Magic rings of destiny

Magic rings of destiny

Through the rings of whirring glow sticks,

My son called,I am making magic, amma, come quick,

I looked at the two little hands shackled by the rings of light,

Eyes that lit the dark room with sheer delight,

Thought to myself that it was magic indeed,

That the hands that were tied, it seemed,

Were the ones controlling the whirling,as if in a dream,

That we were the ones, that added movement , every moment,infinitesimally,

While we rued an illusion of being shackled in the magic rings of destiny.

--shubha

Waking dream

Waking dream

The older I get, more foolish I seem,

The wisdom that supposedly accompanies age, a distant theme,

Realize,that we all play our parts in a waking dream.

--shubha

Fishy tales

Fishy tales

On either bank they were both fishing,
One was sprawled beside his pole, lazing,
Hat over his face, listless , gently dozing,
The other was a picture of poised alertness,
As he stood at the water's edge,
Relaxed in meditative awareness,
As he shifted his weight from one long foot to another,
Watched the river, intently for a glint any further,
Until a bee buzzed to close the first ones ear,
He awoke with a start , sat up in fear,
Startled the other , who spread his, beautiful wings,broad
Soared into the sky, leaving the earthbound fisherman with his dangling rod.

--shubha

Summer

Summer

Some short poems on Summer and Summer heat

Indian summer

The heat rises in shimmering waves
And crashes upon itself
While we seek momentary circles of relief
Under the whirring ceiling fans,that spread the hot air around
Under the shade of cool, spreading trees wilting in the sun's wrath,
In the closed AC rooms, cars , restaurants , cooled malls,
While the green raw mangoes, ripen to golden sweetness
To mimic the blazing sun,
As the summer heat, has just begun its climb to its crescendo.

--shubha

Summer woes

Sun burns unrelenting in the heavens,
Under which the baked earth, browns, rusts and in places ,is broken,
Mocks the plight of the burning, sweating populace
Mistake it seems to step out under his unflinching gaze,
Every thing seems to burn in his embrace,
Rains, as a relief,are awaited eagerly, the summer heat to erase,
Summer, that time of languid days, vacation fun,
Quickly becomes onerous under the burning sun.

--shubha

A poem that includes the words Ice/Sun/Kite 

Flying kites

At the beach , the sun blazed,
Over the warm sand, a fluttering kite in their gaze,
Two children ran, shouting in delight,
Strangers at first , a charming way to break the ice.

--shubha

First smiles

The warmth of your smile
Melts , the awkwardness of first meeting,
Like sun melts ice,
And let my aspirations soar to heights,
That mocks, the flight of the kites.

--shubha

A couple of poems on a picture of a sapling rising from the cracked earth....

Summer love

Although I may be broken,
In the glare,of your scorching indifference,
I send you this offering, a chance at redemption,
That rooted in my wet bosom,
Alive in your light,
This promise of life
May grow, mature, ripen,
In the the summer of our love.

--shubha

Parched lips

From her parched, drying lips
She uttered a blessing
In defiance, of the heat that strips,
From her damp depths,
Sustained life,
That is ,
Our benediction,everlasting.

--shubha

Lessons at the raspberry patch

Lessons at the raspberry patch

Early in the day, in the cool of the morning

We stripped the raspberry patch of the pump berries,glistening,

Found some bitten, a few,

Gross, said my son, who ate those too?

Perhaps the birds, I replied, as if on cue,

Then smiled and said, we have so many , we can spare them a few,

My boy stopped and pondered this, a second or two,

Why are they ours, amma, couldn't they belong to the birds too?

Why indeed, I thought, how true,

Why do we lay claim to,

Seek to posses,

All that that pleases,

All that the mind,chooses,

Why don't we instead,

Play our small parts , in the larger scheme of things,

And revel,in that sense of belonging?

--shubha

Scorcher

Scorcher

The burning sun, beat down relentlessly,
Chasing the shadows into ever tightening corners,
Seemed to consume the very air,
Heating up the earth, water and atmosphere,
On a day ,that was a scorcher.

--shubha

Daddy dearest,should I change?

Daddy dearest , should I change?

Sometimes at school they call me fat,

I know you said I was your pumpkin, but does it mean just that,

Should I measure my worth by the scales' range,

Daddy dearest , should I change?

You told me ,to learn,you go to school,

But I would like to be looked on ,as cool,

Follow the latest trends, my own frumpy look, rearrange,

Daddy dearest, should I change?

