Goddess 2022

You are a goddess -
A goddess of today.
With a smartphone
in your right hand,
a coffee in your left,
and everything else
in your tote bag,
you take on the world,
every single day.

In boardrooms and PTMs -
Warring with demons
of unending misogyny,
vanquishing stereotypes
of a patriarchal society,
fighting unapologetically
for your happiness,
you power through
every single day.

You’re a goddess of today!
A smartphone
in your right hand,
a coffee in your left,
and everything else
in your tote bag;
Your weapons of choice -
to defend your world
every single day.

—for my fellow women

Life

Drifting in the clouds,

Dark and silver.

Swept off by the wind,

Breezes and storms.

Floating in the void,

Frenzied and calm.

Swirling in emotions,

Ecstasy and despair.

Forever swaying,

Yet unwavering,

Floating away,

Swept away,

Drifting away,

Swirling away,

In a straitjacketed

Yet unanchored journey.

Winter

 

Chill in the air,

cutting into skin bare.

A handful of snow,

my way do throw,

And a hug so cozy,

to make even winter rosy.

Gift for me

I care not for gold,

or memories of old,

Neither for the kiss

that you didn't miss,

Nor for the strings

of future springs.

Winter's first snowflake, 

wrapped with care;

A fistful of fall colors,

if you dare;

Your priceless gifts to me,

ever fleeting shall be.

Haikus of Me

Adventure and I 

Courage I know not,

Yet fearless I've always been

Braving life alone.

Love and I 

Greatly loved I've been,

Yet the content I envy - 

Oh this fickle heart.

Success and I

Always shunned limelight,

Yet a name I deeply yearn,

For my legacy.

Peace and I 

Ever in pursuit,

Yet I know not what I seek,

Restless, peaceless life.

I

My idiocies,

My idiosyncrasies,

My burden to bear.

Plans

Explore the pyramids, I will

Answer the Sphinx, I will

Luxor, I'll come to thee.

Glide in thy canals, I will

Wear thy masks, I will

Venice, I'll come to thee.

Behold the Duomo, I will

Drink from Neptune's fountain, I will

Florence, I'll come to thee.

Drenched by thy geysers, I will

Awed by the northern lights, I will

Iceland, I'll come to thee.

Breathe da Vinci's air, I will

Walk in thy vineyards, I will

Loire, I'll come to thee.

Marvel at the Calanquets, I will

Take in thy salty air, I will

Marseille, I'll come to thee.

Smile back at Mona Lisa, I will

Admire Baldassare and Bathsheba, I will

Louvre, I'll come to thee.

Drink in La Rioja, I will

Admire thy golden triangle, I will

Madrid, I'll come to thee.

Meet Esmeralda, I will

Feel thy beaches, I will

Seychelles, I'll come to thee.

Grand plans I made,

Just plans I made,

Life, I ne'er lived thee.

Sending a hug to the moon

Up above this ground,

distant yet bound;

Guiding thro' the night,

calming and bright.

Tethered for eternity,

cursed by destiny;

Burdened by duty,

O shackled beauty!

Behind the veil of white,

what pain do you hide?

Pristine teardrop in the sky,

no one to hear you sigh.

Weary soul

My soul, my phoenix

Braving the games of fate,

Walking on thorned paths

Not a surrender to date.

 

Destiny's next move,

Not heard, not seen, not felt,

But the last straw it is,

Placed gently on my soul's pelt.

No more tears to shed,

My anaesthetized soul,

Beaten, bruised and broken

Never again be whole. 

Marching, white flag aloft,

No desire for flight or fight,

An eternal dreamless slumber,

The only panacea, my soul's right.

The point of me..

The sun rose.

The moon shone.

Birds sang.

Flowers bloomed.

Winds blew.

Waters flowed.

Clocks ticked away.

Men buzzed by.

My toils futile.

My bonds brittle.

My loves fragile.

Not a thing paused,

Not a soul changed,

Not a beat missed,

The day I died.

The Farewell

Hold my hand for a while.

Let the leaving warmth of my body

Comfort you one last time.

Hug me tight while my blood,

Your blood, still runs in my veins.

Don't cover my face yet -

My last breath hangs in the air still,

Caressing your face and hair.

Put me down gently;

Light my pyre with love,

As you would a diwali lamp.

Stay away from the flames,

Lest a rogue spark touches you.

Don't watch my body burn.

Save yourself the pain.

Leave before the end.

Don't look back.

Don't turn back.

Know you are loved.

Know you will be watched.

Don't weep for me;

This was meant to be.

Just don't bid me farewell yet.

The end

A birth and a death

bound my life,

Strong I stood

against all strife.

