Sunday, August 29, 2010

SONS AND FATHERS


I am to be going on a tour soon, and today being a Sunday I decided to make a dash to the beauty parlour for a much needed hair trim.....On my return, I find the following on my laptop...It seems my ten year old son was in a mood for much typing....His dad, as usual was a dictator as he always is......lol
 
Dear Mom

I will miss you very much when you will go on your study tour. Anyway, do not think about me. I will be fine. I am just thinking what I will do without you as I will find no one around me on whom I can play mischief on. But I think you will be happier than me because all the time you will be with your students.
                                          
I don’t know by which transport you will go but I guess you will go BY AIR because by train you have to travel 6 days. I think how will I pass the day without you? Oh! I am sorry I began to talk about myself only but IF I ASK -- How are you? Please don’t give me that old answer “I am fine thank you”.

I WILL BE bored of this answer. Any way you MUST tell me about yourself NOW AND AGAIN. now papa wants to speak with you mom -- Hello Shampoo, I am sure you are enjoying the trip with your colleagues and the students. Forget not that we need your valuable time even when you are on the job, may be by way of hourly telephonic conversation with me or with your only son passing his time without you.

I may sound emotional in saying this but you can feel the circumstances prevailing in MY SMall kingdom without the queen. The chirping of the little birds, melody of the cuckoos, THE Humming of the colorful BIRDS flying about in your lusH green garden are not giving any soothing effect IN SPITE of the cool breeze passing BY around us. Please do something to make your pictorial presence here and change the prevailing environment to give IT YOUR USUAL in-paradise like effect.
                                         
Hello Mom, I am back but I was just typing all that dictation. but please don’t blame me, it’s my father’s grammar. Okay THEN BYE. It is almost time for you to return fm your necessary hair cutting visit to the beauty parlour.

LOVE you toooo much

Siddharth                                                       

Being kids was great.....Being with kids too is great....Why do they have to become grownups so fast.....

HEART MIND AND SOUL

Last week it rained relentlessly one night
When I was dumb and distressed after a fight
I thought of you in my heart, Mr. Almight
And soon everything felt absolutely right.


Last fortnight I was sick and weak one morn
A new baby inside me was to be borne
I thought of the wonderful lifelong bond
And felt you around me like a rippling pond.


Last month I had missed the late night bus
I knew at home there would be immense fuss
The roads were empty and I was scared
I got a lift from a friend and knew that you cared.


Last year I accidentally fell from the stairs
Even as I was falling I said my prayers
I knew it was going to be a nightmare
Then I smiled as you let me go with just a bruise cum scare.

Oh God, it is so simple to attain you
You reside in my mind like the ever fresh morning dew
In my heart you prompt me what to do
My very soul you lighten everyday anew.
 
In our serach for God and faith we , at times become aware of a presence.......


Friday, August 27, 2010

UNDER THE CEDAR TREE

A Collaboration with                                  Christoper Cameron


It seems as if the heavens are pouring down
I remember you and have this longing frown
Even as I get drenched in my flowing red gown
I miss you so much that I want to drown.... 


Grief dresses me in a cloak of sorrow
joy from life I can no longer borrow;
To these distant lands you cannot follow
we must both wait until fated tomorrow...


How long is this wait scheduled to be
You have no idea what this does to me
Do you remember me between your meals and runs
Does your heart know me amidst your barrels and guns....



A shell screams by like a screeching banshee
causing more torn lifeless human debris;
As I write this beneath a searing sun
angels themselves this sad scarred landscape shun...


My mind thinks of nothing but holding you
a sweet loving embrace long overdue,
but we wait for the decree of the ‘Chief’
before we can find arms’ solaced relief...


I know how terribly hard this is for you
You were always a man who friends easily drew
Happiness and hope lavishly circulated
Every time in felicity your laughter vibrated....

How long before I genuinely hear you laugh
How long before I see you in glory bask
Seeking delights as we hold hands in the moonlight
Why does it have to be ages before the time is right....



Magical memories you bring to mind;
chiffon silk ‘sheened’ by caressing moonbeams,
reflecting essence of love so refined
as we swirled in each other’s arms and dreams...


The cedar tree our crowning glory,
lush green lawn cushioning each twinned tread.
Fireflies blessed this fairytale story,
not returning home is my greatest dread...


Ever since you have been gone
Life is in bits and pieces torn
Missing you has become a custom
This longing has turned me into a phantom...

You not returning home is not an option
This love of mine has turned into devotion
I will not rest till the gods return you back to me
Do not dread, we'll be together soon you'll see...

This is written from my hospital bed,
from shrapnel I have copiously bled.
Please don’t worry my health is on the mend,
repatriation’s path soon I shall wend...

Once more we shall embrace in loving arms
meeting the needs of Cupid’s shafted charms.
To again inhale your sweet perfumed hair
is the answer to my most fervent prayer...

