Poems

Hopeless Destiny

All is empty, everything that lies ahead,

Everything that we left behind,

Hopes that we grew up with,

Promises that we got excited for,

A humble question that pesters,

“When is my daddy coming back?”,

“When are we going back to our home?”

That timid voice that still lingers,

Around my ears, begging for mercy,

Asking for justice, beyond what I could deliver,

A plea so simple, yet so poignant,

Lost hopes, shattered dreams, innocence very crude,  

Feelings of giving up, realization of injustice,

Of that catastrophe only hits the destitute,

Affluence stays afloat amidst all misery,

Injustice not only by us, but also by the very god,

Who we all summon at times of desperation,

How do I find solace, when the very world is unjust,

Rights that are given, but not realized,

Structure that is so corrupt, yet boasts of transparency,

Our very own conscience that fails us time and again,

Our unfulfilled egos, unspoken desires,

Turning our back to the greatest disaster we face,

As we treat our fellow humans, trying to escape the brutality,

Just as numbers, as case studies that we portray in the classrooms,

At conferences, seminars, so detached from reality,

We brag about how much we have done,

How much we have provided, when the reality is something else,

How can we feel their pain when we haven’t walked in their shoes,

How can we call ourselves rational when we shut down all the doors,

Pushing them back to face the very torture they’re trying to escape,

Hunger, fear, disease, abject conditions of living,

Yet we speak of justice to the needy,

In workshops, conventions, only to glorify our own miniscule gesture,  

As the world still suffers, as that timid voice still lingers,

It’s not enough, it has never been. 

Beyond Life

Empty railroad tracks lead into nothingness,

Stretching forth and forward, ending unknown,

Red-rose petals slowly withering in dryness,

Ask for certainty which you can’t provide,

For you know, your own life is filled with,

Nothing but nothingness, your journey is all,

But wrapped into unknowns, darkness, which you wished,

You had the guts to untangle!

The trails that go uphill, into the wild,

Ask you to embark on an adventure, which you had long thought,

You backed-off then, for you thought too much,

Repercussions, immediate needs, and shallow hope,

Winters came and gone, snowflakes often reminding you of all these,

For adventure now has been intricate, your desires are all,

But trapped into a woven pouch, which you wished,

You had fortitude to break apart!

Smiles that you try to spark on other’s face,

Brings you joys that words can’t describe, yet you always ask,

How would it be? What could have been?

Free soul, free-flowing words, painless glory,

The moments of solitude, often inciting you to look beyond,

Far and beyond what you’ve seen, or ever imagined,

For imagination is your only respite, your aspirations are all,

But grabbed into an altruistic arc, which you wished,

You were selfish enough to climb above!

Be Grateful 

They say everything will be alright in the end, 

Moon shining as usual, sun glowing in its own routine, 

Flowers blossom when the time is right, 

No matter what happened the night before, 

You will wake up with a slight nod of your head, 

To embrace the daily chores, 

With wake-up kisses of your beloved, 

And you will wonder whether you did anything wrong. 

You probably forgot the depth of your disgrace, 

Loved ones hiding your stupidity with their love, 

You forgot to see the world, 

But nothing mattered more than their smile, 

Willingly forgiving your deeds, right or wrong, 

You probably forgot to acknowledge what they hid underneath, 

Those wrinkles that appear on their cheeks, 

Time and again, trying to endure the pain that ensues, 

Every wrong act of yours, trying to face the world, 

In your sheer absent-mindedness. 

Yet, you walk with every pride you possess, 

As if nothing has changed,

Life, though it may look stagnant, can't help those leaves, 

To keep dews early morning when the sun shines, 

Just like that one day, your loved ones may walk away, 

You probably won't even see them go, blinded by your ego,  

Someday, you'll wake up with no one, 

To share the morning kisses and coffee, 

Before it's too late, open your eyes, to the world, 

To acknowledge how kind the world has been to you, 

Cause every day is a blessing, 

That you might forget to be grateful for.