Category: Alive

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A simple cup of tea

 

A simple cup of tea

How difficult can it be

Some quintessential requirements to see

How my survival can be enhanced to the T

 

One lady plucking leaves in the tea gardens of Ooty

Working hard day and night to provide for the family

The owner, a gentleman in his forties or fifties quite likely

Staying away from wife and children who live in the city

 

The leaves arrive mixed up and merry in the local factory

Where workers live for those ten-minute lunch breaks verily

Chaff and sieve and carry and heave until leaves become dusty

The workplace now wakes up to aromas that are simply heavenly

 

Trucks and loaders lories and drivers are set off hurriedly

Reaching the corners of the world is not a task carried out timidly

Trifling shops and giant malls with distributors acting high-handedly

Get their share of goods and get down to display the charming variety

 

I buy it off the shelf storing it in air-tight containers I got for free

Now all I need is some milk, a stove, a lighter, a utensil, a cup and some sorcery

Which have all come from a similar route of workers toiling hardily

So that I can sit back and enjoy in peace my daily cup of morning tea!

 

We take so much for granted. We don’t have time to grasp the whole story

Things at your table have compelling back stories about their trajectory

Surely some gratitude must replace any attitude we harbor so effortlessly

Little details beg for reference, how much more fortunate can we be?

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Abundance

As I pass the window of a grand shopping mall

I recollect the days when I could not afford it all

Today with ability on my fingertips

I must have more gratitude on my lips

Realizing as through my belongings and blessings I sift

Abundance is a gift!

 

As I observe the woes around me I begin to comprehend

I recollect the many things given to me as Godsend

Today with ability to brave the pains

I must have more appreciation for the gains

Realizing as through my experiences that sting

Abundance is a blessing

 

As I relish the profusion of each day and its fruits

I recollect the hard work of those who planted the roots

Today as the extra baggage gets heavier

I must give back more than I gather

Realizing as through my many resources I frisk

Abundance is a risk!

 

As I go through social stratums and note the who’s who

I recollect the many who could not make it or get their due

Today it is possible success goes to my head

I must be more cautious on how I tread

Realizing as I maneuver through warrens filled with danger

Abundance is a game changer!

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Many happy returns of life

The toughest the hardest the most beautiful of all

Is a soft smile on the edge of the lips that hides each fall

You may think you know somebody from the laughter you hear

But tip of the iceberg deceives so well you never notice the tear

 

The simplest the quietest the most sturdiest amongst feelings

Is inconspicuous care that quietly helps in healing

You may never realize the extent to which it can mend and repair

But if there is one action that keeps the world in motion it is care

 

The harshest the bitterest the most rashest of all reaction

Is a foolish temper that destroys the very fiber of emotion

You may either control your rage or be consumed by it

But anyone capable of angering you becomes your master bit by bit

 

The coolest the sincerest the most basic of all consciousness

Is a kind heart that knows hurt and still responds with gentleness

You may be vulnerable you may believe fortitude is a quality for the sage

But vulnerability is not our weakness it is our accurate measure of courage

 

The strangest the oldest the most avoidable of all sentiment

Is unfounded jealousy that indulges in loose talk for ears you lent

You may not believe everything you hear you may learn how to sieve

But at the table which speaks evil of others you are the topic when you leave

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Myself. And some

Some dreams are scattered across incomplete skies

Some feelings that mattered hinge on partial lies

The world around me is daunting and demanding

Some confidences are battered even when the spirit tries

 

Seasons change color and moods tag along for fun

Society alters silhouettes once their work is done

The world around me expects exactitude and passion

Sentiments carry the weight of hope under the sun

 

Some expectations are building up on rocky foundations

Some passions are attached to them for restorations

The world around me extracts promises and pledges

Some folks are judging me for my lack of perfections

 

Fragments of memory are strewn in the room

Petrichor whiffing past takes with it the gloom

The world around me affects outlooks and dialogue

Pain hovers on the edge of recall like a rogue

 

Some optimism is required to go past the sting

Some prayer to give add on power to each wing

The world around me is elusive and illusory

Some real time dreams some faraway realities need jugglery

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Some times…

Sometimes the words and lines are labored

Sometimes they flow with the tide

Sometimes perspectives and attitudes are savored

Sometimes there are rules to abide

In the labyrinth of sentiments tread with soft feet

Words and attitudes pitch like arrows you cannot retreat

 

Sometimes the paths and spaces are constricted

Sometimes they are open and wide

Some access to emotions is restricted

Sometimes you are simply tongue-tied

In the intricacy of sentimentality beware of heartbreak

The world will move on nonetheless the heart does a double take

 

Sometimes views and beliefs are blinkered

Sometimes they are bonafide

Some thoughts get twisted and tinkered

Some ideas remain untried

In the warren of judgements keep away from prejudice

Empathies must be impartial to do real justice

 

Sometimes family and friends have your back

Sometimes they take you for a ride

Sometimes they make up for what you lack

Some feelings have simply died

In the tangle of relationships you must infuse compassion

In every give and take you do suffuse some more passion

 

Sometimes situations and surroundings are perfect

Sometimes you have grieved and cried

Some experiences have lasting impact

Some expectations and hopes have lied

In the snare of social skills you can’t recant like a coward

You must stand up and learn how to put your best foot forward

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Kairos – The Opportunist

Opportunities have this exquisite habit of treading softly along

It takes a discerning eye to catch it you cannot get it for a song

The importance of ceasing the moment cannot be stressed enough

It does take a little more than luck and you cannot buy it off the cuff

 

Subtle. Elusive. Almost out of sight. The true nature of Kairos

The idea is to recognize it at liftoff and latch on to it like a boss

The importance of ceasing the moment cannot be stressed enough

Moments are ephemeral and you are made of sterner stuff!

