All The Lonely People: Poems From Around The World: Reena Prasad Sharjah.
This week, I am featuring one of our wonderful Indian poets: Reena Prasad Sharjah who contributed to our anthology: All The Lonely People. You can link to her here on Facebook.Butterflies Oftime Many thanks Reena for your beautiful poem.

Art by Maria Antonietta Terrana.
In Absentia
Reena Prasad Sharjah
Butterflies Oftime
A rattan chair creaks to the rhythm
of a wind chime’s faint tinkle
A fat drop of water
plops into a plastic bucket keeping time
Invisible limbs stretch making the wooden bed groan
The lace curtain flaps nudged by an unseen breeze
A doll with two pigtails nods her head, freezing when I look
Soundtracks of urban life
the hum of the fridge, the clock’s tick
now insist on having my undivided attention
but bits of unfinished conversation, the zing of excited chatter,
memories of patter of tiny feet, the echoes of a thumping football,
the feel of a small, round head now absent from my lap-
all keep me company till life bursts through the front doors again
The shadow that follows me around when I am home alone
elopes with the setting sun.©
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About Dr Niamh
When I was a little girl (a very, very long time ago), I used to love learning new, really big words like ‘discombobulate’. As I grew, my love of words grew too, until I loved them so much, I could not stop writing them down.
One day, as I was scribbling a particular word, a very peculiar thing happened. The word shouted at me, “Stop! Don’t put me there!” As you can imagine, I was shocked and nearly fell off my chair. When I recovered somewhat, I said to the word, “Could you stop shouting, please? I am not used to it.”
Can you guess what happened next? No! I thought not. The word said, “I might be small, but I will misbehave if you do not use me properly. I will not tell the story you would like me to tell. I will say something entirely different!”
I dropped my pen. I hoped that by dropping my pen, the word would stop talking. Alas! It did not. It carried on chitterchobbling, even after the ink had dried. I was in a pickle. I could not allow my words to run away with my story, now could I?
I don’t know about you, but when this sort of thing happens, there is only one thing left to do if you prefer not to spend your time arguing. “Very well,” said I. “I will do as you ask if you will just be quiet and allow me to concentrate.”
Since that day, I have been paying special attention to every word I invite into my stories. After all, a story should say exactly what it means to say and not be led astray.
With love from Dr. Niamh,
Ph.D in Learning Through The Imagination and Founder of Dr Niamh Children's Books. www.drniamhchildrensbooks.com
A great poet if ever there was one 🙂
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Yes! Love her stuff.
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Thank you Ampat Koshy. Your words always encourage and inspire me. 🙂
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A lovely sensitive & gentle piece of writing Reena.
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Many thanks for your visit and comment, Sue. I am sure that Reena will be delighted with it.
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Just perfect. All mother’s can resonate with this lovely poem.
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Many thanks Darlene for your lovely comments.
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A sweet and sentimental journey
from the heart of a mother
bursting with pleasure.
🙂 Nice one, Reena!
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Such a beautiful poem! Love it:)
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Simply magnificent! 😀
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Well balanced and filled with image and message. Nice!
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Beautiful!
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Pingback: All The Lonely People: Poems From Around The World: Reena Prasad Sharjah. | West Coast Review
Such a beautiful poem. Many can resonate with. It fills the senses.
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Thank you Patricia Tilton for a beautiful comment.
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I felt the sounds above your heartbeat where the silence reverberated louder then the absence of what was once filled with action and loving noise. A great depiction and creating of aloneness and loneliness. The familiar sounds that remember and have recorded the past in your mind. Why is it that those echos are so much louder when they are usually lost to us when life is happening? A beautiful poem Reena. jk
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Maria, come dimenticanza da parte mia per non parlare di quanto è bello dipingere la tua pittura è. E ‘stato scelto così bene per fondersi con la poesia di Reena. Ancora una volta si è creato la bellezza attraverso la visione nella tua arte. Trovo una natura gentile nella tua pittura che tocca perfettamente la solitudine dell’anima solitario. Con Amore, Jennifer
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Yes Jennifer! Maria’s painting has that gentle quality you mentioned that lends itself beautifully to the poems’s words.
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Reblogged this on BUTTERFLIES OF TIME and commented:
I am blessed to share my poem with many poets and writers all over the world who have taken the time to read and give lovely comments. I do not know what greater encouragement a person can have than this shower of blessings . I hope to keep writing better poems. Thank you-every single reader and friend for your love especially Niamh Clune and Plum Tree Books for her interest and effort in encouraging and sharing the poems of writers from all over. This poem is from the Plum Tree Books anthology “All the Lonely people”.
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nobody can say it the way you do!
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Thank you Payal!
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Thank you Sue Lobo. Delighted!
Darlene- Thank you for those lovely words of encouragement.
Uncle Tree! Thank you very much.
Delighted you liked it,Thank you! @Irene Gowins-Sowells
@ Walking with Beverley- Thank You!
Steve Corn – Heartfelt thanks!
Thank you for the comment and for the ping Juliette @ West Coast Review
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I just wanted to say Thank You to Niamh for her beautiful presentation of the post for “All the Lonely People.” Reena’s poem was very moving and Maria’s painting fit so perfectly with the words and sentiment portrayed within Reena’s poem. A touching moment of creativity from everyone. a.l. jk Jennifer
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I really like that poem!
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I am certain that Reena will be delighted to hear that, Erik. Thank you for your visit.
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Thank you Jennifer and Eric. So kind of you all to give me so much encouragement and love.
I am blessed to share my poem with many poets and writers all over the world who have taken the time to read and give lovely comments. I do not know what greater encouragement a person can have than this shower of blessings . I hope to keep writing better poems. Thank you-every single reader and friend for your love especially Niamh Clune and Plum Tree Books for her interest and effort in encouraging and sharing the poems of writers from all over
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A wonderful poem…..!!!
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Many thanks for your comment, Rukaya. Always lovely to see you here.
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A pleasure to be here Niamh..
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