A Mother's Prayer

I can't claim credit for carrying 

my babies in my womb

There was no other option😀

I don't ask for appreciation for labour/ post surgery pains

for the scars and marks on my body

I may have not been the best of mothers

I have faltered, I have floundered

I may not have been there

the way I should have been

And worse, I may have thought

 I was there, right beside you

I may have given something 

other than what you may have wanted

You don't have to glorify me

You don't have to worship me

Just forgive me if I have not been with you

the way you wanted me to

I knew no better

And that was not your fault

Don't place me on that lofty pedestal

decreed for Parents

Iam not superhuman

I am not perfect

Parents make so many blunders

Inadvertently perhaps

You can feel angry, resentful...

Only let it make you better, stronger

Resilient, Loving and compassionate in your lives

I don't know about unconditional love

I don't know about sacrifices

I don't know  whether whatever I said or did was the Best

All I know is it hurts when my children are in pain

I know that I would like to wipe clean 

all the pains and hurts in your lives if I could

I would have rewritten so many things of the past

To refurbish your present 

And fortify your future

Just have the Strength and Grace to live

through whatever Life throws at you 

I am Happiest when my children are 

Self reliant, Successful and Happy!

That is all I want

And that is all I ask...

Calamity Strikes!

 

Today a piece of the sky fell down

And everyone ran helter skelter

Trying to retrieve the bits

Conceal the revealed

Salvage the shambles

The blue was so sheer

The white so porcelain

The vision so enticing 

There was panic

There was ruckus

There was anger

There was indignance 

Righteousness was at stake

Morality was at risk

The virtue of guileless youth 

was in jeopardy 

And all because 

Blissful swagger sashayed down

 in winsome self love

Jaws dropped! 

Oohs and aahs echoed

How can this be allowed

Clarion call for drastic measures 

Swathe the vision

Because isn't that easier than taming the truant

Smother the scapegoat 

while the miscreant 

dodges scotfree!!

( The slew of repurcussions unleashed when a beautiful girl wore 'inadequate/ inappropriate' clothing) 

A Mother's Benediction

 

When you gaze at your baby

And feel that surge of love 

gushing from the depths of your soul

So powerful and so overwhelming that it hurts...

Then, pause and remember 

That is exactly how I feel for you my Son...

You were meant to be born in my womb

Both for myself and for yourself

We shall traverse this chasm of life

Strengthened and fortified by Love and Prayers...

I pray with all my heart and soul

that you are able to rise above all your hurt, pain and sorrow...

And emerge into the Wonderful , 

Blessed person that you are meant to be...

Sooner than later you will conquer 

all trials and tribulations that seem to surround you at times...

The Universe will protect you in your toughest moments

and bring you through all hurdles

safe and sound 

This is a Mother's Benediction

uttered with all the Love in this world and Beyond...

Resurrection

 

Yes, perhaps It begins as writing for just oneself...

like when the thoughts and emotions become so intense

that they demand to be crystallised into words

And yet one cannot deny the high 

that one experiences

when one's words reach out and knock at the threshold of another's heart

when the words evoke sensations deep in another's being

the smattering of thoughts 

resound and throb in the vales of 

another's heart 

leaving a lingering hangover to be nursed for days afterwards

And it is then that the writer is resurrected...

Sewing the Skies

 Some days are good

And then some days not so good

But the not so good

Casts its shadow on the good too 

For now, it is a step at a time

Focussing on the now

But the travail of earlier steps

Have rendered my feet weary

The calves are strained

The heels have chipped

The shoulders are drooping

The smile is far away from the eyes 

For one keeps looking to catch the next piece of sky when it falls

For fall it will

Waiting for the cookie to crumble yet again

For crumble it must

Crumble it will 

For now it is a stitch at a time

Sewing the tears

Smoothening the wrinkles

Ever so gently

Help to heal

Help to strengthen

Until then it is

Fragile- Handle with care… 

Setting down my burden

Now and then 

On the wayside pitstops

Wiping my brow

Catching my breath 

And rise  I must again and again

Pick up my burden again and again

Trudge ahead to the unknown

Clinging on to

"This too shall pass..."