Treasures I gathered

day and night,

Victories I chased

with all my might.

Friends I made,

Family I built,

Name I made,

Coffers I filled.

My precious trinkets

lay covered in dust,

Name and victories fading,

And wealth untouched.

Friends and family

shed a few tears.

Grief healed, memories fogged

by the passing years.

Alone and empty-handed,

My burning pyre, I stare

Ashes to ashes it is,

I leave without a care.

William Blake's The Fly

This has always been one of my favorite poems. But, since the last few days, I have not been able to get this poem out of my head...

The Fly

William Blake

Little fly

Thy summer's play,
My thoughtless hand
Has brush'd away.

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

For I dance,
And drink, and sing:
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.

If thought is life
And strength and breath:
And the want
Of thought is death;

Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.

The road not taken

The path untrodden,

The road not taken,

Where'd you have led me?

What'd you have made me?

Ever so alluring,

Forever conjuring,

Images radiant and glad

Of a future never had.

Secret accomplice of fate,

Destiny's masochistic mate,

Granting hope to tortured souls,

And torturing souls with hopefuls.

The path untrodden,

The road not taken,

Endless, day and night,

Always cruelly bright.

Final moments

O Death, you brute,

I wonder what you are -

His deliverer of justice

Or the devil's errand boy,

I wonder who you are.

O Death, you sadist,

Why do you come a-calling?

What pleases you the most -

The smell of fear,

The chill of despair,

The silent shrieks of helplessness,

The gasps of grief?

Do you jump with glee

As you ambush me mid-breath?

O Death, be merciful,

Spare me a handful of moments

To steal a last glance,

To bid a final farewell,

Home and hearth, kith and kin, 

I leave behind with nothing,

Trusting fickle memories of men

To bear witness to my spent life.

O Death, my one true soulmate,

Stand by me, steady me,

As I embrace the void,

Unburdened, unfettered., unmasked.

Last wish of a mother

When I die, let me be.

Keep away the saffron wolves.

Shoo away the crocodiles.

It's always been me and you;

Let the same be now.

My virtues, my vices,

My badges of honor.

I need no rites,

I need no arbiter,

I'll meet my maker

As He deems fit.

Don't mourn me,

Don't grieve me.

Don't celebrate me.

I need no wake,

I need no tears.

Hold me with my good and my bad

In a sunlit corner of your heart.

Live life, take flight,

Unfettered by sorrow.

When I die, just let me be.

Despair - 2

How can you feel so desperately lonely amidst a crowd?
Why doesn't all the laughter in the world cheer you?
Where did all the sunshine and light go?
What do you do when you can't find hope anywhere?
Nothing to look forward to,
nowhere to escape to,
with the walls closing in,
what do you do?
Is this a sign?
If this is the end,
then it has to be on your terms.

Ibaadat

Ibaadat nahi haj-tirath ka naam,
Ibaadat nahi kalma-mantra ka naam,
Ibaadat nahi roza-upvaas ka naam,
Ibaadat nahi namaz-puja ka naam.
Agar karna hai tujhe ibaadat apne khuda ka -
ek bhookhe ko khana khila,
ek nange ko kapde pehna,
ek unpadh ko taalim dila,
ek dukhiyaare ko gale laga,
ek pidhit ko insaaf dila,
aur har insaan se pyar badha.

Happy New Year:: Welcome 2013

May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
but by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
but by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships away from you,
but by taking away fear from your heart;
Not by granting you undying love of your dear ones,
but by enabling you to appreciate the love in all your relationships;
Not by making all your endeavors successful,
but by giving you the wisdom to learn from your failures;
Not by giving you perfect health devoid of pain,
but by enabling you to smile through it all;
Not by lavishing you with immeasurable wealth,
but by equipping you with the will and skill to earn what you need;
Not by granting your every wish and whim,
but by filling your heart with kindness and generosity for all;
Not by satisfying all your needs,
but by helping you discover the joys of sharing;
Not by blessing you with unlimited knowledge;
but by giving you the insight to know yourself and your purpose for existence.

A New Year means new possibilities, new relationships and new opportunities.
May your New Year be truly new.

A martyr's epitaph

आज मेरे यह दो बूँद खून जो गिरी,
महक आयी इन से मिट्टी की।
तूझे मालूम बात नहीं यह हैरानी की,
यह ज़िन्दगी तेरे नाम जो कर रखी थी।

DESPAIR

Nothing to hold on
Plunging into cold darkness
Lower and lower.

Only icy chill
Gasping but drawing nothing;
Pain in every breath.

Unable to take sides
Suffering through the battle -
Body or spirit ?

I strain to behold,
In the dungeons of despair,
A flicker of hope.