Into The Jungle

The sun beats down on the broken traveler,
As he scurries around for scarce a shelter,
But where can he hide, out in the open,
Like the meaning hiding behind a coaxing pen.

Step by step, he goes, repeatedly tripping,
Twines of hope, and joy, tightly gripping,
Yet a few paces forward, inexplicably slipping,
Beads of perspiration have long been dripping.

Broken in the body, breaking in the mind,
With no one present, to push him from behind,
Lurking in the undergrowth are creatures of despair,
Fear of failure, they make for a deadly pair.

Persevering, he forces himself to trudge further,
Poor man, he knows not, the horizon is always farther,
All those miles gone by are just a headstart,
Into the jungle, called a “Woman’s Heart”.

Waking Up

Just the two of us, walk up to the edge of the lawn,
Waiting for the sun, to break out from the dawn,
To pry apart from our feet, the morning dew,
And witness the buds begin blossoming anew.

Walking down the path, holding your hand,
Weak in the knees, I cannot anymore stand,
Yet managing to hold on, as you stare into my eyes,
And we start drifting, through the blushing skies.

To ask you to slow down, is surely no crime,
As I try to catch up, with the fleeting time,
That refused to stop as you swirled in my arms,
Freezing me cold with the spell of your charms.

Yet despite the direction your memory tries to blow,
We are separated forever by a tiny little window,
Through which the sun’s rays begin to gleam,
Waking me up from this never-ending dream.

Flowing Away

I still cant remember when they began,
Or for how long and far they just ran,
It seemed only yesterday that they had a cause,
But even while it withered, they never had to pause.

They flow into the cracks of your every burden,
And wash them away before they can harden,
Although it has been quite a long while,
They still spread themselves across your smile.

For the times when you totally lost control,
Upon you like raindrops during an evening stroll,
For the times when the days were dark,
All around you like a sprinkler in the park.

Yet all through life, you can never feel,
Although they drench you from head to heel,
Despite discreetly being able to hold their sway,
Those were my tears, beginning to flow away.

A Flickering Lamp

Walking in the night, the moonlight as a guide,
I feel as though I have abundant time to bide,
Looking around, I find no place to safely hide,
From the growing anxiety underneath my hide.

From all sides the forces are closing upon me,
Recasting doubts on what my mind can see,
From the edges of twilight you suddenly appear,
Like a resurfaced apparition of a long-drowned fear.

Floating on the top of my mind’s deepest recess,
You seem to laugh at my life’s horrible mess,
At the turmoil and pain, that seem in excess,
Yet permitting through them, patches of success.

My mind tries to revolt, and run away fast,
As I consume myself to breathe till you last,
Walking away, you leave my hopes damp,
Counting my time, like a flickering lamp.

Just By Changing

To look up at the stars and begin to dream,
About why things aren’t always the way they seem,
Why life holds back surprises till the last moment,
When it becomes too late to apologize or repent.

When the days pass by, busy in sustenance,
And ridicule is what you face for penance,
When objects of form have no underlying substance,
And they try to fool you, at the next possible instance.

When to your worries and troubles, nobody will listen,
And your downfall, everybody is trying to hasten,
When all your endeavors end up in nothing,
And you dread the suffering tomorrow will bring.

It is time to wake up to the world of realities,
Of the foregone chances and missed opportunities,
And every night you realize, there will be another morning,
When your life can be improved, just by changing.

Walking Away

The pages have yellowed with the passage of time,
Leaving irrefutable proof of a broken heart’s crime,
Of believing in a feeling that is long past its prime,
And its endurance of persisting, even when clocks don’t chime.

Being chained by the shackles of a single emotion,
Whose ripples overflow beyond the confines of the ocean,
Walking along its path with a single minded devotion,
Dejected at not finding the promised alchemist’s potion.

Yet happy to be free, trying desperately to flee,
As far from the mind, as a human can possibly be,
For, just around the corner, is looming darkness,
One that wipes away the contours of happiness.

The scanty moonlight, only guides me over a thorn,
Causing the coursing adrenaline to be stillborn,
Curtailing me back to those memories and days,
That are so pleasant a pain, like the burning sun’s rays.

I know not how high above the eagle flies,
For, when I look, you are stuck in my eyes,
Where, challenging me, you will forever stay,
No matter how much longer I keep walking away.

One More Time

As my longing for you gets stronger and stronger,
The sandglass of my shadow, grows longer and longer,
My heart goes fasting every moment for your laughter,
One that makes my heart beat a good pace faster.

To your heart, I don’t think I can make the trip,
Afraid lest on the way, our friendship may trip,
The farther you go, the difficult it is to stay in race,
With you, the mortal fairy of the fairer race.

Your beauty increasing like the start of each dawn,
In what way to tell you, upon my senses doesn’t dawn,
Every time in this contest am left behind to trail,
Leaving failure’s imprint, a very shameful trail.

A bystander’s eyes would rather wish me die,
Than see me fail, trying to look you in the eye,
As the morning ages, my shadow soon runs out of time,
But I still beg you, just let me tell you one more time.

Breaking The Bond

It wasn’t very difficult to just fall into,
And seemed much simpler to fall out too,
The path seemed clear as daylight ahead,
But the lingering darkness, knew not, where to head.

When I finally decided to fully surrender,
It didn’t pain or cause me to really wonder,
That giving up pride was really worth bearing,
Or surrendering to a feeling was worth caring.

I felt fairly recompensed at that moment,
Not sure which way the winding path went,
Bothered not with how my endurance bent,
It was all fine, as long as a smile you lent.

The day seemed bright, right unto the night,
For all the day, God kept you in my sight,
And when night dawned, sent you as the moon,
So that I wouldn’t, out of longingness swoon.

I didn’t care when you slowly started to wane,
Knowing fully, it was only to become whole again,
Like the sadness that wouldn’t dare your face stain,
For, through your eyes, your smile was beyond restrain.

Days flew swiftly, held aloft on ceaseless wings,
Unaware of how subtly the passage of time stings,
Yet to descend down them, memories they bring,
Of opening my mouth, almost beginning to sing.

Yet always almost stopping at the lip’s edge,
Where my mind drove in an unsurpassable wedge,
Stopping my restless thoughts reaching your ears,
Maybe even stopping my heart from shedding tears.

Although I believed your heart to be always open,
I limited myself to the tribulations of the pen,
Within me, I feel the shaky fault lines deepen.
Distancing my mind from memories of now and then.

But my heart refuses to stop a journey just begun,
And devoid of support to revel in mirth and fun,
It trudged along the fringes of a beaten track,
With the passersby constantly urging it to turn back.

Every frustrated time that I decided to quit,
Your redeeming smile deemed my purpose fit,
To keep you smiling, just when you begin to frown apart,
For, with you, every ending shows a new way to start.

Just when it seemed this was an endless game,
I had to suddenly limit my time with your physical frame,
And let go, of my desire to keep chanting your name,
Being content, that into my life you atleast came.

All through the day you never said a word,
And revealing my heart, I never could afford,
Feelings for you, I tried by the bundles, to hoard,
Until it dawned, on a sinking journey, they weren’t onboard.

Destined to fly the night, far apart and away,
To follow you, I know not the conscious way,
All I could do, was look within and silently pray,
That you would decide to return and forever stay.

