The drizzling rain reminds me
Of the green grass laden with dew
When I strolled on it with you.
And when it pours
With a constant pitter patter, I remember
Our conversations over hot tea and fritters.
When a storm rages with raindrops like whiplashes,
And the forked lightning crackles and flashes,
Bringing to life scary monsters in the darkness,
I reminisce the comfort of your warm embrace.
There are other people I’ve come across, too.
But the rain forever reminds me of – you.
During dark and tumultuous times,
When conflicting emotions collide,
There shines a lamp of bright light
Revealing the path out of the strife.
With a word at a time, I get respite –
Poetry! Always my Angel, my guide!
A dewdrop at dawn
Shines on the edge of a leaf —
Tiny lifesaver.
PS: This poem is a Haiku.
The hot Summer breeze
Sweeps the last cloud from the sky —
A promise broken.
PS: This poem is a Haiku.
The flower bloomed high up on the tree.
A splash of red among the green leaves.
The stone sat on the cold earth’s floor –
Midnight-black, and in a constant stupor.
Contented, they were, in their own worlds
Oblivious to how their fates would unfold.
The fragrant flower smiled in the breeze
While the stone stood unmoving, stoically.
One day, the rain fell from the grey skies.
Along with it, a gust of wind passed by.
The delicate flower was soon detached,
And it floated down from the tree’s lap.
It twirled away in its freedom newfound
Landing at the stone’s foot on the ground.
In that fortuitous moment of Pushpanjali,
The impassive dark stone attained Divinity.
There’s a place that has no boundaries,
Where love blooms in eternal Spring,
Where my infinite wishes are fulfilled,
And I can see the sweetest dreams,
Where the grass is soft as I walk,
And there are no hard stones or rocks,
Where I can share my deepest secrets,
And listen to lullabies when I rest,
Where the voice of wisdom speaks to me,
And the air has the fragrance of divinity,
Where a superforce gives me protection,
And I can seek and find expression.
This place is where I was moulded.
It is the bedrock of my existence.
It is where I can always get a start,
This place is in my mother’s heart.
The great Indian summer –
Dry, dusty and sweltering
With no respite or succor
As the Sun keeps blazing.
Amidst this, a mango tree
Spreads its leafy branches
Blocking out the cruel heat
Under its green expanses.
Many travelers on their ways
Stop to rest in its cool shade.
Birds chirp in their little nests.
Little squirrels gambol away.
And along with these mortals,
Also seeking shade…is a temple.
You! Caught in a traffic jam
On a hot summer afternoon
Or waiting at the red signal –
What’s not OK is the horn
Adding to the noise levels!
You! Racing in a big hurry
On the national highways,
Rushing to just overtake –
Keep a safe distance, and
You will see another day!
You! On an evening drive
Cruising on the city streets,
Keep the road in your sight –
When you use headlights,
Use the dipper at night!
You! Going to a party
Driving that motorcar,
For your safe journey –
Don’t use vehicle’s mirror
To put on your lipstick!
You! Yes, you at the wheel,
Pay heed to this free advice
Painted for you especially
On a truck’s colorful behind –
Seen exclusively in our country!
Your eyes are a mirror of your heart.
They reveal the truth when you lie.
Feelings that you try to hide
Can be seen in your eyes.
So, just stay silent,
And let me gaze
Into them
Tonight –
Shhh!
PS: This poem is a Nonet.
O Timeless Time, moving on and on,
You are the one that will outlast us all.
Nothing escapes from your attention
As you step on, heeding to some call.
You were, are and will be the witness
Of all events that transpire everywhere –
Extinction or evolution – you see them.
You know everything in the Universes –
From life’s hope to death’s cold stare,
Yet, at predictions, you escape attempts.
O Timeless Time! In my imagination,
I’d like to think that you’re able to recall
All that occurred in the fleeting moments,
And you are not indifferent, like a wall.
That somewhere in your deep recesses
You keep a track of it all in a big ledger,
And you have a memory like us humans.
With Karma, your friend and mistress,
You write the scripts of each one’s future,
And then unravel them with every second.
O Timeless Time! Forever in motion.
Are there times you wish you could halt,
And maybe gaze around in admiration,
With the beauty of it all, be enthralled?
Or, can you see the impending progress
When some Chosen One somewhere
Will one day capture you in a button?
And, then, tap into your powers endless.
And, then, your secrets, will you share?
O Time! Do you have that premonition?
O! To be young again
And revisit those golden days
When I used to laugh and play
With other children of my age.
O! I recall the meadows green,
The daisies and frangipani trees.
And the many evenings that ended
By bringing home little bouquets.
O! I remember the songs I sang
Through the lyrics I didn’t understand.
No matter how many times I listened
To the tape recorder with the cassette.
O! I yearn for those moments
When everything was so amazing,
And I had so many questions
Answered in books and conversations.
But as I ponder in wonder,
The thought to me does occur
That my age is just a state of my mind,
And I can rebuild what was left behind.
Why?! How lovely it would be
If I rediscovered the child in me.
If she broke through the worldly norms
Although people say she has grown up.
To be happy without restraints.
To marvel and discover in wonderment.
To retrace the footsteps of innocence.
To relive those memories in the present.
Do you wonder where unfulfilled dreams and wishes go?
Why things don’t happen the way you might suppose?
Why some people can only gaze at the silver moon,
While others zip in a space shuttle and walk on it, too?
Why some people live in the lap of endless luxuries,
And others struggle daily just to make ends meet?
Wishes, prayers, hopes and dreams are neverending,
But the Universe has its own mysterious ways of responding.
Surely, the hopes of humanity considered in entirety
Will one day manifest causing changes evolutionary.
We can keep wishing with our mind’s limited capacity,
But God will grant them only to the most deserving.
Only when the time is right and all pieces are in place
Will the answers be revealed and wishes be fulfilled.
But never stop dreaming, wishing, hoping and praying
It might just be what’s needed to complete the equation.
wordsofhope 