Jason

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His fingers strummed,

Aching to bring out

A soul searing melody,

And his eyes that saw

The flutter of dreams

Drooped and hovered

Over the strings and frets.

 

His heart raced

In time with the beat,

Ascending to crescendo,

While his legs simulated

The tempo,

Pumping furiously

To dash across

To the finish line

Where the heart begins

To slow down

Like the descending tempo.

The crescendo has subsided

And the race has ended.

Heart quieted

And calm descended

Like the hushed moments

After the finale!

 

 

 

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Solomon

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Solomon of solemn eyes

Surveyed all and everything

He weighed the objects

And the people-

The books, the toys,

The cars and family.

With great sagacity

And keen acumen,

He chose the red car

And Mother Goose;

Then he glanced up

And bestowed a cherubic smile

On all the beaming faces

Surrounding him.

 

 

Elijah

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He smiled, he pouted,

He played with his trains

And was heard

In  gentle monogues

Over the tracks

And over the bridges.

But, on the stage,

In the church,

And in Tae Kwan Do,

He could be heard

With bell like clarity

While his eyes reflected

His infectious smile.

 

 

Aliyah

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In some sedentary moments,

One hears  high wailing

And is awoken

To hear the little mite’s

Ear-piercing howl!

But when  she twinkle-toes

Across a stage

In  a luminous tutu

And translucent wings,

Tinker Bell herself

Will not match the magic

In her effervescent smile

And appealing grace.

 

Taunting Grief

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Grief is ruthless,

Taunting till one grips it!

 

Shed or unshed,

Tears tried in vain

To wash away the grief

That happened suddenly

And surprisingly.

 

Whether affecting slowly

Or striking with lightning speed,

One is never ready

To withstand the onslaughts,

The ever widening eddies!

 

Where is the foothold

To stop the sinking,

The infinite whirl

That is relentless

And giddying?

 

Try this, try that;

Talk, walk, do something.

Yet, there is no end

To this maddening swirl,

The ever widening whirl of grief.

 

But, there has to be a pause.

A sudden brake

Or a slow lowering pedal

That comes to complete stop

To the maddening depth

That sucks one in,

Leaving only dry leaves

Of plausible memories.

 

Is there a hand reaching down

Or a branch within grasp?

Does this have to be eternal?

 

Reach out for someone,

For a consoling gesture,

Or a shoulder to cry on.

 

It is always an extrovert

Who endures quietly,

The silent grief

Unperceived by the world,

However  excruciating !

 

Is there anyone out there?

Is that a cry in the wilderness,

A cry that wafts with the breeze

That waltzes by, unnoticed?

Is there a Providence

To pull one out of this abyss?

 

Or  reach in

To the core of entity

To find oneself

To bear the grief

That almost toppled

The very existence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eliana

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Eliana of the dusky locks,

Dressed in polka-dotted frock,

Lay on the floor,

On the dusty carpet

And was admonished for good measure,

Sent to the corner

To stand immobile.

 

There were repeated transgressions

And the girl paid with the absence

Of all the scenic views behind her.

 

But, when she pulled up the bench

And sat on it,

Running her fingers over the keys,

Playing an arpeggio with nonchalance,

The music was so divine

That one forgot the floor and the carpet.

 

Our Times of Trouble

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We live in troubled times. Our environment, our internet privacy, our public school education, our health care and our foreign relations are all at risk. Miasma of collusion between foreign powers and our political leaders is spreading far and wide, enough to threaten the sovereignty of our country and its election process.
We live in a republic. But we also enjoy some democratic features.  We have the right to vote in elections that determine the choice of our public officials who are responsible for the well being of our nation.  This right to vote is sacrosanct.  It should be exercised free and clear. If we are eligible to vote, we should also have an understanding of what and for whom we are voting. In short, we should make every effort to be educated about each political situation and the candidate involved. We should not allow ourselves to be distracted by fake news, Wikileaks and  other news venues with vested interests.
Ours is a world filled with political and business ‘Pinochios’.  “Alternate facts” and lies and half truths surround us. The air of mendacity is ‘ normal’ .  So it is important for the welfare of the land and people  to have a knowledgeable electorate. We should make an effort to learn about the candidates who run for public office.  We cannot afford to sit back and be neutral or ignorant about possible consequences. We should expect transparency from the candidates about their future policies and their political and business associations from which they profit. We cannot allow conflict of interest polluting our country’ s future.  We also need to know the activities of the said candidates.  Our knowledge is imperative because we are going to vote for someone who will hold the future of our town, county, state, or nation. We should not depend upon a single news source for our information; we should fact check periodically and keep dialogues open with our elected officials. Let them earn our trust by backing up their words with actions.  Besides, we should keep track of their voting records.
We have to rise up as responsible citizens.

