Christmas

Christmas in winter, white swirling snow

Traditions carried over from so long ago

Birth of the Saviour, Bethlehem star

Guiding believers, light from afar

Flaming poinsettias, smooth leaves of holly

Season of merriness, gaiety and jolly

The Christmas tree sits decked out in lights

Stockings on branches, angel at heights

Scattering pine needles without reprieve

Longing glances at presents on Christmas Eve

Meal on the table, turkey and game

Egg nog and cookies, pudding aflame

Family reunion, gathering of friends

Stories and banter, making amends

Warmth and good cheer, sparkling and bright

Santa slips down the chimney to wish you goodnight

Pain

Pain seared through the wound
Edges of the flesh, edges of the mind
Flames licked then consumed
To no one part confined

Wrenching agony
As pain conquered the mind
Shoulders atrophy
Slumping undefined

Gritted teeth in vain
Scream into the mind
Inconceivable pain
Death stands less unkind

Let The Tears Flow

Let my tears flow
Don't stop them
Don't staunch them
It's my way of letting go

Let them make their way
Down my cheeks
Salty streaks
They wash the pain away

Let them drop by the drop
Falling free
Till empty
Rolling to a stop...

Seasons

As budding blooms unfurl their petals
Larks and green shoots burst forth alike
Young love uncoils and stretches and settles
To the heart’s tender delight 

Picnics on the grass, bunches of flowers
Stolen kisses, hands snugly clasped
Dry spells sprinkled with summer showers
With some heated moments perhaps

As time goes by and the newness turns bitter
To each little fight you succumb
Angry tears and raindrops mix with each other
The season of tempests is come

The world is now just full of wrongs
Dull browns, dusty yellows, dun grays
The leaf is torn off the branch it belongs
Heart wrenching agony prevails

The gloomy bleakness, the dreary chill
The cutting pain frozen till you’re numb 
Memories of warm togetherness, so cruel
Heartbreak too deep to fathom

Sleep

Sweet slumber has a mind of its own

It comes and goes as it pleases

Gives you comfy dreams on loan

Then a whim, and the offering ceases

It’s quite sly, that creature of ruse

Tempts you with tendrils of rest

While you struggle not to snooze

Studying for that important test

Yet the day you know you must

Get a good night's sleep and arise

For that early meeting, it just

Won’t let you nap, until sunrise                                               

You lie awake in bed, take stock-

“If I sleep now I get three hours”

Next time you look at the clock

“Why even bother, it’s a farce!”

But when you’ve worn yourself out

It may decide to dole out treats     

Hey, it’s not always mean!  So you blackout

As soon as you hit the sheets…

A Night To Remember

Take me out to dinner
Pour me some wine
Feed me a morsel
Link your arm with mine
Take me to the terrace
And as the stars shine
Kiss me until shivers
Run up my spine
A night to remember
Just yours and mine...

Rain

The sound of thunder in the distance
And the lightning cracked in vain
The clouds, with gray and grimy looks
Are shedding themselves of rain

Raindrops drummed on the rooftops
Rain lashed at the window panes
Rain swirled and swished in the gutters
Rain washed out the streets and lanes

Rain hurled itself at the lamp-posts
Rain spat on the dusty pavement
Rain slashed away at the feeble bushes
Rain came down in a massive torrent

After a while, the rain slowed down
Almost stopped, save a drizzle
The clouds, from their brows, dispelled a frown
Gone was the thunder and the dazzle

Rain fell softly on velvety flower petals
Rain pittered-pattered on the trees
Rain gently knocked on the beehive door
And wet the wings of the bees

The soft rain aroused the bud from its slumber,
And caused the birds to shake their wings
Rain suddenly stopped; having touched the soul
Of all such beautiful and wonderful things

If Only

If only I could be a little flower
Living to bloom innocently for a day
Sweet and charming, blushing with colour
Drooping into death with the sun’s last ray

If only I could be a fluttering butterfly
Resplendent in a fantastic riot of colours
Flying where I please, aiming for the sky,
With no restrictions, no mundane barriers

If only I could be a small fleecy cloud,
Floating with the wind, drifting here and there
Momentarily hiding the sun behind my shroud,
Having no responsibility, no worry, no care

If only I could be a drifting bubble
A shifting kaleidoscope of rainbow hues
Free from life’s misery and trouble
Bursting into nothingness, whenever I choose

If only I didn’t have to wish to be any of these;
If only I could live my life just the way I please...