Everything is temporary

Time will heal

The dawn is near 

And while one toils at sewing the skies

My soul has become threadbare 

Meanwhile I try to smile, laugh and even sing

But I am tired

I long to rest

With nary a care

But toil I will

Because I need to lend a shoulder

For heavier burdens

Burdens not mine and yet my own 

Waving at other weary travellers

Because though sometimes 

I feel like a lone traveller 

I see and I know there are others

Trudging along with their own hauls

A pat here, a kind word there

Cheering along, nudging along

Sharing stories of audacity to carry on 

Audacity To keep living, To keep  loving

And above all To keep Praying

 

And like they say

I too have miles to go

Before I sleep...

Wait for Me...

 

Times change, wounds heal

The scars may remain

And when the scab shrivels and is shed

May be then it will become

easier to share the thorns and thistles under my feet

Until then let me just tread gently

knowing that there is this cosy place here 

With a few dear people who have my back 

by just being there

Who understand my unspoken words

Because sometimes utterances can be scary, exhausting

Morbid thoughts

 

Sometimes the mind has to grapple with

such morbid gruesome thoughts

Seeing someone's teeth bared in a gleeful smile

brings to mind the image of a skull

When people march in sedately

swathed in swirls of garment

adorned with accessories

and to my eyes, I see skeletons

clattering in one behind the other

each garbed on the outside in splendor

The bones carefully concealed

blissfully oblivious of the moments ticking

towards that final moment of reckoning

when the skin peels off

and all that is left bones, teeth and nails

and some reeking stench lingering in the air...

Spare me the Halo

 

I don’t need the pedestal

I don’t ask to be worshipped

I don’t need the glory of sacrifices

I refuse to be martyr

Don’t crown me with the

Tiara of unrealistic expectations

Spare me the Halo

I can shine on my own

I shouldn’t have to seek permission

I shouldn’t have to battle

I shouldn’t have to beg

To be Just me-

A living, Breathing, Thinking,

PERSON

Circle of Love

Some of us have no battles to fight

Some of us have shattered the glass ceiling

But it is not yet time to quit

Not yet time for silence

Becos there are still

spaces to be cleared

voices to be heard

Extend your arms

To connect, to aid,

to care, to share,

To support, to sustain,

To rejoice, to hail,

To applaud, to awaken

Let’s build Bridges

Across the stormy waters

Let’s hold hands

To form the circle of Love,

Trust and Empathy

Around the world

Let’s march together

Along the path of dreams

To the Morrows that lie ahead

And live a life of Equity & Dignity

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-24 : Dictionary Illustration

Day 24 Prompt: Write a poem that, like “Dictionary Illustrations,” is inspired by a reference book. Locate a dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia, open it at random, and consider the two pages in front of you to be your inspirational playground for the day. Maybe a strange word will catch your eye, or perhaps the mishmash of information will provide you with the germ of a poem.

The words that caught my attention on the pages of the dictionary have been highlighted in Bold letters. 

Resurgence

Seething unspoken emotions

Bursting at the seams

Across the seesaw of life

Seize, Select and separate

Letting them seep through

In soothing semantics

The seed of absolution

Sown within the self

To Salvage a semblance                                               

Of sobriety and serenity. 

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-23 : Poem about an animal

Day 23 Prompt: Write a poem about an animal.

There was a time when I was terrified of dogs, slowly I grew to respect the unconditional affection of dogs- and without my realising it- a way was being paved in my heart for them... and recently when a Boxer joined our family- the floodgates were yanked wide open! All credits to the little one- Ginger!

 Rambunctious Love                                                                              

There is this new surge

of love in my heart

A strange, unknown,                                              

spring of affection that
I never knew existed

Until she looked at me
with those liquid eyes 

She romps onto my lap

Like Royalty

And I all but melt

Into  mush and pulp…

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-22 : Ekphrastic poem

PC: Borrowed from the internet

Day 22 Prompt: Write a poem that engages with another art form –  to express something about another form of art.

Dance: Language of the Soul

Quivering bells on poised feet

Pounding Heart waiting in the wings
for the music to begin...

