hidden − alone − like a heart
come asunder − palash
drinks the heat of this sultry
day, painting the white into
reds, and a soft orange flame,
like a petal drying, on
a non-existent shore,
i pluck a new memory to be unveiled −
kaagaz ke phool −
lying awake, and hiding my trace
beneath the bed, of the previous dusk’s
reckoning − i smell of you,
and i smell of the night −
chameli drying on my chest
leaving aside all pretense,
hidden − i inhale, as
you come awake − your fingers riddled
in my hyacinth hair, my lips
blooming like a torn tulip bulb,
at least for this day.
.
…
Flowers and their symbolism:
Palash (Butea monosperma): Arrival of spring, blooming of love
Kaagaz ke Phool (colloquial tr. paper flowers) (Bougainvillea): Beauty, welcoming
Chameli (Jasmine): Love, romance
Hyacinth: Sincerity, constancy
Tulip: Love, cheerfulness, royalty
…
Bringing together lovemaking with the hint of its end, for dVerse Poetics, where the flowers are speaking in their beautiful tongue.
Edit: Linking it up with The Tuesday Platform at With Real Toads.
HA's Place 
I love this… especially the scent you brought in with;
i smell of you,
and i smell of the night
LikeLike
This is glorious. The poem is beautiful, poignant, and then the flowers add an extra, secret layer of meaning. Thank you for sharing this.
LikeLike
Nice lines: “like a petal drying, on
a non-existent shore”
LikeLike
Love how you used the scents and the native flower names as well ~ This is my favorite part:
hidden − i inhale, as
you come awake − your fingers riddled
in my hyacinth hair, my lips
blooming like a torn tulip bulb,
LikeLike
kaykuala
you come awake − your fingers riddled
in my hyacinth hair, my lips
blooming like a torn tulip bulb,
That sultry feeling of being wanted makes for oneness of purpose between two loved ones. Great lines HA
Hank
LikeLike
Such gorgeously sensual imagery in this one! 😊 I LOVE i pluck a new memory to be unveiled − kaagaz ke phool − lying awake, and hiding my trace.” ❤
LikeLike
Those last 5 lines…whew.
LikeLike
I love your closing stanza. Beautifully done.
LikeLike
chameli drying on my chest
leaving aside all pretense,… that brings a summer rooftop into view…and everything that goes with it… love the interweaving of the vernacular Anmol..effortless.
LikeLike
The beginning of love is pure magic, like the first day of spring after a long winter… There is so much joy in the beginning stanzas, but the ending makes me wonder what has shaped the speaker’s thoughts in such a way… why he is already thinking of endings with the beginning is still glowing.
DeLapp’s painting is a perfect companion for your piece, a proper representation of the speaker’s thoughts–the flower is fresh and lovely, but… it has been removed from the plant/soil that gave it life… it looks gorgeous but it won’t last.
LikeLike
beautifully written!!
LikeLike
I love the colours and scents in this poem, the image of the palash
drinking the heat of the sultry day is so vivid. I love the phrase ‘i pluck a new memory to be unveiled’ and the lines:
‘…your fingers riddled
in my hyacinth hair, my lips
blooming like a torn tulip bulb,
at least for this day’.
LikeLike
lying awake, and hiding my trace
beneath the bed, of the previous dusk’s
ahhh … this is sweet for the longing, heady for the scents and senses, and oh so sinuous in its sensuality ….
the pleasures of the flesh, of the newly discovered, of the magical walk into the unknown, and then, of wondering, how long will this last?
this piece is subtle – like an absentminded tracing of a lover’s flesh, softly provoking and provocative. it’s rather stunning …
and my lips, blooming like a torn tulip bulb – is earth-shatteringly creative, unique and stellar!
this is bittersweet and beautiful HA – and I normally “don’t go in for” this type of poetry, but you have moulded it as flesh and served us a very intimate yet hardly “sloppy sentimental” poem – and this endears it to me.
LikeLike
Wow. This is an incredible bit of work from you. The scents, the flowers. so much beond the secret or unsecret language of flowers. The Japanese have similar language for flowers – some are different from the western meanings. I love your lines. Gorgeous writing and intense sensuality
LikeLike
So many great lines in this but that last stanza is absolutely wonderful!
LikeLike
This is very beautifully done. I especially like how you phased this:
painting the white into
reds… very well-expressed.
LikeLike