I need to say this
I need to say this
To myself and to you
So we both know how my world
May look different from your view
The line that I had etched
As I lived my life and grew
Has given way to open up
An invisible door I hardly knew
It paved a different path
I had never travelled before
It made way to the first step
For a walk I’ve to walk alone
When I met a friend in the dark
In ways I had never before
The closeness was endearing
Letting logic stand no more
When I touched you and held you
And held your arms in capture
My mind had left its senses
To let me stand in rapture
And when you felt my form
My moistness and my curves
I wished the hands of time
Stopped its journey in return
My thoughts that had left me
In the moments of elation
Returned in the wake of daylight
With a vengeance of damnation
It was a lonely feeling
There was much pain and guilt
I hoped you would be there
To help me cope with ease
But I guess one deals alone
With cards and their faces shown
For the hands that dealt them to me
Were nobody’s but my very own
But inspite of what I felt
My wisdom has lost its battle
I still want to walk some more
With you on this path of disaster
Happiness Hurts
What pleases hurts
What aches soothes
Is the world changing
Or is it you, your presence
That is causing happiness to hurt
The sound of your silence
The touch of your distance
Makes me wander deep in my thoughts
People around me are the just same
But it is you and your presence
That is causing happiness to hurt
The scar of your glance
Is deep yet comforting
The taste of your voice
Makes my name sound delectable
I sometimes hide myself from you
’cause its your presence
That is causing happiness to hurt
What I know
What I know is how you make me feel
When your roaming eyes halt on mine
In a room full of faces, of which I feel
the most mundane is mine
Yet they stay for a moment longer
And then move on, only to return
To steal another glimpse
Before curious eyes catches its scent
Labels it as being unfaithful
And disapprovingly questions its intent
It is this very moment
That stirs me from inside
Makes me go weak
And makes the wrong right
As if it’s okay to stray
Just this one time
Just for a while
What I know is how you make me feel
When you call me baby
It feels like small waves retreating
After gently touching the beach
Taking back some grains of sand with them
Deep yet so easy to reach
It is this very moment
That stirs me from inside
Makes me go weak
And makes the wrong right
As if it’s okay to stray
Just this one time
Just for a while
What I know is how you make me feel
When you hold my hands
And run your hands down my hair
Wanting more but holding back
I read your thoughts, they make me shiver
And they stop me right on my tracks
It is this very moment
That stirs me from inside
Makes me go weak
And makes the wrong right
As if it’s okay to stray
Just this one time
Just for a while
What I know is how i feel
When your lips touch mine
Like feather and like burning coal
Leaving fire and ice etched somewhere deep
Like a quivering belonging craving for more
It is this very moment
That stirs me from inside
Makes me go weak
And makes the wrong right
As if it’s okay to stray
Just this one time
Just for a while
This is what I know
This is how I feel
It burns like a sting
I look inside
I see wavering flames in a tiny dark pit
Flames from a fire so small
That it can hardly be called a fire
But these fledgeling flames
When touch the walls
It burns like a sting
And I wonder
How a minuscule entity
Can be so ferociously strong
To burn what it touches
And leaves its mark
How can the almost nonexistent
Burn like a sting
And then I realize
That I am looking inside me
Inside the depth of my heart
Where the flames of my desire
Are reminding me of their presence
That I can no longer ignore
My need is burning me
Slowly but surely
And yes, it burns like a sting
I want to be with you
To be touched by you
To be caressed by you
To be loved by you
To melt beside you
If only for a fleeting moment
I want it to burn like a sting
I am scared
That the tiny flame
May soon become a big fire
Of unstoppable passion
That will take us both down
Till we are doomed
Till we burn into flames
But even the numbness
Cannot stop the flames
From burning like a sting
I own my uniqueness
In this world I claim my space
Separate from the others beside me
Who too are eager to outline their place
This space however tiny, is mine
This space is where my star shines
I own the patches of my darkness
That others see as blemishes and cracks
But these patches give my life its depth
These boulders help in etching my tracks
Unattainable just by the pureness of the soul
These very patches makes my journey whole
I own the errors of my life
For they too are pieces of my puzzle
Some bury me underneath their burden
Some come on top to let go and unburden
