.

To the Evening Breeze

When I unbolt the terrace door,
He enters quickly, greeting me
With kisses on my cheeks and hair
As if a friend who’d longed to see
My face for countless centuries.
As night begins to blacken more
And, ray by ray, the moonlight flees,
I settle on the window chair
And grab a book. Then he comes too
And reads the tale before I do.

He loves to ring the bright wind chimes,
Flick draperies, skim by each leaf
Of our Neem tree that waits all day
For his cool touch of sweet relief.
But out of everything, he likes
The top floor’s balcony. He climbs
There, chitchats with the plants, or strikes
The hanging clothes—a rare ballet
For father, ma, and me to view;
A lustre finds our lips anew.

.

.

For Angel L. Villanueva

By fate or happenstance, I’ve found
A poet of the western land
Whose lines are poignant and profound!
So blessed the pen gripped by his hand,
For what he crafts are not mere words
But doors to dreamlike, sweet domains
Where flocks of softly-warbling birds
Produce sweet, polyphonic strains.
Whatever subject builds his verse:
Love, heartache, seasons, or regret,
Each work’s a rock-free stream traversed—
A journey one will not forget.
What’s marvellous is that he bears
A name that means ‘a herald of
The Lord’, and somehow, I’m aware
That he’s a man of endless love.
But though we’re seated seas apart
And haven’t confabbed over tea,
I think I’ve wandered through his heart
And known him for eternity!

.

.

Shamik Banerjee resides in Assam, India with his parents and works for a local firm. His poems have appeared in Fevers of the Mind, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, and Westward Quarterly, among others, and some of his poems are forthcoming in Dreich and The Ekstasis Review, to name a few.

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17 Responses

  1. jd

    Loved reading both your poems, Shamik –
    the first a treasure trove of personification and the second, a lovely tribute to a fellow poet who must feel quite honored.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      Thank you so much for your kind comment, JD. I still remember coming across one of Angel’s poems, “The Name We Leave Behind.” Mesmerized, I read all of his poems on SCP and felt the need to pay a tribute.

      Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Your beautiful heart and soul shine through your poems with thoughts that captivate and enchant.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      That is so uplifting, Mr. Peterson. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.

      Reply
  3. Paul A. Freeman

    Wow! Like yesterday’s clock face poem, today it’s the evening breeze being wonderfully personified. Strangely, I’ve just written a piece about the oven-breath winds we’re currently experiencing her in West Africa!

    And what a wonderful tribute to Angel L. Villanueva.

    Thanks for the reads, Shamik.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Mr. Freeman. 

      Also, I completely forgot about the Clock poem. Glad you reminded me of it. 

      I’m sure your poem has turned out to be an excellent one. Also, since you mentioned ‘Oven-breath’ (which is an apt term), I could immediately relate to it because of the extreme summer-like weather here in my place. Spring has not departed yet, but ceiling fans are spinning at full speed, and air conditioners are always on.

      Reply
  4. Phil S. Rogers

    Shamik; Excellent! I especially loved, To The Evening Breeze. Thank you for a great read this morning.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      I am happy to know that you loved reading my poems, Phil. Thank you for the warm comment.

      Reply
  5. Yael

    I love both of these poems, they are a pleasure to read and contemplate. And gk, thanks for causing me to see the light. From now on, I will let ChatGPT write my comments for me, it’s so much easier and more sophisticated than committing my own clunky thoughts into writing. All the pros are doing it, I should follow the lead.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      Dear Yael, I’m glad you found my poems pleasurable. Thank you so much for reading them.

      Reply
  6. Bruce Phenix

    Shamik, Thank you for these poems, so fresh and full of life. I can do no better than endorse jd’s comments above: I love the personification in its varied detail in ‘To the Evening Breeze’, and am sure that the sincere tribute of the second poem is greatly appreciated by its subject.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      Thank you so much for your heartwarming comment, Bruce. The Evening Breeze was there on my list, unwritten. The feeling after penning it was immensely joyful.

      Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    Shamik, a nicely done personification of “The Evening Breeze.” I especially like the breeze’s ability to read rapidly. Also enjoyed the tribute to Angel Villanueva. I too admire his tone in varied subjects. You follow him well in this pair of poems.

    Reply
    • Shamik Banerjee

      Dear Margaret, the part you mentioned is one of my favourites too.

      Angel indeed excels in his subjects and I’m glad you felt these poems follow him.

      Reply
  8. Angel L. Villanueva

    Thank you, Shamik! I am humbly honored and touched by your beautiful poem. It has been an enjoyable read, and I will be adding it to my collection. You paint a vivid picture with words. I love its metrical and lyrical flow, and you make excellent use of imagery and emotional depth in each line. Your poem inspires me to continue to write and improve! You have a kind heart, Shamik. I can’t thank you enough for this tribute.

    I also very much enjoyed reading the first poem, ‘To the Evening Breeze’. It is a creative personification of the evening breeze. Here, you also make use of descriptive and evocative language, creating a vivid picture of the breeze and its actions. As it roved about, I found myself following its actions.

    Both poems are excellent and delightful reads.

    Reply
  9. Shamik Banerjee

    Dear Angel, I am so relieved to know you liked my tribute, and I’m glad that it serves as an inspiration. We and the whole poetry community need your beautiful words. You have a natural gift, so please keep penning.

    Also, thank you so much for your kind comment. 

    Reply

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