Random_Thoughts

He, who was once bright To the love, mirth and music of life He, who enjoyed the nub of life Wished to conceive the ageless wisdom Set on the path to seek answers Of soul and consciousness Crossed jungles, hills and mountains Reached heights and meditated in solitude Zen, Mushin or Fudoshin; endeavored to conquer Internal amity over external enmity Wandered from forests to deep oceans Centering emotions of love, anger and pain ‘No talk cure’ or reflections Tried every way to achieve ‘no- mindness’ Things fixed but transitory Tired of the fleeting enlightenments Wandered to reach back to his own self Solace he sensed with his superego Small voice guided him And he could seek the answers within To the questions he rendered outside                                                   

I hear a voice “No! Don’t you step out; Yes! Do it now! Animals, objects and numbers Do they signify portent? “A black cat has just crossed the path.” Stop! Bad forecast it brings Repeat “rabbit rabbit” with the onset of a new month Godsend, will it be? Alas! Even numbers echo good or bad omen 666, the number of beasts Friday, the 13 th hapless in western superstition 13, fluky for some, unlucky for many Seven years of bad luck Breaking the mirror brings Open the umbrella indoors Invitation to ill luck, is it? Lady bug, Horse shoe, lucky bamboo charms or number seven Will these bring fortuity? I am baffled Numbers or objects, will these vary the trail! If so, then why to ponder! Let it bring quietude to the advocates Buoyancy to the skeptics And concord to all God's creatures.

I was avid to be greeted From the womb Impinged the world Which was a beautiful dream Whined to prove my being Careworn I conceded the journey From an infant, to a child That was just the beginning Treading into adulthood I had to attest every single passing day That I can endure in this sinful world Defied I was many times To prove my veracity, honor and character Many of these tough trials I throve Alas! The scuffle seldom ceased Joyous pain with shift of my tag and address Roles transformed but the I in me was still plagued Now you were a fragment in my womb Analogous pattern of wrangle You arrived to initiate the scrap of life We merged hands to prove Our worth time and time again.

Chirruping and twittering Birds bring the melody To the desolate From dawn to dusk   Nightingale sings in the deserted lands Cuckoo in the burning heat Parrot gurgles and trills Hermit and thrush cheets American Robin, the star of the Dawn chorus Blackbirds and wrens join in the choir Wood pigeons and warblers, the pre-dawn singers Blue tits, sparrows and finches join a little late Some birds mark their presence with the Cacophony of sounds Woodpecker, drumming the pitch Crow caws a ‘subsong’ A silver-lining with human isolation Birds free to sing with low frequency Perching on the branches Flying in the horizon Earth and sky all theirs No predators to aim No birders to espy Nature ever was and will ever be them.

Leaf through and what do I see Colours, each giving a different outlook A new meaning, hope and so many moods A new acuity to link to Red, Yellow and Orange- colours of burning fire Takes me to passion, Umph & Oomph Blue, the colour of sea and sky Is a tale of serenity and supremacy Green -the colour of hope Represents Fertility, life and renewal Brown- the colour of Earth and wood Is allied with season of fall and winter Grey carries conservativeness White reflects purity and innocence Black, the deepest struggles between Day & Night, Good & Evil, Right & Wrong So many ideas, bits & emotions Each colour speaks plentiful Not in words but in impression Mirrors my soul & heart Nature speaks through the colours Speechless but speaks bounteous Colours of the nature in plenteous                      ...

Earth and sky Where do they meet? Read in books But could never understand If there is something Called Horizon, the meeting point Atheist and theist Do they also meet somewhere? Varied forms of Spirituality Yet could never understand If there is something Called self- transcendence Affluent and     beggarly Irresolute if they would ever meet? Pain in Migrant labour's watery eyes Pride in a Magnate's sparkling ones A fat cat & a pauper Two worlds on the same sphere Earth, water, air and fire Align with Solid, liquid, gas and plasma Terra and the heavens, Flora and Fauna Expand in unison But alas! Poor & Rich May never ever reach it

Some memories, some numbers, some relations never fade. I was always fascinated with the year 1900 because my Grandfather was born that year. Darji, we called him as in Sikh families, we call father or Grandfather Darji. He was a Police officer during Pre-independence period & an Advocate by profession. His Black & White Portrait of a young man in Uniform with Ribbons & badges would always startle me as my Darji was an old wrinkled lean man with flowing white beard. I could never understand how age ages a person. A store house of knowledge, he introduced the world of Shakespeare to me. It would be mesmerizing to hear his explanations of ‘Much Ado about Nothing.’ In his late 80s, he would help my sister and me with our School Homework. Once, when he went to stay with my uncle, our mode of communication was live via exchanging letters. I would write a letter and in the return mail, I would get my letter edited with crosses and circles. A seventh-grade girl would g...

