Shalini’s poems, “Fastest Chariot” and “Life Sea”, explore themes of life-giving power and the contemplative journey of existence, inviting readers to ponder profound questions, exclusively for Different Truths.

Fastest Chariot

Will you?
Take me to the high hills and the low seas
Take me to the skyscrapers and huts
Take me to the terrorists and soldiers
Take me wherever you go,
to the newborns and the dying
Oh dear,
a person calls me, can you hear the cry
He is choking, dying of suffocation, maybe
Take me to him soon; I can’t see him die
Entering his lungs, I would rejuvenate him
From the clasps of death, I will relieve him
Oh Wind,
I am the hidden jewel of air, the most precious
Take me to every living being of the world
I would energize every cell, driving away fatigue
You are the fastest chariot; you enter where light hesitates
Could you see me beyond the murk, the polluted world?
Oh, oxygen,
I found you from your song, come to me, my dear
I will take you to wherever you wish, get into my chariot
I will pick you up from the trees and spread you all over
Come with me; let’s go on our never-ending journey.

Life Sea

We walked on the beach sand
the groundnut fried, tested our appetite
moving aside our thoughts
we look into the sea
we wonder, is this life
should we sail on it
or get sunk in its depth
which way to choose
our desire or the vast challenge life
tasting the fried groundnut
we walked towards Life Sea.

Picture design Anumita Roy

Shalini Samuel

Shalini Samuel hails from Kanyakumari. She graduated in IT (2006) and did her Masters in Computer Science from Noorul Islam College of Engineering (2008), Kanyakumari. She started writing as a blogger and composed poems that was published in International journals and anthologies. She has ventured into fiction and essays too. She authored a poetry collection ‘Singing Soul’. Her passions include photography, gardening and cooking. She is eager to learn and cherish all kinds of writing.