Few poems by Satis Shroff OH, KIRTIPUR (Satis Shroff) Archana came from Kirtipur, The hill of the noseless and earless. She was a Vajracharya woman Of the priest caste. She spoke a language Full of sweet monosyllables. A young woman with fine features, She could stare at one And see through to the depths of one’s heart. Raj was a Chettri from the Eastern hills With a sacred thread on his neck From the warrior and noble caste. They loved each other in the Nepalese way, Talking with their eyes and hearts. Never in physical ecstasy, Always platonic and united in dreams. No rumbas, no slow fox. Just the sweet odour of her hair and neck In moments of stolen darkness In a movie hall, With two hundred curious eyes, Focused on the Bollywood silver screen. Or was it on their necks? Both were through with their colleges. She chose to study at Tribhuvan university. He was awarded a scholarship to Germany. Archana said, ‘But no one is forcing you To study abroad. I fear that it’ll take years. Perhaps you won’t come to Nepal.’ Later, Raj sang, twanging on his guitar, Squatting below the temple: ‘Oh, Kirtipur, hill of the dead, The peak of my desire.’ Humans who lay in grotesque positions Contorted bodies piled on top of each other. Hands stretching out Or clutching their amputated Ears and noses, As though to stop the pain And help their blood to clot On their wounds. The shame of the Gurkhas From the fort of Gorkha. On the day of his departure Archana appeared alone at the Tribhuvan airport, With a ritual silver copper plate: Scarlet yoghurt tika, beetle nuts, spices, A garland of lotus flowers and sweet meat. A traditional Nepalese farewell. A letter came from Nepal. A physician friend wrote: ‘Dear Raj, Archana of Kirtipur has married A Brahmin businessman from Pokhara. Sorry to bring you this sad news. Sincerely, Ashoke Sakya.’ ‘I’m sad today said Raj, As he buried his face In his blonde fiancee’s lap. ‘How strange and ecstatic it was’ said Yvonne later. SUMMERTIME (Satis Shroff) I sat in the garden With Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure on my lap, And watched a small butterfly With dark spots on its frail wings, Violet patterns on its tail. It was Aglais utricae Flattering lightly Between the marigolds And chrysanthemums. The Potentilla nepalensis Was growing well Under the shade of the rhododendrons. The great pumpkin was spreading Its leafy tentacles everywhere. The tomatoes were fighting for light Hiding beneath the pumkin’s gigantic green leaves. A Papilio machaon with its swallow-tail Came from no where. The laughter of the children, As they swung in the garden’s two swings Were a delight to one’s soul. Little Florentin’s fear of bees, Natasha’s morbid fear of spiders, Elena’s garden gymnastics And Julian’s delight in discovering New insects, snails and snakes. Holding hands we strolled in our garden. You watered the flowers and trees, I removed long, brown snails, A hobby-gardener of Nepalese descent, In a lovely house with character in Zähringen, An Allemanic stronghold. Once the subject of dispute Between Austria and France, Now a sleepy residential area of Freiburg. --------------------------- GROW WITH LOVE (Satis Shroff) Love yourself Accept yourself, For self-love and self-respect Are the basis of joy, emotion And spiritual well being. Watch your feelings, Study your thoughts And your beliefs, For your existence Is unique and beautiful. You came to the world alone And you go back alone. But while you breathe You are near To your fellow human beings, Families, friends and strangers As long as you are receptive. Open yourself to lust and joy, To the wonders of daily life and Nature. Don’t close your door to love. If you remain superficial, You’ll never reach its depth. Love is more than a feeling. Love is also passion and devotion. Grow with love and tenderness. I SAW LOVE (Satis Shroff) One wintry evening I saw love. She wore thin glasses At the university dancing classes. We danced fox-trot, cha-cha Then came the rumba. I looked deep into her sky blue eyes. Eyes so blue, without a hint of a cloud. Clear blue eyes, Like the waters of the Maladives. A joyous feeling overcame me. My hormones were out of control. My cardiac status said ‘tachycardie.’ My lungs began to over-function. Hyperventilation. My knees were sagging. By Jove, I’d fallen in love.   About the Author: Satis Shroff is a writer and poet based in Freiburg (poems, fiction, non-fiction) who also writes on ethno-medical, culture-ethnological themes. He has studied Zoology and Botany in Nepal, Medicine and Social Science in Germany and Creative Writing in Freiburg and Manchester. He describes himself as a mediator between western and eastern cultures and sees his future as a writer and poet. Satis Shroff was awarded the German Academic Exchange Prize for 1998. Writing experience: Satis Shroff has written two language books on the Nepali language for DSE (Deutsche Stiftung für Entwicklungsdienst) & Horlemannverlag. He has written three feature articles in the Munich-based Nelles Verlag’s ‘Nepal’ on the Himalayan Kingdom’s Gurkhas, sacred mountains and Nepalese symbols and on Hinduism in ‘Nepal: Myths & Realities (Book Faith India) and his poem ‘Mental Molotovs’ was published in epd-Entwicklungsdienst (Frankfurt). He has written many articles in The Rising Nepal, The Christian Science Monitor, the Independent, the Fryburger, Swatantra Biswa (USIS publication, Himal Asia, 3Journal Freiburg, top ten rated poems in www.nepalforum.com (I dream, Oleron, an Unforgettable Isle, A Flight to the Himalayas, Which Witch in Germany?, Fatal Decision, Santa Fe, Nirmala, Between Terror and Ecstasy, The Broken Poet, Himalaya: Menschen und Mythen, A Gurkha Mother, Kathmandu is Nepal, My Nepal, Quo vadis?). What others have said about the author: „Die Schilderungen von Satis Shroff in ‘Through Nepalese Eyes’ sind faszinierend und geben uns die Möglichkeit, unsere Welt mit neuen Augen zu sehen.“ (Alice Grünfelder von Unionsverlag / Limmat Verlag, Zürich). Since 1974 I have been living on and off in Nepal, writing articles and publishing books about Nepal-- this beautiful Himalayan country. Even before I knew Satis Shroff personally (later) I was deeply impressed by his articles, which helped me very much to deepen my knowledge about Nepal. Satis Shroff is one of the very few Nepalese writers being able to compare ecology, development and modernisation in the ‘Third’ and ‘First’ World. He is doing this with great enthusiasm, competence and intelligence, showing his great concern for the development of his own country. (Ludmilla Tüting, journalist and publisher, Berlin). Due to his very pleasant personality and in-depth experience in both South Asian, as well as Western workstyles and living, Satish Shroff brings with him a cultural sensitivity that is refined. His writings have always reflected the positive attributes of optimism, tolerance, and a need to explain and to describe without looking down on either his subject or his reader. (Kanak Mani Dixit, Himal Southasia, Kathmandu) Satish Shroff writes with intelligence, wit and grace. (Bruce Dobler, Senior Fulbright Professor in Creative Writing, University of Pittsburgh). satisle@myway.com