Bear baiting, the blood sport Cruel cycle for entertainment   History it was n is existing even now Human trafficking, the immoral sport Exploited by the privileged Was past n being extant Shakespeare's play Macbeth  Marked a scene of the hunt Horrified account of bear baiting  Books on fiction n facts Highlights the horrid accounts Of offensive deeds to the mortals Medieval to Early Modern times Grisly blood sports speculated From servants to royalty Primitive to contemporary times Mishandling of forms and thoughts Slavery of Eunuchs to Men Crowd gatherer sight Harsh series of blood sport  Played thrice a day Frolicked by the rich For recreation and rejuvenation Battering the human frame and emotions Brutality to its peak Canine teeth broken Terrible injuries Exploitative agendas Wooing the disadvantaged To make a fortune Muzzles painfully pierced  With nose rings Claws removed or blunted Removal of vital human parts Forced with no choice But to obey the call Bear baying activity ...

Bow in a fog, not in rain Yes, it is the white rainbow  A treat to the eyes! A UFO sight, looks so alien Oh! It is a Lenticular Cloud A delight to the mind  Oyster in Saltwater  Mussels in Freshwater  Ahh! Beautiful pearl it is!  Quartz rock a wonder   River Goulburn too gives the same joy  Gold, the precious metal it is!   Crystalline Carbon, the ember Brought to the surface from the Mantle Eh! Twinkling diamond, it is! Metals, Stones & gems too We hauled out further more  Still can be mined, seldom valuable Nature is a blessing  Accords what one fancies in paradise  Plentiful to suffice the desires We abused & misused With boundless insatiability  Aghast! All prevailing now Wish if we could re-visit this abundance And enjoy the splendid beauty It is forthwith a thing of past Nay! This is just a dread We will absorb the experience  And Nature will again be all ours! Shehnaz Gujral 15-05-2020

When every day is a Sunday And we wait for that Monday Which is not found in our calendar Bizarre isn’t it! Students are keen to go to school And the teachers advise to open the phone To log in to the Class room Anomalous I feel it is! Men are scared to greet men Claiming not to be social animals Flee at the sight of fellow men Outlandish isn’t it! Everything is virtual Meetings, classes and chats Working life in an electronic box Enigmatic I feel it is! Living room is the classroom Mobile phone is the conference room Social Media is the newsroom Mysterious isn’t it! Back to basics We are trying old age remedies Herbs, fruits and no junk Outlandish I feel it is! Masks and gloves are the new trends Brands and cosmetics are outmoded Retail therapy is no more stimulating Baffling isn’t it! Patience and perseverance Will disentangle the entangle Flashback of these memories Implausible won’t it be!   Shehnaz Gujral 12-05-2020

With the world facing the COVID-19 outbreak, a lot is unfolding each passing day. With so many people infected and deaths still counting, many are still either not serious or are busy condemning China for allegedly manufacturing the virus. Dr Li Wenliag, a thirty-four-year young Ophthalmologist from Wuhan Central Hospital tried to raise the alarm in the early days but it fell on deaf ears. It’s just like Catastrophic theory. What if the virus was detected at the initial stages? Instead, why not to stand united as one planet & work unanimously to fight it. As of now, it is indeed a question of existence of humankind! To stand together is the need of the hour. We can see scenes of scarcity of necessities all around due to hoarding and panic buying. The so-called developed countries of the world generally projecting themselves as superior stand exposed by their unruly behavior. The continents which have always claimed to be the most superior in cultures & mannerism a...

The ebb & flow of life                                Occupying the minds with strife                 Reverberation of past iniquities                        Will we be able to wash depravities?                Oh mind! Promises for expansion of humanity    Vow is to forbid cruelty                                            A streak of anticipation  ...

Serene & calm everywhere Quietness in the surroundings Numbness in the souls Will we reach somewhere? It seems   like a trance Where the world has halted And things have jolted Will we ever be able to prance? Every human is petrified Of each other’s presence Only ailments are   glorified Will we go back to the tangible world? Let us break the barriers          Of distress, ambiguity [SG1]   and hypocrisy And never pose such an entreaty Will we be back to normal?                                                           Shehnaz Gujral

Only a moron fancies to be invincible Forgets nothing is eternal And then he Makes a domain of fools In true sense he is an Oaf Who carries burden of sin And then he Strives to ease the deeds Ignoramus with his eccentricities He grants to feed the poor And then he   Conspires to fill his banks Who with his pretentious ways Adores the luxurious life And then he Sermons the less privileged with simplicity Now he calls himself an ideal man Philanthropist he projects himself to be And then he Enjoys the title the fountain of humanity Virtuous he is now Making his rules on classes And then he Enjoys the supremacy over masses Mob frenzy preacher he boasts to be An eye wash for the blind followers And then he Builds an empire with a golden throne Avarice, malice and insanity Are the traits he has mastered And then he Professes to be righteous Now this dolt with his wisdom Is enjoined to wrap up entrust ...