{"id":2016,"date":"2017-07-02T20:07:52","date_gmt":"2017-07-02T20:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/?p=2016"},"modified":"2017-07-02T20:08:24","modified_gmt":"2017-07-02T20:08:24","slug":"across-the-oceans-i-issue-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/across-the-oceans-i-issue-7\/","title":{"rendered":"ACROSS THE OCEANS I (ISSUE 7)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad1\" id=\"quads-ad1\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n\n <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.1.7.8 Content AdSense async --> \n\n<script async data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\">\nvar quads_screen_width = document.body.clientWidth;\nif ( quads_screen_width >= 1140 ) {\r\n\/* desktop monitors *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" 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[]).push({});\r\n}<\/script>\n\n <!-- end WP QUADS --> \n\n\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>ACROSS THE OCEANS I (ISSUE 7)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Two Poems by Santosh Bakaya<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>TO THE WOMEN OF ACCRA<br \/>\n<\/strong>(Written in Accra, Ghana during my sojourn there in May 2016)<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your glowing skin<\/p>\n<p>Speaks the language of love,<\/p>\n<p>Of hope, of diligence immense<\/p>\n<p>Your untiring hands wield the ladle<\/p>\n<p>Your child snug in a cloth tied to your back<\/p>\n<p>Serving as a cradle.<\/p>\n<p>Onward, you plough<\/p>\n<p>\u2018On the pulse of morning\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Songsters singing untrammeled<\/p>\n<p>Kneading dough, baking cakes and bread<\/p>\n<p>There is power in your tread,<\/p>\n<p>In your waltzing eyes and lyrical body<\/p>\n<p>Your tactile warmth, your glowing face<\/p>\n<p>Your lissome grace.<\/p>\n<p>I feel love cascading in joyous profusion.<\/p>\n<p>Dormant lies a creative explosion<\/p>\n<p>Your open arms embrace many<\/p>\n<p>To your throbbing, pulsating bosom\u2019s core<\/p>\n<p>Leaving one yearning for more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow she is rising \u2018<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Now she is striding\u2019,<\/p>\n<p>Maya Angelou utters through the mists of time.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, she is rising, she is striding,<\/p>\n<p>I can see the reason in her rhyme.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THAT COLD DECEMBER DAY\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Why does my mind keep going back<\/p>\n<p>To that cold day in December<\/p>\n<p>When that tired laborer,<\/p>\n<p>[The one with deep sunken eyes,<\/p>\n<p>And a tubercular chest]<\/p>\n<p>Tried to steal some warmth<\/p>\n<p>From the prosperous neighbor\u2019s fire<\/p>\n<p>And was branded a \u2018thief \u2018<\/p>\n<p>With red, hot words?<\/p>\n<p>This morning hobbles forth, on arthritic feet.<\/p>\n<p>Does it also recall that cold December night<\/p>\n<p>That starry, starry night<\/p>\n<p>When the poor laborer lost that fight<\/p>\n<p>With a dreary night?<\/p>\n<p>The blue-lipped forefathers smirk<\/p>\n<p>As the irked calendar, winces<\/p>\n<p>Flutters and turns<\/p>\n<p>Goes into labor<\/p>\n<p>And delivers<\/p>\n<p>Another<\/p>\n<p>Day.<\/p>\n<p>Jaundiced it is, lackluster too.<br \/>\nSitting atop a withered tree a raven caws<\/p>\n<p>Lording it over the tiny birds,<\/p>\n<p>Making and unmaking its own laws.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The warm morning hobbles on<\/p>\n<p>Ataxic.<\/p>\n<p>But I still feel that chill<\/p>\n<p>In the month of April.<\/p>\n<p>The chill that killed<\/p>\n<p>That shivering labourer<\/p>\n<p>One cold December.<\/p>\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad2\" id=\"quads-ad2\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"2029\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/spoken-waves-issue-7\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1440\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2029 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1-225x300.jpg?resize=225%2C300\" alt=\"15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o (1)\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/15289332_1166750740028763_6427734838336029315_o-1.jpg?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>Dr Santosh Bakaya, <\/strong>who has a doctorate in modern political theory, is passionate about Literature. An academician, critic, poet, essayist and novelist, she has made her mark both in prose and poetry.<\/p>\n<p>Santosh has authored three mystery novels, \u2018<em>The mystery of the Relic\u2019, \u2018The mystery of the Jhalana fort\u2019 <\/em>and <em>The mystery of the Pine cottage <\/em>for young adults.\u00a0Her essays on Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr have been published in Gandhi Marg, a quarterly journal of Gandhi Peace Foundation. \u00a0The Poet Laureate award instituted by Poetry Society of India was conferred on her for her book Ballad of Bapu recently.<\/p>\n<p>She resides in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India with her husband and daughter.\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad3\" id=\"quads-ad3\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ACROSS THE OCEANS I (ISSUE 7) Two Poems by Santosh Bakaya TO THE WOMEN OF ACCRA (Written in Accra, Ghana during my sojourn there in&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25],"tags":[67,425,379,424,114,278],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2215,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/across-the-oceans-i-issue-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":0},"title":"ACROSS THE OCEANS I (ISSUE 8)","date":"November 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"ACROSS THE OCEANS I (ISSUE 8) TWO POEMS | SANTOSH BAKAYA DEAD WEIGHT I was a pilgrim, plodding forth, my ankles heavy with a dead weight. I dragged my feet over the treacherous terrain Ah, I was in pain. In the battered skyline, lightning flashed a tattered byline; bruised and\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Across the Oceans\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1473,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/across-the-oceans-issue-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":1},"title":"ACROSS THE OCEANS (ISSUE 5)","date":"October 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"ACROSS THE OCEANS (ISSUE 5) \u00a0 THE WOMAN IN THE ROCKING CHAIR By Santosh Bakaya In her lonesome heart A lone wave curls around itself Unfurling bottled fragrances. They waft out, uncorked Serenading the woman who rocks in the rocking chair Rock, rock it goes in sync with the ticking\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Across the Oceans\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2079,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/pin-quarterly-journal-issue-7-editors-note\/","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":2},"title":"PIN QUARTERLY JOURNAL (ISSUE 7): EDITOR'S NOTE","date":"July 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"PIN QUARTERLY JOURNAL (ISSUE 7) EDITOR\u2019S NOTE \u00a0 Creativity, like rainfall, could be cyclical; and at certain times, torrential. It has been proven with all issues of the journal that, poetry and monotony have no cause for convergence. This is made possible with the flexible approach adopted in assessment of\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Across the Oceans\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2016"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2102,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions\/2102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}