Some keep me wide awake at night
But I still own them coz they are mine to fight
This tiny space that I call myself
It needs to be cherished and not rejected
Surrounded by tiny spaces of others
This space of mine needs to be protected
Protected from those trying to make identical everything
Plucking my feathers to merge in the shadow of their wings
I need strength to protect my differences
From being so very different and unique
And save my oddities from the guilt
And sew them together into a beautiful quilt
I need strength to honor each patch right
And I need strength to hold each stitch tight
I need strength to realize
That no two quilts are alike
That these dark shades and these craters
Belong to me and are only mine
And till the time death do us part
My darkness alone can be my sunshine
We are all walking talking hypocrites
We are all walking talking hypocrites
So much so that it explodes my mind
Pretending to make meaning out of
Randomness of random thoughts
We borrow time from the infinity
And then waste it and let it rot
We gloat with pride in our false beliefs
We cut off the only strong hand we have
And then hanging on to the weakest of links
We try to save life that is falling apart
We cry dirty tears of blinded humanity
We play hide n seek with passing notions
In the field of cruel and cynical pleasures
We play see saw with unfulfilled emotions
We want to walk on the edge of the universe
Losing sight of that which is so close
On the clouds of impermeable nothingness
We march leaving behind planets of woes
Yes really, we are such hypocrites
We yearn to trace the bottomless hole
And try to feel the feeling of feeling excited
We clutch onto the invisible threads of life
Losing its grip, the very same fury is ignited
We strive to make holes in the vacuum
Then labor to stitch the atmosphere together
Piercing needles to hurt every numb heart
In the journey lose those very hearts forever
I Feel Alive (Abridged version)
I know I am alive
Because I feel this nervous feeling
Somewhere inside the folds of my hidden soul
Constantly reminding me of my presence
In this crowded and intrusive world
It ridicules me, of how I never knew
That all it would take for me to again feel alive
Will be this tiny flame of longing
A tiny flicker, and its desperate attempt to survive
This mysterious yearning for someone
Burns a desire so deep
That it ferociously pulls my heart
And stretches it to touch a new high
A yearning so deep
That it plays with the strings of my heartbeats
Till the sound reverberates in the depths of the sky
A desire for someone to take my pulsating heart
And caress it gently to a new calmness
And now I am addicted
To these unknown and unsettling tremors
They force me to want them
For creating a rift inside me
They force me to need them
For filling my life with turbulence
They force me to crave for them
For removing the shield of comfort
They force me to realise what I feel is real
Even if accompanied with a taint of guilt and shame
They make me take these momentary pleasures
And accept them with open heart and in their entirety
So that I can feel alive and kicking, yet again
Just like old times…
Just like my beating heart
Mom, I want to go home (Cry of a Syrian child) … Abridged version
Home…My sweet home… My lost home
Where I played with stones and papers,
Where friends ran with me from dusk to dawn,
My home of mud and broken bricks,
My home of holes and tattered walls
I laughed at everything then,
Even at the grumbling noises that my stomach made,
The vacuum in my stomach never bothered me,
My childhood was enough to make it all evade
I tried to hold on to my childhood, I really did,
For as long as my tiny little self possibly could,
Even while searching frantically for my favourite toy,
Underneath the mound of rubble and piles of burning wood
Then one day you told me, we had to go across the sea,
To find a place not covered with a shawl of fire,
Where the earth is green and the sky still blue,
Where I can play without dodging smoke and fire
I cried when I said goodbyes,
To my home and childhood friends,
To the familiar dusty streets where I grew up,
For a better future I could not yet comprehend
I heard the silent cries as you took me away,
Of my friend’s pleas from where they stood,
But I left them with my favourite ragged toy in one hand,
And in the other, remnants of my tattered childhood
I towed my little thoughts filled with big doubts,
Will I have friends there who will play with me?
On the strange tarred streets between the tents,
My new home where I am strangely called a refugee
I see Mom, the blue sky that you promised,
And I see all the colours that I never saw before,
I see here that the earth is like a fairyland,
But I still dream of my old life across the shore
You remember my tattered childhood?
The one that I saved from the dreads of the past?
