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Showing posts from July, 2020

Exalted Eid Al Adha

Festival of Sacrifice with festivities Fervor fascinates the families Kids enthused to get New garbs, dolls and toy guns   Folks toing and froing up to malls Like faces with unlike shapes and sizes Masks and gloves this Eid Al Adha Heena filled hands veiled in gloves No feasting with get- togethers Tweetup and Zoom greetings   Oh God! Grant us the free world A Narcissist man thought was only for us Not only a virus free world A selfless world free of tailor- made worms and bugs Superiority to ones and inferiority to someone’s Conviction, class or country! No more this! Allah, Jesus, Ram or Waheguru Usher us to that planet Where a new dawn ignites the self To celebrate the fiestas of life

Unending Outing

  The wrinkled and icy hands Withered with listless skin Unfiled nails with cuticles Are these those sweet-smelling hands?   Slender fingers of plump hands Manicured with nail paints Rose scented adorned with trinkets Are these those aged hands?   Seventeen-year-old hands Twined in mine on strolls   Fragrant flirting on dreamy days Poured out rosy cologne on mine   Mellowed and cold with oldness Folded with fading worries   I will hold hands more tight Timeless treasures to treat        

Toxic

  Toxicity is contagious.  Split off from the noxious Pointless to muddle with falsifier  Ease the doubts and drain                   Truce 

Living Dummy

A new look every dawn I am festooned with trinkets Draped with designer garbs Hairdo with reds and blondes All set for visual treats Half a day in heat, one more half in dust Caged in mirrored frame Touched and toyed for no reason Seasoned in severe seasons Standing still to stimulate the buyers Teasing time throws tantrums No more a fascinating but a faded figurine Moved to the Rag land Free air and roomy walls Myriad mannequins with shabby smiles A new look this dawn      

Interlude

If I were the sea And you the sand I would come in a tide                             And take you in my embrace Starry in the crescent moon Moony in the starry night Drop you off in the daylight Whisper in my ears And I will pick you up To the infinite honey shore  

Gaper

My maiden friend at three Partner in pranks and tricks Licked and laughed with you Cats nose poke, whispers and yelps   In adolescence, my confession box I could open the Pandora box Everyday matters and muddles I recapped smiles and catwalks for nod   My heartbreaks and affairs Love letters and love dialogues Emotional tears and slaughtering laughter You! Who else knew!   You helped me with stage fright Itemized disco and melodies Tryouts for first interview My master guide at this and that juncture     Solitary buddy who never lies Withered I with wrinkled face Silver locks and crow feet eyes Oh Mirror! My companion in the transit.      

The Pandemic: Some thoughts to ponder

Third quarter of 2020 and the world is waiting to complete the last quarter of the Pandemic Year with a hope to fight and curb Covid-19. News channels, websites, printed media or social media for that matter cover the common concern- Pandemic and vaccine for Covid-19. Though it is anathema to the masses, yet it is the only concern at the moment. Going back to the facts and figures, the first confirmed case has been traced back to 17 November 2019 in Hubei, China. As of July 2020, almost 15 million cases across 188 countries have been reported. It is common to have catastrophic thoughts as we are shrouded with the dark clouds of anxiety, uncertainty, fearing everything on the line and endless search leading to a blind road. Right from young minds to old folks, worst case scenarios pre-dominate our thoughts.   Endless ‘what ifs’ aggravates Cortisol, the stress hormone which indirectly confines our critical and creative thinking. Social distancing and quarantine are a privilege of...