For, what couldn’t endure separation for a day,
Would surely not stay till morning’s first ray,
Stumbling along and trying not to go astray,
To meet morning before it came across my way.

The air seems suffused, with a fragrance never used,
Making me pardon, if you really would have refused,
To save you the embarrassment and the disgrace,
I decided to never let you see, the love behind my face.

Although you’ll never be able to see my pain,
I’m glad that I’ve been able to see you gain,
Although destiny ordained us to forever part,
I never knew how badly it would pull at my heart.

I tried to forget it and water down the embers,
But what the mind forgets, the heart long remembers,
Till the inhibitions crumble and the mind’s will, dissolve,
There is no stopping the onslaught of a broken heart’s resolve.

The receding sun never sets on the heart’s desire,
And yet the staring eyes never seem to tire,
From the constant adulation of you they inspire,
Saving your memories from failure’s blazing pyre.

Sadly, my mind was adamant to really agree,
That happiness could come from being free,
For, its words always seem weak and hollow,
When it tries, the distant mirages to follow.

I cannot control or put out this mental fire,
As I sink deeper into its enchanting mire,
Speak no more, for I seem to deserve no pity,
Only your return can resurrect this hopeless entity.

Wherever you stay, you’re never too far away,
To your heart, I’ll always know the way,
But life seems very empty, down-and-out,
When you are no longer there to care about.

Deep within, I know that it is just not fair,
To want you, when about me you don’t even care,
But the realization is too difficult to bear,
Such is the nature, of this bond that we share.

Nothing between us can keep us from liberation,
Because we share the unique bond of separation,
Just as destined, we were simply torn apart,
From the dream, that was doomed, never to start.

Looking into my eyes, you will never be able to find,
The feeling that for long has been soaking my mind,
I am reluctant to move on, leaving all this behind,
But destiny and my decisions haven’t been particularly kind.

The tree though wanting, has to let go of ripe fruits,
Or stand to risk losing the source of its future roots,
I have realized the pervading agony of growing too fond,
Ironically paired with the burden of breaking the bond.

Between Us

This is certainly not going to be the last time,
That I will try to deeply tell you something,
Although I fear, you will deem it a great crime,
I strongly wish to confess to you, my only fling.

Every time I see the matchless curves of your face,
I feel like hurling myself into your warm brace,
Every time I see you walking with an inimitable grace,
My heart sets upon itself, a beat of pounding race.

I try to open my mouth, emerging from the shadows,
However I stop, unsure which way the wind blows,
Every step you take, I would like to forever follow,
However I stop, scared you’ll think my heart hollow.

Talking to you, I feel all my words slowly melt,
Thinking it will change the way you always felt,
I am happy though sad, to let things be as they are,
So that I can always love you, as an unreachable star.

A Step Forward

Every time your delicate foot you set on ground,
My heart feels a joy so pervasively abound,
My lips let forth the ecstasy of sound,
At the discovery of a happiness refound.

With my desires constantly piling up as a mound,
Always within your footsteps, I follow you around,
Hoping to speak to you, of my message profound,
Alas your grim lips, push my hopes aground.

My hopelessness to convey to you, doesn’t seem to astound,
The lyrical reply from you, that catches me on rebound,
Within this relation, I see us eternally bound,
With no further hope of completing the round.

A step forward by myself is surely to be found,
Towards your melting reply with its long resound,
Close upon my heels is my conscience like a hound,
Trying to reassure that the next step will heal the wound.

An Angel’s Word

Ever since I heard it from you, the whole world seems anew,
Like the inseparable dawn and dew, you painted me in a crystal hue,
Awaiting your word I shall never swerve, for I only desire what I deserve,
I wait in this dark night, for your approval to paint it morning white.

Every time I shiver, I see you flowing beside, comforting like a river,
Your voice creates ripples in the sky, making the parting clouds cry,
The resonance, even the water does flatter, making the incessant flutter,
The trees in the breeze swing, in the melody of the rhythm you bring.

It’s been a long time since I heard, you mind-soothing word,
Yet the sky did not fall, nor did the earth snowball,
The rivers ceased not to flow, the night moon ceased not to glow,
The sound doesn’t stop expressing voice, the breath has no choice.

Your voice is no longer a wonder, whose word me to ponder,
I can no longer just achieve, what you made me to believe,
When it all seemed a dream, suddenly there shone across a beam,
I hoped neither a man or a herd, could stop an angel’s word.

Alone Once Again

Now that I live to face this expected moment,
Knowing you and myself, I no longer lament,
I look back at those emotions we gave vent,
And after all that has happened, I no longer repent.

Events which led to this decision, we could not prevent,
And what remains of the accident is the dent,
As a last try to reconcile, a message I sent,
I don’t know where in the wind it went.

Let’s just forget our memories like an accident,
And wipe off the happiness, we each other lent,
Like we did with the times together we spent,
For my forgiving heart hasn’t one bit bent.

The joy of loneliness is like living in an open-air tent,
With nobody to ask your feelings for rent,
And finally what remains of you, is not the pain,
But the latent joy of being alone once again.

Wings Of Fire

Destiny in its mercy, takes me along on its “Wings of Fire”,
Wings that preserve me from the temptations of demon desire,
Towards my unreached goals with fervor, these wings propel,
Maintaining my sense of judgement, when circumstances compel.

These “Wings of Fire” taught me, that in life everyone must stumble,
But only the wise, get up and walk, without even a grumble,
Tomorrow is yesterday’s child; a seed of today’s sown fruit,
My “Wings of Fire” guide me thus, through misfortune’s ugly root.

Like a stinging needle, it aches my bleeding heart,
When people strongly decline in calmness any part,
Even the words of wisdom, which resemble water on embers,
How long since they were heeded, no one ever remembers.

My “Wings of Fire” conquered for me, the enormous sadness peak,
Whereupon truth is blazingly revealed, like a lightning streak,
Wherever I go, everlasting happiness to me it brings,
While itself humbly being, a pair of fiery little wings.

Utopia

At the beginning of the Golden Era was a flowery springtide,
Trumpeting and heralding aloud the prophetic call, wide,
His cascade of Love came forth flooding and gushing,
To all people, of all creeds, ceaselessly rushing.

His words, like a stream, came gently tumbling,
Saving a dejected spiritual traveller from stumbling,
His reminiscent smile constantly lights up all lives,
The merger with this Light the individual strives.

When greed, hate and anger are placid and calm,
Love and Peace serve as the indispensable balm,
The Golden Age shall lead to brotherhood and unity,
Pursuing together the winding path to Divinity.

The long promised UTOPIA of joyousness is at hand,
As the Divine Shepherd leads us to His Divine, grazing land,
Ideal sheep we must be, at the call of His invisible wand,
Awaiting the promised Era, so scintillatingly grand.

Twinkling Flowers

A gardener wakes up, ready every morning, his garden to tend,
Plucking weeds, sprinkling water, there isn’t a fence he doesn’t mend,
Lord, You too are a gardener, nurturing us to our destined end,
A gardener without sleep, all our life with us you spend.

You watched over me, as I sprouted from a seed into a sapling,
You stepped aside, as I grew sturdy, gently and silently laughing,
Watching me in the centre of all glory, majestically basking,
Proud of my stature, my standing, the source without asking.

You taught me to care, and showed me how to share,
And I let, birds to rest until daybreak in their nest,
While I stand scorched under the sun’s rays, that hurt like a blade,
You told me to offer to one and all, my fruit and my shade.