Sometimes it opens up my treasure chest,
And shows me its old happy self, now long lost
Here, I sometimes feel the eyes of unknown faces,
With half-open eyelids filled with gazes of contempt,
Their glares cutting through my body and my soul
And everything else inside me that’s become unkempt
Is it my fault Mom that I had to come here?
Leaving the world that I called my home?
The days I know are beautiful here,
But the nights are still as dark as my home
Can I ever go back to my country?
Can I ever see my friends again?
Can I ever play with the games of innocence?
Can I ever touch my home again?
Mom, I miss my Home…My lost home…My favourite home…
Where I played with stones and papers,
Where friends ran with me from dusk to dawn,
My home of mud and broken bricks,
My home of holes and tattered walls
The Sound of Absolute Silence
Amidst the reverberating echo of noises
And presence of an absolute defiance
I long for a silent beat, or a soundless note
A symphony of void and sound of absolute silence
How will my fiercely noisy mind cope
Like a fish stuck at the edge of waterless waves
Or like a trapeze artist struggling on a missing balance
These deafening noises born from the womb of absolute silence
What I really yearn for, is a tide of brave wretched vacuum
Gulping down the cacophonies of meaningless highness
What I really yearn for, is an orchestra of carefully laid out nothings
My very own symphony, adorned with the sound of absolute silence
Living in our times
Why is it tough
To live in our times
When the yester years swear
Theirs was tougher than mine
Those days saw the bruises
That coloured the bones and skin
To guard the inner soul
Whose existence meant everything
Today is a different story
Today on pyre is the soul
Painted by bruising hues
To shield the skin and bones
Now we get too scared
To look at neighbouring dome
For the fear of sighting everything
That’s missing in our little homes
Maybe a bigger dwelling
Or a gadget more alive
Consciously pinching nostrils
To the aromas of their pie
Why such deep resentment
When victory sings and sways
When triumph performs a ballet
In someone else’s doorway
Today we bury differences
By burying the ones different
The errors we choose to forgive
Are only those that we parent
The life for which we are fighting
We know not what it looks like
‘Cause when we face it head on
We look into a stranger’s eye
The privileged ones ever so busy
Lie sleepless guarding their rights
The simplicity is for the peasants
Who sleeps soundly every night
We plead and demand, but are never content
With all that life ever throws
‘Cause the list of our needs and greed
Stopped tallying on fingers and toes
These days we all are sprinting
A hundred metre race
Tired, fatigued, exhausted
But scared to catch our breath
We worry our shadows will catch up
We worry of time that’s gone
We worry of taking eternity
Slowing life to a marathon
They say Love is blind
They say love is blind…
Then why do we see marks, on each other’s soul
Why do we measure the depth, of every tiny hole
Why see regret and ugliness, in every sigh
Why does laughter dress in grief, in front of our eyes.
Yet they say love is blind…
Why don’t we embrace the darkness, of each other’s past
Why not let hurt and grief, disappear slowly at long last
Why not close our eyes, to the burdens of unsought dues
Why don’t we choose for once, real grays over illusive hues
Why not hear the euphony, hidden in wrath and cries
Why not heal the crevices, of shattered dreams and broken ties.
And they say love is blind….
Why does the invisible pain of love look clearer
Than its healing touch
Why make the unfamiliar and unknown fear
So important and matter so much
Why yearn for deafening sounds of pleasure
And ignore the silent whispers of togetherness
Why not look with looks to melt the heart
And see the sea of love and togetherness
Why be blinded by the luster & brightness
And not feel its warmth
Why watch with caution, every move made
But miss in that, the grace of a swan
Why long for glimpses of things, paper wrapped
And blindly let the unadorned love, simply fade away untapped
Why the touch of lips is not enough to seize the heart
Why being together is harder than growing apart.
Yet they say love is blind….
