Mindless

Trapped in the labyrinth of his mind,

     he goes mindless,

Strapped in his own space,

     numbed by his own comfort zone,

          mindless, he sits hapless.

And sounds of doors,

     closing  one after the other,
     clamor through his empty mind.

With each closing door sighs yet

          another window of opportunity.

He wonders, where on the way,
        at which turn in his journey
        keys that had worked before,
        keys that opened these very doors

               turned useless. 

In sheer restlessness he wonders,

       if lost are the keys
       or the lock got changed on him.
       

Sounds like these, 

       thoughts like these,

       keep creeping smoothly. steadily.
       like the keys of a piano.

       like the tick of a timepiece. 

Only this one is out of tune.
Only this one is out of time.

Caught in the labyrinth of his own mind,
he sits mindless. hapless. wondering. 

Slide

However hard I try
can't stop the slide
I asked aloud why
But no one replied.

Ideas fetch no cent
when life's out of rhyme
useless is a talent
that has run out of time

Blinded by vision
crippled by pride
can see no option
can't stop the slide

2014-11-27
North Lake Tahoe

Card Design

Some Bird to See

When the flowers bloom
and the birds are back -
the colors of eden splash
and the spring is high.

Won't you need
a bird to spot
don't you want
a bird to find
You better know
your birds by heart
You better keep
my guide in hand.


Note: this is written to the tune of Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love. The guide being referred to is a Field Guide to North American Birds, and the person being referred to is a friend who happens to be a bird enthusiast.

Amazon

Once upon a time
in the forest deep south — 

Over a giant Capa tree
peeks at sunset an orb.
Pristine, softly glowing,
its grace entraps Mr. sun
into a seduced obsession.

He craves for her company,
gets torment of her tease —
Exchanging shy glances,
fades she swiftly in a flight
into the dense of his light.

Beyond his tour of duty, 
he wants to but can't stay
to see that her soft beam
floods the forest to the brim,
a mystery unknown to him!

The resplendent sun
tries to win her over,
her pride says never.
She flirts her way out!
And the saga continues — 

Finally, when in love she falls -
she's now the one who waits
in patience as she whets.
To catch the first ray,
the sight of her amore.

But his blinding light 
makes her glow-less.
And with each passage
she gets a shade paler,
her luster fading away.

Her longing and sighs echo 
through the nights dark.
What a waste of radiance!
the stars chorus in silence
her deep true yearnings!

Impatient Mr. sun wants it
like the first sight
Blaming self for her lackluster
decides to sacrifice his love
so her grace can return.

She begs him not to leave,
‘Isn’t the tapestry we weave
better than if we part?’
But the sun won't listen.
her eyes start to glisten.

Imperiled, she cries and cries,
and tears roll as she laments.
On the floor they fall and sprawl
as she sobs in deeper unrest
and tears flood the dark forest.

And a river is born!

Once upon a time
in the forest deep south.

My interpretation of a Peruvian folklore how Amazon was formed
3/19/2012

The whisper of my tears

The whisper of my tears
over the clamor of the rain,
freezes my stifling pain
into tiny, salty misty-spheres.

I look at the wailing sky --
appear rainbows of hope,
     desire, and power to cope
at the corner of my eye.

My face they embrace
and fears they leaven,
with tears from heaven
     in a ground-bound race.

Dream of Rivers?

In search of the sacred
on my way to the ocean
am I simply too scared
'bout this dream notion!!

As opposed to Billy Joel’s River of Dreams. . .

On divorce

What a terrible news!

Yet another couple, both very close friends, could not stay together any longer. They, at least one of them, decided to move on.

My dear friend, I don't know whether to be happy or sad for you.  I guess I should be happy because, in pursuit of happiness, you decided to end the state of your self-claimed discomfort and depression. I wish we all knew how to be happy in the moment - now and here. Only if we knew how to accommodate each other, to honor and cherish each other, we can avoid this path of separation.

Paul Simon may sing that there are 50 ways to leave your lover but walking away from a marriage is not that easy. It is painfully costly - emotionally, spiritually, financially.

Divorce marks the end of one relationship and the beginning of another, one where you can't delete the memories of the past but rather have to deal with it. Hopefully, it will also mark the start of a soul search within and a new search outward. A search for a new relationship, a search for comfort, compassion and company. Even the most individualistic soul yearns for a partner. In our robotic existence and under the guile of our stoic exterior, we may put up the facade of a self-contained, not-needing-anyone, independent-natured, strong-willed person but deep down, there is insecurity that is constantly in the lookout for a companion. The ability to love is what separates us from the rest of the animal world, me think.

If marriages are made in heaven, they are definitely maintained on earth. But we are finding it more and more difficult to do. May be it's time to change the marriage vow. . .till death or divorce separates us.

How can one divorce proof one's marriage? May be the answer lies in the suppression of our ego, in sharing our feelings, our deepest emotions and in offering unconditional love. May be the secret lies in our ability to hear our own inner voice and listening to that of our partner's.

A problem solving approach

Identify the problem

If it's worth solving, then:

Find root cause
Identify target behavior
Set goals
Identify key obstacles
Develop a solution
Implement
Monitor results
Tweak the solution if needed

Sundial

A sundial in a shade,
that's done in its prime
is worth nobody's time.
can his tale be unmade?

A sailor from the sea
    at a harbor maybe safe
but this isn't his escape
can ever he feel free?

Lament of a Martini Glass

Night after night.
Every night I await you.
I crave for thy rosy lips,
And down my spine runs
A misty chill of timid desire --

Night after night.
Every night I await you.
To touch thy warmth
and feel your softness.
Hoping you’d notice.

Night after night.
Every night
In me you drown
thy sea of sorrow,
raise a toast for a better tomorrow.

Night after night.
Every night I bridge
your past and dreams.
Sip you down martini,
so lovingly for thee I hold.

Night after night.
Every night you exile me
Not lost in thoughts
or any profound talk —
Yet so cold, such ignore?

Night after night.
Every night sigh bubbles up,
hope hits the glass-bottom.
my pride obliterated
and love unrequited!

2/3rd of an ode to Chandana

For one last glimpse, 

oh goddess of fire — 

the same burnt amber 

glowing out of thee

though burns the body, 

sets his soul free. 

The mortal arises 

from his funeral pyre!

But could He, the pure, 

remain in high alter 

when the orange blossoms 

at his temple flare 

Alas! the divine himself 

lost in praise ’n prayer 

The awe of his self-creation 

makes him falter.

Script

Even if in broad daylight
    my deep secrets I share --
A page from life's open book
       reads better still
         in its darkest chambers.

So,
murmur through, 

if you can,
     the washed scribblings
     on these naked, distressed walls.
When the last word
     fades into oblivion,
     and the last teardrop
          wipes out the first beam,
     know it's a eulogy
       you finished reciting,
           from my epitaph!

If You Love Someone by Tagore

If you love someone
Set him free.
If he returns
He is yours.
If he doesn't
Yours he never was
And never will be.

A Night in Mendocino

Over the milky-way

in the distant galaxy --

the stars softly glee,

as the pulsars sway.

The ink-black night

sets a fitting canopy,

to stage the bounty

of all blue and bright.

On our ranch pond,

the twinkles descend

to kiss, to transcend

a star-studded fond!

In this autumn flight

of whispering zephyr,

the pine-oaks murmur

at the dead of night.

Bursts of cackle smack

at the calming silence --

but her stolid defiance

lulls this slumber jack!

In such ethereal calm,

joy 'n love unending

heal aches 'n hurting

like her magic balm.

The gig of the infinity

across horizon's brim

fuels hope and dream

for upright humanity. 

September 5, 2013