An open letter

You are on my mind night and day.

Obsessive of your presence one way or another.

Thoughts keep reverting to you in sickness or in health.

In joy or in pain, in happiness or in sadness.

In company or when alone.

Don't want to lose you, ever.

Dear HOPE, 

Not just I but we all need you, want you.

Do make your presence felt, 

Whether in the form of a little vial or 

The immunity developing in our bodies.

Do stay with us forever, never abandon us.

Drench us in the sunshine of positivity.

Give us the courage to feel for others.

The strength to be selfless and empathetic.

Let us transition smoothly from one year to another,

Happily.

Please let us all have a very Healthy new year.

Regards, 

Us.

Farewell

Once again it's that time of the year, 

when you wonder amidst the festivities,

how the year just passed us by.

Creating global history, 

slithering away with precious souls of loved ones,

adding some priceless lives to give the much needed hope.

Knots of some relationships loosened, 

bonds of some strengthened,

some friendships lost and forgotten in the haze of neglect.

Dreams shattering into countless pieces, 

hope sinking like a drowning wreckage,

hunger, abuse, racism lifting its head to the surface.

But life goes on, we the ones, survived to say goodbye, 

we can hold on a little bit longer,

only if we  see ourselves in others.

Protect and preserve humanity,

rise up to the occasion,

live and let live.

Farewell to the year that taught us,

nothing is more important than health,

happiness, family & friends.

Be yourself

Who do you wish to be?

If not yourself.

Who could you possibly be?

But yourself.

Where do you wish to be?

If not within yourself.

No one and nothing can fill the void,

When you aren't  yourself.

Alive

Grateful to be alive,
glad to have seen the dawn of another day,
it's the journey of life that matters,
Isn't  everyone dying to live  well everyday?

Monsoon -11

In the midst of  beautiful paddy fields on the periphery of a serene village. Monsoon displaying itself at its best.

Transfixed.

When the sky bows down to caress the waves,
the audience stands still.
Mesmerized, transfixed for eternity,
transforming into rocks at the shore.
As if cursed for witnessing the union of Gods!
The Earth, the sky, air, water
and the fire they withhold.

Photo Credits Go  To Cdr. Rajesh Sinha

         

The good poet

A good poet writes poetry for everyone, still,
writes as if you are the one being talked to.
As if the words on the paper are meant  just for you.
As if the emotions are only for you to be felt.
The love,the longing, the pain the heartbreak all for you.

Who writes like you are being held in an embrace tightly.
As if you are safe inside the blanket of the woven poem.
As if the world spins around only for you.
The life, the lessons, the gratitude, the prayers all for you.

It's like magic! uplifting people, giving them hope.
Making them look forward to another day,
waiting for life to keep happening,
In a brand new way.

Real world.

For half a lifetime have been living in a world of my own.
High time I stepped out of it to meet the real world.
Hope it's not as deceitful as I feared it would be.
Hope it is prettier than I imagined it to be.
Where love exists not only in books.
Where people are basically good.
Respect for others natural.
Life without limitations.
And all can breathe.
Equality exists.

Alive & kicking.

Don't miss out on anything while at home...

Sail on the ship of clouds,
swim in the ocean of sky,
breathe the air around you,
let the Moon show you the way.

Close your eyes,
let your imagination loose,
bask in the warmth of your loved ones,
feel the sand under your toes.

Break the barriers of limitations,
grow each day as a person,
taller in tolerance, fatter in love,
harness the impossible into submission.

Hear the birds chirping,
the squirrels screaming,
the cuckoo singing its heart out,
let the positive vibes set in.

World is not the best place right now for living,
but it's the only one we have got,
so, cherish each passing day,
for you are still alive and kicking.

Vacation?

The dam of calm has started showing cracks lately, hope seeping out slowly.

Need cement of patience and sensibility to mend it, if we want to continue surviving.

Can't let "wants" surpass the "needs" right now, surely a vacation less important than safety.

Stay home, stay safe, keep the head firmly on your shoulders, for we must help those who "Have"to venture out for us daily.

Summer bloom - 8

Hydrangea.

Little flowers clustered in a ball of colours, bringing the Summer alive with their pastel palette.

Photography Credits Go To Meenakshi Bakhshi.

Ornamental oranges

Mistaken identity,
🍊 Oranges, not lemons!

Winged Visitors

Red-billed blue Magpie.


What joy the couple gave!
When they came visiting.
In the times of social distancing,
accepting the offering of strawberries.

Photography Credits Go To Meenakshi Bakhshi.

Summer Bloom 7

🥝 Kiwi Flowers

Photography Credits Go To Meenakshi Bakhshi.

Learning

Learning to listen, without any words being said,
and watching the world, without being there.

Learning to feel plethora of emotions, without being touched,
and reaching out to others, without being physically present.

Learning to spend dateless, day less weeks and months,
and holding on to the memories being made at all hours.

Learning to prioritize simplicity over complexity,
and being deadly calm in the midst of a storm.

Learning to love and fall in love, all over again,
With the ones I always loved.

Learning to respect and admire nature and its beauty,
and pledging to take care of it in the future.

Caught in a loop, in the never ending cycle of learning.
Learning one step at a time to restore sanity.

Will learn well,
and this too shall pass.
 

Leaf

Waiting...

Waiting eagerly for the calm to return.
For it to engulf us in its security.
In a tight embrace, dispersing any doubts
or sickness.

Waiting for the Earth to finish healing itself.
And give us another chance.
For the darkness to be lifted from our lives
Letting in sunlight.

Waiting to breathe again without the masks.
Travel again without fear.
Hug a loved one, shake hands with a firm grip.
Waiting patiently for life to return, as we knew it.

           
                Photo Credits Go To Meenakshi Bakhshi