Let it Bloom

The green hides the beauty within
Promise of colours raring to spring
Layer by layer, with time it blooms
Petal by petal unravelled, none too soon

The wayfarer, passing casually by
The promise of colours catches his eye
Stirring up feelings that we dare not pry
For they make us tremble, fear and cry

Oh! What evil lurks under his skin
Why this wish to crumple this thing
That which needs tender, loving care
Rape, plunder and crush, he dare!

Let it bloom, display its colours
Spreading joy, smiles all over
Don't pluck the bud before it's time
Let it too bloom and shine.

The Unceasing Waves

Day and night I crash against
The unmoving rocks in vain
Frothing in the mouth
Tired but compelled
Each wave rises with no respite

Angry sometimes, rising high
Calm and placid, content at other times
Touching all who come close
Drawing others deep inside
In all-consuming passion uncontrolled

The wind, the sun, the moon
All make me rise and swoon
And yet there remain
My questions arraigned
With no answers coming from you

Is this by design?
Or have you ordained?
That I bang in vain
Against the rocks unrestrained
Praying for a look of kindness and love
Seeking redemption from pain unsure

---Inspired by the Pondicherry seashore

Light and free

Stone by stone, weighs me down
Heavy limbs, heart heavier still

Darkness, sorrow, fear and anger
A long tunnel, which ends never

And then suddenly, I shake it all
With new hope, that only heart can call

Throwing the burdens away in one stroke
Lifting up in air, wings flapping in the wind

No, wait, there is no effort, as I float in air
Weightless, formless and light as feather

In the vast wilderness, wild and free
I drift with the wind, aimlessly.

The Beast Roams Free

He lurked in dark corners
In shady bus shelters
Anonymous in crowds
Furtive in glance and movements

He groped, pinched, rubbed
When no one could catch him
For he feared persecution
Humiliation and exposure

Today he roams the city free
In broadlight, head held high
With his herd, confident
He could get away with murder

In the midst of crowds
Sure of his success
He corners the single,
The helpless and the unaware

He pounces, ravages, walks away
Leaving others wondering
What the crumpled victim did
To incur his wrath

In the Clouds

Fly as high as you can dare
But on ground you have to land
Dream as only you can
Feet on earth firmly you plant

Reality on the ground
To anchor us through ups and downs
Floating is a pleasure but brief
Time will steal it away, the thief

Like day and night they come and go
Sorrow and joy, two sides of a coin
Head in air, feet on land
To live in joy, and remain strong.

The Untiring Runner

It hasn't stopped
this race
challenging each
at a constant pace

Persistent, merciless
never tired
watching impassively
without a comment

Ups and downs
taken in a stride
tripping tumbling
matter not a mite

Bang your head
pray, pass or kill it
Procrastinate, or rush
but it all comes to zilch

For it has practice
at running
For eons and eons
without stopping

It stops for us
but once
When we breathe
our very last breath.

Turning a Blind Eye

"Oh my darling, my bundle of joy,"
They held the child close to their heart
Promising themselves they will forever
Cherish and protect this bundle so soft.

Routine, the key to maintain sanity
Trusting strangers to take care of the baby
As one rushes out to build own life
For the future of the little one to shine bright

The present marred by the stranger's hand
Probing, exploring where parents don't dare
Lost and frightened, the children shut up
Scared to even with parents open up

"Hey, look, you must take care"
Warns a friendly neighbour who dares
Only to be withered by a look that throbs
Defying and saying, "We know our job."

Don't turn a blind eye o parents dear
There are many beasts, we hear
Patiently waiting for a chance
Winning your trust perhaps.

The people you trust
A mask comes first
Hiding the beast
That lurks within.

Head on Pillow

To not look at time
And run a mile
To not have to decide
Between the car and bike

To be able to walk
Talk, hear a tale
And not worry
That I might be late

For the head
To touch the pillow
And let the dream
Smoothly flow

No to-do list
Keeping me awake
No plans, no answers
Inspiring in mid sleep

To just sleep
With no cares
And wake up
To uneventful days

I wish for this
And yet, do I?
For even as I write
Boredom seems the plight!

Being Born as a Woman

Being born a woman
Born of a woman
Having borne a woman
Can she be a woe!

Educate her
Treat her well
Respect her
She will respect others

Cherish the woman
Nourish her body
Nurture her mind
And you create wealth

This simple equation
Lost in translation
The only consideration
The dowry calculation

A child bearing machine
To carry only men
An unpaid worker
Her role only in the kitchen

Locked up in the house
How will she then show
What she is capable of
If you don't let her grow!

Open your minds
See the world around
Woman is in space
But she has no place!

In your heart
In your hearth
At your feet
You trample ruthlessly!

You are not cursed
Because you have a girl
She is the one
Cursed to be born to you!

Fallen Leaves

Aged, dried,
Unable to cling on
Discarded leaves
Their life gone

They had been green too
Once upon a time
Providing others shade
And the tree some food

Yellowing and useless
They fall in the light breeze
To be crushed under
Hurriedly walking feet

Raked up and bundled
Shoved to a corner
To be burnt brutally
And then forgotten forever

But the ones that escape
Have a purpose to fulfill
Making the dry ground
Like soft bedding.

In Two

Strange is the heart
Split into two halves

Elated on one hand
Hurt for another part

Celebrating, one moment
Then turning sour!