Weed

Life tries to choke the life out of me
With poison, with darkness, cruel hands uprooting me
I hang on, even if by the flimsiest of threads
I recoup, regather, regrow
Recovering slowly, a day at a time
Cowering in anticipation of the next blow
That day when the scythe sliced down at me
I nearly gave up, prepared to meet my doom
Yet I lived on
I surprised even myself
The will to live inside me is stronger than I knew
Why should flowers be allowed to live and not I?
Because they smile their foolish pretty smiles?
Are we not both plants made equal in God's eyes?
Those useless blossoms droop in vases
Their stems shrivel and die
At least I fight on, no matter if you rip me apart, tear off my limbs
Yet they hunt me down, without mercy, without pity
But I will live, I will survive..

Love & Pain & Love Again

Love and pain go hand in hand
One gives you the strength for the other to withstand
You can face the darkest hour, and fight your deepest fears
Your heart lends you the strength to wipe away your tears

But in love itself the origin of pain you can trace
Without love, the pain would not exist in the first place 
For the more you care and the more you feel
The quicker you're hurt, the slower you heal...

Of Tea And Coffee...

The delicate golden liquid

Steaming gentle wisps into the air

A teasing hint of its scent hid

Behind leafy ripples, here and there

Poured out with shimmering grace

In a sparkling amber arc,

Day after day, a ritual hostess

As light gives way to dark

But the day had begun with another

That scowling dark prince of the morn

Not for the weak-hearted to suffer

That scalding caffeinated scorn

The wonderfully robust smell

The jolt to the senses with each sip

The brew that can compel

Slumber to relinquish its grip

Simpler Times

When I look at how the world goes so fast

With ever-changing tastes and shifting climes

Each person scurrying even more than the last

My thoughts turn back to simpler times…

A world where a child could chase a dragonfly

Running through grass, with barefooted glee

A man could fold back his arms and just lie

Soaking in sunshine, heart and mind free

Apron-clad wife in the kitchen awaits

His trudging footsteps after a long hard day

Ladling warm wholesome fare into plates

Sharing a meal, and some love, is on the way

A world where nightfall means dad reads you stories

Mom tucks you in with a warm goodnight kiss

Weekend means picnics, circuses and movies

Playing in the mud and tree-climbing bliss

Simple needs and simple wants, limited possibilities

Is that such a bad thing? ‘Cause then you notice time

You stop to feel the first rain, to hug a friend, to tease

Not just wish you had done it all, after you’re past your prime

Slow down and stop, ignore that Blackberry’s chirp

Let the deadlines just die, once in a while

Let the smoke-blackened traffic jostle, horns hoot and parp

Feel simplicity calling… Just sit back and smile

The Solitary Rose

The sight of which was breathtaking,

Which made one miss a beat

Was the blood red rose

With petals knit close,

To see its beauty was a treat.

It bloomed on the pavement so dusty

Yet it spread its fragrance around

Poised to intoxicate

Using beauty as a bait,

Every soul, whose view on it was found

So delicate, with a pallor

That outlined each vein

Of each superb petal

One glance at which was fatal

Which made one look again and again

It bloomed in all its splendour

Winning with its charm, every heart

The solitary rose,

In its ethereal pose,

A finished piece of the Creator’s art...

Melancholia

In a dark corner, curled up

Arms drawn tight around knees

Swimming in the dregs hurled up

From the deepest crevice

That which started as feeling hollow

A mere void of emptiness

Unaware that soon to follow

Is the darkest despondence

Dragging you below the surface

Drowning you in despair

Shackling you to that place

Where you’re broken beyond repair

Crushing weight, constricting your heart

Unable to breathe, clawing for air

Watching it rapidly all fall apart

Any pretence at normalcy long stripped bare

Life and death, death and life

Cease to exist, cold and alien

The spirit stops fighting, weary of strife

Sinks into nameless oblivion

Turmoil

Sloshing around your core

Twisting, turning, tearing

Deepening evermore 

Until you’re past caring 

Eddying swirls of dismay

Roiling turbulence

Stormy shades of gray

Screams of silence

Ripping your heart to shreds

In anguish you recoil

A feeling the soul most dreads -

Turmoil

Chocolate

Melting rivers of dark silk,

Rippling, stroking, slipping

Smooth sweetness of milk

Tartness of cocoa dripping

Laced with orange or mint

Warm roasted nuts abound

Perhaps just a buttery hint

Or a dollop of rum to be found

Velvety sensation so potent

Eyes closing on their own

To savour the fleeting moment

Of being in the Chocolate Zone…

Storm

Thunder rumbling across the sky

Echoing my thoughts, sad and dark

Feeling lonely, without tears I cry

Life is bleary, seeming so stark

Give me a hug, give me your warmth

Hold me tight and never let me go

The moment shall pass, and no harm

Shall befall me, under your shadow

Skies open up, stormwater pours

Forces from all sides pulling me apart

I deal with them, I will fight of course

But I cant fight alone, I’ve done my part

My last reserve of strength is gone

Is it weak to give up? Is it fine

To want that shoulder to lean on

Those fingers to curl around mine

Will you take me down the road of life

Walking beside me, hand-in-hand?

