River of gold

River of gold

After a long day

Clouds bank, the sun, lazes in

In a river of gold

--shubha

The golden orb

The golden orb

The half moon,hung low
Like a lit golden orb
Suspended, from the heavens
Kissing the treetops
Sometimes, dipping behind
As if ,overcome by shyness
And the car,careened side to side
Following the snaking road
Drunk on her beauty.

--shubha 

Common Man

Common Man  for RK Laxman 

With a dhoti, belongings at the end of a stick

Tufts sticking out, bewildered looks, a range,to pick

He gently held up the mirror to our own absurdities,

Helped us laugh through our burdens, day to day calamities,

With a keen eye,a childlike honesty

He called out, the nakedness,of authority

His work done , bequeathed us a legacy

Of many childhood laughs,encapsulating poignancy

Now, as all forms of indignation, spread like a tumor

Pray,we retain,our sense of humor.

--shubha

P.S written as a tribute to RK Laxman, a well known cartoonist who created a popular feature, the Common Man and was integral part of my growing up.Mr RK Laxman passed away on Jan 26,2015 

An Indian-American's Republic day

An Indian-American's  Republic day

Listen to some patriotic songs..Check
Change profile picture on my homepage..Check
Wish friends in India and abroad .. Check
Look up weekend celebrations in local community.. Check
Tell my son about past flag hoisting ceremonies.. Check
Look for a picture of the tricolor fluttering.. Check

And as my heart fills with pride, ignore the ache
The longing, for that, which once formed
A greater part of my identity,
Still does
And with each distant flutter
Each descending rose petal
With each passing year
I lose just a little more
Cleave out a just a little more Indian
As I forge a new identity, in an adopted land
As American
And forever walk the tightrope
Of the hyphen
Of Indian-American

My homage to my homeland paid
I fold my patriotism
To unfurl, for Independence Day.

--shubha 

Shades of grey

Shades of grey

First,there was you,

Color, light, laughter,sparkle, dreams followed

There was this promise

Of life

Of us

Then you were gone

Just like that, 

Like a leaf savagely ripped from a book

And darkness reigned

Oozed in, to surround, envelop, submerge

Enter,room, board in my heart,

And in this long night, I chased the shimmering fireflies

Of memory, with an empty jar

Now both darkness, light receded, in corners stay

As I wend my way,

Through the day to day

Each, in a different shade of grey.

--shubha

Loss

Loss

Little by little,we lose,
Our prejudices,
Our pretext,
Our expectations,
Our desires
Our wants
Our needs
Our assumed identity
Ourselves
To discover, we never were,
Separate,disparate
To gain, the universe
And our part in it.



--shubha

A woman's journey

A woman's journey

In a thousand of your smiles,

I measured my happiness

In a hundred nods 

of your approbation, 

My freedoms

In five words of 

"Good girls don't do that"

I defined my limitations 

With seven steps, 

I traversed the journey 

From girlhood to matrimony 

In nine months,

I hollowed myself out

To make room,for a new life 

To fill with the joy of motherhood

For a lifetime

I journey back and forth,

Acknowledging the smiles,

Craving approbation,

Challenging the limitations 

Negotiating the definitions

Wondering,what it means 

To be a woman.

--shubha

Solitude

Solitude 

After the sound and fury

Of the world's opinion

Clamoring to be heard

Far from it's polish, veneer

Understanding drips,

In solitude.

--shubha 

A harvest of kites

A harvest of kites

Up on the terrace, they readied for a fight,

A toss, a few pulls, up went the kites

With greedy eyes, they followed her flight,

Kept that pretty one, in sight,

Suddenly the strings, entwined, just right,

A pull with might, a shout of delight

Then those urchins set off,through the narrow lanes, a sight,

To reap their yearly harvest of kites.

--shubha

A kite's flight

A kite's flight

Let go a little, tempt the breeze,

To come, take a closer look, please

Twirl your long hair, swirl

Flutter, sing your song, to his sharp ear,

Until he catches you up,in delight,

Takes you on a heady,wild ride, 

Dance with joy, colorful kite.

--shubha 

Moonlit dreams

Moonlit dreams

Sometimes I dream,

Of the silken touch, of the sinuous ,dark stream,

Of skipping from moonlit ripple to ripple, just out of reach,

Of bathing in borrowed silver, from the white beech,

Of listening to the whisper of the breeze, unseen,

Of being perfumed,in the scent,of the night-queen

Of clambering up, sliding down moonbeams

O' sometimes, I dream.

--shubha 

Happy Pongal and MakarSankranti

Happy Pongal and MakarSankranti

As the sun turns North

With the promise of warmer days

May you find much care, warmth, promise 

In your lives

As the pot overflows with new rice of harvest

So too may your year's harvest be  plentiful

Sweetened by gratitude

As the kites soar to reach the skies

May your hearts follow, 

Surpass them, in joy

May you find blessings, gifts 

In all that you see, receive,

And give thanks in gratitude 

In all that you see, 

May you find beauty,

Wishing you all a very Happy Pongal, MakarSankranti

--shubha

An armful of sky

Armful of sky

You can see 
the character of the woods
In winter
Devoid of their foliage
You see them for what they are
Straight, smooth, proud, tall
Or gnarled, twisted,bent
But they all raise their limbs
Some feathered into filigree
Others curved ,branched or straight
In silent prayer
And are blessed by
Filling ,their waiting arms,
With an armful of blue skies.

--shubha 

Belonging

Belonging

I collect quiet, from my walks,on the trail,

Freedom from the churning thoughts, that assail,

From the drizzling drops, yet to fall,

From the resting trees, silent, bare, proud, tall,

From the brown brush, rustling, the bird-call

From the steady rhythm of my own footfall,

From the surging river's steady roar,

From the gentle laps, on the lake's shore

And just for a moment, a single second, heady

I slip the confines,of my body

I am the river, the lake, the chirping squirrel, in the tree,

I am,all I see

And all I see, resides in me.

--shubha