We are like stars in Your sky,
Upholding Your commandments loftily high,
In the end, it doesn’t matter, if we are twinkling flowers,
Or the fragrance of stars, as long as You are ours.

Religion Of Humanity

Like all men, so busy was I in the belief, religiously involved,
That money was the pivot around which the world revolved,
At the blossoming of Peace and Love, my beliefs were marred,
To the ultimate Truth, I was rudely awakened, totally jarred.

Hindus or Muslims, Buddhists or Jains, Catholics or Protestants,
None seemed to me, to be the spiritually potential determinant,
For, when God created us, it wasn’t to involve in religious fight for might,
But, to walk hand in hand along the path that is universally right.

We were to be stars in His sky, shining eternally bright,
To serve dejected spiritual travellers as a guiding Light,
The fraternity of religion and humanity, was to be continuously in sight,
To show that a bright, sunny day lies ahead of every dark night.

Finally, I was exhausted, unreasonable and absolutely desperate,
Thereby leading to ruin, and callousness, a woe begone state,
Then appeared an angelic personification, so incredibly compassionate,
Revealing to me, my friend, guide and mentor, the Lord Incarnate.

Reaching Him

A weary traveller along a path forlorn,
Regularly and incessantly stumbling over incessant stones,
Mirages of enjoyment and riches shake him to the very bone,
He trudges on, unshaken but totally ragged and worn.

His greed and desires were apart and asunder torn,
Pain and pleasure with a serene and commensurate equality borne,
Offering duly to Him every duty, desire and deed,
Ridding the bedraggled path, of illusionary scrub and weed.

With a vibrant face radiant, jubilant and glowing,
The lone desire to ‘REACH HIM’ constantly growing,
Remembering to keep pace with the colossal spiritual tide,
Or be swept away into the world rapidly far and wide.

Enough of science, of commerce and of art,
All that you need, is but an open heart,
While ‘REACHING HIM’ never ever give up,
For, always in sight is the gleaming heavenly cup.

Peak Of Joy

In the beginning it had been a tiring endless quest,
For, joy had eluded me more often than the rest,
Nothing, and no place could quench my joy-barren thirst,
With a longing for happiness, my every heartbeat burst.

Joy seemed to me, in the midst of the sea, an island,
My forces of joy, in the battle against sorrow, was forced to disband,
Finally joy to man, became a castle-in-the-air wonder,
Followed by the rumble of sorrow’s distraught thunder.

The joyous era is preceded by the dark night of gloominess,
Like a spirited kingfisher, looking for its daily meal,
Leaving us mercilessly, to the winds of anger, an ageless pest,
I didn’t know, that looking in my heart joy would reveal.

Where the sun meets the clouds and the sky meets the sea,
Much nearer than it, is the joy in our hearts we see,
A smiling face rows me through the rapids of life’s saddest ploy,
For, contentment is the foundation of my sturdy peak of joy.

Our Goal

Ever since man evolved shelterless to the raging weather,
He has been ignorantly and blindly stumbling from one birth to another,
Hidden in the deepest recess of his heart, is an unsolved mystery,
That has been inundated by religion into the vast history.

For this elixir of knowledge, there seems to be a timeless quest,
Generations behind none ever being able to amply conquest,
Birth and death are to us merely temporary guests,
With illusion and fate playing their part to the best.

The dire necessity of the ambrosia of wisdom forget we lest,
For, our karma has positioned us on a cliff’s edge nest,
Leaving us mercilessly, to the winds of anger, an ageless pest,
So that our destiny can determine the result of the acid test.

If we don’t perform our task with the necessary élan and aplomb,
Never forget, that closeby us is ceaselessly ticking, the rebirth bomb,
God wishes to teach each of us with another day of sunlight,
That ‘OUR GOAL’ is to never see another day or night.

Lord Of The Universe

The mighty river bowed down in cascades of flowing water,
The sight of mountains and their nearness to God does flatter,
There’s more harmony in the tunes of the wind, than you can find,
The Lord is directing this orchestra from the seat of your mind.

The chirping of birds, like an unplanned musical concert,
Their reverence to this Universal Master they assert,
The mirages and sand dunes in a life-ridden desert,
Views of the versatility of creation it does not pervert.

His Love is shown in the spiritual blossoming of a heart,
The shades of a peacock, displays His creative art,
He reflects on us life and light, with the sun’s rays,
To this Lord of the Universe every devotee prays.

He listens and solves, galaxies of stellar troubles,
With every single moment in His company, your joy doubles,
God has helped to turn around the sandglass of time,
To humbly offer at His Lotus Feet this little rhyme.

Long Lost Days

Gone are those sublime timeless days,
When we basked under the mellow sun’s rays,
Illusion has played its wily role aloud,
Landing us all under an unpredictable cloud.

Those days with their enigmatically beautiful smile,
When HE invariably spent with us quite a long while,
Now all that is left is the ominous cloud’s thunder,
For an unknown, unseen, an unnoticed blunder.

What the inimitable sages earned by silence and penance,
We have whiled away in constant prattle and nonchalance,
We pass our remorseful days in bemoaned repentance,
But Alas! Only after destiny decreed its inevitable sentence.

At turbulent times when the heavenly stars shined down,
To many we look like obnoxious strangers in town,
Despite ourselves and our yearning in all perceptible ways,
Our scorched hearts still long for those LONG LOST DAYS.

Let His Will Prevail

All that I asked for, was a bit of encouragement,
And all that the world gave was, pure discouragement,
That I may realize God, I asked fervently for wisdom,
But was instead shown the world, God’s own kingdom.

To conquer the world, I asked for boundless might,
My thoughts were effortlessly subdued, by the world’s plight,
To express my limitless thoughts, I asked for feelings,
I was given a complex life to understand its meaning.

To merge in Him, I asked guidance from the Divine Light,
But was instead directed towards the darkest night,
All that I yearned for, He did effortlessly refuse,
So that He could fill me, with His Love so profuse.

I asked for devotion, so that I could realize Him,
I was bluntly told, that my chances were grim,
I asked God, for all that was needed by me,
I was instead conferred with all that was deserved by me.

Inspired by the poem “A Creed For Those Who Have Suffered” Author Unknown

In The Depths Of Silence

The vivid richness of human life in its luxury and ambience,
Is in actuality poverty, without attaining the depth of silence,
Today’s world of fighting and ceaseless factional violence,
Can be transformed into Love, only in the depth of silence.

In the depth of silence can be enjoyed, the melody of a bird’s chirping,
In the depth of silence can be enjoyed, the wind among palm leaves swishing,
The depth of silence can enthrall, with the simplest fisherman’s song,
The depth of silence can envisage a peace that lasts really long.

The numerous faiths and religions in multiplicity,
In the depth of silence reveals it’s derivative simplicity,
In our deepest recess, when silence gives the clearance,
We can have access to the Divine gift of clairvoyance.

For petty sins, man makes unto himself a non-committal allowance,
But he cannot do so for the Love, present in the depths of silence,
The voice of God, in the subdued form of resilience,
Is heard from the heart, only IN THE DEPTHS OF SILENCE.

Happy Days

Happy days have at long last visibly come,
Enchantments they do bring, but only quite some,
Break not into a jolly, springtide song,
For ‘HAPPY DAYS’ , last never so infinitely long.