This poem again, is a collaboration with my friend Christopher Cameron, once again in the form or a dialogue.
This poem is actually much more than being mere mushy. 
This piece is rich in lament, and testifies to true love.... of how a soldier's spouse, or significant other, would be feeling day and night, not knowing of what the next hour may bring.
If you read well, you may see a battlefield and also a desperate woman.
You may also find a special human connect between two people that is disturbed and almost lost due to circumstances.
Yet, the two dont give up and it is the strength of their love along with the blessings of the lord that unite them again.
The arising of difficulties is a part of life, and facing them positively, never losing hope or giving up is the cue.
Last but not the least, prayers too count. 
Thanks yet again, Chris.



THE WAY TO A MAN'S HEART





In collaboration with  Christopher Cameron


 Can you build a tree house for me
That will house me good and be tax free
I could ask for many things and more
But I thought I should start with this small chore?....

My dear you know that we’re out of pocket
I’ve been adding up your shopping dockets.
They were so large I screamed like a banshee,
stunned by mad spending of such huge degree....

Our arboreal retreat has to wait,
down bankruptcy’s slope I don’t wish to skate!....

Oh, my my! Do you have to holler and cry
"I'll build you a dream world before I die"
Dont you remember that promise you made to me
You were twenty then and I was learning to fly?....

To fly?! All you know how to scream is, “Buy!”
Why is your opening purse never shy
when seduced by those darn closing down sales,
and why did you buy those ceramic quails?

Your dream world desire is not yet dead,
please just wait ‘til the creditors have fled...


Oh you dear, handsome miserly honey bear,
Why into bits and shreds my wish do you have to tear
I asked only for a tree house and not the palace of King Lear
Just a simple space for you and me to cheer?....

Your words of honey fill me with great fear
‘cause I know the money will disappear.
I think to the ‘Legion’ I’ll volunteer
a treeless desert my new sparse frontier....


But wait, did you say a space for sweet cheer,
does this mean I’m ‘in’ if I persevere?
This changes everything my gorgeous dear,
now your man can’t wait to get off his gear!....

Oh baby, that is the ever so necessary spirit
I am sure you will someday with someone be a very big hit
I will tell my sexy lover how awesome you are
please, can the tree house be accompanied by a sleek car??....

A car, why do you keep lifting the bar,
plus a lover, now you have gone too far?!
If I buy a yacht to sail the Greek isles
will this overcome your feminine wiles?....


By the way, please bring your lustful new friend
I will be happy to use him as ballast
and I am sure that his ways I can mend,
when he’s fed to the sharks, without malice....!!


A yacht, the Greek isles, minus the car
Oh dear, how cruel of you to stand and jeer
In unceremoniously feeding my friend to the sharks
Do I see the green eyed monster in you plus sparks?....

I guess, I'll settle for the yacht and the isles
If you like I'll pamper your jealous and arrogant wiles
Make it a mansion instead of the tree house
The sleek car can wait until you become my mouse....

Now you’ve done it, this man is no one’s mouse
and you can forget your darn tree house .
I shall live my life completely alone
for your dark sins you can never atone....

p.s. Can you please ring me my sweetheart,
I don’t know how the microwave will start?
I promise that in the trees we’ll reside,
My poor stomach’s growling will not subside!


 

This poem, is again a collaboration with my friend Christopher Cameron.  It is a dialogue, between two people with distinct characters....a theoretical man and an equally theoretical wife. Thanks again, Chris.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT


(In Collaboration with Christopher Cameron)

I was walking down the hill
As lonely as a one dollar bill
The green meadows glided by
And I just wanted time to fly...


I brood and think will there ever be hope
Yet how can one without a partner cope?
Trust is so much more important than lust
Anything else for true love is unjust...

I then caught a glimpse of you
A distinctive man with a magnetic hue
Against your old fashioned car you stood
Staring at me in a brooding mood....


Old fashioned was the way that I was taught
Only through strong morals can this man be ‘caught’;
Loss of faith in most of the female race
Almost caused me to be lost without trace...

I simply liked you without reservations
Not even knowing you or your passions
Was I silly or was I simply intuitive
In finding a total stranger so impressive....


Intuitiveness is Nature’s blessing
Instinct needs no logical assessing;
Reflections of underlying passions
Are revealed by truthful caring actions...

I loved you with ease and grace
Suddenly to me you were a familiar face
Had I known you in some previous birth
Why did this seem like some heavenly mirth....

 
Similar souls ‘touch’ each other at times,
Angels respond with tinkling crystal chimes
Joyously smiling when two have been ‘found’ ,
As these meetings are happily profound...

I found happiness the moment I saw you
The stones I stepped on were gorgeous and new
Was this real bliss or was it a lovely dream
Tell me if this promise is within our realm...

 
Yes, a new sunrise it seems lights our days
The stones tinged rich magenta by these rays;
This path to real bliss is more than a dream
Hand in hand two can unveil Heaven’s scheme...

What was going on, I asked myself, with care
Was this genuine, and if so, how did I dare
Where from did land upon me this serene passion
The essence of which challenged my every past notion...


Life’s experiences never do cease
Past perceptions hold no permanent lease;
Love at first sight can still be proven true
Walk with me our lives shall start anew... 


