Free Spirit

Don’t bind me in fetters

Don’t tie me in bonds

Don’t set any limits on me

Don’t give me any deadlines.

I am a free spirit

I refuse to be tethered to a spot

I was meant to rise and soar

I come and go as I want.

Succinct

A no is always a no

It cannot and should not be

Interpreted otherwise.

This post is in response to succinct.

Love

Love came to her unannounced
Gently tiptoeing
Tucking flowers in her unruly hair
Imbueing her eyes with faraway dreams
Making her feet dance to an unheard melody
Her lips twitching to a smile every now and then
Her heartbeat tattooing just one name in her chest
Making her garrulous and tongue-tied in turns
Keeping her wide awake at nights
Talking to the lonesome moon
Fireflies as her handmaidens
The night owl chaperoning her
No human tongue made any sense
Nature spoke to her in myriad tongues
Love can do many strange things
But the first flush of love
Can leave anyone delirious.

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Don’t Try to Read What’s Not Written (revisited)

I laugh hard and loud,

But that does not mean I like crass.

I am comfortable in my skin

Don’t try to make me feel guilty.

I smile often and spontaneously,

But it is not inviting.

I speak my mind very often

I can’t help you find my candour intimidating.

I look at you directly when I talk,

It does not say, ” Come hither”.

If I go out for lunch with you,

It is that; just a meal together.

An invitation for drinks,

Should end at just that.

If I accept your compliment graciously,

I am taking it at face value.

You too do that.

Life is too complicated.

Don’t complicate it further,

By reading meaning

Where there is none.

I am tired of games,

Let’s play it straight for a while.

Universal Berceuse

The soothing voice was mesmerising

Though the tongue was indistinct and unknown

As the young mother sang the lullaby

To put her baby to sleep

It reawakened so many bittersweet memories

I curled myself into a fetal ball

Letting her melody wash over me

Cleansing my battered body and tattered soul.

Her sweet voice reminiscent of the warm embrace of mother

And her gentle hand on the brow

Yearning as I was for a healing touch

I could feel tears course down my cheeks

Her universal berceuse gradually rocked me to deep slumber

Cradling my fragile self tenderly

As the lullaby carried me home.

Journey thus far…

As I look back at my journey so far

After having reached the half way mark

I think of all that has happened

And wonder about all that is going to happen.

I realise life is not a profit and loss game

Where you tally the loss against gain.

It has been an illuminating process,

Learning and unlearning by osmosis.

At times life gave me some hard knocks

At others, I easily surmounted stumbling blocks.

Gaining friends as I carried forward,

Losing some loved ones moving onwards.

I don’t know exactly what future has in store

But I am prepared to lose some more for sure.

With age comes equanimity and acceptance

And the realisation of life’s impermanence.

I have let go of regrets as well as fear of retribution

Focusing more on making a contribution

For all that I have taken till the present moment

It’s time to give back without a lament

This is how life goes on

I’ve learnt to take things head on.

It’s Kinda Complicated (revisited)

The moment I fell in love with you

I gave you my heart willingly

Asking for nothing in return.

But

Perhaps

I wanted you to love me back

Spend time with me

Call me

Return my calls

Understand me

Understand my moods

Understand my PMS

Live up to my expectations

Surprise me

Gift me

Cook for me

Treat me like a queen

Never argue

Never doubt

Love my dog

Watch football with me

There are maybe a couple of more things

(I’ll write them when I remember)

Was it too much to ask??

Soul Searching (revisited)

We are so wrapped up in our body,

We often tend to forget,

It’s just a covering for our core, our soul.

We are so busy starving our body,

It slips our mind,

To properly feed our soul.

We are offended by those who shame our body,

That we overlook,

Those who wilfully scar our soul.

A lifetime is spent placating others

That we have no time

For things that can heal our soul.

We often resort to various means to perfect our body

So that we can flaunt it,

But do we ever try to find a balm to soothe our soul?

It is not boldness to reveal body,

Anyone can do it.

It requires courage to reveal your soul.

Everything is ephemeral, including this body

Yet we keep tending to it,

Often forgetting the eternal nature of our soul.

Nourish and take care of your body,

For it houses life force

But never forget to ensure you have a well-fed soul.

I love you not (a ghazal)

You look like a vision I had often dreamt of

To hold you in my arms is all I can think of

But take you in my arms, I will not

Let me confess, I love you not.

This exquisite pain that you have given me

By denying to have anything to do with me

Fills me with longing, but worry not

Let me confess, I love you not.

Life is not worth living if you are not there

What charm has world if you are not there

Don’t worry, your image I will tarnish not

For let me confess, I love you not.

Love is not love if it is unrequited

If two hearts to meet are not excited

Togetherness for them is meant not

Let me confess, I love you not.

The day you start have feelings for me

When you think you cannot live without me

I know that day will come not

Let me confess, I love you not.

Fear

I was drawing shallow breaths

My pulse had become erratic

I was having palpitations

Maybe it was symptomatic.

Now you may call it what you want

Make fun of my sensitive cringes

But the plain and simple truth is

I am petrified of hypodermic syringes!!