Stereotyped

    Meditating in the stillness of time Chants and chimes with serene tunes I opened my gratified eyes To the whisper of a man Standing beside me in flesh and soul   “I am the one you seek in temples and meditations. I am the God. I will now be your companion day and night.” Awestruck I stood gazing at my look alike. “You trekked miles to seek me on mountains, air and sky. You locked me in scriptures and idols.” I was at unease to be his mate.   “How would I smokescreen so many sins? How would I indulge in avarice, lust and greed?” I ran to flee but he came with me. “You read God is everywhere and in you, but you disbelieved. You wanted to always bargain my presence and absence.” I stood like a deer in the headlights.   “You weaved the notions to your convenience. I was Omnipresent for a kind and rare for unkind deeds. Don’t delve into abstracts of belief and faith. Shed the blocks of double life.” Belatedly I le...

Sweet hearts 💕

Tender arms holding her precious joy A tattered cloth bag, Laila called it her doll Dolly was a token from her Mistress Cleaning cobwebs and washing dishes Yes miss, bow and smiling nods A delightful reward miserly rewarded Discarded doll Laila called her lolly Grace gleefully frisking with Doll house Exorbitant Barbies in her Game room Customised dolls with bells and whistles "Come Laila! Let's play with dolls!" Lollygagging Lolly with Barbies Souvenirs of fun and frolic Memorious minutes for young girls.

Scenarios & Imaginings

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                                                                 Drenched in with sweat, I woke up to the beats of the orchestra drums on a chilly December morning. A grand five- day fat wedding in our family brought all our close and distant relatives together. Happy faces, display of dresses and accessories was not what I viewed in my chilling dream. Rubbing my wet and sticky eyes, I checked and rechecked the calendar on the wall. Oh! It is 2020, the petrifying year I met in my dreams. My quaking fingers scrolled the Google to check the news and events. X-mas followed by New Year merriment and jubilation was everywhere around! I pinched myself repeatedly.” Hey! Come back from that horrid dream. I was trying to soothe myself. Was it illusion? Were we all hunkered down in the four walls of our haven?   I rushed to my closet to check the face shields, masks and sanitizers. To my wonderment, there was no such thing. Not believing to disbelieve the creepy dream, I again opened the web p...

Black & White

  I gazed through the Mini opening on a leaf A beautiful orchid with The glamour of saffron and priceless rose Oh! Madam sneezed This is the news on tweet Good Lord! Sir has a cold and cough These days are so rough Ambulance at the doorsteps Instagram news going on reps Pricey linen, gold and diamond studded masks Immunity with fancy sanitizers Praying and fasting for reel heroes Glamorous web of zeroes   I gazed through the Mini opening on a leaf A thorny weedy orchid with Butterfly bushes, Day lilies and Peonies Oh! Poor Mrs. in labor No ambulance or a nurse Till she lives her last breath Lame man short of breath Steam, gargles and concoction His daily dose of super antioxidants Tattered rags for masks Washing liquor, the sanitizer He, a number in the case studies Unglamorous web of heroes  

Repetitious Repeats

                                                                   Roosters crowing at dawn and the glimmering rays of yellow bright light were her morning alarm. She would roll her bed sheet in the pillow and rush down the stairs to begin a new day. She met her morning friends, the cows in the stalls bedded with straws. By the time, she milked seven cows, the cawing of the crows and the barks of the stray dogs reminded her to rush back to the kitchen. “Veera! You are again late. Get dry dung and fire wood from the barn. The furnace isn’t lit yet. Keep the milk for boil, knead the dough.” By the time she completes the chores, another task is ready. Nodding meekly is the only communication from her side. At the age of twelve, she behaves like an old lady of seventy. Head covered with a cotton dupatta, wearing a full sleeved shirt, this orphan girl was adopted by the joint family of landlords. She was told that her father died in a road accident and mother eloped with a truck driver. At ...

