In the blink of an Eye

Nothing in life is permanent

Things change with a dramatic event

It becomes your before and after

You wish for monotony rather.

But it is not up to you, is it?

Even if you want to quit

These events shape our lives

It’s about who loses, who survives.

 

Your learning all these years is determined by

What you do

When life changes

In the blink of an eye.

T is for... These Times are Extraordinary

L is for.. Love that Increases

We say the same things at the same time
And then do exactly the opposite
We love the same food, same movies, same places
And then differ - bit by bit.

I don’t know how marriage works

It just works automatically for you and me

Thank you for teaching me what true love really is

Because what we have is as pure as it can be.

With all the things you say and do

I can't believe how easy life is

May our love stay how it is right now

- A kind of love that increases.

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Love is my most favourite thing in the world. It is not just romantic love, it is that warm, fuzzy feeling that I feel with some people, things, places and all that life entails. Howeverrrrr, I write poems on only romantic love - this one comes from my 10th anniversary and each word of it is from the heart.

Travel stories, fiction and poetry, my AtoZ 2020 challenege is going well so far!

J is for... Joneses

I see them everywhere

Wearing a Prada and a Jimmy Choo pair

With rosy cheeks and glossy lips

Sculpted bodies and full hips

They saunter out of their luxury cars

Eat a salad, drink Martinis in bars

Then take selfies for the Gram

To immortalise this big sham.

And now they sit, like all of us

Their closets now superfluous

All those items gone to waste

Life has changed, it's slow paced

Love, kindness, relationships, matter now

You even must pluck your own eyebrow!

Will these Joneses pitch in to feed the poor

Or that money is just for grandeur?

I’d keep up with them if they keep up with this tragic time

If they don’t step up, their shopping list is a heinous crime.

Use this money for a greater cause

Bring back the world to what it was

Give it forward, the need of the hour

Show-off the bank balance, and great power

Then take selfies for the Gram

Immortalise this - cause then it’s not a sham.

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So, for the AtoZ challenege, I started out with travel stories and moved on to fiction. But you see I'm a poet, and I cannot live without writing a poem on the current tragic situation. Forgive me for moving away from my theme every few days!

Also, be kind.

Imagine

Imagine that you are healthy

It isn’t hard to do

Close your eyes – hop, skip and jump

Imagine and it will come true.

Imagine that you are wealthy

That is an easy task

Driving a Porche, wearing a Prada

Imagine and you won't even have to ask.

Imagine that you are happy

Don’t we all want bliss?

Think you are in a park, laughing out loud

Imagine and you will attain happiness.

Imagine that there is only the good

And it will come bouncing back

STOP feeding negativity

Imagine and get your life on track.

The Voices in my Head

They tell me it is ok

Then they tell me it is not

When I look out for explanations

They tell me they are a confused lot.

‘Oh how convenient,’

I tell them out loud

Then they laugh at my misery

Tearing me apart, Making me not so proud.

These voices in my head

I wonder if you can hear 

Only if you did

I wouldn’t be someone you could bear...

These voices in my head

Do you have them too?

How do you push them away

So that you can be you?

'I am better than these voices,'

I sometimes calm myself and say

This is, ofcourse, yet another voice from my head

Which tried to be kind to me today!

Conversations

Conversations

Long and meaningful

Short and sweet 

Between the said and unsaid

Lie words so deep.

Conversations

Me and you

You and them, them and me

Between the exchanges

Lie changes which you hurt to see.

Conversations

I mince my words

I turn and twist

Between the truth and acceptable 

Lies the being we detest.

Conversations

Some never meant to end

Some you will always regret

Between desired and imposed

Lie memories you can't forget.

Darkness and Light

The raindrops come falling down

The leaves rejoice, there is beauty all around

This weather always has a story to tell

There is one here too, waiting to be found.

I try to untangle the scheme of things

Sometimes it is not that clear

The haze around is too thick.

The weight – it is too strong to bear.

The clouds now make a thundering noise

A small puddle forms around me

The sun plays hide and seek

I look up – there is a rainbow that I can see.

Life’s challenges never seem to end

But if you look hard, beauty is hidden everywhere

The sun behind the clouds tells me today

That darkness and light always comes in pair.

