Myra here.
I am glad to join the Poetry Friday community this week as we celebrate a Buffet of Asian Literature reading theme. Rather than focus on food-related poetry, I thought I would just highlight a few of my favorite poets from Asia in the upcoming weeks. Our lovely host this week is the ever-luscious, delectably-unforgettable Jama Rattigan from Jama’s Alphabet Soup.
I am currently in the thick of editing my second book for the AFCC Publications, entitled One Big Story. One of the chapter contributors is Professor Nancy Johnson from Western Washington University who was one of our keynote speakers during the Asian Festival of Children’s Content last year. In her chapter, she made mention of how the book A Tagore Reader edited by Amiya Chakravarty has greatly influenced her spirituality and her view of the world. I immediately searched for the book and found a battered, much-loved copy in our institution’s library.
I am planning on sharing a few nuggets of poetic wisdom from the unparalleled Rabindranath Tagore in the next few weeks for Poetry Friday. This is also in keeping with the fact that the AFCC has India as our Country of Focus this year. I hope you will enjoy rediscovering Tagore as much as I do.
For this poem, I typed the text using Notegraphy and further edited it using an iPhone app. I am struck by the longing and the quiet acceptance as a subtle theme in this poem. It is like a woman who is used to a lover’s comings and goings; there is the edgy impatience tempered with a strange kind of faith seemingly plucked from nowhere. And that while “I live in the hope of meeting with him, but this meeting is not yet.”
Gathering Books 
I have not read any Tagore in many years, Myra, so I will enjoy your series! Yes, there is a fierce sort of longing in this poem – so beautiful.
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Ah, the agony of wishing in my heart, beautiful, Myra.What a wonderful thing that you found the book! I’m glad you’re going to be sharing more.
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Very nice, Myra. I like the mix of emotions expressed so gracefully here.
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I’m looking forward to more Tagore poems and wisdom. I’d love to find that book too!
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“The blossom has not opened; only the wind is sighing by.” So beautiful! I love the picture you chose to complement it as well.
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That is a timeless sentiment. I found the line “I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument” particularly powerful.
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This reminds me of my teenage self longing for romance.
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Cool! 🙂
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