The Supreme One

Aditya marched
Several hundred of them two
Followed their king or was it the beat
Of the golden drums that played
One stroke for every step
The music was the pace.

We all too stride
The flowers, bees and birds
Rest of us and animals too
We beat to His steps
His sounds, show the way
Only His Will shall end this race.

Do not try to look but,
On land and mountain tops
For His presence or divinity
The Sun, the rhythm, the air, the womb
Why don't we just see around?
All of us are his trace.


Explanation:

1st stanza - VikramAditya was one of the most illustrious Kings ever to have ruled India. As per the legend, his army used to march to the beats of the drums; one step for every beat.
2nd stanza - Lord Shiva is the most powerful and revered God in the Hindu pantheon. In mythology, Lord Shiva has said to have played his 'damaru' (tabor - percussion instrument) to create all the sounds that make up our speech (popularly known as the 14 Maheswara Sutras). Our heart 'beats' as per His Will and we all march on, in this cycle of creation and destruction.

The Cobbler

Life in the city is an awful hustle,
We make no time to look around;
Must complete a task to start anew that second,
Even the comforting bed is now a battleground.

This morning was like all the rest,
Who but cares for the cuckoo’s nest;
Heart was just another muscle today,
Didn’t vex nor pain for the grieving breast.

Eager to catch the first train out,
A push and a nudge bereft of a bout;
Time is a treasure never found in abundance,
To steal a moment is ever the key essence.

In some such days I did find success,
Found a few seconds and a task to attend;
In front of me was this diligent craftsman,
He laboured while I spoke to my friend in Phnom Penh.

He rubbed and brushed and polished my shoes,
Put in all his effort, made them shine like new;
While he then got busy and his tools did he rearrange,
I lauded his effort with disgustingly small change.

So much did I like his work,
That i went to him on occasions many;
Amazing was his love for my leather,
In sun or snow or the floody weather.

Now that I think, there was never between us a conversation,
Face to face makes me coy, such is our civilization;
Wonder what changes me when spoke unabated on phone,
Whilst he worked with his tools I played with my own.

Some went to him to shine,
Some went to mend a hole;
Gave everyone the stitch they deserved,
Be it leather, wood or simply a rubber sole.

The sun ceased its role long ago,
But never did it bother me;
My work went into the night,
The setting one was never for me to see.

Today was but a little different, Lo! beholden,
Cam to the station this time untrodden;
Sinking sun still shone the sky a golden,
Disembarked the same platform, That which was boustrophedon.

Saw the repairman sitting all alone,
As if waiting for someone whilst his hair windblown;
Packed and ready to go were his many-a-tool,
Couldn’t figure out what was holding up his schedule.

Stood and watched him pass his time,
So did I as smoke my face atone(d);
He played with the dog or was it the other,
Who derided the shoeman as if a bone.

The next few seconds left me shell-shocked,
In these few seconds my whole life was mocked;
In these few seconds every knit of my veins unravelled,
Left me still, motionless on this platform so often travelled.

Came this youth I  took him for his son,
Sat down in front of the ol’ man with his back complete;
Laboured limbs latched around with joy and fun,
Piggy back he rode, Alas!!! The Cobbler had no feet.

Beyond the Law of the Jungle

Scorpions bite
Without a hiss;
Some bugs bite
Along with a kiss.


Hiss and bite
The crawling slime;
Wild cats jump
They give no time.


Swooping hawks
Armed with sight;
Bears but attack
Armed with might.


Jaws of a whale
Who does dare;
Trampling elephants
They just don't care.


Jungle's Law
That is Nature's Call;
Aha! the Cupid's arrow
but, Beats them all.






Glossary and Explanation:
Crawling Slime - Snake
Bears are perhaps the only animals which attack unprovoked.

Destiny's Children - A quatrain

Thetis held Achilles by his heel and dipped him in the Styx,
Gandhari's vision made Duryodhana impervious, but for his Fix;


A Mother may try all to shape His destiny and fate,
Alas! the struggle is as good as lost, when it is against Time and Date.




Mythological Background:

In Homer's Greek Epic 'Illiad', Thetis tried to immortalize her son Achilles by dipping him in the river Styx. For this she held him by his heel and immersed him in the river. Since the portion of the heel could not come in contact with the water, it remained vulnerable. In the Trojan war Achilles was subsequently killed by an arrow which struck him exactly at that portion of his heel.

Similarly, In Ved Vyas's Indian Epic 'Mahabharata', Gandhari, the mother of Duryodhana had accumulated power through penance (remaining blindfolded for years together) such that when she would remove the blindfold the person whom she would see first would be indestructible. She asked her son to appear in front of her completely naked and she would open her eyes. Being embarrassed to go completely naked in front of his mother, he covered his groin with a piece of cloth (or leaves). His enemy Bhima killed him in war by striking a mace at this very place.

