Poems by
Ananth Mani

Living in an Exclusive Habitat

a poem by Ananth Mani

In the wee hours as I launch the workout for wellness
Nature has already set its rhythmic action into progress
Birds, insects, butterflies set out even in the dark wilderness
Inspiring a new dawn of jubilation and a balm of bliss

Ahead of the first light even as dogs growl
Pigeons, peacock. sparrow, fuse along with koel
Group together to script one new jingle
Oblivious I sip coffee get sucked into my mobile

Overlooking the balcony is a blanket of green umbrella
Forest flame, neem, mango, night lily and plumeria
Nestled within are hundreds of birds and their utopia
Underneath are million insects, for the naïve it’s another trivia

Across the road stands the tall tree bald and clear
Red flowers drop in their hundreds while it rains nectar
Around it are many more trees with multi-colour flower
Honeycombs hang from trees and balconies in an array
Honey is squeezed out and consumed as elixir

Rarely I miss to see rainbow and its arch of seven
Yet remain blind to slew of butterfly colours umpteen
The shades seem to change to escape any aggression
Older to humans, remain content to spread the pollen
As I tread along, roads are lined with plants
Trees hug each other and whisper into one another’s ear
Share their produce both fruits and flowers
Never a buddy when young, old enough to cuddle and smooch

Neem is the prima donna forming bulk of the crown
Tamarind stands stubbornly erect, to weave through the shade
Banyan is rare, its hanging roots come down to offer blessings
Bamboo is seen everywhere making waves as it vacillates

Shredding its fragrance night jasmine looks exhausted
Peepal and neem are grown together to help world populate?
Gooseberry, guava, pomegranate, mango is left for the birds
Soil and grass offer rare incense, easy to appreciate hard to describe

Daily I watch red, black, brown, white, polka dot beetles
Work untiring on the plants and soil scavenging
Carnival like spectacle, binging on waste festively
Stock venom to ward off attacks, still have no desire to harm

Centipedes, millipedes, frogs, ants, red and black
Stroll in a procession along my path back to back
Langur, chameleons, snakes give me a shock to duck
Hear children laugh, the truth with nature I remain weak

Hundreds of shades of flowers are in bloom across
Conspicuously only limited shades adorn the gods
Pink winca, red lily, yellow jasmine, purple hibiscus
Thankfully remain safe, wave to me for all the mercy

Coppersmith, purple sunbird, bulbul, kingfisher
Weaver birds, kite, grey hornbill, bee eater
Several more sustain collectively as a clan
In the midst of peacock, sparrow and pigeon

No this is no sanctuary, it is just a setting beyond a city
Small community blessed to be part of regenerated nature
Life is quiet, privileged, appealing and blessed in the bosom of nature
Future seems destined to take care by itself