These are the times of the Coronavirus Disease
with both love and humanity, on a tight leash.
No kissing, no hugging, no touching, please.
Make sure the hands are 20-seconds-clean.

Will they ever be clean? Will I ever be sure?
Will I ever be able to go outside like before?
Will I meet my friends and hang out in crowds?
Will this social distancing end? So many doubts!

“Stay away!” say the wise, “It will break the curse!”
“Stay indoors, or this pandemic will become worse.”
Who is to blame? Does it really matter now?
This forced isolation has opened minds somehow.

We beg for forgiveness from Mother Nature’s fury
while some lose the fight in a battle so lonely.
Where did the souls of so many people go?
Where is our Saviour, and where is the cure?

Some say we are paying for bad karma and sins.
Do we need more deaths for alarm bells to ring?
When will we realize the simple rule of Evolution?
We were gifted intelligence to protect Her creations.

Somewhere down that road, we got really lost,
and so, here we are now, paying that high cost.
She is furious with our recklessness, so we pray
for a cure that we may walk our streets again.

The air’s clearer now; She rejoices in many ways.
In the midst of this war, did we learn anything?
Or will all this suffering and death be in vain?
A few years later, will a scourge occur again?

People – this is the word we use for ourselves.
Together we form the Collective Consciousness.
What one does affects another – this is the truth.
We need to understand this and recognize it soon.

So do not hoard – there are those who need.
The old and infirm can’t move as they please.
The afflicted don’t deserve this discrimination.
We depend on each other as societies and nations.

Will we win against this virus? Are we so sure?
During these times, whom do we look towards?
The Universe? God? The doctors? The nurses?
Or does the answer lie within each one of us?

Like the deadly Coronavirus, this debate rages
while the disease takes its toll in all the stages.
With time, this will pass and things will be alright.
While our hopes see us through this terrible night.

Within me you grow
blooming like a rose.
I can see you smile,
twinkles in your eyes.

I can feel you move
as you turn in my womb.
And as I think of you,
I know you hear me too.

You are mine.
My unborn child.
My fairy girl –
A precious pearl.

My light, my faith
I’ll patiently wait,
for like no other
you are my daughter.

My heart yearns for your love, dearest.
like a desert awaits the falling rain.
I long and long to hold you
like the night embraces the Moon.
You are the one and only one
who brightens my life like the Sun.
I will love you forever and ever.
As long as I live and even thereafter.

Colour me blue this Holi.
Blue like the open skies.
Colour me yellow this Holi.
Yellow like the sunshine.

Colour me green this Holi.
Green like the leaves on trees.
Colour me orange this Holi.
Orange like the garden lilies.

Colour me red this Holi.
Red like the deepest love.
Colour me grey this Holi.
Grey like the clouds above.

Colour me with all the hues.
My soul is like white snow.
Come colour me this Holi.
And make me one with You.

I once met a beautiful Sentimental rose.
It sought no approvals from this world
as it blossomed on a fair summer day
in a sunny rose garden in New Zealand.

With splashes of red on white velvet
petals tucked around a yellow circle,
it garnered the rapt attention of
countless glittering, round dew drops.

Then that evening, dark clouds gathered.
With thunder and rain, the winds battered.
While curled up near the warm fireplace,
my thoughts turned to that rose’s fate.

I woke up to the gleaming morning sun;
walked solemnly to that little rose garden.
And there was that glorious Sentimental!
Poised gracefully with a few strewn petals!

While some were yet so neatly arranged
with silvery drops shining on their faces.
Our conversation took place in silence as
the rose didn’t speak any other language.

“Your beauty is perfect!” I exclaimed.
“Even though the stormy winds and rain
threatened your very existence last night,
why do you smile, so lovely and bright?”

The rose nodded its head in the breeze.
As if contemplating the answer silently.
Then said, “The storm was unexpected, aye!
But to be your best…always…now that’s life!”

Soon it’ll be Christmas –
that holiest of days with
carols and celebrations
and gifts under the Trees.

Now before the wish lists
are sent to the North Pole,
and before the stockings
are hung on the mantle,

there is something that
needs your consideration,
something important that
needs your full attention.

So, take a little time
to take a little pause
and truly understand
Santa’s Xmas Clause.

Be kind to everyone
you meet on your way –
your family and friends
and even the strays.

Mind all your manners
and be well behaved.
Listen to your parents
and heed all they say.

Good deeds weigh more.
So being helpful helps.
The weak and the old –
treat them with care.

If you’ve done all these
on each day of the year,
then you’ve earned a visit
from Santa, my dears.

So, be sure to remember
the words above because
these are the terms
of Santa’s Xmas Clause.

Soon it’ll be Christmas
and more than the lights,
it’s the spirit that matters
and keeps our faith alive.

The bells – they are ringing
in the temples by the river
while in the packed ground,
an arrow leaves its quiver.

Streaking through the air,
it finally finds its mark.
Raavan, with his ten heads,
is brought down at last.

Blazing up with fireworks
lighting the evening skies,
the end of legendary evil
makes a really pretty sight.

“Jai Shri Ram! Jai Shri Ram!”
The crowd chants with fervor,
for on this night of Dussehra,
Light has conquered the dark.

O children of that glorious Light!
Celebrate Dussehra everyday
with hope winning over despair
and knowledge over ignorance.

O children of the Supreme Good!
May this auspicious tenth day
awaken the powers inside you
that will guide you on your way.