This poem is written in collaboration with my friend Christopher Cameron.

We came up with the idea suddenly last week while discussing one of my poems in great detail and this just took form.

The first stanza and every odd stanza in the poem is written by me and every even or alternate stanza is his creation. When the poem is read, please infer that every odd stanza is a female's line of thought and the corresponding even ones are the thoughts put down by a male.

It has been fun and a fruitful experience working on this poem. Thank you, Chris.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

IF ONE DAY....

were you....

you were a stranger
stranger than any stranger

you helped me that day
when i was in total disarray

in that noisy den
full of drunken men

you helped with dignity me stay
then stoutly showed me the way

to walk outside with pride
i felt like your bride

but you made me feel great
the moment was a lovely fate

the woman in me was honored
i glowed that goodness showered

i never saw you again
i looked for you in sun and rain

what made me trust you, my lord
why did i bind to you like a chord

were you really a man among men
or some god who for me had a yen....


Sometimes strangers help you out and then disappear leaving you wondering about the hows and whys and wherefores....

Show Me The Way



dear god, i want to live life
and i want to be free
i want to love one and all
and i want all to love me...

let this world be free of rancor
shower pearls of wisdom in every corner
drape badness with a cloak of good
let every person be well understood....

make mankind more ethical and tolerant
let diseases be very few and subservient
stop nature playing havoc with herself
reach out to people when they need help....

come down from the heavens and show me the way
enlighten my heart like the warm sun of may
bless me with progress and prosperity
tell me of the path that leads to eternity....


Tuesday, August 24, 2010

ameliorate my brew

dear god, i sense you in me
and in the deep blue green sea
in the lush light green grass
and in the dark sky full of stars...

dear god, i see you in many a smile
and in every happy-go-lucky mile
in the beings of the poor or the vile
in every form you have an unique style...

dear god, i see you in every goodness
and in human's omnipotent kindness
i see you in our need for simple humour
i try to find you through my prayer....

dear god, i see you, feel you, breath you
and yet why isn't it that i have ever met you
how do i know you, charm you and attain you
and what should i do to ameliorate my brew....

A spiritual line of thought is this one...

DOES THE BETTER MAN ALWAYS WIN


He loved her but he gave her up
For his best friend better filled the cup
Life was good for his friend and the queen
The question is, does the better man always win..??

The rich often win because the poor is not rich....

what you have


a yellow metal
is but gold
it can be bought
and easily sold
or deftly stolen
and given a mold
so, can it really
make you bold....?

what you have
and what you are
what you were
and what you will be
what came with you
and what you gained
what brought you calm
and what left you pained....?

there is more to life
than sheer materialism
there is more to love
than affection and orgasm
there is more to family
than a give and take
isn't there is more to a career
than to pass time as a flake....?

what do you have in you
that is really yours
what makes you loved
in spite of your flaws
that is the gold you really own
you know you have a lot of it
if people at your grave can sincerely mourn....

One of my favourites by me.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

ELYSIAN BREW



As drops of rain touch my face
I remember you with eternal grace
Was it so very long ago
Or was it only yesterday
That we had it all, and rolled in hay....

Parting was a pain
And did we really have to
Living was a shame
We both managed to pull through
The soul though never gave up the Elysian brew....

Priorities and obligations won
We gave each other up for others' fun
But our love we never did shun
Why else am I in your arms today
Even though you are many nautical miles away....

Your regular fortnightly mails I did fondly treasure
I cherished them as your love was beyond measure
As the years purposefully rolled by in their own pace
All we did was to survive the complicated kismet maze
Still hopes of a reunion remain ablaze until our unconditional love stays.....


Love clears the greatest tests and survives all battles of life, but if only it is true.....

SEASIDE SENTIMENTS

Oh God! Please do listen to me 
on this day when I am so totally happy
The wind blows with charm and glee 
as warmth of your presence encompasses me

The sea smells of life sustaining salts 
and in it's vastness lies the unbound malts
Health and humor flows and vaults
no one around me seems to have any faults

The sky over head in its changing hues 
amazes me and gives me blatant cues
Yonder stands the shuffling palms
the water shimmers and my mind it enchants

The distant rocks based strong
will power holds them against anything wrong
Oh God! Standing on this seaside today
I dont know that I really want to pray

But do let me have my earnest say
and allow me to feel the bond if I may
If standing at a point on earth I do taste
the joy of your creation in fullest mirth

How beguilingly beautiful will your own abode be
I can only imagine, and through my soul can very well see.... 
 
 We do all like to talk to God sometimes, dont we....?

SUCCESS AND FAILURES

When in my childhood I won the potato race
I was very happy and it showed smartly on my face
And then every time I topped in the class
I was delirious at the thundering applause...

Success each time introduced me to the world
I came to be known as efficient, worthy and well-versed
It gave me the power and wisdom to do the best
But in one's failures too life had a lot to invest....

My occasional failures described the vast world to me
I learnt that everyone and everything wasnt full of glee
The stark truths and reality it brought forth to me
I had to live in a world where things weren't always designed for me...



The poet is, yours truly....lol