Life has a wonderful cache of abundant pleasure,
But it does give back, pain in a bountiful measure,
Happiness is, but the crest of a receding wave,
Chaining mankind in it’s miry whirlpool so grave.

Happiness is, but a spoke in life’s gigantic wheel,
Leaving behind imprints of memories, on destiny’s reel,
Happy days are, but a reflection of bygone memory lanes,
Sadness ingrained in all it’s glassy panes.

Happiness is a vision through an illusionary crystal ball,
Gazing through which we see the looming deathly pall,
Happy days are as fickle as a soap bubble,
Merging back into sadness, its eternal rubble.

Facets Of Life

Uncertainties of life are, but a wee bit askance,
Man has been delighted to a rational stance,
Portraits of a desert filled life blurred at a glance,
Lilting against destiny, man took a beholden chance.

Bound by thoughts, desire and many a social edict,
The bylanes of a fallen path in life seemed to contradict,
Past actions had presupposed a prevalent verdict,
The consequences of bestial abandon he failed to predict.

Man displayed a temperament of independent countenance,
Although, in breath and bread God was his sustenance,
The reborn mirth of this paranoid world he deplored,
The ecstatic factor of redemption was explored.

A redundant man has realized lately and very sadly,
Of God that ‘You are my everything I need You badly’,
Friendship and Love resulted in a repentant prayer,
These two Facets of Life lead to Heaven’s magnificent foyer.

Everlasting Love

Like a river steadily meandering it’s way,
Just as devotees with rising faith pray night and day,
To the vast, expansive ocean will be its final journey,
Devotion and steadfastness being the indispensable key.

At varying degrees it is the devotees turn for testing,
Stuck in the web of attachment, unconsciously resting,
Mankind was but a reflection in the mirror of hate,
Like puppets controlled by threads of predestined fate.

To the steady unhindered hearts it came rushing,
Abundance of Everlasting Love came forth gushing,
Piled high up was a heap of past acquired rubble,
Flowing came Love smoothening destiny into a pebble.

When each consciously considered the other a rival,
On that besmeared scene Love made its timely arrival,
As God said in life, from above there’s a ship,
The expression of EVERLASTING LOVE is FRIENDSHIP.

Destiny’s Child

It was a world unfriendly and hostile,
Filled with hatred and anger so vile,
All that I asked for, was encouragement and chance,
But was denied even sweet words or a loving glance.

Chaos and pandemonium were raging uncontrollably wild,
Wishing was I for inner peace so supremely mild,
I had long forgotten that I was born to be Destiny’s Child,
Unfortunately, by attachment and illusion easily guiled.

From deep within suddenly a familiar chime rang,
My consciousness from its fatal slumber awoke and sprang,
For unseen help, I desperately sought, but none could bring,
Finally to the refuge of all troubles, my prayers did spring.

Then God answered, and held me by my hand,
And led me safely through, to His pristine land,
Leaving behind footprints on the sands of time,
That others may follow to reach the goal sublime.

You And Me

In whichever distant land, you let your feet fall,
Dearest, just look at the sky and give me a call,
Your voice floats like the breeze of spring over brook and dale,
And merges just as seamlessly into the air I inhale.

By the brilliance of the sun, you become distant too soon,
I await the night, to see your face in the moon,
The fragrance of flowers amidst the rustle of leaves,
Subdues the silent tempest in which my heart grieves.

People say that yours is a journey of no return,
Notwithstanding, my heart from your direction will never turn,
A lamp of light burns the oil that feeds it, to flame,
Just as I await your verdict, the result of this endless game.

Across the woods, into the horizon afar I gaze,
Tears rolling down, as the sky turns a purple haze,
I close my eyes longing for the morning anew,
A morning that will rejoin me and you.

Song Of The Sky

O dearest love, wherever you are, just let me hear your voice,
The music in your words gladden me more than I can rejoice,
I live before you, behind you in this despairing conundrum,
My only companion, your song, that I tirelessly hum.

Though you aren’t, your ever-smiling face is here,
It keeps following me to eternity like my shadow near,
Looking into your mesmerizing face makes me forget,
All the sorrow, that everyday lives seem to beget.

The day prolongs not for the star-studded night,
The night lives on in the shadow of the morning light,
The solemn glow in your eyes, sends my watery heart into ripples,
As night by day, day by night, my yearning never stifles.

Go wherever you wish, my celestial song shall follow,
It shall echo and reverberate in your heart’s hollow,
But never bother to ask yourself the question why,
Because mine is the eternal song of the sky.

Searching For You

Like a forgotten native traversing the desert,
I carry on with no choice, though my feet hurt,
Try as much as I can, my thoughts to divert,
From inevitably returning to you, I cannot avert.

I walk on though I know not, how long the night,
Just hoping I’ll reach the end before it’s daylight,
A look above shows, the future is not bright,
Thinking of you, I just hope my direction is right.

For, however long I walk, you’re still out of sight,
As the winds blow, I clasp my last bit of faith tight,
Day by fiercer day, I live by the wind of the night,
A wind that soothes my worries, making me light.

Where can I find you, the solace of my heart’s desire,
For no wind of any might can put out this fire,
Wherever I go, I hear only talk of your fame,
But am so exhausted, I can no longer call out your name.

The day passes soon, giving way to a drenching rain,
I look out for you, only to see the pelting rain again,
People around me quickly run for the nearest cover,
I stand there alone, waiting for you, facing its power.

The rain endlessly pours down, as I stand under,
Facing its quenching water and burning thunder,
Asking myself just where did I blunder,
To be separated from you, my wonder.

I realize it is morning, by seeing the mist descending,
But my relentless footsteps keep the dust ascending,
And I stand confused, whether it’s the mist or dust I’m depending,
For mine is a task that seems to have no ending.

I suddenly feel I have turned over a new page,
For with a strong urge to turn back, I reach this stage,
My mind blames it all on the effect of my age,
But try as I might, I am still a prisoner in your cage.

I continue looking for you, soaring like a kite in the sky,
Not sure, whether you own me, or I own you, the sky,
When a gust of wind, snaps apart my confidence thread,
I continue unsupported, not knowing the direction I head.

The waves part, as I look for you in the deep sea,
But however deep I look, there is only water I see,
The clouds part, as I look for you in the new moon,
But I see no evidence to tell me you are due soon.

Patiently I wait, looking for you in the mid-noon,
But the brightness of the sun, only sends me into a swoon,
Hastily I decide to settle down on my own,
But repentantly wait to see you in the seeds I have sown.

At their own pace, the plants have gradually grown,
To my futile effort, no trace of you they have ever shown,
I try to take my mind off it, by watching their buds bloom,
But I see only your face, that brings back my gloom.

I curse myself for trying to needlessly believe,
That forever my side, you will never leave,
All my charm has waned itself into a frown,
But there is no depth at which I can drown.

To see me in this state, though you aren’t there,
To console me for my life, your captivating smile is here,
Seeing it on your embossed face, I burst into ecstasy,
As though awaiting for long, an unfulfilled prophecy.

I have lost count of those endless nights and days,
That I battled with myself in innumerable days,
Convincing and cajoling myself to start again, anew,
For, till my last breath, I shall be searching for you.