Turn me away from sadness, from strife

Lead me, come with me, to that blessed land…

Memories

They inhabit the shadowy twilight realm

Between reality and fantasy, soft grey

The more you try to hold on to them

The faster they trickle away

Water slipping through cupped hands.

Some grow distorted beyond recognition

Whimsically embellished as time passes by

Until one cannot separate truth from fiction

However hard he may try

The departing wave reshapes the sands.

Others escape, no matter how tight

They are locked away in that box

Embedded in the corner farthest from light

They slip out from between the chains, bolts and locks

Those burnt into the brain with brands.

Some are distinct, sharp Technicolor outline

Others blur seamlessly into one another

Some long forgotten, jostled back into the mind

With a hint, a melody, a fresh baked smell, a whisper

A déjà vu the heart understands.

Some strung together in an interlocked chain

One leads to another and that to one more

Till you make that whole trip, down memory lane,

Picking up bits and pieces galore

Old times, long-gone people, near-forgotten lands...

Eyes

The dappled green light in your eyes,

Like streaming sunlight in a dewy glade

The molten beauty, a secret surprise

Chiaroscuro of onyx, honey and jade.

I take forbidden peeks once in a while

Hidden behind glasses, inviting sips

When they look back at me and smile

An answer slowly creeps up my lips...

Small Town Girl

Big city and big cars
Big jobs and rush hours
Power plays and battle scars
Parties, pinot noir and cigars
Caught up in the whorl,
Quietly watching it all unfurl
At the heart of it all,
I’m a small town girl

Night-time Terrace

As night falls and lays its dark mantle all around
Stars appear softly, on a dark velvet background
I look up and smile at the moon’s gentle glow
And give in to temptation, up to the terrace I go

Wind greets me by slithering hair down my face
It wraps me in its cloak of warm satin and lace
Leaving the heavens, my gaze skims below
Streetlamps glimmer, cars’ headlights glow

The chatter of crickets and bullfrog croaks rhyme
The trees wave their fronds as if keeping time
I choose my old spot, slide down to my knees
I savour the beauty, the darkness, the peace.

Mangifera indica

Spreading its arms towards the sky
Decked in dark green finery
Stands a mighty patriarch;
A century-old mango tree.
Silent witness of history.

Branches covered in scaly bark, laden
With fruit in ranging hues of golden
Emitting a sweet scent, very persistent,
Coupled with luscious curves,
Luring schoolboys to pleasures forbidden.

Shelter to many, pit-stop for some
Ants scurry along, getting work done
A cuckoo sings, enamoured
Of his own magical voice
Shrieks match his notes, the crows have come.

Wild parrots whirling from bough to bough
Pecking at fruit, here now, there now
A woodpecker hammers away at the trunk,
Knock-knock, tock-tock, the splinters fly
The sparrow builds her nest, her mate in tow.

A dog and a cow lie in its shade; sleepy,
Swishing off the stray fly or flea,
A friendly silence between them
Unaware of the benevolent smile
Of the towering mango tree.

Volcano

The breath of summer lingered
In dark woods, cool and serene,
A cuckoo let drop a jubilant note
The soft breeze plied unseen.

In the sky, each cloud
Outlined in comfortable brilliance;
Homely blossoms spread
Soft perfume, in alliance.

And then the mighty earth heaved
Its bowels lusting for destruction
Spewing liquid fire, molten rock
A deadly concoction.

Poison flowed out from its womb
Burnt orange lava so vivid,
Rushing out, glad to be free
Harbinger of death made liquid.

Time stood still
The obliteration complete
Fluid gray ash, like dark tears
Swirling reminder of fiery heat.

Total silence, eerie;
The gloomy hush of death
Shattered by a vulture’s quavering shriek
Life manifested itself in each breath.

Transcendence

With blushing cheeks and bright eyes she came,

Softly spreading her gossamer wings

She is Dawn, the fairest maiden of all,

“Rise and shine world”, she sings.

Across the sky streak the fiery steeds

Rides hard the messenger sun

He heralds the arrival of the messiah

For Day has already come.

The birds come home, the breeze dies down,

The sun sets with one final sigh

Clad in his rich purple mantle and crown

Dusk reigns over the sky.

On silvery feet she tiptoes in

Her inky black tresses awry

She is the seductive mistress of darkness

Night is the name she goes by.