Spider webs

Spider webs

Thread by silken thread of maybe
Of once used, discarded identity
We weave together a story of me
Designed to capture no other prey
But ourselves , our idea of what is to be
Entangled in our own webs, long to be free
Enmeshed , enchanted with our creations to varying degree
Yet we refuse to discard our absurd understanding, see
That we need to discard the me, to know reality
That the answer lies not in webs of complexity
But in the spaces between, where love breathes free
And in those moments when me is suspended , I agree
Is when I truly am , unfettered, to truly be.

--shubha

Fashion shows

Fashion shows

Crimson rouge spreads slow
Gold glitters on sun kissed brow
Autumn fashion shows

--shubha

I see you

I see you

Every morning and night for a minute or two,
In the mirror ,face to face, I see you,

I see the smiles, the sighs, the vanity and the grays too,
I see your triumphs, your struggles, through your excuses, a few,

Between what is expected of you,
I know you sometimes feel, that your hopes and dreams are see-through,

But for those few moments we meet each day, I see you,
And acknowledge you are important too.

--shubha

Someday , we must outgrow poetry

Someday , we must outgrow poetry

Someday, we must outgrow poetry
Leave behind half broken lines, meter
Chewed out essences of spent emotion
A world sewn together by our joy, our pain
Where a few words strung together
Cry out our momentary state to the world
To be fossilized for posterity
Where they can only come alive
Through shared feeling, their imagination

Yes, someday we must outgrow poetry too
Outgrow it with grace , effortlessly
Like we outgrew our jeans , our dolls
Sometimes, our dreams
Realize , that this is but a moment's place
It snapshots naught, but our world in that instant
And cataclysmic as it's shattering may be to you
It is still only yours

Yes, someday you must outgrow poetry
From your own perspective
That you may see her through others
That you may feel her ,for herself
That you may know her without words
That you may be free , even of her
That you may learn to read
The poetry of silence

--shubha

Taffeta dreams

Taffeta dreams


Rustling desires stir
Silken vines coil trunks, sap joy
Taffeta dreams snare

-shubha

The Journey

The Journey

Fire test

Test of fire burns
Hungrily consumes labels
Strips identity

Solitude

Hurt heals in wet drops
Understanding clothes in waves
Balm of solitude


The introduction

In reflecting pools
Of peaceful contemplation
Our introduction

--shubha

P.S  A few lines that came to me in response to three separate prompts , test of fire, solitude and self introduction on an online poetry group, The Wordsmiths. I have tried to string them together to tell an universal story of search  . 

Stench of coffee -- coffee stories

Stench of coffee -- coffee stories

She awoke with a start
Looked at the glowing numbers on the clock
Blow ! Late again ! She would have to hurry
Yet , she felt so fatigued , spent

Caught a whiff of coffee
Familiar nausea rose in waves
She swallowed , fighting it down

Her poor hubby
Had actually considered
Giving up his morning cup of joe
To avoid offending her sensitive nose

Of course , she hadn't let him
She knew how much  he enjoyed it
How much they had both enjoyed it
And yet that smell
Seemed to get hold of her insides
And pull them out

Navigating the break room
At work , to get to the bathroom
That she visited so often now
Was torture

In the kitchen , she found a plate
With still warm English muffins
Spread with peanut butter
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Her favorite breakfast
A hastily scribbled smiley face
On a post-it in his hand

It should have delighted her
But strangely repulsed her
She couldn't bring herself to eat it
What was happening to her ?
She wondered as she grabbed a banana hungrily
Banana? she loathed banana

She smiled, hand on her stomach
Giving up coffee for a few months
All these strange tastes, cravings
Was such a small price to pay
For the blessing growing within her

--shubha