“What strikes me as significant are her themes and their handling. Though, like other poets she dwells on love, transitoriness of life & death, there is a distinct Indianness in the way she approaches these & expresses herself. Her tone is personal, her language is rich and confident, her symbols are evocative & timeless. Unlike much of ‘modern’ poetry, which seeks to be obscure, there is an eloquent directness in her writing which captures the reader’s attention. These poems touch upon love, the persistence of hope and the rediscovery of joy with a deft and light touch.”
—Khushwant Singh

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Contents

Womanhood — Pg. 7

Day Break — Pg. 9

Yesterday — Pg. 10

Today — Pg. 11

Memories — Pg. 13

Love is — Pg. 15

Every Now — Pg. 16

Curtains and More — Pg. 17

In My Defence — Pg. 19

Traces — Pg. 20

Ripe Fruit — Pg. 22

Everyday — Pg. 24

Rogue Tree — Pg. 25

Recompense — Pg. 26

A Flood — Pg. 28

Schedules — Pg. 30

Ship Wreck — Pg. 31

Brighter — Pg. 32

Reunions — Pg. 33

LBSNAA Circa 1990 — Pg. 34

Serendipity — Pg. 40

I Have Only — Pg. 41

Lost and Found — Pg. 43

A Birthday — Pg. 45

The Body of My Desires — Pg. 46

I Have Learnt Silence — Pg. 47

The Naked Children — Pg. 48

Only Fragments — Pg. 50

Temple Bells — Pg. 51

Reality — Pg. 52

The Linear Life — Pg. 53

The Best I Wish — Pg. 54

Sturdy Wood — Pg. 55

Return — Pg. 57

Skies — Pg. 58

Regret — Pg. 59

I Look Back — Pg. 60

Let The Young Imagine — Pg. 61

Ancient Banyan — Pg. 63

Middle Age — Pg. 65

The Last Sonnet — Pg. 66

Petrichor — Pg. 69

All Shrivels — Pg. 71

Moon Rise — Pg. 73

Fishing — Pg. 75

Flying High — Pg. 76

Poetry — Pg. 82

That’s The Thing — Pg. 84

Now — Pg. 87

Just Me — Pg. 89

For My Daughters — Pg. 93

Dr. Sumita Misra is an IAS officer of Haryana cadre since 1990 but remains a Lakhnawi at heart. 
She published her first book of poems in English titled ‘A Life of Light’ with a Foreword by late Sh. Khushwant Singh, the famous author and columnist in 2011. Her second book of Hindustani poetry ‘Zara Si Dhoop’ was released in December, 2013 and her third book of poetry ‘Waqt Ke Ujale Mein’ was released in September 2016 to critical acclaim. ‘Waqt Ke Ujale Mein’ has recently been awarded by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi as the Best Book in Hindi poetry in 2016-17.
Dr. Sumita Misra is also the founder Chairperson of the Chandigarh Literary Society and the Festival Director for Literati - the Chandigarh Litfest held every year in November.
She completed her doctorate in Economics in 2015. She has been awarded as Woman Leader of the Decade in Public Life for her contributions in leadership and gender at the international Women Economic Forum at New Delhi. She has varied interests including ‘living green’, gender, travel and photography. She held her first solo exhibition of travel photos – ‘A Kaliedoscope of Journeys’ recently to wide appreciation. 
Website: www.sumitamisra.com
Twitter: sumitamisra
E-mail: misra.sumita@gmail.com