Green Poetry by Onkar Sharma

INTO THE DIN 

The slumber must shatter, for we stand 
at the point of no return. Extinction 
will be our last, sterile destination,
leaving behind only a memory of green, 
and a legacy of sulphuric air.

The errands of urgency often fade into the din,
silencing voices like Sunderlal Bahuguna's
and brushing aside satyagrahas like Chipko.
How did a man with frail looks but fierce will
weigh heavy on the shrewd nexus 
of politics and timber sharks?

In the glory of his bold endeavours, 
can we not stop laying the red carpet
for deceptive proposals, 
misleading hill dwellers into monetising 
the jungle views with hotels and homestays
built along the sensitive zones…?

*Satyagrahas, literally ‘holding firmly to truth’, is a form of passive resistance

A PACT

On my morning walks,
right across the society gate
a pair of street cows always turn to me
their eyes meeting mine
not with hope but certainty – 
as if this, too, is a pact
inscribed in a language of hunger.

Abruptly they lurch towards me,
hoofbeats heavy on the concrete,
a sudden clamour for what little I have—
the swift scramble for leftovers; 
the dignity of hunger laid bare.
Their rough tongues will soon scour
every crease of the crumpled polythene,
turning yesterday’s waste
into today’s survival,
without caring about 
the microplastics mixing  
in their bloodstreams.

Onkar Sharma, a writer and poet, is the author of the poetry collection Songs of Suicide and the novel Revenge Theory. He founded Literary Yard, a platform to support emerging writers and celebrate diverse voices. Sharma is also an editor, book reviewer, and columnist, actively contributing to literary discussions and fostering creativity within the community.

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