I wonder when
The thought crept in

Is it worth it, I ask
It replies, not at all

And yet it clings
To that which singes

Breathe in deep
Meditate on good

Let the joy wash over
Dip in deep and swim

Distractions galore
And yet that thorn

Tears the little heart
Into two equal halves.

The Competition

The two stood
Poised on the brink
One to take off
One to sink

The judges watched
Equally tense
Neither a favourite
Neither any less

Just a point
Between the two
Will decide now
On the winner who

Will take the trophy
And walk away
With a smile broad
Back all the way

The other dissolves
In tears salty
A dam bursting
Within his heart

Why not me
Just for a moment
Hold that cup
The trophy of the event?

All alone
In that moment
Not any word
Can reach the depths

The hard work
The skills
The enthusiasm
Positive thinking

All to a naught
Now life seems fraught
A long stretch of loneliness
With the tag of a loser

Enough

I want this and that
Grabbing them all up close
When one slips through
I cry, not wanting to let it go.

Even when I have all
That I could want
Why does that one
Bother me more?

Within reach
And yet not so!
The soul longs for it
Yet so much more!

A spark itches within
Wanting to light a fire
When that fire is lit
The spark itches again

Is there no end?
No word in my dictionary
Called "enough"?
Giving contentment and peace?

Why then this desire
That burns bright
Burning all within
Focused only on new goals?

Empty, Drifting

Like a vein cut
body drained
of all the blood

Words poured out
in one long flow
as if there is no tomorrow

The mind tired
empty, needing rest
devoid of all thoughts

The computer
a constant companion
Now averse to touch

Saturated, brimming
bed beckoning
to give rest to thinking

To be, just to be
lazy and drifting
in a world of fantasy.

The Cosmic Dance

You put your foot down
The world trembles in fear
You raise the other one
In awe we say, "Oh dear!"

Your two eyes
The third on the forehead
Angry one moment
Laughing the very next

The world vibrates
admiring your grace
Moving when you do
Standing still to be with you

My heart
Filled with deep desire
To be one
With the raging fire

The snakes coiled
The tiger skin, a foil
The broad shoulders
Dependable like a boulder

I long to merge
In that cosmic fire
Past, present and future
Burning with the body in the pyre.

Pure energy
Sheer joy
That is all I ask for
Grant me that, oh my lord.

The Circle

I admired the circle
Perfect and round
And stepped in to see
It circle around.

No beginning
Nor an end
No confusion
Joined from end to end

I pulled it in
I pushed it out
I played with
The shapely contours

Sometimes big
Sometimes small
I admired how it remained
Always perfect and round.

The world outside
Changed and changed
But in my small circle
It all remained the same

Like a fortress
It kept me safe
But of new things
There was not a whiff

I chafed suddenly
At being confined
But knew not now
How to step out of the line

No start no finish
No gates to show
Where the circle
Had a weak link to blow

It had me trapped
In its narrow confines
Narrowing my thoughts
Narrowing my mind

Open the gates
I cried from within
But the circle of safety
Had me in its grip

Yes its perfect
Yes its round
But never step in
For you can never step out.

Anubavangal: Chinthanaiyilla Manam

Anubavangal: Chinthanaiyilla Manam: அலைமோதும் மனதில் இன்று நிலவியது நிசப்தம் சுற்றும் முற்றிலும் பரவியது அமைதி இதைத்தானே தேடி அலைந்தது நெஞ்சம்? இன்று அது கிடைத்தும் ஏன் இப்பொழ...

Glory

Glorious and radiant
Resplendent and bright
In rode the Sun
Shining with natural light

Dazzling all beholders
With his flashy grin
Burning all who came near
With the heat from within

He crosses in his chariot
Calling people out to witness
His cheer and bounty
Being treated like a deity

The day ends
Plunged in darkness
As the sun leaves
Having proved his greatness

Too less of him
And we ask for more
Too much of him
Never again, no!

The moon enters
In borrowed glory
Sure of herself
Bewitching the weary

The stars follow
Just as bright as the sun
But of their greatness
Who will sing, none?

Tiny and funny
Twinkling and winking
Who thinks that they could blaze
Just as bright as the sun?

Too far away
Too remote and quiet
They are but like extras
Filling up space

And yet some are bigger
Better and brighter
But not in-my-face
Like the sun, my dear.

Bubbling Heart

You are too busy to talk
So am I!
You have your road to walk
So do I!

We met, and I thought
Our hearts met too
But unspoken though my love
Weren't you swept away too?

Didn't you feel the pain
That is a pleasure
Didn't you want to reach out
And share moments to treasure?

When you left
With not a word
Nursing the wound
I curled up like a hurt bird

Time, the healer
Worked around the wound
But the scar comes alive
Persistent like a hound

Not letting go of that
Deep buried love
Sometimes urging my lips
To utter your name with verve

To talk of you
Like any other person
As if you mattered
Not a bit more than the other one

Shy and scared
I kill that urge
So no one may know
For whom my heart so surges

Like the churning of chaos
Old and new merge
Angry bubbles boiling
Old feelings emerge

Only to be suppressed
And forgotten with time
To be remembered again one day
By this foolish heart of mine.

Anubavangal: Nyabangal

Anubavangal: Nyabangal: சிறிய துளிகள் பொட்டுப்போல் மேலே சொட்டுச்சொட்டாய் விழுந்து எழுப்ப சிறிய சிறிய நினைவுகள் அந்த அரக்கு நிற பேனா தோட்டத்தில் காய்க்கும் கொய்யா,...