Claiming Worth
Am I the night surrounding the moon
Or am I the moon, surrounded by blackness
It depends on how I am searching for myself
With eyes open or clouded with darkness
When I do find myself
I see a small moon
But alas
My moon is not
from the pages of a romantic’s world
I see my moon with holes and blemishes
I see my moon withered, grey and cold
So, to turn my greyness into colourful spring
I begin my search for another grey soul
Never feeling complete on my own account
I need another’s void, to truly make me whole
It’s the kiss of acceptance, that I am really after
That plants approval from reassuring lips
Someone to tell me that I am good enough
My worth is alive at the mercy of this script
To pull up my self worth
Further and higher
I have to be taller
Than the tallest of the tree
And thus begins my hunt
For a vine to latch on
Or a ladder made of souls
A little greyer than me
I know now, my need for the crowd
Some for reassuring I am okay in this birth
Others I need for my ego to prey upon
Oh, all this drama, just for claiming my worth
Colours in my Cocoon
A land barren, trees anguished
Dry and naked prairie
An orphaned hope, echoing hurt
Reflecting life’s misery
And thus I begin, to weave a cocoon
Borrowing rainbow, threads from my dreams
Hiding inside, its glorious warmth
Away from the chaos, clutter and screams
It seems like time, has sped past the gloom
I wonder if its safe, to emerge from hideout
Is my world still, covered in dark clouds
I gather my courage, to slowly find out
I pull out myself, and slowly turn around
Nervously clutching, the colourful threads
Behind me I see life, in its full blown glory
Just a few brave steps, beyond the dread
The colourful cocoon, I weaved so lovingly
Gave mere mirage, of strength to cope
It trapped life, in its never-ending knots
Isolating instead, from courage and hope
The Crisscross panic
They embrace tightly, my tired face
Caressing gently, like never-ending vines
Cropping from every, nook and corner
To hold me together, safe in their twines
They seem to be actually, quite fond of me
But I ignore them, like forbidden curse
And when they tell me, to smile at life
I am worried, that it will, make them worse
They reach to me with aching soul
With teary eyes and broken heart
It’s me who gave them life, they say
It’s me who is now tearing them apart
They beg me to look, in the pit of the pile
Of my present, and of the past I had lived
They say I’ll find, the knots of their world
Clinging to the threads, of the quilt I had weaved
I looked deep down, and saw some of them
Wiping away, my tears as I cried
Some were holding, the reins of my anger
And some were cheering, in my moments of pride
Some were etched, from my smiles and my laughter
Some took birth like my babies, from labour pain
And some gave me company, as I waited for my children
To return home safely, as I always worried in vain
Wherever I went, in the lanes of my history
I saw their nurturing, hands with myself
These lines, that I had, abandoned in the past
Were the lines, that I had, created myself
These wrinkles and marks, that cover my body
Are telling my stories, of glory and pain
They deserve to be cherished, like precious trophies
Instead I demeaned, their existence in shame
We, the Puppets
In the stage of humanity
We play our parts
We fill our voids
We face some truths
But many we avoid
Sometimes angel, sometimes devil
Wearing guises of our pride
Colourful as they all might be
The veils on our faces, they often misguide
We tell ourselves, that we’re mere puppets
And we keep doing, whatever we may please
Shielding our evil, we love so dearly
We pretend that a force, is directing all our deeds
So we jerk around the lives of others
To make them all, dance to our whims
But then, we suffer a similar pain
Slowly burning down, throughout our limbs
And then it dawns upon us, with clarity
That there’s no evil outside, with wings
It is just us, the human puppets
We are the ones, pulling each other’s strings
We, The Pinocchios
We start our humble journey
With fears and few dreams
With our rights and our wrongs
Firmly guiding all our dreams
Everyday on this path
We keep piling up our loot
Success, money and pleasures
And with them some accolades too
Soon this loot gets heavy
But we don’t let it go
Instead we shed the layers
Of moral suit we always wore
And so goes out of window
Beliefs we held so high
We let go of cherished values
Slowly, one at a time
But the one who’s still walking
On thorns of moral ground
We look with awkward glances
We lost what he has found
We know where this has led us
We know the cost of win
We know we are all Pinocchios
Only he had just one sin
The Black Hole
We open our eyes, to this life of today
We don’t like, what we have
It’s what’s missing, that we dismay