Yesterday, he casually brushed me aside ,a touch ,

Said, I really, talk too much,

I know you have said ,you ,love our exchange,

But tell me, daddy dearest, need I change?

He says I don't, our finances, tend,

Too much on little frivolous treats, spend,

Show responsibility, economy some,

Did you ever find my little wants burdensome?

Should I ,my wants, curtail , my priorities arrange?

Daddy dearest, must I change?

I know you said ,I should define my own worth, above all,

But I really do crave his approval,

He says he criticizes for my own improvement,

Where do the lines blur between betterment ,

And acceptance?

Must I ,my expectations and inadequacies manage?

Daddy dearest, should I change?

--shubha

Fatherhood song

Fatherhood song

I sent you,a black and white picture of little shoes,

In your head, you may color them pink or color them blue,

For God willing ,the little joys and agonies of fatherhood will soon come to you,

And although little feet may adorn these shoes or go quite bare,

You will find yourself, often carrying them there,

First cradled in your arms as fragile wonders,that grew,

That let you rediscover the world,anew,

Then in your arms , on your shoulders, or your back

As they pepper you with questions from their never ending stack,

But always in your heart, like a familiar song,

Where you can hum the tune, but get the words wrong,

That gives you the reason to persevere,to cherish,to right every wrong,

And the courage to go on.

--shubha

The passing

The passing

The trees stood still in the afternoon's sweltering heat,
Not a leaf moved, no branches dipped to meet,
Until a gentle breeze , passed that way,
Bounced the branches , made the leaves flutter and say,
The breath of life may pass from form to form,
But it's underlying truth prevails,
And what animates ,
And that moment of animated truth,
This eternal relationship display,
Leaves behind the pleasant sound of rustling leaves,
For the listener, as it passes on its way.

--shubha

Invisible child

Invisible child

I am the child ,of your excuses,

Your neglect , your apathy, your uneasy truces,

The one that scrambles over the landfills of dirt, to salvage , backs burnt,

Fills those firecrackers with gun powder for you to burst in turn,

Serves you tea in your  offices, busy

Sells trinkets at traffic signals, the one ,you pretend ,not to see,

The child who walks your dog, cares for your children, runs your errands galore,

Have you ever wondered if I wanted more?

To learn, laugh and play as I should,

A chance ,at the semblance of a childhood,

Although I toil in the bright sun, I know I am invisible to you,

But this my silent plea ,don't you hear that too?

-shubha

Thoughts of you, a journey

Thoughts of you, a journey


Bemuse,bewitch,bedazzle,
Besotted

Bechance meet,befriend,beholden,
Beautiful

Busy , badger, bicker,
Blue

Bifurcate,

Bewildered,befuddled,baffled
Broken

Burdensome, bruising, biting
Bitter

Becalmed, benevolent, blessed
Better

Your thoughts, our journey
Become
A part of me.






--shubha

Colors of love

Colors of love

Surely the color of love must be those of a rainbow,

That blesses the sky with its ethereal glow,

Red, like the promise of vermilion on a blushing bride,

Orange, that symbol of love for the motherland, of valor and sacrifice,

Yellow, like the love of golden childhood memories,

Green, the love of a mother that blesses her children, with glistening treasuries,

Blue, the color of a youthful sky, filled with infinite possibilities,

Indigo, of a deepening twilight, that reminds of the creators' majesty,

Violet, that bittersweet color of a beloved's memory

Or just perhaps can it be that no one color ,or hue,

Can express love in its form,true,

That perhaps they all meld into the one white light,

To remind us that all originates in love, the infinite.

--shubha

Come walk the trail with me

Come walk the trail with me

Come, walk the trail with me, today
Follow its' winding and turns in assured equanimity,
Test your strength and endurance,
As you follow it through deserts, forest dense,
Speak to me of your fears and dreams,
But remember that all is not what it seems,
Not out of anger, spite did I send you on this arduous journey,
But ,that though the triumphs,tribulations,shame, glory,
You may recognize yourself,and through you ,Me
Come walk your trail with me

--shubha

The Magnolia

The Magnolia

As the long, languid days of summer, looms,
Around the bend, the magnolia,quietly  blooms,
And gently casts her enticing, redolent spell,
My vagrant , racing thoughts, I quell,
To pause, and take in her heady smell,
And as my nostrils fill with her delicate scent,
Reminds me,of the gift, of living,in the present.

--shubha