“A flower was offered to me,”
The little girl, squalor glaring from her demeanour
Bare feet, shivering in cold
Came inside my earthly holy abode.
She was not allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum
The Holy of Holies, my believers say, should be kept clean.
Bloviating the hubris and prejudice.
No door opened with kindness, love, and justice.
“A flower was offered to me,”
By that little girl standing outside
Perhaps she fetched it from some garden, or, a roadside tree
The divine bond, she and me.
When the temple gates were closed for the day
The priests discovered with utter shock
That single flower was there to mock
The vanity and pride.
“I was offered a flower…..”
Linking this with PU’s Midweek Motif A Flower Was Offered To Me
the essence of this one is truly beautiful….
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Thank you. Glad you thought so… 🙂
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Hey… once again, a beautiful poem… the beauty of innocence and the rigid norms of faith….
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Yes, and often do they clash; in every religion….
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so true, across all religions… but these acts of faith… don’t we dilute/harden the beliefs to suit selfish motives?? ‘faith’ in its/their intended way is pure… it is only those ‘faithful’ who corrupt them..
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Absolutely. Religion/faith they are not so bad things. It’s the keepers who made the followers believe that these are the portals to heaven/swarg/zannat, are bad. My personal opinion, of course… 🙂
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agree…and totally…am curious to know where this will take us, these acts of faith
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Hi Maniparna…Your poem—so beautiful—and once-in-a-while—from my heart-to-eye—tears sometimes—appear…You are Creative Spirit! Wishing you days of Gentle winds—Soft curves and Wonder…Phil
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Thanks so much, Phil. I’m really feeling humbled by your comment. Wishing you a great weekend ahead… stay blessed… 🙂
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Simply beautiful. I love this poem!
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Glad you liked, Maria…thanks a lot… 🙂
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Lovely poem Maniparna.
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Thank you… 🙂
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Wow! Profound poem, Maniparna.Children have abundance of love, and at times, we tend to forget that love is more important than faith, and beliefs.
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Sad but true, Kiran… 😦 Thank you…
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beautiful 🙂
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Thanks, dear… 🙂
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Beautiful!
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Thanks… 🙂
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It is sad that sometimes we forget that the children on the roadside are just children. They are not beggars, they are not criminals and all they want is a little love and respect. But the society forever looks upon them with suspicion and keeps them away from the most basic of things. Your poem is really beautiful.
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Absolutely true. Such children are deprived of all the amenities, including entering a temple and worshipping the God …society is the biggest hypocrite…
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Such a sweet and beautiful poetry dear… Loved your thoughts behind it 🙂
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Glad you liked, dear… 🙂
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This is a very sweet one Maniparna, a flower was offered to me :).. very sweet one..
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Thank you, Vinay… 🙂
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Wow! very thought provoking and poignant work Maniparna.
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Thank you, Parul… 🙂
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touching, contemporary , mocking the hypocrites –loved reading it
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Thank you so much Rajni… hypocrisy… you nailed it! 🙂 …
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Very touching Maniparna. Very sad.
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Indeed…
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I’m sort of slow in uptake. Read it twice, then the concept hit me like a roaring engine! What a concept! Loved it! You really come out with the most profound ideas, which force one to introspect! Bravo, ma’am! 👍👍👍
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Actually, have seen such sights quite a number of times. The eager faces outside temples… famous, reputed ones! They are not allowed to go inside. Why? Doesn’t the God’s abode suppose to welcome all with open arms? Nobody dares to ask…Divine providence!
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You are right. I’ve seen that myself in Benaras. Discrimination seems to be a natural trait of human beings! That Holier Than Thou attitude! Sad hai! Thanks for people with a mindset like you, who make the planet habitable!
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The HTT attitude, as I say… I’ve a strong abhorrence for that… 😦
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Poignantly powerful
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Thanks a lot, Deepakji… 🙂
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Wow! This is extraordinary poetry.
I loved your thoughts that gave birth to this poem. Amazing, dear. One of your best 🙂 ❤
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Thanks, Purba 🙂 so happy to see your comment…made my day… 🙂
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Hey Mani! 😀 Wow! Such a lovely and touching poem! May that flower be respected and protected.
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Thank you so much, dear…. I hope so, too… 🙂
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It’s an adept rendition of the misconstrued beliefs reigning in our society .The sanctity of faith isn’t ruled by human apprehensions but rather by the purity of emotion.You have captured that very tranquillity of innocence in a poignant way. Bravo😊😊😊😊
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In almost every part of our country, such indiscrimination is seen. God lives in the hearts of every creature, He is found everywhere- so says our holy books and scriptures. Still, we discriminate on the basis of caste, gender, status, and wealth…sad indeed.
Thanks a lot for stopping by and sharing your thoughts… 🙂
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Inequality based on discrimination is a gridlock of haggard notions and beliefs.It’s devastating to see people separated due to trivial issues like caste,status etc. Thanks for such a beautiful post😊😊
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🙂 …
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Beautiful offering. It’s touching, Mani. Loved every bit of it.
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Thanks a lot, dear… 🙂
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Reblogged this on Mere Desh ki Mitti and commented:
Beautiful like Innocence itself…..!
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This is so beautiful Maniparna…..the ‘offering’ that comes from someone who is ‘barred’…..the ‘offering’ that speaks of innocence abused by the hypocritically religious people…..the frail flower is enough to undo the haughty…..Once again, so so beautiful…..beautiful like innocence itself….
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Thanks so much dear, for such a heart-warming comment 🙂 And, thanks once again for the reblog… I’m honoured… 🙂
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I’m wondering why you have comments open on some blog posts but not others? Like your most recent one doesn’t allow comments. What’s up?
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Actually, these days I’m a bit busy with many other things. I think it’s not nice to leave the comments on my blog without replying them individually. I love to hear my fellow bloggers’ views on my works. This always provided me the inspiration and encouragement. That’s why I want to acknowledge each and every comment on my blog. But, I’m really finding it difficult to manage everything 😦 That’s why I sometimes prefer closing the comments…. A few more weeks and, hopefully the work pressure will be reduced… 🙂
Thanks a lot for asking, Georgia, means a lot… 🙂
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