To the Red Roses

Roses, red roses
For my valentine.
A single, red rose
For my love at first sight.

Two roses, red roses
Profess that I love you.
Three roses, red roses
Say I can’t live without you.

Four roses, red roses
As we’re meant to be together.
Five roses, red roses
Mean you’re my special lover.

O roses, red roses, go forth
And speak this language of love.
You can make passions flow,
In humans and the Gods above.

O roses, red roses, use all your powers
To make romance blossom and flower
In the heart of my beautiful lover
And keep this feeling alive forever.

Lessons from the Dawn

The dawn is how nature reminds
That there is always an opportunity
To look at situations in a new light.
And all that is required sometimes
Is to change the way we perceive life.
And that even a little bit of sunshine
Can alter the perspective entirely,
Ending the darkness of the night
That sometimes envelops our mind.

The dawn doesn’t on the future reflect.
It shows how to brighten the present.
We may think that things are the same –
Our position, home, and relationships.
Some dazzles and colors can then assist
To usher in newness and improvement.
At times, we may feel so very hopeless.
Then, all we need to do is reflect.
And, from nature, take a little help.

A Soldier’s Promise

A soldier’s promise is etched in stone.
He made it on the day he was chosen.
A promise he keeps till his last breath
Unto his country; to serve and protect.

Be it enemies or natural catastrophes
None can ever defeat him and his will.
Peace would never prevail without him,
And freedom would be a distant dream.

A soldier’s promise is mightily strong.
No power on earth can break this bond.
He inked this promise with his blood.
In his care, his country blooms like a bud.

To his country, his duty he never forgets
For his country, he forges on with no rest.
Others may strive for money and laurels,
But a soldier won’t hesitate to be a martyr.

A Tale of Logic and Emotion

One fine day, Logic and Emotion
Couldn’t decide what to do in the evening.
Logic wanted to stay at home with the book
While Emotion wanted to go for a stroll by the brook.

Logic said that the brook was too far away,
And the weatherman said it would rain anyway.
Not to mention the Sun would be setting soon.
Only a fool would walk in the dark with the Moon.

Logic added that the home had a great fireplace.
Nothing would be better than to curl up near it.
The book was engaging with three hundred pages
Of how human beings had evolved through the ages.

So Logic said that was that, and that’s how it’d be
While Emotion kept listening to the words silently.
In the end, from her eyes fell a little tear drop
And they finally ended up going for the walk.

The Stranger

Who is that girl I see in the mirror?
To me, she is a complete stranger.
When I cry, she tells me to smile.
She says it brightens up my eyes.

When I feel like hiding in a corner,
I can hear her laugh at me louder.
She tells me the only way ahead
Is by going through it all instead.

When I feel afraid of the monsters,
She tells me I’m brave and a fighter.
When I think that I have lost it all,
She tells me to take another shot.

When I feel things couldn’t be worse,
She tells me they will only get better.
When I feel lost with nowhere to go,
She tells me I’m stronger than I know.

Yes, that girl is a complete stranger.
The girl I see every day in the mirror.
Oftentimes, I wonder who she is
Is she someone else, or could she be … me?

The Wait

Every second, every minute, every hour every day
Seems like an eternity due to this cruel wait.
It’s like being against a blank wall as we all pray
For the clouds in the skies to shower some rain.

The great Indian summer has long overstayed
With more than fifty shades of brown in the hills and plains.
The angry, hot Sun makes every living thing sweat,
And in an angry, hot breeze do all things sway.

What evil karma has brought about these days?
What will shake off the spell and cast it far away?
The king and his countrymen are all so helpless
As the heatwave causes fields to crack and break.

O Gods in Heaven, I have heard and it is said
That you can see even an ant as it takes a breath,
And hear its little sighs as it rummages and forays.
O why then are you treating us all as castaways?

Bless us with the vision so we may mend our ways
Lest the swelter outside, in our minds too, deserts create.
Open up the skies, and let your love pour down again.
Bring us back into your fold and end this neverending wait.

The Old Village Road

High up the plains at the bottom of the hill,
There’s a quaint little village that lies hidden.
And, in that village running right in the middle
Is an old village road used by animals and
people.

On it walks the cowherd with his staff and whistle,
And the bells on the necks of his small herd tinkle.
At times, it is crossed by geese in a gaggle
Making all the big carts come to a stand still.

The road is cobbled and has tiny, loose pebbles
And in the trees lining it, the north wind swishes.
But, that doesn’t stop the children as they dash and giggle
With the village dogs whose tails wag and wiggle.

O the old village road holds a lot many secrets
Of the generations that in the quaint village live.
O how I long for those times when all was so simple
When I skipped down the old village road without any reason.

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.