Dedicated to Aparna Reddy, whose innocent face and endearing smile made this possible, may she have that smile forever, lighting up many more lives with one of the joys of creation.(presently she is only lighting up the lives of the class of humans called Americans)

My Second Life

Your eyes look bejeweled like a Greek,
I would die for their attention to seek,
Though you may look soft-hearted and meek,
Underneath lies a character as hard as teak.

One look at those rare, poignant tears,
And waves will be lashing backwards at themselves,
Just one time if your silken voice one hears,
It’s enough to push all the voice-records off the shelves.

You possess a face, so wordlessly exquisite,
That beings from the Heaven are dying to visit,
Tapering down like the Andes mountain is your nose,
Comparing myself with you, is like the thorn with the rose.

As near to you, I can only see your matchless face,
But far from you, I can let my dreams run riot like a knife,
Like an iceberg, I fear I will one day melt at your gaze,
For, your face, it needs no telling, is my second life.

Morning Light

Mighty oaks come alive at dawn, their reflection in water glistening,
Fresh dewdrops in the rising sun’s rays, stare out at you glowing,
As I rise up each morning, the chattering birds eagerly listening,
I am spellbound by the beauty of morning light that is mind-blowing.

I await you like the morning daisy flower, wilting by the hour,
Even as the wind erodes the sand, upon which I steadily stand,
I reach out for you, like the evaporating morning dew,
The charisma in your face, shall remain the enigma in my brace.

I can never love another person anew,
Until I hear your voice, that’s well nigh overdue,
Your absence for a moment, has dried me like the desert,
Yet I tarry on, till my position you gently assert.

With dissenting minds and commenting mouths I fight,
With the only fear that I may in diversion forget,
How beautiful, how wonderful, you day by day get,
Like the first ray that strikes earth, from the morning light.

Killing Me Softly

Long before this feeling, long before this emotion,
When the magic was yet to be set in motion,
The first glance at you wasn’t love or devotion,
A distant gaze, far away like the endless ocean.

One of utter, nonchalance was my first look,
Unbending, and unminding in your direction to look,
Your existence seemed as forgotten as air,
With no concern of how amiably you fare.

Looking around, scouring for more worthy prospects,
Everywhere I looked, there seemed greater defects,
That my eyes were tricking me, I was convinced,
However my mind all the while never winced.

When it happened, it all seemed a mishap,
As I stumbled upon my own lowly trap,
Confused at the direction the wheel turns,
Leaving behind marks, and a few deep burns.

Hovering around, my eyes rested back on you,
Surprisingly they seemed rewashed and new,
Walking past the other faces like morning dew,
I finally reach your sight, long overdue.

I keep trying in my own small humble way,
To make you smile more, each new day,
Spreading your joy in waves across the room,
It seems the world knows neither doom or gloom.

To see the aura, and the glint in your eyes,
I committed deeds the world wouldn’t deem wise,
To make you joyous, there was no better way,
Even if in the process, I had to greatly pay.

The medals lost, the prizes sacrificed, seem nothing,
Compared to the smile on your face they bring,
My swelling pride upon seeing you thereby win,
Says, for your sake, failure is no sin.

I realize, I have all the while been swirling within,
Feelings begin to arise and subside, out and in,
Much akin to teaching a fish to rightly swim,
I linger around, trying to satisfy your arising whim.

Emblazing my every moment of life, thought and mind,
You play across every second, with no chance of rewind,
I project myself, my abilities and sheer dint,
Yet as I walk, I leave behind only your footprint.

Try as much as I can, I can no longer deny it,
The image of being forlorn, somehow doesn’t fit,
With the fragrance of romance, I’ve surely been hit,
Groping on all sides, for an outlet to this embracing pit.

I wish I could be convinced that this wasn’t true,
That love had no hue, and the sky wasn’t blue,
The truth strikes me as being bitterly pleasant,
The idyllic life, of love and the hillside peasant.

A life of great expectations, without any care,
Where every man, soars where no angels dare,
Where reality and fiction never seem laid bare,
And acceptance and rejection are too big to bear.

I wish I hadn’t got in at the first place,
Unable to bear its twists, and the searing pace,
To swim the tide costs all my reputation and face,
To walk out pulls my heart strings, setting them ablaze.

Cursing the cupid doesn’t bring back the times,
When your heart was measured in penny and dimes,
The lure of the happiness that drew me inside,
Seems to be dissipating too much far and wide.

No longer untouched by love’s staple wear and tear,
There were always times when you just didn’t care,
Looking into your eyes, beyond that glassy stare,
I find not, the least glimmer of the bond we share.

To see you each day look to me with growing hatred,
No trace of compassion, or tears ever shed,
The only emotion I found, was one of a loathing pity,
For, to you, I was just somebody, a non-entity.

A somebody, who in you daily life interfered,
A somebody you wished, long ago had disappeared,
Though no trace of this in your eyes have you shown,
That it exists, from you demeanor I have known.

Despite the hatred, despite the endless pain,
I was a somebody, who could never abstain,
To work untiringly, if just to see you gain,
Regardless of the recurring pain, again and again.

To hang around when you seemed very desolate,
Trying all I could, yet never being so desperate,
The waters of failure, washing down the feet of fate,
I just tarry to ponder, on how I reached this state.

Up against the crest, I try to stem the tide,
However, I have destiny, my master to abide,
Caught up in its fury, is my tattered fishing net,
No amount of repair, can it safely to the shore get.

Remember that in this candle, we are the flame and wick,
Burning each other, through every thin and thick,
Discard me, disown me, it will bring no change,
Without the wick, your flame will always seem strange.

All the while, I have never tried to approach you,
For the sole reason of letting you, be only you,
For the fear of seeing on your angelic face, a frown,
So, always maintain that smile, through life’s up and down.

I only hope this experience will allow me to be,
Since in my direction you shall never see,
Curse me, hurt me, abandon me to your visionary hell,
I shall still follow you, always you guardian angel.

You have never talked to me and mostly never will,
But never forget that I shall love you still,
Throughout your life and mine, I shall love you gently,
Even though, every second, you are KILLING ME SOFTLY.

In Your Eyes

At first sight, they looked like an eclipse over a bright sun,
In an unchallenged manner, the championship of my heart they won,
They subside like a heap of rubble when you are sad,
And bloat up like a new bubble when you are glad.

They are down and glum when you unusually fret,
And attain an expression I cannot in Heaven interpret,
When you stare at me, the Earth feels light, like standing on a petal,
When you blink, the sky feels heavy, pressing onto my head like a pedal.

They question me in a morose manner when you brood,
And assume expressions as broad as your minute mood,
Looking into them, I can easily see when you are good,
As they look like the fragrance of freshly cut sandalwood.

I can surely tell, when you are, or not in a dream,
As your thoughts flow through them like a stream,
They show your emotions, in a range from steam to ice,
I can see whole new world opening in your eyes.

Eternally Mine

It has been a long time since the fires have died down,
But their warmth hasn’t still let me down,
Shivering in this cold, I still remember seeing you the last time,
The day when my heart inexplicably missed its rhyme.

Yet you glide into my dreams, and wake me in the night,
I look around and see you and I don’t in the dim moonlight,
It is soon morning, and I look at more than one shadow,
And I know, with me forever you shall follow.

I refresh myself and look into the mirror,
Seeing your face, I know there is no error,
I look up and find the blue sky parting,
And your twinkling face, an unanswered question asking.

