Contemporary Literary Review India | Print ISSN 2250-3366 | Online ISSN 2394-6075 | Impact Factor 8.1458 | Vol. 9, No. 2: CLRI May 2022

Sandeep Kumar Mishra

Body Orchard

I taste these pears and peaches with my whole body,

as graceful as the first floret of spring in a garden,

We watched for the first time a tropic moon

descend pine- orange into our yard, I kissed your raspberry cheek and tasted

inviting mango juice on unbound rosy lips

“Sangam” of two red roses and white lilies flow in

East- Asian almond cool aquamarine eyes,

A sharp nose pyramid a moon ring shine

Long Thailandish slender neck and

Brazilian bloom-down-cheek’d peaches,

in your diamond apple body orchard

shaded under Indian long silky spirited locks

The plum tree in your garden is now

bursting into flower with the promise that

snowy flower buds give birth to ripe lilac plums

this autumn when you turn sweet sixteen,

I strip off the blossom with my lips,

marking each interlude with musical drops

The blackberries would ripen-a purple-green, sun's blood in it leaving good stains upon the

tongue and desire for more pickings

my garden doesn't have the forbidden fruit

For the true are cherry red and golden mango,

I have memories of yellow daffodils and oranges

blended with the burn of colorless lemon tears,

basked in honey rays, dreamed in pomegranate

sunsets of lime hills and dulce roses

Years of sweet citrus lived in golden hours

My yellow heart pining for red fusion,

to shake the fruit that never falls,

I am without the temptation of apple,

Limbs entwined in a sweet embrace

I kissed season's hot tangerine lips

The colors of my country are spread here with clear blue sky, sun, breeze, dew and peace,

Fruit is for sharing, even if your neighbors are bears or cows

I may not live to see the leaves fall yet

moment of delight in the shared fruit would live on

but the aches and pains of this grove are mines only.


Sandeep Kumar Mishra is the bestseller author of "One Heart- Many Breaks-2020". He is the poetry editor at 'Indian Poetry Review'. He has received "Readers Favorite Award-21", "Indian Achievers Award-21", "IPR Poetry Award-2020" and "Literary Titan Book Award-2020".

He was shortlisted for "2021 International Book Awards", "52nd New Millennium Award-2021", "Asian Anthology-2021" "Indies Today Book of the Year Award 2020" and "Joy B Boone Poetry Prize 2021" and "Oprelle Poetry Prize 2021". He was also "The Story Mirror Author of the Year" nominee-2019.


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