Jesus on the cross
235
Making holes
in the wooden cross
white ants
236
Colours of envy
stick on their colleagues' faces:
Holi revelry
237
Krishna offering
parijata to Radha:
Narada looks on
238
The temple's dome
in the flooded Ganga--
empty kalash
239
Fermenting spring
in the arms of lovers:
a secret sin
240
The cherry pink
in the spring--
a framed nude
241
Embrace
suffocates in bed--
chill seeps through slit
242
Wintry chill--
enters the cold bed:
skips morning walk
243
Winter allergies--
I stay inside to escape
the wind in full moon
244
The long night passes
sleeplessly I deep-breathe
the December chill
245
Alone and sleepless
count hours by asthmatic bouts--
the long winter nights
246
A part of the night
hidden in the morning moon:
the sun waves bye-bye
247
Nothing changes
the night's ugliness
in the lone bed
248
The first night
spots on the sheet:
clothes wake up
249
Long wintry night--
opening the mail box
for a date
250
Vulnerable
darkness of the opening:
standing erect
251
Whiteness of the moon
and rocks howl with the wind--
December in the veins
252
Seek my haven
where the sky arches the sea--
a white gull leads
253
Stars mock his drinking
alone on the cement bench:
moon in the glass
254
Spend our short time
together after a long
watching the moon
255
Enveloping
all of the moon at night--
white chrysanthemums
256
Seeking smell
in cactus flowers:
late monsoon
257
Awaiting rains
for the litchis to sweeten
in the dry backyard
258
Clouds don't rain
coldly come and go--
icy bed
259
All night rain
the gaping roof
her shelter
260
Sudden rain
on the way home--
a peacock
261
After the night's rain
the sky's still overcast:
wet Christmas today
262
Through thick clouds
sees an arc of moon--
her belly
263
Shadow of age
on the wall--
second full moon
264
Lonely nights and
days of non-stop rains--
depression mounts
265
Traveling
on the wings of winter
ill news
266
Celebrating
return of the light and warmth:
winter solstice
267
Feels the shadow
with wet fingers
in the fog
268
Mist surrounds:
the steel statue watches
few visitors
269
Morning fog:
her face invisible
even the sun
270
The evening fog:
invisible her hand
on my shoulder
271
Slowly clears
the morning fog--
end of the year
272
Swollen fogs
ready to make way
for the sun
273
Her make-up spoilt
in the evening mist:
looking for light
274
After dust storm rain
alloy with cool colours:
rainbow in the west
275
Splendid with the moon
night in silver peace dreams
through folds of light
276
Sees beard
shining in the mirror:
morning on the face
277
In a flash
trapping eternity--
the camera
278
Post-lunch solitude
filled with thoughts that couldn't become
even a haiku
279
The first night:
spots on the sheet:
clothes wake up
280
A sly lover
ejaculates poison--
sting operation
281
With glittering diamond
on the navel swinging
an item bomb
282
The phone rings:
in the middle he rises--
prayers unsaid
283
With a telescope
view the lunar eclipse--
midnight shadows
284
Out of wood and stone
he carves his vision of peace:
night's secret visage
285
In the ruins
searching her photo:
evening
286
Suffer animals
with a peculiar smeel:
men in white khadi
287
Crossing the shadows
in the Indo-Pak match--
the last ball
288
Drunken with force
spreading the century's sore:
nine eleven
289
Freedom to kill
with faith in divine regime:
terrorist's peace
290
Watches the snow rain
with finger on the trigger:
insurgence in Drass
291
Reaching nowhere--
ideas flying from the minds
of top echelons
292
Himself doesn't
listen but teaches
communication
293
Her anger shifts
from manure to cellphone:
10 o' clock soap
294
Winking at her
in the dark--
power cut
295
Two peacocks
on a dancing spree:
see water
296
Dancing
a few muddied crocs:
the river returns
297
Nibbling a leaf
between her fingers
a dragon-fly
298
A small frog
leaping on my hand
from the pothole
299
Birds crouch in nests
along the snow-clad path--
wheezing silence
300
Away from home--
smell of frying fish
in the air
301
Swimming afresh
in the glass box
two gold fish
302
Peace in silence
of the heart and body's cells:
Buddha's calm
303
Weaving its nest
Grass blade by grass blade
R.K.Singh
304
Sad and dull
his backyard poultry--
fears of bird flu
305
Mooching about
a rose petal in the sun--
a butterfly
306
An orgasmic view
from behind the car's window
the Taj Mahal
307
Perches nervously
on the fence a squirrel
nibbling its luck
308
Puppies groping
for the tits of our doggy
relaxing in sun
Copyright: R.K.Singh