I look down, onto the plate on which I dine,
And find you staring, like a moon that has no decline,
I smile to myself as I realize this is no miracle Divine,
Since you were pledged to be eternally mine.

Tomorrow’s Yesterday

I look up at the rain drops that hit my eyes,
Just like the teardrops that roll down my eyes,
I instantly close them as the ensuing sunlight strikes me,
And I realize I no longer find myself in me.

Images and events of life are jostling for my mind’s space,
As with this itinerant flow of thoughts I try to keep pace,
At once I am a child, eagerly wanting to be a scientist,
Long since then, I have grown to nothing more than a pessimist.

As a teenager, I longed to be a computer whiz kid,
Alas, I have since then lost count of things I did,
As a graduate, I dreamt of managing a business empire,
But I still languish in drudgery and unfulfilled desire.

All my tomorrow has become a long forgotten yesterday,
And I still await to become someone, someday,
I realize that life takes away more than it gives,
That itself is a measure of how long each one lives.

Teardrop

To feel the teardrop pulling at your eye,
To trickle down your cheek it knows not why,
Yet hanging on brow’s edge, it seems to die,
For the fear of making you seem to needlessly cry.

Once on its course across the valleys of your face,
It sprints against itself, in an unintended race,
Obstructions on the way it will scarcely face,
Yet scared of drying up, if slackening in pace.

Starting humbly, the journey as a self-propelled drop,
It runs along, exhausting itself to a stop,
Consuming itself to create a narrow new way,
A way along which its successors would gladly play.

You are compelled by stimulus to brush it aside,
And it finally leaves, having enjoyed the ride,
To the observer, it makes no pretence to be coy,
For, the teardrop in itself, signifies neither sorrow nor joy.

School Days

In life, during rainy moments of gloomy recollection,
School Days stand out, surmounted high in joy and emotion,
Of boundless fun and frolic, they present an unfurled reflection,
Happiness outbids all else in these days, in obvious selection.

These days of humour, sportsmanship and sound advice,
In troubled times of life, these memories help to break the ice,
In life it matters, if these memories in our minds we record,
It brings about unity, when our life runs amok in discord.

Between juniors and seniors, students and teachers, existed a special bond,
In difficulties and despair, this special bond did effectively respond,
Of petty troubles and little fights, these days helped us to get rid,
School Days disciplined us into citizens of a country’s future grid.

Sorrows and setbacks, the course of streamlined lives do alter,
But not for us, since School Days are our Rocks of Gibraltar,
These memories and moments enrich you, when life turns grey,
For, School Days, like sun’s rays, on your reflective mind plays.

Orchid Garden

I haven’t seen a thing, as meaningful as an orchid garden,
With its beautiful blooms, there is no mind it will harden,
An orchid in its full bloom, is a sight to be beholden,
No matter what praise be given, to the hands by which it was moulden.

As far as your mind can judge, it fully covers,
All your thoughts, with its multiple colours,
You will never again see a world so diverse,
That so resembles the difference in the Universe.

Yesterday’s buds soon blossom forth into flowers,
The mesmerizing flowers turn themselves into fruits,
Today’s fruits turn into tomorrow’s seeds and roots,
Laying the foundation for the future’s flowers.

So much philosophy in so little may seem strange,
But from afar, however long , you will never see them change,
It may soon push you headlong down the precipice,
If you agree that all things of beauty come at a price.

In The Name Of God

To many people, life seems great, in the ‘Paradise on Earth’,
Of nature, beauty and transcendence, there is no dearth,
Only shortage of Peace, Love and Happiness,
As we live each day in fear of unexpected loneliness.

Our children wake up, not to the song of the cuckoo, but gunfire,
They make their way to school, the path paved with blood and barbed wire,
They grew up, not by reading about squares, triangles and spheres,
But by attending daily, the funeral of ones near and dear.

We live on, not for survival, an unreliable, long-forgotten word,
But for mending each others spirits towards a promising new world,
The scars have remained, like the echo of gunshots in the valley,
Behind closed doors, as each day we pray, for a lesser death tally.

As each year passes between snowfall and sunrise,
People don’t change and none the better for the wise,
Even God who knows no hate, would surely despise,
People, who in the name of God, innocents terrorize.

This poem was inspired by the video of a song in the first Indian movie to be listed in the UK Top Ten.

Friendship

In the making of their world, it played an important part,
It was the greatest among, and easiest among all arts,
At the highest of prices, it was still unavailable in any mart,
For, in all its simplicity it consisted of the bonding of their hearts.

It primarily enlivened the cause of their creation,
It created an understanding among their relation,
It helped to express their every thought, every sensation,
It enriched and embellished the purpose and need for association.

It formed an association of understanding, a reputable company,
In sadness and happiness, in life and death it will always accompany,
Misunderstandings were scarce and differences hardly some,
It depicted the blossoming of unity, in a picture wholesome.

Each existed for the other, a matchless golden era,
The bond grew by leaps and bounds, challenging the power of Ra,
Open wide apart, were the golden gates of heaven,
In assent to the association of these fellow brethren.

It was at a time when all seemed fine,
And the association was set to blossom and shine,
It was then, that the potion of acidic destiny began to brew,
Each passing day witnessed conflicts, which only grew.

The understanding of thoughts of many days turned to difference,
Love and reconciliation were treated with equal diffidence,
Thrown to the mercy of the winds was to be the relation,
The group seemed to await its forced sordid cremation.

Then it happened, unmindful of which direction the wind seemed to blow,
The mighty river into streams in directions different began to flow,
One single moment had the infinite power to totally devastate,
Goals that took days and months of understanding to cultivate.

The weak minded had sold the secrets for not a mere pound,
Wiping away memories and moments with feelings abound,
Drowned in their selfishness and non-self-motivated attitude,
To their association in faith, lacked in even gratitude.

Discipline

Glass since centuries has symbolized items fragile,
Its crystalline shine makes it visible a mile,
Its place in civilization wouldn’t have got,
Had it not been moulded and blown red-hot.

If there is one word that rules the world,
Atleast for mankind it undoubtedly is gold,
For most of us gold wouldn’t have really mattered,
Had it not been melted and finely hammered.

The one substance that reflects maximum light,
Is a diamond that sparkles scintillatingly white,
This diamond wouldn’t have cost as much as a nut,
Had it not been repeatedly polished and cut.

Away from laziness and disorder, a student must live,
So that to many in future, sustenance he can give,
To teach him definitely that hurry makes you worry,
Discipline in a student’s life is very necessary.

Dearest Mom

My experience with you is like a rain of moonlight,
Soaking my memory in an enchanting grip so tight,
Like the blanket you covered me with, while I slept at night,
Sleeping by my side, guarding me till the break of daylight.

Guiding me in life, helping me make the choices right,
Yet stepping aside, when I am under the spotlight,
You have struggled day and night, with all your might,
To fulfill my every wish, the challenges despite.

This body of mine, is a gift from you,
The wealth I have, is all because of you,
While I carelessly laughed and played,
You were busy, you cried and prayed.

I always tremble in my heart, standing before you,
Trying to explain, the difference made by you,
You listen and return, with your special from the stove,
I smile and think that all I can give back to you is love.

With your care and concern I have been nourished,
With your blessings and advice I have flourished,
The one thing that strikes me, when I think of you mother,
Is that God couldn’t be everywhere, so He made Mothers.

