BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER By Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living,' I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect, My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.
When I say.... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain... I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Pretty is as Pretty does... But beautiful is just plain beautiful!

Anjali

She folded the pleats of her sari and tucked it into her underskirt. The hem of the cloth swayed at the wind from the table fan. Reaching out for her hair pin which lay on the side table, she hummed a romantic Malayalam poem, joining the rickety noise of the fan blades rotating. Adjusting her pallu to the right length she walked to the window to see if Shankar had finished washing the car .He had, and it was now drying in the morning summer heat of Chennai. The streets were slowly picking up in its jagaron and the sounds of flower vendors selling their wares could be heard occasionally. Anjali walked from the bedroom to the living room picking up her things and preparing for her day at college. mentally she was accessing if she had everything ready for today’s test she intended to give the post graduate students , she enjoyed walking into that class and being one with their thoughts , arguing and critiquing literary giants and legends and having the last say most of the time.

The clock chimed seven thirty; she picked her bag and walked to her amma’s room. Amma was lying in bed looking at Shankar watering the plants in the garden. Anjali walked up to her and placed her hand on amma s shoulder; she cleared her throat and waited for a reaction from amma. Noticing no change, anjali spoke “amma, I ve asked Shankar to buy the vegetables for the afternoon. Leela already knows what to do around the house. Please eat your breakfast without any fuss amma. don’t let me hear leela complaining about what a fussy eater my amma is .” still seeing no reaction from her she bend down to peck a kiss on her forehead . Anjali smiled to herself thinking about her mother’s stubbornness. She turned and walked out of the room. Taking the car keys from the key rack next to the book shelf, she walked out of the house. She got into her car and waved at Shankar and nodded her head simultaneously, her sign to indicate to him she will be back at the usual time from college. Shankar came running behind her car to close the gate once the car stepped into the road.

She reached college just when the morning bell was ringing. Walking towards the assembly area she scanned the crowd of students restlessly gathering for the morning prayers. It was a pleasant morning even though the heat was there. Anjali stood under the huge mango tree along with the other teachers. as the prayer song was being sung , anjali s mind was gently drifting to the activities of the previous day .she was jolted out of her thoughts when everybody started moving after the assembly was over. Anjali slowly started back to her staff room. Gopika her colleague came and walked beside her. “You ve all the hours today gopi?” “All except the third hour. I heard your giving a quick test to the pg s ?” “ only to sharpen their already quick minds gopi” they reached the room , anjali walked towards her chair at the head of the room . All the other teachers were slowly coming in twos and threes. Anjali looked out the main door of the staff room from her desk, a few children were standing outside waiting to see a particular teacher to clear doubts which were already cleared dozens of times. .

to-be -continued

Between you and me

Between you and me
What are things? For we are friends.
Clubbed at the hip, you and I,
Facing each other eye to eye.
I see an ocean in you,
You see a dessert in me.
Am swimming without a life boat or jacket,
Alone my hands carry me on.
You reach your hand into me
And shake my bowels out.
I cough and gasp and
Wrap my hands against air I don’t have.
You stare and watch me drown
Going underneath the waters,
As I plummet, you come beside me
And watch my body seep into the world under.
You wave and see me off;
I go knowing you were a fraud.

I am standing

I am standing in the middle of the road
Every car every bike zooms past me
I stand and they go. Invisible I
Cars grow wings and fly above me
The bikes jump like horses and gallop past me

I am walking in a narrow road
Filled with people all walking
All rushing to and from places.
They push me. Some thrust themselves into my shoulder
I just move on.

Take Your Foot Away…

Take your foot
Away from mine,
The weigth has
Crushed my toes
My bones wail and weep;
Cant you hear them howl?

Your fingers have
Dug into my wrist
Eating my flesh ; devouring
With smirkiness my pain.
My body winces while
You roll with laughter
Go away from me,
Allow me to breathe.

Cruel and colourless
You are
My fingers grope
To squeeze you.
I feel my grip
Strapping against flesh
My blood dripping,
Between my fingers
Drowned in it
My desperation .

You’re a liar
And a cheat.
You steal and
Proclaim yourself winner;
One day
I will clobber you
And run away
Gleaming with pride.

I wonder….

this is a poem by my dear freind anju. i ve loved the way she has asked the questions as we often do to dear Mr God.

I wonder what Joseph felt
as he lay there deep down in the well
would he have looked at the coined sky?
and wondered, “Why God? Why?”


I wonder what Hannah and Sarah felt
as they looked at their barren womb
when wounded by the snooping eyes
would they have wept and said,
“Have you forgotten me God?”


I wonder what Gladys Stains felt
when she saw the charred bodies of her beloved
would she have stifled a heart-rending groan?
and questioned, “Couldn’t you have stopped it Lord?”


I wonder how it feels
to have your entire family
washed off by a tsunami wave.


I wonder how it feels
to wake up one morning
and find yourself buried in the debris
as the earth quake in Bhuj.


I wondered and wondered for ages.
Till wisdom opened my eyes one day.
He stood by me and whispered,
“You see only a little piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
God sees the completed picture.”



Anju George
Vettinilkunnathil

Rohan’s land

When rohan does not want to cry
Why does the world force him dry?
When he holds the lantern inside out
People trample way out loud.

Rohan whispers rohan cries
Today not tomorrow
Nor the mature dies

Rohan is happy, rohan is sad
Rohan is weepy, Rohan is glad.

There was no yesterday
There was no today
There was no tomorrow
In Rohan’s land.

The victor has come

For every time the hand was held
For every second the hand was left
It has been a memory of days gone by
And day’s yet to come.
A prophesy from infant mouths.

The twirl of the finger into the hollow tree
The whisper of whiskers of a cats meow
The broken cup from a human hand
The sigh of a donkey’s back.

Wave the green flag, wave it high
There among the clouds he has sung
The music revels, the music pounds
Among the shelter of angelic crowns
Sigh of holiness. Signs of joy
A gladness resounding, within a world of rejoice

There among people long gone past
And among nations wiped clean of lands
The knots of strings of lyres and hands
Have formed the future and the midlands

Arise oh nation, arise oh child
The battle is over
The victor has come.