an incredulously rich crimson—
flamed flamboyantly
where it had risen
arching above the emerald defiantly
hailing Spring in Jharkhand joyously…
flames of fire blossom
blossom fiery flames

bold and beautiful are they in season
growing in the jungles rampantly,
Palash is the beauteous one
exuding a primitive raw beauty,
that caught my heart so exuberantly,
flames of fire blossom
blossom fiery flames

brave and beautiful are the one
who live in the shadow of the Palash euphorically
uncoated by the plastic veneer of urbanisation
exuding a primitive raw beauty…
living life in synchrony
with the flames of fire that blossom
in the heavens

far from the reaches of civilisation
no concrete roads reach them vitally
no motorised vehicles reach anyone
no piped water reaches them instantly
no thick mattresses cushion their bodies comfortably…
their bed of hardships
infusing in their backbones, steel warships

and, yet they know the joy of the season…
the Palash springing to life vividly
in the colours of life, crimson
that thrums raw in our veins exuberantly,
smearing the colours of life ecstatically…
flames of fire blossom
blossom fiery flames

Avantika Vijay Singh is a communications professional wearing the hats of a writer, editor, poet, researcher, and photographer. She is the author of Flowing… in the River of Life and Dancing Motes of Starlight (ebook) and editor of five anthologies. A recipient of the Nissim International Award Runner Up 2023, WE Gifted Poet 2024, and WE Illumination Award 2024, she has been published in national and international journals. Nature’s beauty, sustainability, life, spirituality, and humanity are her muse, lending immense depth to her poems.

You can find more of Avantika’s work here on Ink Pantry.