The Massacre at Dawn

The signs were ominous,
She had been eying them for a long time now,
Friends and relatives were talking about it,
The neighbours had undergone a similar treatment a few days ago,
Time stood painfully still,
Days and nights seemed inconsequential,
Food supplies and water levels were aplenty,
But death seemed an imminent threat,
During the harsh summers and the chilly winters,
They stood strong,
Not asking much,
But disciplining themselves and growing in number,
It was as if they weren't even there,
The world seems to push them over,
They, who don't seem pretentious,
They, who don't act brash,
They didn't smell like a rose,
Or look like the Birds of Paradise,
But they were an industrious lot,
Providing essentials for others' vanity,
One fine morning,
The Cacti lay uprooted from their sleepy abode,
And that's when I saw,
The massacre at dawn.

A Summer Melody

There is a splash of amber everywhere,
A cloudless rhapsody,
Winds carry times of change
And the Earth splits open,
Moisture seems scared to venture outside,
Cacti curse their fate even more.

The mornings give you hope and belief,
Of a day of pleasantness and relief,
The heat wrinkles the urchins torso,
It wilts adolescent plants
And tests the fortitude of trees,
A Breeze flows from the hills
And proceeds to envelope the plains.

We live in times when
Shade is in paucity
And sun block is a necessity.
Gulmohar is the flavour of the season,
Fiery saffron to blind away the summer woes,
Afternoons are a reminder to one and all,
That hell is not an option at all!

Throats are parched,
Bodies dehydrated,
Brows are drenched,
Handkerchiefs are wet,
Muscles are strained
And the mind is drained.

But in spite of this ,
Men toil on,
Because there is the promise of better times ahead,
Of rain and foggy winter mornings,
As life moves on,
With the belief of a better tomorrow.

When Will I Walk Alone?

Lately Everything begets responsibility,
Where's the time where we could roam aimlessly,
Like a vagabond,
When the mind is fluid
And borders do seem irrelevant.
Do I pick up my bags and walk?
Do I depart from wonderland and arrive at reality?
Alone have I come here,
But solitude is what I don't seek.
Give me purpose, O GOD,
Because I don't know where I tread.
Doors seem shut now,
Closed for eternity.
I pry open a few
And they lead me to infinity.
The place where I hop out of my soul
And see myself do things 'I' would never do!
Who is this person?
Am I on Auto Control?
Where is that remote gone?
Is this the person you want to be?
No, its just the person you're going to be.
Your soul cries out fowl,
But the mind, ever powerful,
Believes everything is status quo.
Listen to that cry,
Inside, beside and outside you
You promised so much,
Dreams of making it big.
Someday, you thought,
you would build character,
But the horizon is miles apart
And the distance between potential and reality does seem far.
Fret not, I'm going to sleep,
I've much to achieve in my dreams.

Life

My purpose of naming the blog 'Defining Life' was because I'm constantly trying to look for my purpose, like Mother Teresa found her calling in serving the destitute's of Kolkata. The following poem was one of the first I ever wrote. Like the previous poem, the language might be crude or childish, but the intention: true. Don't know when I would finally understand how to define life. Until then I persist:

I ponder and ponder over what is life

I often wonder what it is like

Worrying about tomorrow drains our whole life

Life is to live each moment on its own merit.

A casket of mysteries is life,

A mystery that should always remain unsolved.

On seeing a great man dead

‘Why hast Thou lifted his soul?’ I asked God.

I ask God when I look into the mirror,

‘Why hast Thou given him this life?’

He never answers me

I never know the reason why?

Maybe its this what makes life what it is.

‘Life is what you make of it’ said somebody,

‘Life is what destiny’s chosen for you,’ said another.

For a new born

The effort to survive is what is life

And for the aged it is the enduring sleep that is life.

So friends,

Whatever be the definition of life

Live it by your own rules,

‘Cause life comes once not twice.’

Old memories

Yes, this is the second post of the day. I'm on a roll. Get over it.

I just stumbled upon a couple of my old poems which I had penned while in school. Hope you like it:

THE GIFT OF LIFE

Life occurs once not twice,

Live In Fullest Enthusiasm- is the Full Form of life;

GOD! Thank You for this gift of yours,

Breathed through the nostrils of Adam,

And into the body of Eve was life;

None can take life,

None can give life,

Other than the one above;

In the womb of a mother,

A new life is formed,

Eager to step into this dirty but beautiful world;

Life is created not to be wasted,

But to be utilized to its fullest potential,

A chance never to be forgotten,

Life overflows in the person with unlimited love for all,

How great an opportunity to live life!

LOVE, FORGIVENESS, HUMILITY, HARD WORK

Are the synonyms of Life,

Therefore my friends “LIVE LIFE KINGSIZE”.

Happy New Year Folks!

Yeah, yeah...I know. I've been lazy. My lackadaisical attitude towards my blog makes me hang my head down in shame.

Well, its the new year and time for resolutions. Nah, I don't want to go that side. I would like to say that there would be persistent efforts by me to update the blog. The year gone by has been a roller coaster ride with several crests and troughs in its graphs. The new year brings great promise and GOD willing some concrete actions.

While I was working on the 31st of last year, I got some moments during work to pen down some thoughts about the moment of changing from the old to the new. It was sudden and I always like it when inspiration strikes. I read this out to my work colleagues when we celebrated our new years away from the maddening crowds. Here's how it goes:

An ode to the year gone by,

All our trials and tribulations goodbye,

Cheers, adiós, GODspeed 2010.

It's time to look at all those moments,

which made us cry, moan and dry,

happy, upbeat and filled with joy.

Now is the moment of poignance,

When you step into the new

and leave the old behind.

A fresh start and a close to earlier proceedings.

A common belief is to start anew,

But I say CONTINUE:

Continue striving, Continue excelling.

Do what you used to do,

But as if your life depended on it.

Let me finish by wishing you well for the year gone by,

and the one that lies ahead.

I thank the ONE above and hope that 2011 is

that moment in life when your dreams come true!

The Mirror

My eyes let me see everything around me,

But not me, not my own self:

How do I look?

What do others think of me?

The mirror answers me and announces-

This is not what you hoped for!

I look at my reflection and what do I see:

I see doubt, I see depth,

I imagine everything I wanted to be.

There's opportunity written all over my face and future in my hands,

Shoulders burdened with responsibility,

A stomach full of butterflies,

And legs trembling with anticipation.

The body seems ready but the mind seems not,

The heart is pumped but the arteries are clot.

You're ready to fly but your anchor holds strong.

Let go and love fear,

Take off those wrinkles and bring back that grin!

O GOD, help me loosen those strings,

Help me unburden my load,

Let me convert that potential into constructive work.

When I look into the mirror a few years down the line,

Let me look at this moment in awe,

Because it would have changed my life forever!

Mirror-O-Mirror, remind me every dawn and every night,

Of all the things on the other side,

Of which I have dreamt and craven for life,

So that the future becomes my present, NOW!