Even though I like this rain

I wait for a strong wind to send the clouds away

There is clarity in light, in mundane things
And so I wait for a bright sunny day.

I Want to be a Child Again

Not a worry on my mind

Not a frown of any kind

Didn’t know then what was pain

I want to be a child again.

Books, toys, games, many-a-friend

That was till where the world would extend

Tantrums, yes, but not a single complain

I want to be a child again.

I knew I was different

Different – no idea what it meant.

Different is now a headache, a strain

I want to be a child again.

It’s funny how we always wanted to grow up

Adults, it seems, were doing an impressive cover-up

Or it was just our rose-coloured glasses then

I want to be a child again.

When the going gets tough

At times you think you’ve hit rock bottom

And there’s no way of coming back

You feel the universe is against you

And that life is never going to get on track.

In times like these it’s never easy

Positive words begin to suck

The entire world tries to motivate you

All you feel is that you are out of luck.

BAD TIMES DON'T LAST

- that’s all you have to remember

Be Grateful for all you have

What you don’t, was not yours ever.

Life is beautiful – you've felt it before

It’s all going to get together

Embrace the good, let go of the bad

Soon you will look back and feel better.

Yes, This Happened To Me

The following poem is a part of  IndiBlogger's Happy Hour contest sponsored by CloseUp. In this contest, the website has asked bloggers to pen down how they would propose to their love on Valentine’s Day. 

I would certainly do it with a few verses that rhyme!

This particular poem is very dear to me since I wrote it on a piece of paper (which is still there, folded in my diary of poems.) when I was very young, around 14 or 15 years old. The meaning of love might have changed since, but the feelings remain the same. It’s weird how these lines can bring back the exact emotion one felt at that moment. Poems have this special quality – to hold the emotions within a few words. They are like a bottle which can really capture a moment for the writer. I’m so glad I can pen down these and relive those emotions.

Yes, This Happened To Me

When you looked at me and smiled

When your eyes and my eyes met

When you seemed so different, so special from others to me

I fell in love, yes this happened to me

 I have read in books, I have seen in movies

 Love is life, love is everything

 It never seemed so meaningful to me

 But I believed it when I fell in love, yes this happened to me.

 Love made me feel it’s the only happiness

 It became my incentive to enjoy life as much as I could

You were then the person most valuable to me

You gave a new meaning to my life, yes this happened to me.

Your mischiefs, your attitude, your... everything

Suddenly became so intimate, suddenly so dear

Your every step, every moment became so important to me

I just loved you the way you were, yes this happened to me.

 I always wanted to know is it true love, or is it just infatuation

The answer always was - whatever it is, it has changed me, in a good

way.

I took you and took life as it came to me

I loved the feeling of being in love, yes this happened to me.

I was afraid that one day our paths may change directions

I was afraid that I could lose you very soon

But that didn’t stop me from letting you know how much you meant to me

I just wanted to live in the moment, yes this happened to  me.

For the first time in my life I loved and cared for a stranger

For the first time I felt a part of a stranger

This wonderful stranger, who is now so dear to me

I'm immensely in love with you, yes this happened to me...

Just Being Me

As I lay in my bed thinking what I have done

Told the truth to my love, second to none.

Transparency in everything – that’s how I wanted my marriage to begin.

Then why am I made to believe that I’ve committed a sin?

You loved me with all your heart,

Promised - ‘til death do us part.

I vowed to be faithful, respectful and a loving wife.

You are now, and forever will be, my life.

Then why a fragment from my past shook you like this?

What made you so skeptical that you won’t even kiss?

I've told you about Him before - He and I were young and ruthless,

Crazy in love, absolutely relentless.

I thought love was unity of body and soul.

I thought I was smart, absolutely in control.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t make a mistake,

My love was true, nothing was fake.

We were responsible adults, yet it didn’t work out.

It meant everything to me, yet now, I’m living without.

And then you came, like a prince on a horse,

To begin a lifetime of romance, like a fairy-tale ofcourse.

You decided to wait till we tied the knot.

In our roller-coaster ride, I almost forgot.

I wanted to be truthful, keep every promise,

Shouldn’t THAT be a marriage’s basis?