Looking far and beyond, with tired searching eyes
It’s the future we believe, from where our dreams arise
The ‘now’ is dark and gloomy, the ‘now’ is never gay
The pastures of the present, are greener some other day
Running towards that future, leaving the murky now
The eyes of our blind race, sight the rainbow above
The dreams are still escaping, to new moments in time
We pull strands of tomorrow, a little closer every time
And each day we catch it, we look with harsh resent
The reality of the future, mirrors yesterday’s present
We begin to grasp reality, and see the time we’ve lost
Hunting for that we all had, already tucked in past
The future is a bubble, reflecting empty soul
The outer rings entice us, the inside is a black hole
Nirbhaya
Nirbhaya, O brave one
You have suffered and fought for everyone’s grief
On the bed of the distant clouds, my love
You lie now, and forever rest in peace
Sleep well, my dear
Free from all the worldly plight
Be our guide from up there, our angel
Shower us with your effervescent light
We take the baton from your tired soul
To fight for our respect and courage
Never again will we give that right to anyone
We, the women, take this solemn pledge
The gentleness of our nurturing souls
Will transform into “Goddess Durga”
For every demon in this wilderness of life
In each of us will be reborn, a Nirbhaya
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail
The Black Hole
We open our eyes, to this life of today
We don’t like, what we have
It’s what’s missing, that we dismay
Looking far and beyond, with tired searching eyes
It’s the future we believe, from where our dreams arise
The ‘now’ is dark and gloomy, the ‘now’ is never gay
The pastures of the present, are greener some other day
Running towards that future, leaving the murky now
The eyes of our blind race, sight the rainbow above
The dreams are still escaping, to new moments in time
We pull strands of tomorrow, a little closer every time
And each day we catch it, we look with harsh resent
The reality of the future, mirrors yesterday’s present
We begin to grasp reality, and see the time we’ve lost
Hunting for that we all had, already tucked in past
The future is a bubble, reflecting empty soul
The outer rings entice us, the inside is a black hole
Nirbhaya
Nirbhaya, O brave one
You have suffered and fought for everyone’s grief
On the bed of the distant clouds, my love
You lie now, and forever rest in peace
Sleep well, my dear
Free from all the worldly plight
Be our guide from up there, our angel
Shower us with your effervescent light
We take the baton from your tired soul
To fight for our respect and courage
Never again will we give that right to anyone
We, the women, take this solemn pledge
The gentleness of our nurturing souls
Will transform into “Goddess Durga”
For every demon in this wilderness of life
In each of us will be reborn, a Nirbhaya
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail
The Black Hole
We open our eyes, to this life of today
We don’t like, what we have
It’s what’s missing, that we dismay
Looking far and beyond, with tired searching eyes
It’s the future we believe, from where our dreams arise
The ‘now’ is dark and gloomy, the ‘now’ is never gay
The pastures of the present, are greener some other day
Running towards that future, leaving the murky now
The eyes of our blind race, sight the rainbow above
The dreams are still escaping, to new moments in time
We pull strands of tomorrow, a little closer every time
And each day we catch it, we look with harsh resent
The reality of the future, mirrors yesterday’s present
We begin to grasp reality, and see the time we’ve lost
Hunting for that we all had, already tucked in past
The future is a bubble, reflecting empty soul
The outer rings entice us, the inside is a black hole
Nirbhaya
Nirbhaya, O brave one
You have suffered and fought for everyone’s grief
On the bed of the distant clouds, my love
You lie now, and forever rest in peace
Sleep well, my dear
Free from all the worldly plight
Be our guide from up there, our angel
Shower us with your effervescent light
We take the baton from your tired soul
To fight for our respect and courage
Never again will we give that right to anyone
We, the women, take this solemn pledge
The gentleness of our nurturing souls
Will transform into “Goddess Durga”
For every demon in this wilderness of life
In each of us will be reborn, a Nirbhaya
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail
Ego in Perspective
I opened my eyes, to the world that I knew
The echo of my voice, as clear as morning dew
The words that I spoke, since I thought I made sense
From the time I became me, till right now, in my present
These words that I hear, I would like to share with you
‘Cause the echo of my world, may resonate with yours too
I hear:
