Celebrating relationships
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.
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.
As I commission my pen to write about my inspiration,
I wonder how I can describe you in these limited lines.
In my life, you have made innumerable contributions.
Whatever I am is because of your meticulous designs.
I may not even be aware of them anymore these days.
But you were the reason for my morals and good habits.
The learnings I forgot, the learnings that, with me, stayed,
For everything I define and interpret, you get the credit.
Like the rising Sun at dawn dispels the night’s darkness,
You lit my paths as I journeyed towards knowledge.
At times with encouragement; at times with harshness,
You helped me shine and succeed like a diamond polished.
So I say this to you, my teachers, as you taught me, too,
For being my inspiration, the little magic words – “Thank you!!!”
PS: This poem is a Sonnet.
Love..sprouting like a seed planted in the fresh moist earth,
Unsure of the world around it, drawn towards the sunlight.
Reaching deep within with roots, leaf upon leaf unfurl,
Growing, growing and growing in the showers of desire.
Blooming with fragrant deep red petals like soft velvet,
Blossoming in the neverending, eternal, etheral Springtime,
Yearning every second, every minute, every hour, every day,
Longing to be known, acknowledged, realized and alive.
But what’s this? There’s something new and undiscovered
Sharp, dry, prickly, they can cut and draw blood outside.
Thorns… yes thorns of Ego, hidden among the red buds.
Hurtful thorns…with the passing moments, they too thrive.
Unrestrained, they grow faster, weaving a net of bramble,
Piercing through all, even the petals, not heeding to their cries.
Till all that’s left is a woody, dry underbrush that’s dead
With buried memories of a love that was lost…and happy times.
I have wings
But without the flowing winds,
I am incomplete.
I have eyes
But without the glowing light,
I am incomplete.
I have a mind
But without the Divine guide,
I am incomplete.
I have a heart
But without a true-blue confidant,
I am incomplete.
I have words
But without a quill and paper,
I am incomplete.
It would seem
That I am incomplete
Without the world around me.
Could it also be that the world
Is a bazillion-piece puzzle
That’s incomplete without me?
As the city wakes up to a new dawn,
And the sun peeps over the horizon,
He excitedly reaches out for his phone
To check the “likes” on his latest post.
Not far away, in the same city’s corner,
She takes a selfie with some flowers,
And to make herself look even “better”,
She uploads it after applying a filter.
While in another house down the alley,
He shares a video that fascinates him.
A video that’s completely fake and false
With contorted facts and no truth at all.
Yes, there’s a new epidemic in town.
One that spreads all the year around.
Drawing us into a world of “instants” –
Instant fame, love and gratification.
We were different without social media.
We were more “social” with each other.
Emotions weren’t equal to emoticons.
Networks did not limit our connections.
Where are the heart-felt conversations?
Why do we crave the clicks of buttons?
Let the smog disperse to reveal the light
Social media can never replace real life.
I may feel I need my own space,
And you may think you’re better off alone.
But the law of human nature says
I am because you are; we all share a bond.
So, let us all take this pledge today
To always share our thoughts, come what may.
It takes just one spark of anger
To set hearts ablaze with hatred
Leading to bloodshed and war,
Mindless destruction and death.
The dead cannot love or hate.
That’s the prerogative of the living.
Of what use are the dead anyway?
Life is only for the alive and kicking.
The need of the hour is peace
To save Humanity from extinction.
Let peace reside in every heartbeat,
Every family, every city, every nation.
Let it fall like raindrops from the skies
Dousing the flames of bitterness.
Let’s give up all resentment and unite
To create a happy world for generations.
This is a prayer for peace.
Not to God, but to Humanity.
We all are waves of one sea.
We all are leaves of one tree.
Let us shed our enemities.
Let us live like one family.
Show me not your sympathy
If I stumble and fall.
Instead, lend a hand and applaud
As I get back on my feet.
Show me not your sympathy
If I say I’m sad and lonely.
Instead, come over and talk to me
Till I forget that feeling.
Show me not your sympathy
If I feel I’m bogged down.
Instead, let me hear you talk about
The things that make me happy.
Show me not your sympathy
It is of no use to me.
Instead, it’s what you do, certainly,
That will help me in the healing.
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.
What’s in my name? It was never mine.
Although I’ll bear it for my entire life.
No, I had neither choice nor any say
in the name I’m called with every day.
So what’s in my name, you would say?
Call me differently, and I’ll be the same.
But when I think about it, I do realize
that my name was never really mine.
It was what my family envisioned for me
when I arrived – their hopes and dreams.
In that name, they felt all the happiness.
That name resounded with my existence.
With this name, I will never feel lonely
for I’ll carry with me a piece of my family.
The name I bear may not be my definition
but behind it lie the purest intentions.
So what’s in my name? Well, it’s clear –
it’s a sign by my ancestors, my dears.
It was never for me to use by myself.
It’s not a description, but my inheritance.
wordsofhope 