I wrote this poem in 1986, 18 years old. Youth is celebrated, but young hearts can wither, too. Pain, grief, loneliness and unrequited love know no age. Compare this poem to Death of a Girl, written two years earlier in
Youth
The Artist
I wrote this poem in 1982, 14 years old. It is a tribute to the noble and sensitive soul of an artist. The painting is by my mother, the artist Kusum Shukla. Read also The Poet from 1984, age 16.
Children, Children!
This poem, written at age 15, mourns the loss of childhood. It was one of my late father, Ramesh Chandra Shukla’s favourite poems. The painting is by my mother, the artist Kusum Shukla. Compare this poem to The Hour of