The beats began- the lyrics flowed

I sailed into the arc lights

My face, my eyes

My feet , my hands

My body, my soul

Sprung to life

My dream unfurled

 ******************

The tinkle of my anklets 
had become silent with time
And now a whiff from the past 
Stir sleeping memories
No anklets on my feet
And yet the chime resonates
There is no dais
And yet my feet they dance
to a soundless melody...

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-21 : Surreal Imagery

Day 21 Prompt: Write a poem that, incorporates wild, surreal images. Try to play around with writing that doesn’t make formal sense, but which engages all the senses and involves dream-logic.

Inferno of fear

PC: Borrowed from the internet

The wind was screeching

numbing sleet gnawed my limbs

as I plodded through the knotted creepers and purple lotuses

when a blood curdling bellow

imploded behind me 

I turned to look and a scream rose and

shattered down my throat

A gargantuan beast with dripping fur and slobbery tongue      

eyes like a million menacing daggers 

Pierced right through me

And then she moved ,in one giant leap 

she pinned me down

her nails and fangs

tracing scarlet creases

across my face, across my limbs

I saw her teeth drip slick crimson froth

sheer black terror gripped my heart

and yet I managed to give a mighty heave

staggering to my feet I bounded indoors

and closed the doors behind me

I stumbled across the hall through the corridor

Dragging my bloody knees

I could hear the lusty growls behind me

I crawled across the kitchen floor-

The growls still behind outside                 

I slumped down on the frosty tiles

I closed my eyes- icy terror racing

through my gory veins

suddenly I sensed a slimy fiery trail

snaking down my neck

I start and open my eyes to find

steely  menacing eyes slicing into me

fetid frothy breath and crimson dribble

splattered onto my face

I froze and the darkness swallowed me…

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-20 : Talking poem

Day 20 Prompt : Write a poem that “talks.” - based in spoken language, interspersed with the speaker/narrator’s own responses and thoughts. Try to write a poem grounded in language as it is spoken – not necessarily the grand, dramatic speech of a monologue or play, but the messy, fractured, slangy way people speak in real life. get away from formally “poetic” speech and into the way language tends to work out loud.

Oh- Never mind! 

Snap! There!

I release you!

Don’t listen ! Don’t understand!

I hardly saw it coming

You were always around

Anytime, anywhere

But now you’r always elsewhere

No, no I’m not jealous

No way!

PC: Borrowed from the internet

Ya, I know that

I know I just have to call out

But I don’t want to

I don’t want to wait,

Tap your shoulder

To remind you                                            

I’m still here

Very much here

You ought to have known

I mean how can you forget?

It’s ok

You move on

I have myself for company

The good, the bad, the sad

I’ll keep to myself

No, no I’m not whining

I don’t sulk

I’m fine, really I’m fine

You keep going…

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-19 : Abecedarian poem

Day 19 Prompt: Write an abecedarian poem – a poem in which the word choice follows the words/order of the alphabet. 

Onerous Errand

Arranging words

By the order of

Consecutive letters

Drafting meanings

Eloquent and elegant
Flourishing in finesse

Groping for ideas

High and low

Imagination fails me as I

Juggle my vocabulary

Kneading out expressions

Lucid and apt

Minting and churning

Nifty and neat

Ornate imagery

Packed with punch

Quaint and quippy

Ringing with rhyme

Sparkling with wit

Tricky task trying to

Unravel layers of

Vivid views and purport  

Weaving texture like in

Xylographic etches in

Yarns of text

Zingy and zesty!

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-18 : Elegy

Day 18 Prompt: Write an elegy of your own, one in which the abstraction of sadness is communicated not through abstract words, but physical detail. This may not be a “fun” prompt, but loss is one of the most universal and human experiences, and some of the world’s most moving art is an effort to understand and deal with it.


The Viscosity of Grief 

Coming to terms with reality…

Yesterday that which was full of vivacity,

 that which pulsated with vibrancy

is now still, mute- not even there?

Can’t comprehend…

When we laughed, and cried together

PC: Borrowed from the internet

Where were the lungs, kidneys & the liver

I knew them not..

and now because these floundered

Resonance with the mind, the thoughts ,

feelings and emotions came to a naught

Where do all those moments go to

It stings, it burns

It hurts…

Where?