 

Grasping at each straw approaches may be raw still need of the hour

A bunch of excuses missed opportunities valid reasons will turn sour

The importance of ceasing the moment cannot be stressed enough

Ceasing can denote a full stop at times and you are born to be tough

 

It is the number of times you tried and not the count of victories

That define your success whether or not the world agrees

The importance of ceasing the moment cannot be stressed enough

Stress is tackled in the mindscape and you can indeed handle rough

 

The stealth of every opportunity has strength of an energy behind it

Place your faith in the force don’t give up or be lured you can find it

The importance of ceasing the moment cannot be stressed enough

Close your eyes trust the process and you can call off Lucifer’s bluff

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The search

I sat down one day to rearrange my many stray thoughts

There was one strain in common I realized as I linked the dots

They all led me away from regular routines and humdrum

They only gave me pointers never solved my conundrum

 

No single point to start no definite road to freedom

The fog on the roadmap stopped me from claiming fiefdom

I trudged along the mindscape in search of divine direction

When all I had to do was introspection instead of inaction

 

Some stray ones wandered away into the overthinking zone

Some thoughts did not belong I had mustered them on loan

Being me was not easy I was this assortment of prejudices

Honed by public opinions and rulings cognizance was in crisis

 

The backlog pressed and pushed for place now it was time

To sift old ideas out of the head and keep the ones sublime

This minimalism would lead to paucity of thought I suspected

But discarding old beliefs benefitted my space was now respected

 

The thoughts realigned themselves once I sorted my sentiments

The sentiments then infused some courage in my rearmaments

My search itself was my answer my reactions sought redressal

Each thought was gaining in strength too formidable to fizzle

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The race and the blinkers

Like pedigreed racehorses who never slacken pace

Put your blinkers on if you wish to win the race

You must learn how to disregard rude interruptions

You must simply go past the digressions and disruptions

 

The race is hardcore and competition will only get stiff

Keeping tab of another’s progress may lead you to the cliff

Keep your blinkers on to ignore faults and follies of another

Keep your temper bridled don’t let witlessness bother

 

Some participators are in it for the power and prestige

Some run the race with a mindset in place to hold siege

Lucifer is also running alongside and sprints in style

A little doubt here and there his style is to beguile

 

The guardians of society will have lots of advice

Noteworthy or flippant each advice has a price

Sometimes well-intentioned it is not always on course

Sometimes it is clothed in cashmere yet rather coarse

 

Your blinkers will be handy on rough bumpy racetracks

You can make up with perseverance where the skill lacks

If the tortoise can take on the hare in a race that is unfair

Then you can combat odds without fear of how you will fare

 

Yes you are perchance deprived of a wider world view

While others race with eyes wide shut there are some like you

Who acknowledge blinkers as part of the gear to run the race

Partial vision total concentration because it’s a steeplechase

 

The less you are affected by those running side by side

The less you overhear opinions prejudices and remarks snide

You eliminate the burden of expectations to win at any cost

Sheer gut and clear conscience and you will never get lost

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Care

If we could teach ourselves and our children what it is to be human

If we could see beyond the differences how much we have in common

If we could make compassion a compulsory subject in each institution

Then care would be cultivated freely it would not be mere obligation

 

If we could start a Mexican wave of kindness on earth and make history

If we could repeat that history imagine the undulation and the chemistry

If we could let the heart make decisions and the soul nourish the mind tree

Then care would not come at such a cost kindness would be free

 

If we could continue the barter system and exchange our wants and needs

If we could give selflessness and support in return of all the good deeds

If we could repay affection with respect and appreciate the hand that feeds

Then care would replace every circumstance where heartlessness leads

 

If we could comprehend how much we gain by giving and forgiving

If we could understand how giving and not amassing is the key to living

If we could count our blessings each conscious moment instead of grieving

Then care would nurture our spirit with gratitude and our minds into believing

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The magic of new beginnings

Like butterflies flitting in the garden from flower to flower

Moments were darting here and there in the rush hour

I ran after some in an effort to catch them

Their speed was awesome I could not match them

Tired I closed my eyes and sat back in relaxation

In the serenity of time and space I grasped their reflection

Moments were a process I realized as they transformed

It’s the memories they left behind to which I had warmed

I must make each moment count I now knew

How else will I keep making fresh memories to renew

 

The magic of new beginnings was sweeping the morning skies

The wind beneath my wings took me to where the eagle flies

Every breath I inhaled I knew I must evolve and grow

Every day I failed to flourish some magic would go

Those tedious routines filled with prejudices and pretenses

Must be shed like old skin as if dropping all defenses

Dawn brings me fragrances of different learning and leaning

Dusk draws the curtain on old grudges the spirit needs spring cleaning

New beginnings are so often disguised as a painful ending

You don’t have to be scared of setbacks you can start over each morning

Thank you