My dreams, my sorrows, my expectations, my joys
My pride, my needs, what excites me, what annoys
My likes, my dislikes, my opinions, the world so needs
My expectations that I justify, my desires I don’t call greed
I hear and I hear, till I don’t want to anymore
I wonder why my echo, has only me and no other soul
I hear the Universe laughing, so loud it shakes my core
Opening womb of its creation
The tiniest of which, is infinite than my whole
My ego, which I thought as universe
The one on which I relied
It’s time to let go
Of the tiny ‘me’ and miniscule ‘I’
It’s time to see the truth
To be humble and reflective
It’s time to see with clarity
Our Ego in Perspective
The Woman and the Man
In the storms of the treacherous life
All look at him with admiration
He’s the provider and the protector
And the one upholding all traditions
But who’s the one standing behind him
With a face so serene this stormy night
She’s the one supporting the pillar
On which her man leans, in these troubled times
She is his source of strength
For she takes the weight of his burdens
The house on her shoulder
And calmness that binds and strengthens
She brings beauty in his life
A beauty that reminds him
These Tulips are no delicate flowers
They bring steadiness around him
The Step child
Alone in the corner, the Stepchild waits
Hoping against hope, for the darkness to fade
But the life goes on, with its busy grinding churn
The Stepchild sits alone, quietly waiting for its turn
Wrapped in your life, trapped in its maze
You give yourself in, to a never-ending chase
You do everything, that the world expects of you
Your family, your friends, and sometimes strangers too
And then you are left with nothing, nothing more to give
So far away have you gone, that there’s nothing left to feel
For that child who is abandoned, who’s always left behind
The one who always waits, for a tiny grain of your time
You ignore, you mistreat, you stopped caring long ago
You forgot to remember, the existence of that tiny soul
So busy, so tired, you have no moments, not even a few
For that lonesome little soul, the Stepchild that is You
Water is Woman
Its holy touch, heals tarnished souls
Makes sacred, every ritual
The blessing of dew, cures every sin
Yes, water is spiritual
In her sweat and tears, the water lives
Its presence unconditional
Sometimes angry, but often calm
Yes, water is emotional
Transforming swiftly to all three forms
In life, she thus survives
Gently caressing a life in womb
Yes, water is alive
Out of the Ashes
From the time she is born
She’s chained to the stereotypes
Defined by the society
And for her soul to internalize
She accepts and imbibes
These expectations and the dos and don’ts
She fights her inner dreams
To make way for someone else’s ethos
Then one day, she wakes up
And finds sinking deep into the swamp
Fighting to breathe, she wonders
How she got there, how could she let this carry on
And at that moment she decides to fight back
But this time for her own destiny
And so begins a long struggle
To find her true identity
What all will she have to burn
To come out renewed from her own ashes
What metamorphosis will she need
To fight for her own little space
Is she only one of the few, enlightened and educated ones
Or do we see a residue of the ashes
On the veil of a mud woman
Only You
In the arms of his mother
With back turned to his toys
Clinging to her tightly, he whispers, this little boy
He says,
All my favourite toys together
Do not give me the love that I get from you
O Mother, my dear mother
All I really need is ‘Only You’
Curving and tilting sharply
To give comfort and hear his laughter
She stands unwavering
Enduring the pain of awkward posture
To her baby she says,
In this journey of my existence
Whatever life brings to you
For the rest of my life, my love
I’ll always be there for ‘Only You’
Playmates
On the floor of her courtyard
With one leg folded
And the other stretched out
Just like the little boy sitting across her
Who brings out happy sighs from her mouth
She has transformed herself
From an old lady to a fun-loving child-at-heart
The one he can relate to
The one who holds her heart
Like a mother hen, she is loving
Yet at times she overprotects
‘Cause she is his grandma
His only true playmate
The Incomplete Puzzle
Woman, who are you
Why are you such a puzzle
Why such a mystery
Why are you still a riddle
Why are there still
So many pieces missing
And those that are found
Do they really mark your tracing
Is it because of the myriad roles you play
For everyone in your life
Or is it because you give so much of yourself
That what is left of you is difficult to analyze
Is it because you have hidden your true self
Under the burden of expectations
Or has no one tried harder
To solve this eternal puzzle
Oh woman, why are you such a puzzle?
