Solitude

When the world becomes too much for me

I prefer then to be with only me.

No company can be better than your own

To be able to explore own facets unknown.

For that you have to leave your baggage behind

Calm all your senses and have an open mind.

Quieten the voices clamouring to be heard

Listen to the inner silence, be deaf to the world.

Solitude is a wonderful place to be

When you are in touch with only me.

The quietude, the silence, the nothingness around

Is necessary to balance the din all around.

With too many voices and opinions crowding you in

It is better to log out instead of staying plugged in.

Listen to yourself, sing or read

Enjoy your own company to feed your need.

Once you are again in touch with self

Go reconnect with the world and forget yourself.

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Leap of Faith

The redolent air fills my senses

Sharpens my longing

For the bygone days

The past beckons

With beguiling memories

If only, stepping back was easy!

I stand hesitating

The future looks daunting

But has to be met

My fears, I know, are baseless

Without any substance

Yet have the power to arrest me

It is a leap of faith that I have to take

So I shut the door behind me firmly

And move ahead.

Abiding Love

They were fascinating

They were intriguing

In every shape and size

They were tantalizing.

With wide-eyed wonder

I closely watched them

Acquiring new meaning

At every turn.

I loved to roll my

Tongue around them

Savour their flavour

As some of them tied my tongue in knots.

Listening to their cadence

Inflection and pitch

Wrapping my head

Around their myriad meanings.

What began as an interest

Turned into an infatuation

A crush to beat all crushes

And now is an abiding love.

As I grow older

The bond grows stronger

And I can’t bear to

See them being misused.

My affair with words

Is a lifelong one

I don’t mind sharing them with you

But please give them

The respect that they deserve

And don’t bandy them around

Without realising their worth.

My Books

My books don’t speak to me any longer

They stare sullenly from the bed stand

Their haughty gaze follows me from the bookshelf

They sulkily excuse themselves
If I try to reach out.

Paperbacks, my beloved, are the angriest of the lot.

I had not noticed their strange behaviour

But yesterday, when I picked up a paperback,

I had bought some time ago

The feel of it in my hands was so unfamiliar

It seemed to shrink away from me

That I had to put it down.

Heartbroken, that it refused to speak to me

I wondered how things had come to such a pass!

I have been thinking ever since and

I guess they have been feeling neglected

Ever since my affair with the digital media started

I spend more time on the phone/tab/pc/laptop

Looking for short reads

Instant news, instant gratification, instant feedback

The sacred ritual I shared

With the books was abandoned.

But I can’t let my first love wither away

So I dusted all the books lovingly

Neatly rearranged them

Picked up the one which had rebuffed me

Made myself a cup of tea

Drew the curtains, put on the lamp

And curled with it in a corner on my favourite chair.

I am rekindling an old romance

Please do not mind if I don’t respond when you come knocking.

Candyman

The candyman would come everyday

Bearing a sweet treat for her

He had the uncanny knack to know

What her heart desired.

Sometime one, at others two

He knew what her sweet tooth craved

And thus blossomed a sweet relation

On a common love that brought them together.

Everyday she would wait eagerly

For a new candy from the candyman

Who was happy to get his remuneration

In her sincere, kind words.

Concert (revisited)

She sat ramrod still, aware of everyone present.

Her heart beat with a thundering tattoo.

Her instructor’s words rang in her ears

“You have the attitude, don’t do a repeat of your debut!”

An icy finger traced her spine

As she waited tremulously for her cue.

She wiped her sweaty palms along her thighs

And hit the first note rather clumsily.

She pulled herself, breathed and concentrated

Soon enough her fingers moved busily.

Like swallows they rose and fell and glided,

Landing on the keys with feather like touch.

Adiago to allegro, trills and tremelos

Only music mattered she knew this much.

Oblivious of the audience, she played as if possessed

And when she did so, her music soared.

She played like she had never played before

Creating a rare harmony for mind and soul.

As she played skillfully and the music reached crescendo

The audience cheered and clapped and praise poured.

She rose unsteadily to accept the accolades

It was a virtuoso performance she knew that herself.

The ghost of past debacle was laid to rest

Finally, she had proven herself.

हमने भी वैलनटाइन मनाया

For all those who can read Hindi sharing a poem on Valentine’s Day. Enjoy your weekend.

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हर तरफ वैलनटाइन के चर्चे थे

हवाओं में रोमांस के पर्चे थे।

ऐसे में दिल का डोलना स्वभाविक था

क्योंकि हर कोई हो रहा रोमांटिक था।

पर पति हमारे कुछ नीरस टाइप के हैं

उनके लिए हम सिर्फ वाइफ ही हैं।

पर इस बार हम हार न मानने वाले थे

बच्चे अब हो रहे स्याने थे।

बहू को हम क्या खाक मुँह दिखाएँगे

जब हम वैलनटाइन एक बार भी न मना पाएँगे?

पहुँच गए हम तुरंत इनके पास

कर दिया बस फ़रमान जारी खास।

“इस बार हमें भी फूल और चाकलेट चाहिये

वर्ना आप और आपके बच्चे भूखे रहिए ।”

अखबार से नजरें हटा इन्होंने हमें ऊपर से नीचे देखा

हम समझ गए तीर बखूब निशाने पर लगा।

बस, फिर क्या हमारे पाँव जमीं पर न पड़ते थे

कुछ पतले होते तो यकीनन उड़ रहे होते थे।

१४ आई और हम प्यार-इकरार की बातें सोच शर्माने लगे

इस बार पड़ोस…

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Marriage

They say they have the recipe of a successful marriage

The ingredients being honesty, fidelity and

Of course the much touted love!

I say fie and piffle!

This is all balderdash and humbug!

Marriages succeed pretty well without

The much exalted love

I have seen successful marriages

Turning a blind eye to infidelity

And where couples lie to each other

Longevity of marriage is assured

So don’t go by what people say

About this ingredient or that

Find what works for you and chuck out the rest

There is no tried or tested formula for success

You either ace it or lose

For you usually learn on the job.