QUEST

It began someday,somewhere in a city of my own..
A quest unknown, all consuming!
Tididgs fresh took me places,
To cities unknown,
Many I met. Some knights. Some knaves.

In glossy attires they all looked alike.
Under bright lights though their souls lay bare.
Some cried for help!
But their voices were strangled...
Filling their coffers with gold instead,
Trying to barter peace of mind.

I chased them all night and day!
Pretending then to fulfill my quest.
Instead I found myself lost and lone.
In the midst of a race with creatures unknown.

I stood back then tired and wary
A wake up call came one fine day.
As the first rains purged the earth.
I found the meaning of life again.

A raging storm outside the window...
In a city long back had made me its own.
I looked up heavenwards and smelt the wet earth
A quest anew...had just begun!

An Ode to the Poet

(My humble offering to Rabindranath Tagore on his 70th death anniversary)

The flowers smelt sweet, the gentle breeze swayed,
As to your tunes I matched my steps.
As a little girl, I discovered joy!
The journey ahead as time passed by...
I learnt to live with my head held high.
As a young woman, I found my faith.
With more years gone, a bashful maid....
With your words I learnt to love.
In times of sorrow, when I called your name,
You came in silence and eased the pain.
The clock keeps ticking and I here I stand...
With chores unfinished on my hand.
I know not how oh enlightened soul
When you touched my being and made me whole!
Ways of the world I cannot comprehend,
But in your wisdom I do depend.
Oh noble bard! Oh poet of dreams....
In pleasure and pain your lyrics remain!

CORNERED

There he stood, in a corner of the street

The harsh ball of fire scalding his bare skin

His eager eyes on the lookout

Maybe, the schoolgirl with a happy trot...

Maybe, the couple across the street cooing sweet nothings.

Wouldn’t a frosty bite be just perfect now?

A perfect ploy to beat the heat!

Chocolate, butterscotch, strawberry... anything you want.

But they do not stop

The school girl, the happy couple head to a cheerful place

Where air-conditioners are on full blast

The flavours are on display

Little plastic spoons

Piling in the garbage, slowly but surely

Yet they are joyful

An “informed choice” has been made you see.

The man in corner goes back home, trudging along his cart.

His ice candies melting away like his spirit.

Yet the light does not go out from his eyes.

Tomorrow will be a new day.

Flavours

They came in a fish net still alive gasping for breath.

On a rain swept dawn, gills working overtime

A battle in vain.

Hoping to unite in some other life, two lifeless bodies lie alongside.

The elated fishmonger cries hoarse about his fresh stock.

Somewhere close a mangy dog and a well fed cat engage in conversation

About Life perhaps!

Close to the market a wife gets busy, grinding spices to cook the fresh fish

The simmering curry a perfect blend of flavours, much like life at its best.

A satisfying meal, a burp in appreciation.

Yes, all is right. Today will be a good day.

The coy smile of the young wife

The odours of fish languish in the air.....

The Arrival

The dried earth waited in anticipation,

Day after day, waiting with bated breath.

Parched and tired it looked heavenwards

Pleading for mercy, seeking peace...

In silent prayer, sometimes in angry repartee.

And then one day, the heavens smiled.

Stitching together its broken clouds.

The skies turned grey.

The first drops of rain quenching the thirst of the mother

Who held her new born in her arms and cried.

A new beginning on a rain washed day.

A fresh start on an earth purged of its sins.

Afternoon

The soul floats on a mellow afternoon.

To a deserted by lane, in some city of dreams.

A whiff of a meal just consumed in a modest home.

The aromas of spices fill the air......

Somewhere across the river bed,

A tune long forgotten entwined with dreams.

A blind vagabond playing the flute.

Sad yet soulful eyes with no light in them

A beggar woman tired and hungry

We know each other from somewhere..sometime...

A greeting exchanged

The eyes have it, some many answers.

The soul moves on to someplace else....

A child sleeps peacefully, alongside her mother.

A beautiful smile playing on her lips.

As she weaves her dreams in finest silken thread.

Love as I know it

The first rush of blood,
Into my cheeks.
From a distance...
Our eyes met.
A lurch in my heart.

You held me close,
My downcast eyes.
Wedding bells,
Our hearts beat as one.
In your palms,
I lay my faith.

Years later,
In casual conversation.
I look into your eyes....
And there it is,
A soulful smile.
In the warmth of your arms,
Unbridled joy!