Grief

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Many forms, many faces-

They parade every day!

Grief is among us

Every day,

In tangible nuances

Or concealed mourning!

 

One may cry till the Sahara

Bursts in bloom

Or one may be stoic

And be like the eternal stone

Unmoved outwardly;

One may go to the other Pole

And party incessantly

Or one may grieve wordlessly

Without any sigh or other signs,

Patiently repining.

 

There is grief in lost love,

There is grief in loneliness,

There is grief in rejection,

There is grief

In never being claimed,

There is grief in unexpressed love,

There is grief in abject desolation,

There is grief in eternal melancholy,

And there is grief

In a life that lived well, but transiently.

 

Grief is intense, not bland.

It grips with pincers

And leaves one

In an excruciating cauldron of pain

Or holds one in numbing hoops

That leave life drained.

Grief may come in periods

To lead life in fits and starts.

Grief can be pervasive

Or slovenly, keeping life out of focus.

 

But grief is untold!

Those who grieve

Choose their paths;

They strive to return

To a life before grief

Or pursue some open paths

To life’s untrodden choices.

Epiphany

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I am a seeker,

A seeker of truth.

I sought in the heavens,

I sought on the land,

I sought in deserts,

And I sought in the oceans,

But, elusive it was

And it cleverly camouflaged

To hide from my eyes.

I became desperate;

I could not find

What I was Seeking!

 

I wandered, hope dwindling,

From palace to hovel and back;

It was as though I was purblind!

For all my failures,

Scales could have been

Covering my eyes.

For all my care, pure truth

Was hidden behind

More than seven veils,

Forever unreachable.

 

Then, one day,

A star never seen,

Shone brightly,

Up in the heavens.

I was caught in its allure

And an urge came strongly;

The only option

Was to follow the star.

I heeded the urge;

The goal was within reach.

 

I set my course west

With a spring in my steps.

I loaded my camel

And filled the carry bags.

I began my journey

Seeking again!

 

The star was hope now,

But the journey was long.

It led to a palace;

But the star hid

And the palace failed.

 

Leaving the palace,

The star shone ahead

And hope had rekindled.

Through sparse vegetation,

I followed the star

Which stopped abruptly

Above a cave turned stable.

I never had to glance

At the resting animals.

Because, in the warm, hay-scented stable

Where the cattle blew hot breaths,

In a manger lay truth,

Wrapped in swaddling clothes-

A baby newborn

With an unseen halo

And marvel in his eyes.

His wonder pierced me.

And I saw my self

In his eyes!

 

It was my self, seeking

Only for myself,

With no thoughts

Given to others!

 

My life spread out

In front of me.

I sought truth

And failed to see it

In the people surrounding me.

 

The baby smiled

And raised his hand.

I felt the gentle trickle of his blessing

And Grace descended on me.

 

Replete, I rose

And approached my camel.

Perched on my mount,

I knew with clarity

To turn the camel’s head.

I chose a different path.

 

 

 

 

 

Fall

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It was a whirling dervish

That perked my senses

When sight and sound, scent and touch,

In abundance, assaulted me .

When cool air had begun

To nip my sun-warmed nose

And I hugged my jacket

More tightly to my body;

The tree branches had begun,

Already, to be denuded!

 

All around me,

There was a shower

Of yellow, gold,  russet and crimson

Giving a Holiday

To the verdant hues;

They sprinkled the earth

In ever-changing patterns!

 

The fresh-cut grass tingled my nose,

And the fallen leaves scented the air

With ripe sweetness;

The leaves danced

To fall in gentle circles

And in a gentler rustle

When they became stiffer with dryness

Until wet with occasional rain.

 

It is Fall,

Nature seemed to shout

When furred creatures hurried

To seek shelter

In hollows and niches;

The comical squirrel

Was flustered with eagerness

To carry more nuts than it could,

Its cheeks bulging enough to burst,

In anticipation

Of a prolonged winter

When earth is bereft

And is smothered

In snowy blanket.

 

There was a dawning sadness

In waiting for inaction

Of the leafless moments

When soporific woodlands

Prepared for a long slumber!