Dearest Dad

I have known ever since I first opened my eyes,
One man, who would always be the most wise,
Whose bubbly effervescence never ceases to surprise,
Like the unfailing clockwork of the tireless daily sunrise.

One man, whose hairline although constantly receding,
Shall never lose the born appetite for always succeeding,
To make all of us happy, is your every effort dedicated,
Only upon its fulfillment, is your anxiety vindicated.

You taught us that worrying doesn’t improve the situation,
And only a step forward will take you to the destination,
You showed us that a mountain is too small an aspiration,
And for that matter you shall always be an inspiration.

The more we grow, the greater is the world’s expectation,
So for each little deed, you showed the greatest appreciation,
Over the years, I may be able to surpass you in height,
But I can never ever become as large as your heart.

God made Fathers’ to lead us all with a guiding hand,
And put us on their feet across the burning sand,
And fulfill our unreasonable wishes with their smiling wand,
For, without fathers’ we would all be in no man’s land.

Dearest DAD, I may not get another chance tomorrow,
And today I don’t have anyone else’s words to borrow,
I have always been trying everyday to somehow tell you,
That no matter what, I shall always continue to LOVE You.

Damn Those Marks

Like a veritable demi-God walking the earth,
And accomplishing the objective of his mortal birth,
High marks bring such awe-inspiring treatment to a person,
Since every parent is madly proud of such a son.

Without them, a person is looked down upon like a sinner,
None looks into their eyes, to see within a future winner,
Just give them another chance to try and warm,
And they’ll soon take the whole world by storm.

One wants to be a doctor, another an engineer, a scientist,
But their poor marks lead them to being out of the roll list,
There are bouquets and parties for the damned topper,
And brickbats for the failure, looked on at as a pauper.

They didn’t have marks, those people considered greatest,
It shows that you don’t only need marks to be the best,
“Get more marks ” is all that the blind world barks,
But I shall forever continue to say “Damn those marks”.

Call Of The Valley

In life the only wish we had, was for the pleasures of peace,
Our hearts don’t agree to violent deeds, that break life into many a piece,
For all their dastardly propaganda, innocent people are the ones who suffer,
For our little children, don’t we have a better world to offer?

Of what use is togetherness, if it cannot abate,
The feeling that runs among hearts like ours, hate,
Remind them of love, that so very like a sand dune,
Spreads in every direction that the winds play a tune.

In You is our faith, our refuge, as we count our hours,
In this world of Yours, there is nothing to claim as ours,
Where else can the prayers of our little children go,
Placing their heart in Your hands, everyday to school they go.

Whether things change for the better or not, we will never depart,
As long as we can see You, hidden though in our heart,
We have come together, across religions, for our life’s rally,
Please O Lord, answer the call of the valley.

Another Day, Another Time

We were put in, when we barely knew our names,
Or the difference between us and those dames,
When a smacking from a Maam, was all that we feared,
Yet among each other, we fought and again endeared.

When Sunday life meant, Rasna and Ravalgon chocolates,
And when we kicked and mauled our own benchmates,
And yet, the next day it would seem nothing had happened,
In between moments which in our minds are forever penned.

Anxious to leave school, at seniors across the wall we would stare,
Only to get there, and yearn again for the lost love and care,
After the dormitory, arrived the suspense of who was your roommate,
And the finding, that after all, things in this world had a rate.

Though the freedom was new, so were the restrictions,
The independence were new, but so were the conditions,
Despite growing up, one thing was definitely strange,
How despite a decade, some things can never change.

The same, sleeping in mandir, and flicking of sweets,
The same, bullying by seniors, and enthusiasm for sports,
Whether it was ‘Short Witch’ or ‘John’, the same nicknames,
And the never-ending, old boy – new boy superiority games.

Nobody can bring together, another group people so diverse,
And bond them together into an inseparable universe,
For all the temptations, of this world, and the next one sublime,
I wouldn’t choose to be born, on another day, in another time.

A Lost World

In comparison with this lot, Narcissus in beauty did drain,
The mystique, of which no scientific gibberish could explain,
Each passing day brought out the essence of fantasy,
Blossoming like a boulevard, in the garden of ecstasy.

In myriad minds, a history was penned with each fleeting moment,
Like destined birds in the sky, enlightenment a trifle nascent,
In marvelous hues and sketches were painted their colorful lives,
Outlasting the sadness ravine, the comradeship strives.

When all seemed bright and friend SHIP was set to cruise,
A bolt from the blue, struck a major bruise,
Ahead lay an obstacle, a tall obstinate factor,
Wiping away camaraderie, a Divine benefactor.

Conspiring Fate served up a dish of eternal doom,
There was silence, heralding a melancholy gloom,
Alas! A wonderful world had been finally lost,
Happiness and Peace had unfortunately breathed its last.

Walk In The Rain

As I step out of my shell, life a shamble of failure,
I look around, what the future holds, not sure,
A distant rumble makes me in my steps stop,
As I am hit from above with the first raindrop.

Within a short time, the drizzle turns into a rain,
And I feel myself reborn and whole once again,
I stand there getting drenched, these drops can’t stain,
In this jubilation, from dancing with joy, I cannot refrain.

I am ambling in the twilight of that morn,
On which my pride and honor was fatefully shorn,
Struggling, stumbling I crossed the border of disdain,
As the rain washes away my tears, and years of pain.

As I walk in the rain, on this monsoon evening,
I am suddenly aware of an innate awakening,
I realize that a man is just clay in the moulding,
His effort can make him a vagabond or king.

The Flame Within

It is sometimes focused and loud like a hammer,
And yet suddenly, is soft like a whispered stammer,
A voice so unique, its meaning only to me discernible,
A message so realistic, its impact indismissable.

It fires me into a limelight that nothing can shroud,
Yet it remains hidden, like receding sunlight behind a cloud,
Beyond my undreamt expectations it propels,
Yet to act within my limitations it compels.

Whenever I find myself untowardly bickering,
I look inside to find it visibly flickering,
Whether it controls or only guides what I know,
Is not revealed by its steady, uninterrupted glow.

It knows no tomorrow, and lives not in yesterday,
It is only concerned with making me give the best of the day,
In life whatever situation I find myself in,
I will never forget to ask the flame within.

Reason For Rainbows

Droplets of dew on tender petals every morning,
Beams of sunlight between awaiting leaves peeping,
A solitary bloom in a forlorn, unabided desert,
The breath of fulfillment after a tiring effort.

A sudden cool drizzle on a hot, humid day,
A blaze of light that blows away the misty grey,
The sorrows of the day, swept away by the canary’s song,
The exuberance of counting waves for interminably long.

The long dark night passes away into temporal oblivion,
The light of the sun just penetrating the cloud’s dominion,
And the stage is set for the greatest of all show,
As the sky is arched with the colours of the rainbow.

As we watch the resplendence of the seven colours,
A thought flashing across my mind clearly hollers,
That the reason for rainbows, like every new child born,
Is that God still has hope in mankind for another morn.

Once In A Blue Sun

The rising shadow of tomorrow, looks down on the shadow of today,
As for today, I know not the difference I made in any way,
Much more than the short yesterday, I decide to accomplish,
But between achievement & aspiration, am unable to distinguish.

I have been trying all of today, just like yesterday,
Before finally deciding, that failure is here to stay,
Every new venture, only got me more sadder,
As I failed to grasp, the winding success ladder.

