Moments of Eternity/Literature/Aboriginal History

The Black Flower (Krishnokoli)

In Response to DEP weekly prompt 27/52

“Light came muffled with clouds, when first I saw her in the field; her head was bare, her veil was off, her braided hair hanging loose on her neck. She may be dark as they say in the village, but I have seen her black eyes and am glad.Her neighbours call her dark in the village-but she is a lily to my heart, yes, a lily though not fair” — Rabindranath Tagore, Krishnokoli

It could have been a park. A museum. Featuring the Dead.Dark.History.

I stepped on your bones. But you have long traveled the distance dissolving in white, Is a whiter brain a lighter brain?!

Where the lines blur in blue and green Reverberates an ancient echo I heard my father scream. Fore.

You shudder at the violence that rages inside How they live within this tender skin Water boisterous flows on Earth frozen Excavating stories. Mothers. Siblings.

I explore every uneven wrinkle converting a smile Pressing soft capillaries for blood Now coagulated.

I have been here before. Pages turn. Silhouettes diminish into bodies The ocean stands still as we tremble Violet nerves pulsating the throbbing arteries, pumping blood to a face —

The painting comes alive….

Do I know you?! The flower of dust Scorched in time Tanned by oblivion Beauty in black. Black in a bloom.

The light of modern days fading on primitive trees. My vehicle reached me. Home.

The tree flowered on my birthday. That was not the day I was born.

Bloomed. A flower is black. Black Flower.

My Corner: Rabindranath Tagore chose tribal belt in Birbhum_district as his home and named it Shantiniketan (Shanti=peace, Niketan=abode). His work around that place for upliftment of the aborigines, the Santhal_people (much reduced in existence now) , is well documented in his essays, poetry, music and paintings. One such of his iconic work on the tribals, is a song/poetry which is a depiction of Santhal women, whom he fondly named and word-painted as Krishnokoli, meaning the black flower. I visited this tribal zone around Shantiniketan a few days ago, and seeing one of them brought back visions of the Bard’s words, as if a mind painting coming alive, which as a Bengali, I have read, listened very many times. This poem is a dedication to one ethereal Krishnokoli , I encountered and who was kind enough to be my lens muse. — Nefelibata.in

I combined my #DEP Poetry Series with a very interesting prompt ideated by Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles which goes by “ ANYTHING GOES”😊

Thank you Dr. Gabriella Korosi Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles Dr. Preeti Singh Annelise Lords for helping a positive community in Dancing Elephant Press.

A beautiful tribute to her mother’s Iris by NancyO in My-mothers-flowers

Jenine "Jeni" Baines with her eclectic prompt response on neighborhood nature elements in The-oblate-ed is sure to steal your heart.

Beautiful words of wisdom from Dr. Gabriella Korosi in Future-generations-hear-my-plea

My previous #DEP outing:

Thank you for being here encouraging and inspiring! Today I plan to share a video created around Tagore’s iconic Krishnakoli with English narration and Rabindra-Nritya (A dance form conceptualized by Rabindranath). Hope you enjoy:)