Teardrops from Heaven

In adversity and for pity
I can see her drops appear;

But why use them for deceit
to draw me away from a peer.

When do I or do I not grieve?
When do I or do I not fear?

If they are those of sudden joy,
I would love to share them with a cheer.

The crying of a girl is her blessing;
One that she never forgets to keep near.

O Lord, I ask thee why this unfair bias?
Not all, but with a tragedy at least gift the man a tear.

Stars Of Fortune

The day I was born was not just another night, 
The stars were all aligned, neither bull nor scorpion put up a fight; 
What better beginning than to let the moon govern your tide, 
It is not good enough to just have one’s mother by his side.


There is a right time for everything, from waking up to bathing
To start a new task, but not for its finishing; 
The times they’re a changing, this much you told me Bob, 
But why should I care for that, when I have a stone for every job.


I did not fall in love, my heart did never allow, 
A perfect girl was arranged, so that together we could plough; 
The stars were all matched and we rode on the carriage, 
Rituals and vows are just not enough for a happy marriage.


Signs and symbols at every corner they lay, 
When in doubt and distress they cleared my way; 
Every lucky charm did help me, I shall not lie, 
Why not will someone tell me then, whence will be a good time to die.

Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

It is January now and I hate the dryness,
Her dove-like eyes entice me with their shyness;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

February it is and I have grown a year older,
Buxom breasts caress me as she rests on my shoulder;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

The work in March leaves me with no time,
As my eyes undressed her I told myself ‘tis not such a big crime;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

Colours of the April Holi remind me of the destruction that wars bring,
The scent of her breath put to shame even the growing buds of Spring;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

The heat of May makes me want to run away,
Would I be able to, her supple body besides me lay;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

With first drops of rain the snails and worms disgust me with their slow trips,
What would I do if it wasn’t for the moistness of your soft lips;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

The pouring of July along with the winds make those ensnaring whirls,
How did I get the patience to see your wet hair as you untangled those twined curls;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

The sun and clouds seem in an endless battle this August,
While the sight of your round hips makes me weak with this uncontrollable lust;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

The sickness of September is something I would not like to remember,
Wrap me around with your legs, they are chains so slender and tender;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

Leaves keep dropping this Fall, how can nature be so ruthless and cruel,
Curves of your neck, lustrous and sparkling though not lined with any jewel;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

November is so confused, not this not that, neither here nor there,
As you uncovered your sublime thighs, you left me with no option to go anywhere;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

The chill in December makes my bones stiff, they could soon crack,
I seem to forget all the pain when my hands begin to run down your blissful back;
I hope and pray this month to be dear,
O! Why did I fall in love this time of the year?

Twelve damsels, all so different, sculpted as if in clay,
Twelve damsels, all so different, I love them each in their own way;
The Lord be praised for sending these angels down here,
Without this master could I have loved twelve times this year.

The Fluvial Mind

If the path before you is clear,
It may be your eyes but definitely another's mind;
If you know what you are looking for,
Then that is all you will ever find.


Like a river has no choice but to flow,
Meet a lake, fight a mountain even though;
Disappear will it one day with a desert bend,
Or merge with the ocean in the end.

BlindOculus

With the sun shinning I could see no stars, no bodies, not even my beloved moon,
Have they been eaten by this vulture, beast, is this the day of doom;


No! not at all, they're all right there, albeit this distraction between them and me,
Is there ever a thing such as darkness, or is it only a failure to see.

IGNORANCE : VIRTUE OR VICE ?

The one thing that makes me proud
Is my Ignorance, That I don’t need to fake;
The more I read, the more I learn
makes me certain, That no one can take.

I tried to know all and then some more,
My doubts increased from one to four;
Could not get as much Confidence
from Knowledge, as I could from Ignorance.

School Friends

Why can't we make friends like in school,

Is it us or them who have changed the rule;

Wouldn't count for rich or poor or not so smart,

Just clean in the mind and pure by heart!

FIRE

Fire melts iron with iron,
So also discerns the taint from gold;
May it merge with me my love,
Isolate the evil which keeps me cold.

From my first breath, till the last,
The present will in future be past;
At all times must stay by my side,
This fire in me, be high or low tide.

You and Us

You gave us legs, we trampled the earth,
You gave us hands, now we kill since birth;
You gave us eyes, but not the sight,
You gave us speech, now we speak to fight;

You gave us ears, but another’s cries we cannot hear,
You gave us air, and we filled it up with fear;
You gave us a heart that can hurt more than a fall,
O! But why did you give us a brain. Now we doubt if you gave us anything at all.

Note: The use of the word ‘brain’ instead of the word ‘Mind’ is deliberate. As according to the Indian philosophies (and many others all over the world), ‘Mind’ is equated with consciousness as well as the soul. ‘Mind’ gives us peace. ‘Mind’ helps us control our desires and emotions. ‘Mind’ helps us find the ultimate truth.