My innate sense decided it was the last time I fell,
The sudden shame of failure pushed me from hell,
The first taste of success has an incredible story to tell,
Of how things got started and going so well.

But once in a blue sun, comes dear opportunity,
Ignoring it is the bull’s eye way to failure,
As unable as one is to predict the outcome of activity,
For, in life, however safe, you are never sure.

Life

Colourful flowers are seen in bloom, hither and thither,
However, at the end of the day, most of them droop and wither,
A person who is fit and healthy at the break of dawn,
May no longer be alive, to see the sun next morn.

The miracle of life leaves no unturned stones,
For, without it, the body is but a bag of bones,
The value of life is known, not by the man who commits suicide,
But the hardest rock, in which inexpressible feelings reside.

Death, riches or fame are no measure for life,
For, no amount of money, no advance in science, or the surgeon’s knife,
Can bring back to life, a body by cold death crumpled,
Or pour a new life into a Frankenstein assembled.

The only measure of each one’s life is our breath,
For, the final destination of all things living is death,
The earth was obscure and a speck in a galaxy of strife,
Until the moment it was blessed with the gift of life.

If I Could Tell You

If I could tell you, when time deems right someday,
That, be not deceived by the glint of the early morning ray,
Sometimes matters are so complicated, that it’s too early to say,
Whether or not you are moving along the right way.

Just as the waves of the ocean ceaselessly try to reach,
And swallow up further miles along the beach,
It is very rare similarly, to find someone to teach,
That all life is a code of ethics, that’s difficult to breach.

If I could tell you, that all power is a mire,
That temptingly sucks you into consequences dire,
And no amount of money you earn or hire,
Can buy you an ounce of the happiness you desire.

Dewdrops are an illusion of overnight rain,
And your honour is more worth anything you gain,
For all else are images that will recur again,
Like the endless cycle of pleasure between pain.

Falling Leaves

When you wake up on a cloudy morning,
And feel the coolness set your skin burning,
When fortune plays a rhythmless tune,
And beyond dune is yet another dune.

When you can no longer bear any more,
And there’s still a lot more in store,
When your inherent ability is brought to fore,
And from the lashing, your mind and senses are sore.

When familiarity seems a total stranger,
And lurking in the corners is danger,
When things begin to happen none too soon,
And there’s no sign of the oncoming monsoon.

Across the sea, when no shore is visible,
And the crack of dawn, seems not credible,
When the last bit of despair and of fear,
Is replaced by a flood of tear after tear.

With the shadows around growing longer,
And the weakness within getting stronger,
When the certainties in life begin to ponder,
And neighbours appear to shift away yonder.

When the vapours begin to gradually freeze,
And yet, there’s no sign of the comforting breeze,
When at horizon, the earth meets the sky,
And ‘within your reach’ is still too high.

When the stars begin, to one by one fall,
And everyday demands seem to get too tall,
When the mountains begin their forward surge,
And to do nothing you require a greater urge.

When the densest fog seems too clear,
And your enemies want to get really dear,
When the distances seem very much near,
And yet, your own heartbeat, you cannot hear.

When everybody in your life goes nowhere,
And being here is no longer the same as being there,
When nothing, is the maximum that you will share,
And indifference is about all that you care.

When everything is visible even in the dark,
And yet, not a single arrow finds its mark,
When the shadows throw themselves on the light,
And even the meek don’t give up without a fight.

When at the climax of a successful show,
You forget the direction in which to row,
And the shame of failure, doesn’t even let you bow,
For, the seeds of desperation, it has sought to sow.

That there is a tomorrow, suffice it to know,
Keep your cool and let the bad times flow,
Falling leaves in autumn aren’t the ending,
But a sacrifice for the offshoots of a new beginning.

Effort

What impresses most of us is a soaring kite,
Displaying to the wind its unsolicited might,
A kite is a piece of paper the slightest wind can ruffle,
Yet it survives, because of its incessant struggle.

The sight of a butterfly reminds us of beauty,
Whose wings are an example of perfect symmetry,
From the cocoon, it has to itself wriggle,
Else it will remain forever a cripple.

A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a step,
Remember, Rome was not built in a day,
Do not delay, or deny yourself the beginning step,
For, while the sun shines, you need to make hay.

The greatness of achievement, lies not in success,
But in trying persistently, without a recess,
You have to first erect a fountain, to see it spout,
Because life itself begins with an effort.

Dewdrops

Glistening dewdrops herald the vibrant new morn,
And on its incessant tour, the sun is again born,
Fascinated, I reach for a leaf with a delicate hand,
And as if by instinct, the dewdrops slide down to a thirsty land.

Life itself is transparent like the dewdrops on a viewing glass,
People look around and smile at the lush green grass,
By the time they turn back, they see only the brown barren land,
And life to them seems no longer so resplendent and grand.

As cautiously as I climb up life’s stairs,
I am increasingly met with confusing stares,
I walk up to the door, laughing amidst a group,
But step in alone, with only my destiny to grope.

I look around to find a face I can read,
And surprisingly there is no one I need,
With every step, a changing world opens anew,
Like the ever-fresh glistening drops of morning dew.

Butterfly Dance

You look up and see a butterfly fluttering,
As from flower to flower it goes nectar-seeking,
Similarly, each one of us has a distinct role,
Fulfilling which we must set our sights on a higher goal.

Just like the different patterns on different butterflies,
The light in one’s eyes may be the beauty in another’s eyes,
Sometimes, moments of life and moments of death come as a surprise,
The reason for this mystery of life, we are none the wise.

On reaching the base, aim for the mountain peak,
On reaching the peak, the sky you must seek,
Conquering the sky, reach out for the stars,
Never mind if you fall, time will heal the scars.

Remember that your life is just a butterfly dance,
Which pleases the watcher at every instance,
Never let go, even if you have to crawl the distance,
For you will never again get such a chance.

Be Yourself

The eagle flying high above feels the burning heat,
That caused the scars on a man walking bare feet,
However the sun doesn’t hide its brilliance behind a cloud,
Just because people in a desert, move around in a shroud.

What makes the moon the crux of the night, is its ambience,
It’s soothing rays remain, whether in crescent or in variance,
A late night man, about a moonless night complaining,
Doesn’t stop the moon’s cycle of waxing and waning.

A symbol of ceaseless sturdiness are the mountains,
The very foundations of solidarity is what it contains,
It never bends to anything or anyone until it is eroded,
For the lowly passing cloud, it doesn’t bend its head.

Never do something, just because it is done by others,
If God had wanted it so, He would have made you like others,
But YOU are unique, you have your own self,
Remember, at all times in life, to be proud to be yourself.

A New Beginning

A tired old moon sets, as a new dawn begins,
I stand shattered, looking down on my wins and losses,
Not realizing that its long since you weren’t there for me,
But I have always felt, that in my heart you will always be.

In a few more years, the memories may wear off,
And those days of happiness may soon tear off,
Opening the gates for the gradually rising wave of misery,
Showing me that effort is the way out of this drudgery.

As you progress, the sand under your feet may erode,
But only to make way for a new untravelled road,
So put a foot forward, and achieve what you are able,
Or just spend your life incoherently counting a pebble.

During the journey, it is inevitable to fall on your knees,
But don’t let your vision fall, below the tops of trees,
For I shall walk step by step with you till the ending,
If only you take heart, and make a new beginning.