A Plea from Lord Ganesha

O Sculptor!
You shape Me from a lump of clay
Giving Me the smoothest texture.
Can you also polish away
Differences that mar this world?

O Artist!
You paint Me with vibrant colors
Making Me glow instantly.
Can you also concur,
Red is the blood of all humanity?

O Tailor!
You stitch royal robes for Me
With brocade and embellishments.
Can you also mend
Relationships torn by materialism?

O Florist!
You put flowers at My feet,
Freshly picked from the bowers.
Can you also see
Fragrance isn’t limited by borders?

O Chef!
You offer Me naivedya
Like laddoos and modaks.
Can you also add,
In the hearts of people, some kindness?

O Believer!
You revere Me on Ganesh Chaturthi
With puja, mantras, and hymns.
Can you also notice
Education is the path to enlightenment?

O Devotee!
Year after year, you celebrate
My advent, stay, and departure,
And yet…

The world is marred by petty differences!
Unity eludes humanity!
Materialism destroys relationships!
Everywhere, borders exist!
There’s a shortage of kindness!
And illiteracy still persists!

When will you look
Beyond My shape, color, clothes, flowers, naivedya, puja, mantras, and hymns?
When will you truly understand Me?
When will I get to celebrate on Ganesh Chaturthi?

Happiness

Happiness is only for a chosen few.
So don’t try to argue that
I can be happy just as I am.
Although you may think otherwise,
I can’t afford luxuries.
And it would not be false to admit –
Only the rich own palaces, cars, and gold.
As I ponder further, I see –
One can never be happy without money.
It’s also hard to accept that
Happiness is in the little things.
And, it is a fact –
I can’t really be happy just as I am.
So, I refuse to believe –
Happiness isn’t about being wealthy.
For every day really gets me wondering –
Is happiness only for a chosen few?

PS: This is a Reverse poem. Please read the poem from top to bottom first, and then from bottom to the top.

The Story of a Dewdrop

‘Twas in a special moment,
In the stillness of the cool dawn,
The white veil of mist condensed
And a tiny dewdrop took form.

Perched on the edge of a green leaf,
It caught the wee light from the East,
And then, immediately releasing it,
Dazzled like a little liquid diamond bit.

A thirsty ant stopped to drink from it
Some teeny, cool, refreshing sips
And soon went on its way happily
With a song of thanks on its lips.

The leaf reveled in its newfound beauty
Prancing in the summer breeze.
And then, the dewdrop rolled free
Landing on a spider’s empty net of silk.

There, it hung with other droplets
Glinting on the gossamer string
Like a delicate gemstone bracelet,
Reflecting the colors of the morning.

It caught the eye of a passing poet,
And some children as they walked by.
Then, a photographer and an artist
Also saw it and were left inspired.

But oh! A soft zephyr did sway
That daintily woven silky web.
The eensy dewdrop then fell away
To the Earth who hid it in Her embrace.