I believe in God, have love for Him in my heart

Baseless religious beliefs mean nothing to me from the start.
Sex, to me, was a part of love,

A natural consequence created by the Lord above.

I don’t wish to erase it all with a magic wand

But I’m all yours now, I wish you’d understand.

Our beliefs differ, but our values remain the same,

I won’t make excuses ‘coz they all seem lame.

You’ve asked for time, that I’ll give,

I won’t apologise, ‘coz there’s nothing to forgive.

Yes, I had pre-marital sex and it was a big deal.

I was in love; loved how he made me feel.

It wasn’t as if I slept with every other guy,

If that’s what you conclude, then I guess it’s a goodbye.

I’m a loyal, passionate and caring person, that’s how I’m always going to be.

Sex before marriage doesn’t determine my morals, and I won’t EVER let it define me.

This poem is written for a contest on IndiBlogger where bloggers have to give their opinion on pre-marital sex. The entries will be judged by Poonam Uppal who has recently written a book called A Passionate Gospel of True Love : A Mystical True Love Story. You can order your copy here. 

The Scent of Bliss

We wandered happily in a picturesque meadow

Treading the wooden bridges over the water

A waterfall splashed creating an echo

A Buddha, some candles - all standing in a perfect order.

Surrounding the area was this scent of Bliss

I looked up and saw numerous trees of Eucalyptus.

Dancing magnolias welcome you inside

Koi fish in the pond show you their style

Your senses are overpowered, you cannot help but abide

You suddenly feel alive, you suddenly feel agile.

You wish to breathe and breathe and never stop

The crisp fragrance that you inhale, I have never found it in any shop.

This Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Is a little bit of heaven on Earth

The landscaping, the meditative state, the whole show

Makes your worries melt, brings an unusual mirth.

But one thing that you are constantly drawn to is a comforting perfume

You keep hunting for that one thing that is taking away your gloom.

Maybe it was the smell of numerous flowering shrubs standing in a line

It could have been the bonsai or simply the lush green grass.

Was it the redwood? Or, was it the pine?

My senses didn’t want to think and so I gave it a pass.

I just inhaled, inhaled this perfume of Bliss

I looked up again, oh yes; it had to be the Eucalyptus.

The hidden surprises there make you want to carry on

The wisteria and azalea inspire the poet in you

All your senses are awakened, you feel like a mere pawn  The crisp air, the fresh trees, they all make you feel so new.

The Zen garden encourages you to give

But it’s the smell, the fragrance of Eucalyptus that makes you want to live.

This was a year ago

But the perfume is still fresh in my mind

Whenever I’m in a pensive mood and my mind wanders to and fro

I think of that garden to move away from the grind.

And then my heart feels a sense of Bliss

And somehow smells that Eucalyptus.

I was reminded of my trip to the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco last year when I came across this contest on Indiblogger. The contest asks Bloggers to write about their evocative travel experience to help Godrej aer create the first crowd-inspired fragrance.
This was indeed a divine experience and I just loved sharing it like this!

End

Her fingers tremble

Tremble as she wipes the dust off the knob

Opens the lock with her key

Staring at the staircase with melancholy.

It is here she spent

Spent the best years of her life

Running up and down playing with Ma

Learning new songs, trying Salsa.

She walks inside and looks

Looks into the barren rooms

A memory makes her smile

She touches the wall and waits awhile.

Why is it hard

Hard to let go

The new owners will be here by noon

It won’t be hers, it will be theirs soon.

They’ll make memories

Memories which were hers once

Of dancing in the Kitchen, laughing like a retard

Sneaking a kiss with her first in the backyard.

Will they keep it better

Better than her family?

Will they hang murals, paint the wall blue

Will they plant roses and make some bonsai too?

She thought about the days

Days when the house was happy to be their home

She wishes for its happiness and lets out a tear

Then prays for its growth for it is still very dear.

She reluctantly turns her back

Absorbs the jealousy

Best things, possibly, come to an end

Move on, make room for new or, at least pretend.

Cricket Crazy Creatures!

Stuck in sticky situations many-a-time,
Banned to watch the IPL, like it was a crime.
Friends won’t leave us alone. Work, uh, it tries to come first.
In conditions like this, certain excuses I trust!

