Author: rupali66

The Bride – A Story

On the day of her wedding,
She felt a range of emotions –
Sadness and happiness,
nervousness and helplessness.

Wearing an ornate red attire,
Decked with jewelry and fresh flowers,
She looked every bit the beautiful bride.
But, she was a mess, deep inside.

In a moment alone, she looked at the mirror,
and saw someone familiar staring back at her –
It was the Goddess she prayed to everyday.
She could see Her resemblance in herself.

She realized her role in the circle of life
As Shakti…and not as a compromise
To the opinions of her society and class.
She felt ready to step towards the mandap.

A Fairy’s Tale

Once upon a time, there was a princess.
Imprisoned by an evil wizard, she was in distress.
Every day, she read fairytales and was so sure
That a brave prince would one day rescue her.
But the clock ticked on, and years passed.
No prince ever came to set her free, alas!
She then realized that her prince never existed,
And that it was up to her to rescue herself.
So, she planned to fight the wizard by hook or by crook,
And snuck into his library and read all his books.
Against him, she then used his most powerful spell.
And finally escaped after he was dead.
In her own castle, she then happily dwelled
As a fairy helping good folks with her spells.

The Reunion

They met at their class’s 65th reunion party.
Two frail beings…with strong spirits.
One of them slowly pulled out a photo
And suddenly, the conversation flowed.
They remembered their school days,  When, together, they studied and played.
The times when they laughed together,
When they were punished for pranking the teacher.
They laughed again as they narrated, too, Stories of their adventures after leaving school.
The sparkle was back in their eyes,
And that was when they both realized –
Age is just a number in a bank of happy memories,
And to live to the fullest, leaving behind all worries.

Incredible India

As the world lay in darkness millenia ago,
there emerged in the east a shining jewel.
This was my country; my India incredible
in the honor of which these words flow.

A mixing bowl of cultures and languages,
like beads on a string are many religions.
With 1.37 billion Indians calling it home,
and cuisines that are a hit across the world.

My incredible India is also a land of firsts.
Board games were created to teach morals.
It was the birthplace of Ayurveda and Yoga.
And diamonds were sourced from its earth.

My incredible India is a land of superlatives.
The world’s largest sundial was built in Jaipur.
The Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue.
And Varanasi is the world’s oldest surviving city.

The more I know, the more I am in awe
of this beautiful country where I was born.
This is my motherland; this is my home.
My incredible India makes me incredible too.

To Mother Earth

Mother Earth, you are truly divine.
Without you, there would be no life.
I could fill infinite books and pages
With words in your honor and praises.

Of the millions of species you bore,
We humans have taken so much more.
Even with the billions of neurons gifted,
We have from our purposes far drifted.

You gave us eyes, but we lack the vision
To see the equality in all your creations.
You gave us ears, but we choose to hear
All that pleases us from all that is dear.

We feel so proud of all our inventions
Oblivious of the impact of our intentions.
Not realizing you still hold the controls
To the wheel of fate as it turns and rolls.

When will we know for better or worse
That you are our sole link to the Universe?
That the answers we seek lie within you,
And the reasons for our existence, too.

Tulips

I walk into the flower shop seeking
The perfect little gift for my lover.
The shelves are all a riot of colors
Of smiling buds that await picking.

The blushing rose is indeed pretty,
But so clichéd with its velvet petals.
My eyes then look away and settle
On some big, blossoming white lilies.

Their freshness appeals in an instant
But I want them to mean a lot more.
And, soon my gaze passes over
To a group of nodding carnations.

They’re beautiful with shades aplenty
But for my one love, they surely fail.
And so I move on, a little restless
To a bunch of dew-laden red tulips.

With petals not just a sight to see,
They speak what my heart stores –
My deep and unconditional love –
A love so true for a lover so lovely.

I walk out of the shop so happily
With the red blooms in a bouquet.
I see the delight on my lover’s face
When the tulips speak so eloquently.

Whispers of the Night

As I lay on my bed and close my eyes to sleep,
The night comes alive and whispers to me.
I hear the rustle of the trees in the cool breeze
As magical little pixies prance on their leaves.

The air is fragrant with the queen of the night
As the iridiscent fairies softly hum a lullaby.
The moonbeams spread just enough light
For me to see a dream with my droopy eyes.

And then there are the insolent crickets
Who chirp away excitedly in the grassy thickets.
Their chorus stays constant with every minute
As they spy on the dance of the garden spirits.

The nocturnal merrymaking then slowly cease
As the rosy light steals across from the east.
The world rubs its eyes and stirs up on its feet
And I wait for another night to whisper to me.

To Me

There are two sides of every coin. Similarly, there can be two ways to perceive oneself. You can either look at the glass as being half empty or half full. Here is a poem that attempts to do both. So which one is you?

Please note – this is a reverse poem, so read it both ways – from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

This is who I am.
I want to define myself.
As I gaze at my reflection
I see someone who has tried
And lost all heart and hope.
I don’t see a person who fought
To win against difficulties.
I see someone who could do all
To run away from life’s pitfalls.
I don’t see a person who wants
To achieve every dream.
I think I could put in my efforts
To face this truth about myself.
As I gaze at my reflection
I want to define myself.
This is who I am.

A Love That Never Fades

I found an orange rose outside my door
On the morning of my sixteenth birthday.
A multitude of questions had me floored.
With many emotions, my heart did sway.

The next day, too, I was greeted by a rose.
A bloom that brought a smile on my face.
Was it from a secret admirer or a beau?
Who kept it? There was not a single trace.

All through school and college, I did grow.
And every morning, my door it graced.
I smiled, laughed, shared, and loved more
Like the dew-laden bud left at my place.

That age passed like a river that flowed,
And I always looked forward to each day.
Overcoming pitfalls that life could throw,
The rose made me more than I could say.

Then, one day, perchance I came to know
My mother kept the rose there every day –
She wanted to make me feel so adored
With a love that would never fade away.