The Old Newborn
As the wheel of life spins, it comes a full circle
When the mother becomes a child, to her very own daughter
Caressing her wrinkled face, and gently pulling her closer
Such deep love for her mother, will remain with her forever
She is pulling her mother away
From the dark and difficult silence
But can it be easy for the old woman
To accept such resilience
Though she finds a sense of peace
In her daughter’s loving embrace
There’s also a glimpse of guilt
That fills her heart with enormous pain
The guilt that she is making her daughter
A prisoner of her love
Coming in the way of her freedom
To reach the sky above
But the daughter will not leave her
Let that be known
For the mother is now
Her very own “Old Newborn”
Wrapped In Love
You sing to us, from the depth of your soul
Your love for us, makes us complete and whole
You play with us, with the joy of a child
You let our imagination, go beyond the wild
What you read to us
Is more than prince & fairy
You impart your wisdom
Gently, in every story
With heavy heart
You make us face the world alone
But you are behind us
We feel you, we have always known
You wrap us snuggly, in the folds of your life
With you we are rooted, but can still fly high
With you around
Stars always shine from above
With you dear mom
We are always Wrapped in Love
The Blue Woman
The Blue of Lord Krishna
Is beauty, grace and holy chant
Why then does my blue colour
Invite scorn and hurtful glance
I know that I am beautiful
Both outside and in my soul
Just show the courage to go deeper
Far away from the shore
I am who I am
I have a fire inside me
It lights up my existence
It brightens the blue outside me
Myriad Hues
She has more facets
Than one
She does more than she can
For everyone
She brings hope, joy and life
To her dear ones
In return she swallows
The dark from their cauldron
The day and night
That covers her soulful face
Are the gifts from life to her
To treasure always
The colours that paint her face
Are your cues
They tell the story
Of her ‘Myriad Hues’
The Journey called Love
What is love
If not a journey
With small ripples
And plenty big waves
The beginning, if not marked with friendship
Cannot carve the path ahead
Along this great adventure
Lie delicate threads of discoveries
Of self, the other and together
That weaves many soulful memories
Like friends if sail along
The love will rise and shine
It will prevail when youth is gone
And will stand the test of time
The Homemaker
Mother sitting on the floor
Brings fond memories of my childhood
In the kitchen where we all gathered
That really was the centre of our household
She, preparing simple food
With all her love
And me sitting eagerly
Amidst the aromas of my sweet home
Like the sparrow of my childhood
Disappearing slowly from the horizon
Are these soulful memories
Fighting for their survival
Can we bring back
The old simplicity of life
Or are we going to let it simply slip away
In the oblivion of a long dark night
Fairies in our Lives
Mirror- mirror on the wall, who are the fairies of them all
If there were fairies in our lives
Who would they be
Who can spread the magic
Where can they be
Search for the source of the magic
Of beauty, love and compassion
For these are the precious gifts
That they shower upon us with passion
As I look in the eyes of our daughters
It suddenly dawns upon me
How can I count my blessings
For they are the fairies around me
Their innocent and gentle beauty
Makes us forget the ugliness
They keep us close to their hearts
A place that I call my nest
Their presence evokes and keeps alive
The feeling of compassion
And tenderness within us
Which can so easily be forgotten
Second Skin
Through the journey of life
Sharing the good with the bad
Always there for one another
In life’s different facades
The doll, music, treasure box
Cactus and cupid
Each has a story to tell
Like a prayer they grew up with
They may be physically apart
But they know in their hearts
They have a guardian angel in the other
Watching out for their path
Unhesitatingly showing their selves to the other
The way only they can
They inspire each other
To be the best that they can
Maybe like a mother
Who binds them together
Or a free-spirited Robin
That spreads wide its feathers
They fit into each other’s voids
Embrace each other’s dreams
‘Cause they are the Sisters
They are the Second Skin
The Breadwinner
What does it take for a woman
To step out of her zone
To earn a living for her family
To provide her kids a safe home
I see instead of a halo
There is a Chakravyuh
She has to conquer it every day
For her life to simply get through
This is a testimony to her strength
For she has become a breadwinner
For the ends to simply meet
And her valley to become greener
Despite the cruel hardships
Her posture is one so brave
She has taken control of her destiny
And now she just won’t fail