Some place that cannot be seen,

heard or touched…

The pain is just viscous void

Sticky, murky layers

Soldered to the soul

What ‘was’ yesterday

Stopped being  ‘is’ today

Neither here nor there.

an ambiguous plateau for sure!

( Another one written along similar lines:)

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-17 : Unusual POV

Day 17 Prompt: Write a poem that presents a scene from an unusual point of view. 

A poem written from the POV of a pair of Bedroom slippers

Ready to Go! 

PC: Borrowed from the internet

We wait patiently

For the dawn to descend

Waiting for your lazy gaze

As you stretch in languor

We wait for your tender feet

To snuggle into our softened leather

Curved in dents to caress your soles

We are ready always

To help you gently tread

Across the tiles,

Across the stone walk

Across the dewy grass

Across the murky spills

Just slip in your feet

And we’re ready to go…

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-16 : List

Day 16 Prompt: Write a poem that uses the form of a list to defamiliarize the mundane. 


Finesse

Wrap not derision as humour

Relish not another’s chagrin

Humour is healthy

Humour is pleasant

Humour is kind

Humour is sensitive

Laughter is not an island

Laughter is a team

Laugh not at others

Laugh along with others

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-15: Dramatic Monologue

Day 15 Prompt: Write your own dramatic monologue. It doesn’t have to be quite as serious as Browning or Shakespeare, of course, but try to create a sort of specific voice or character that can act as the “speaker” of your poem, and that could be acted by someone reciting the poem.

Non- Judgmental

Repect! Respect!

Is it really so difficult?

To respect another

Even if I might not agree

Neither do I need to approve

But respect I can

Another’s idea or opinion

 Accept! Accept!

I want acceptance

So then why shouldn’t another expect

To be accepted

Isn’t it a two way lane?

Anyway I can’t walk alone

I need company

Empathy! Understand!

Is it indeed so difficult

To look kindly upon

Another’s idea or opinion

Do I have to always be right

And another wrong

It is all about

Accepting, respecting and Understanding

The others in me

And the me in others.

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-14 :Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms

Day 14 Prompt: Write a poem that incorporates homophones, homographs, and homonyms, or otherwise makes productive use of English’s ridiculously complex spelling rules and opportunities for mis-hearings and mis-readings.


Not an easy knot! 

There are certain things that we bear/ bare

and then some that we can barely  bear/bare

I know/no that it needs to be a no/know

There is no other go

It is just not easy- it gets you in a knot

One is wary that one has to wear a mask

One feels weary and tired

One has to become someone one is not

And I do not like that

It would be like putting on an act

It would mean

That one has to be mean and sly

And that  is just not fair

It would be such a tardy fare…

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-13 : Belief In Magic

Day 13 Prompt: Write a poem about something mysterious and spooky! Your poem could be about something that is mysterious and spooky in a bad way (like a witch), or mysterious and spooky in a good way (possibly also like a witch? It depends on the witch, I guess!) Or just the everyday, mysterious, spooky quality of being alive.


Magic Spell

I have with me words and language

And I know magic to 

PC: Borrowed from internet

use them any way I will

I can marinate words in

acerbic sauce of sarcasm

Toss it around my mouth

Stir it with my scalding tongue

And when I spew it forth

I can see the mucky vitriol splatter

sear and scorch the victim

But I don’t relish watching

another writhe in agony

I’d rather soak my words in

Empathy and compassion

Blend in dollops of tenderness and

top it with glazed generosity

And Voila! As I watch their face transform

Eyes sparkling with joy

Cheeks burnished with cheer

I too feel a fuzzy warmth

Seeping through my soul

Gratitude and serenity

saturates my being…

NaPoWriMo -19 Day-12 : Dull Vs Significant

Day 12- Prompt : Write a poem about a dull thing that you own, and why (and how) you love it. Alternatively, what would it mean to you to give away or destroy a significant object?

Resolve

Very staid, very steady

Anytime, any day trustworthy

It stands right there in its abiding wholeness

But not a second glance does it claim

But the other one there so bright , so zesty

Simply clamouring for attention

I deliberately turn away

I walk sedately, steeled and set

For doesn’t one know

of life’s regular dictum

Glitzy, cheery is fine

But screaming transience

Something today and until forever

Is just that plain, stolid stance…