Once we promised a friend we would be at her place by 8,

The match was on, we were definitely going to be late.
We had to cook up a story that did not sound strange,
So I told her how a bird crapped on me and how I had to come back home to change!

Yes, yes, yes! It did sound genuine.

Want another justification? This could fool anyone:
One Semi-final night we had to deceive a friend who was rather cute,
We told her how we were being followed and how we had to re-route!

We are not mean, we just like to watch every ball,

If you know how cricket crazy we are, just don’t call!
And if you catch us off-guard, we have an excuse on the list:
‘Match? What match? We have to go to the dentist.’

Charitable event is yet another excuse we have used a couple of times.

We are down with viral? – yes sometimes.
We are mean, crooks you say?
Oh, we’ll be witty to watch the IPL anytime, anyday!

Here is the last crazy idea that has worked quite well:

We call the person and ring a bell.
'You are not home, it seems to me.
Oh, this is your old home, how silly I can be!'

Tch, Tch, Tch... now don’t say you pity our friends,

We are nice to them after May and make amends.
Sometimes these excuses don’t work and we just try to keep calm,
And then watch the Pepsi IPL on Star Sports.com.

You’ve seen the live streaming – have you or have you not?

Or your excuses always work – you’ve never been caught?
I, for one, always have this favorite feature on the website open.
Although I hope my plans always work. To that, let’s just say - Amen!


 

This post is a part of  Cricket just got better! Activity by starsports.com in association with BlogAdda.com.

My favorite feature - Live Video on Starsports.com - is a boon for cricket fanatics! Users are privileged to:

* Live feed and full replays of all matches. IPL is a 5 minute delayed stream. This facility is only available in India.
* Download the application  (which is free) and watch the live video on your phone, desktop, laptop or your tablet.
* If you are on a lower bandwidth, starsports.com uses adaptive streaming to display the best content.
* You can view player statistics, scorecards and social conversations - all while you are viewing the match LIVE
* You can pause & replay the match whenever you want and follow the match at you convenience.
* Read the FAQ's and watch cricket anywhere, anytime!

V is for... Victory?

This appeared in the Indiatimes website and then The Times of India newspaper in July 1999. I was 17 then. The clipping is at my parent’s place.

A victory, at last.

Threw the intruders back with a blast.

With a message of relevance:

Leave alone our fence.

Bravo! To our courageous soldiers.

Cheers! We won after a valiant struggle.

But wait...

What are these celebrations for?

It remains the same for hundreds of widows.

A struggle for parents,

A million sorrows.

An air of unusualness in the land of Kargil,

A stillness of graveyard where so many were killed.

Let’s pray for their souls,

For their families, for their homes.

May never such a war take place again.

May never a man kill a man.

May brothers love each other.

May never a country fight with another...

And yet... we have seen so much more since then.

What Women Want

From time immemorial you’ve been guessing what women want,

Is it what you are or is it what you flaunt?

Let me clear the air and spill a few beans for you,

You can breathe a sigh of relief and thank me too!

Like the King of the Jungle you have a Mane going on,

You think, like him, your beard makes you look strong?

You think it defines your manhood...masculinity, you say,

No! No! No! For us, a clean shaven look is more manly any day!

You want to look wise, so you flaunt a new Goatee,

It makes you look mature, you say it’s classy.

We’re no facial hair police and want you to be free,

But since you asked, please reserve this look for when you are eighty!

There is something about a Stubble that makes you look lazy,

It’s not only about hygiene; it can also give us a rash that can sometimes be crazy.

It makes you look like someone who really doesn’t care,

Of all the things in a man, Insensitivity is something women really can’t bear.

Sideburns make you look confused, like a hippie out of school,

A Chinstrap is pointless – like an attention seeking fool.

You think a Moustache makes you look brave because you flaunt the hardest challenge in a beard,

Believe you me, just like the Soul Patch it only makes you look boring and weird.

If you don't want us to chant 'I hate that unclean stubble', SIMPLY strut a Clean Shaven look,

For the Ladies it means, you’d do anything for us by hook or by crook.

It means you’re an Unpretentious Gentleman and you love your Gal,

That’s ALL women want, it’s that simple, my Pal!

Protest Against Unclean Stubble Activity in association with BlogAdda.