Fading End

Scariest truth that is always unspoken,

Death they say is a mystery unbroken

Proves it has a mind of its own unchartered,

Cannot predict, cannot prepare this journey so encountered

With a blink, the soul unhinged moves forward,

Leaving happiness, dreams, pain & sorrow so hollow,

Unlatched gone with no reason to justify the sorrow

Clutching and turning hourglass to rewind,

Living holds on to stories that entwined

Flipping those pages of regret untold,

Wars we fought, shoulders we hold

But time is a healer, and tears dry up

Life moves on with the daily humdrum

Pain fades away, but memory stays on.

Difficult roads

You knock on my door

I open the floodgates

Seemingly unaware of tides

That hit me hard and right

Convincing myself I do not regret

Though feeling of tremors creep in

One day at a time I say

But seconds seem difficult to bear

Thinking it is phase, will fade

Fanning last specks of hope

Wishing for a saviour

Shadows remain muted

Dreaming of a miracle

Soaking my eyes in tears

I ask Why me ? I reply Why not me ?

Slowly the water recedes

Face in mirror gets clear

Out there is someone new

Stronger and renewed view

Self-Reflections for the year that really didn’t go by - 2020

The year 2020 has come to an end finally. Though not sure what changes with that because it is just another day. It is probably only our hopeful minds that once the dawn of year 2021 comes our lives will become better. I think it is actually a good sign that despite all the uncertainty and anxiety we continue to be hopeful 😊.

 

Not to forget 2020 did give us a fair share of learnings through its challenges it threw at us....As they say anything that doesn’t kill you makes your stronger. Generally, it is said that everyone’s journeys are different but year 2020 made it a combined journey of humanity which all of us lived, survived, and scratched through.

For me, I can say is I have grown as a person (well literally in size :D) and realized the real things that matter. So, here’s my reflections or learnings in my own unique way …..Afterall 2020 was unique in every way and hope it remains so ;P:

  

Reflection 1 - Let’s be selfish

 If you are one who is still breathing, your loved ones are safe and sound, and you have money and food on the table – You are nothing but blessed. But even if you have scars, be proud of them because they make you – You! Moral of the story – be selfish to get the maximum out of your life because what happens the very next moment is a big mystery. Also being selfish helps you realize how blessed you are.

 

Reflection 2 – Let’s not fall for the illusion of success

 Some of the biggest nations of the world succumbed to an invisible microscopic enemy. The enemy attacked the rich, the poor, the cities, the villages, the old and the young. What did this enemy teach us? – that success is clearly not an attribute of your size, wealth, status, power…let alone whether you have a roof on your head or not. Moral of the story – Don’t fall for the illusion of success that society shows to you. Your success is like your fingerprint ….it is as unique as you are. Don’t let anyway dictate that for you.  Just do what makes you have happy and let that happiness define your success.

Reflection 3 – Let’s see the bigger picture

Often in times of calamities we awake up and show gratitude to our fellow beings but what happens the rest of year ……well we get busy. This year of 2020 was the year full of gratitude though we would probably never have enough thank yous to say. From the milkman, to our corner kinara wala, to sanitation workers, to our medical professionals and our forever soldiers – all of them risked their own lives to make us feel safer. Moral of the story – Your strength comes from giving strength to others so see the bigger picture of the puzzle and recognize how trivial we are. The best thing life can give you is to make you capable to give.      

Reflection 4 – Let’s solve the unsolved solution

 Year 2020 was challenging emotionally, physically and mentally for all of us. It just took away all the comforts which we unknowingly had become addicted to – traveling, hiring househelp, shopping, eating out, ordering food etc. As I said 2020 was unique and so were the problems of 2020. But there is nothing like a problem…there are just unsolved solutions. We learnt the hard way and probably lives’ most difficult lessons. Moral of the story – Light at the end of tunnel maybe your own torchlight! You are the solution to your problems.

 

Reflection 5 – Let’s just live

 Living became the most paramount need for humanity in 2020. Every other need and want lost its relevance. In our greed to achieve more and more in our lives we killed the nature. During Covid the nature taught us that they are the ones who truly understood the meaning of living. With our greed to keep everything for ourselves we ended up keeping Covid selectively limited for humanity only.  The birds didn’t stop flying, animals didn’t stop wandering in the forests, rivers didn’t stop flowing but humanity came to a full stop. Moral of the story – Live and let live because greed makes you choose but living comes with no choices.

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 2021 and hoping we use of selfishness to define our success stories which defines the bigger picture for humanity so that we have solutions before problems to happily co-exist.

 

 

Memories

Some need polish,

Because they become vague and diminish,

Others seem muffled

Which just fade away

Some are crystal clear, 

Because like it happened here

Others seem so real

Which is just a touch away

It be a celebratory milestone

Or just a partying remembrance 

They are elated etched 

Ready to relive without a fetch 

It be a stormy night 

Or just the morning sweat

They are painfully hidden

Ready to stay without no reason

Black, white, red or blue 

Colours in them are so true

About the journey unread

Of millions of moments unsaid

Carrying with me memories golden,

Of mountains, flowers, stars and ocean.

Unit of Life

Kick in womb like bursts of arrows,
Action starts at target ZERO
Cries so loud shattering walks of tears
So called journey of ONE hears
Holding hands of morale's strong,
To understand the TWO - Right & Wrong
The Father, Son and The Holy spirit,
The divine twist with THREE Trinity
Followed by teenage mood reasons,
More unpredictable than FOUR seasons
Doors to world of opportunities beckon,
Like deep scary wavy FIVE oceans
Soon fighting the battle of Mahabharata,
Fate hangs on dice showing a SIX
Then those creepy weakly moments,
When sense give away to SEVEN opponents
Wisp of Nirvana calmness depth,
Mediate towards the EIGHT fold path
Final release of the movie twine,
Towards the journey of cloud NINE!

Cracked Identity

Remember the fight the ended with pride,

Day I stood like a newly wedded bride

I got the right to express… to speak ,

Flaunted my patriotism like a device so sleek.

Colours that stood unwaveringly for democracy,

Bravery, peace and prosperity.

Now that bravery closed my eyes to discrimination,

Slept peaceful nights to the burning nation.

And the prosperity that followed by sacrificing all but my equal.

The freedom I earned stared at my mirror’s sight,

I spoke and expressed …but not for the right.

Again fought battles but for sex, religion, and culture,

Throwing my remaining humanity into the gutter.

Today I stand shattered in torn clothes and no pride,

Holding onto a false mirage of freedom without a stride.

My Heartbeats

Hands so little and face so naive,
To tiny footsteps crawling into my life.

Rush of energy & moments of pure pleasure,
To the radiance of innocence shining from the purest of pure.

It brings back melodies to my memory,
Those long forgotten tales of bravery.

Reminds of Jill came tumbling after,
To fairies never failing to say happily ever after.

From the shattering of your unbreakable,
To breaking smiles to faces unshakeable.

All this comes like a symphony to me,
Waking a dormant hidden part of me.

To hold on to that little finger,

To start the most magical journey ever.