Six Feet

In his macho youth He wanted to seek out The unfulfilled fulfilments Walked bare feet on the prairies and landscapes   Sweltering heat, blowy air, torrent or twisters Scarcely could scare him And his glorious self could game The land of his needs   Ambitious he with the greed The long haul from the Earth to the Moon To gratify the concocted desires The land of his needs   Chasing the unchased mirage Feet bruised with age Lavish land but where to take Six feet, the credit he will take      

Cage-free

                            Nine years back she acquired A new name, identity and address Judgmental eyes and reviews Bothered her day and night   Sugar coated or sharp- tongued words Sarcastic silence or sardonic sermons Her worried smile and eager eyes Shard identity recharged today   A welcome note to her muddled ears The honied song of the Canary bird Green and brown feathers in the mirror cage Her tuneful friend in the golden cage   Puffed up Canary in the wired enclosure His companion, the reflecting cage Plentiful seed mixes, millet and water Scarce space in the captive care   Similar stories both had Customary humming at the first light Her beads and his throat croon Food to their parched soul   Dauntless she with her fearless mind A step forward to ajar the sealed Flutter of wings and soared into the sky An empty cage for anoth...

Floral Envelope

You are the petals of a rose 🌹  You fall off on the withered grass Wiltered turf gets rich with your fragrance  The hand that plucks you gets scented Diffused radiating aromatic infusions Showering petals in the house of worship A bestower to all ,never a giftee  Curly petals replicate the wheel of life

My Diary

A lifeless dot on the faded folio Saved to scribble in a while Frozen sheet creased with brown patches The Knight riding the time, sworded the sheet   A festive ride with the new diary Will you be that diary? The dateless diary of my journey The glossy flyleaf with iridescent colors   Ornamental feathers feeling the pages as the book mark Together we will dive deep into the sea of thoughts Halting en route faded, bright and neutral hairpin bends I will write on you the memoirs of the drive Blank leaf I will fill with moody ink Gala days will plug with Red Serene moments will seal with Blue Harmonious mood will close with Green Sorrowful flashes will select Black   Between you and me are lines of every hue Be my buddy till the last page!

Circuit

                       Silvery streaks and shadows of moonlight Tip -toed scattering the brightness in the gray chamber Sweating on the damp linen, slumbered with the dream   I awoke to the strangest light of the night   A visionary, whose vision mystified my mind The New Order of the world, he stressed Would bring harmony to life Ozone, Ecology, flora and fauna Will be the privileged and man the unprivileged Game changer will change the roles Animals and birds will splendidly amble In the greens, bushes, brinies and pure skies The King of the planet will be confined In the glass palace, skyscrapers or muddy huts Unbiased therapy to the biased minds Candid to age, status, caste, race and gender   Axe of agony will drill through Man, the labelled social animal Will go down the rabbit hole Gliding and holding erratic repeats     ...

Snowdrops

Her wet eyes Fretting whiteness piercing the silence  Dropping the sparkling beads  Hot furnace fuming with redness Moist eyelashes closed like a theatre curtain Dew drops touching the features Saline sweetness Lips seasoned with salty tang  Glistening teardrops glued to the eye Unloading the loaded core Itsy bitsy tears torn Precious pearl of the oyster to keepsake Last drop in the glass  teary iciness

Shifts

They named the village Sons of the soil for it was special Not in many but one way To bear a son was the custom Superior gender, glorified male identity Prayers, fasts, rituals and magic Chasing the heir to the landless farmer Tailing the succesor to the landlord Heavy women singing hymns A son, God give me and I will According to the pocket A gold diety, meal to ten priests or A gallon of milk by the lessor A fruit basket, a sac of grains, Meal to a priest by the peasant Moaning and cries at the birth of the inferior sex Laughter and guffawing to welcome the son of the soil In the midst of sob and wail, fire crackers Illuminations and sparklers sparkled the gloom The house was lighted with candles and lights A life bundled in a cloth Holding gently ,proud father introduced to the townies "Another girl child ", wobbling came the oldster. Villagers in a chorus, "Another year, pray for the scion of the lineage". Consoling to the tribe pricked the defiant father. ...

Someone’s Story

The chipped cup lay buried In the kitchen closet Layered with sticky grease and dust Nine weeks back when it arrived Was welcomed with delight A new addition in the crockery Took the prime seat in the cabinet Confabbing my favorite, my essential and mine only A new credence Mr. Cup grew with Unstintingly serving him and her, them and those No matter when, always ready never late Knocked about and around, inside and out Flirted with rosy lips and trapped the lip stains Its brim indulged musky, foul and morning breath Blowsy time, bleak and barren the cheery cup Nick and snick with use, overuse and misuse Confabbing unusable, obsolete, not mine A self-doubting Mr. Cup faded with Sitting tight to be free someday

Fond Memories

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Butterflies in the stomach First crush, fluttering heart beat Never missed watching his T.V show Reliving fondling memories of the teenage The maiden love date The rose you gave Preserved in the book Opened to read not the book But feel the flowery rose Withered, musty, discolored petals Feeling as fresh as morning dew Thrills and chills when you held my hand Soft whispering, I love You Echoed the feeling of falling in love Sensation as the first wind of the spring Like threads of silver seen through crystal beads Picturing the past in the present Memorious memories closest to the heart Periods detached and musings attached    

The Bliss

You went to the temple Hoping to be favoured  Offered flowers and sweets To please the Lord Orphans sitting outside the temple Hungry homeless children Offer them those flowers and sweets The Lord will be pleased You bathed the idol with milk & rose petals And plated them with gold & silver Clinking coins and wet currency notes Seeking blessings from the Lord Destitutes sitting at the temple door steps  Feed them with love and care Give them shelter, food and clothes And you will be blessed by the Lord You promise to offer rich ornaments  If you succeed to corrupt the corrupted Birth of a successor, land and lavish life Conditional offerings with many ifs Promise to offer decent lives Feeding the unfed, starved lives Foster parents to the forsaken  Unconditional offerings with doubtless faith Marble slabs and gold inscribed initials Obituary to the departed souls Oblations and offertory  Favour grace for eternity and afterlife  A satchel with books Teach the untaught young or o...

Soul Food

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Silence the mind The storm shall pass The soul shall rejuvenate Healing the scars Taming the untamed thoughts Fidgety numbness of the musings Serene and sedate Mind and soul Rest in peace,Nuh uh ! You Live in peace.

Seeking Hope

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  Jammed mind talking loudly Provoking thoughts and Infuriating contemplations Discreet conversations and impulsive dialogues Unlearnt experiences of time Failed experiments hardly ever rectified Moods of discounted life Ingratitude, a paradise for Grief, sorrow and discontentment   Wandering aimlessly in this jaundiced world I embraced the tree of gratitude The fruit it bore in the season of hope Laden with peace, pleasure and contentment The fruit I relished every waking minute Seeds sprouted the looming season I watered nurturing saplings A bounteous garden for many seasons  

Roses and Thorns

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Spring blooming velvety roses Budding aromatic and intoxicating fragrance Musk, Garden, Tea, Shrub or Rambling roses Red, White, Golden, Black or Yellow roses A delight to the sight and soul Bountiful nature poise with roses and thorns Long stem with thorns pricking Rewarding beauty and mesmerizing scent   Hardship, loss and pain thorns embody Sweetness, beauty and pleasure roses typify Tickles of life and twinges of beauty Sometimes gentle sometimes sharp Soothing love with bumpy lumpy edges of life A chasm of horde and handful Bridging the unsweetened joys and sweetened pains Roses and thorns made for one and other  

Balloon Seller

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Orangey yellow and Silvery sky Peals of laughter, giggling and chortling As happy as a sunflower, frolicked the children Seeing the balloon- seller freeing Helium filled Red, Green, Black and White Balloons in the Blue Like a wave that dances on the sea   Happy faces rushed to the balloon seller Packed like sardines in a can Children hopped and cried to purchase 100 paise a balloon and 150 for two Clinks and jingles in the coin box Charmed smile on the hawker’s face Hawked all but one white   Released in the air; floating into the sky Moments adored and faded in the flash