The Moon - A Poem

 I saw the Moon floating in the distant sky,

Squashed a bit, fiery red, as it went by.

Its surface is pockmarked with craters,

A battle-hardened veteran boasting scars!

In a firmament of twinkling stars, it sails

Dwarfing others, center stage it takes.

Like a beacon, it floats, a guiding light 

For those who journey in the darkest night.

And in the firmament of twinkling stars,

It takes center stage, dwarfing others by its

Light and size. What was a red beacon earlier,

Now lighter in colour, having shed its fever.

(I wondered if a fever had rendered it red,

Or had it risen from a fiery burning coal bed?)

But then as it rose into the dark firmament,

It burned like a beacon across the continent.

And so it went sailing steady, jaunty, and  merry

Across the sky on its  unwavering daily Journey,

As it HAS done to  guide with blessings a host

Or fill with hope those who all hope have lost!

Often seen, and missed, it beckons to the poet,

The scientist, astronaut, and the cosmonaut.

A celestial globe lighting up a world so busy,

With its craters, secrets, and all its mystery.

Curiosity and the Rover did wander across its

Surface, to unlock its origin, sand, and rocks.

Did HE wonder about its purpose as he lonely

Lay in a cave glancing at the globe in the sky?

I saw the Moon floating in the distant sky,

Squashed a bit, fiery red, as it went by,

And wondered if it did not have much to tell,

Mysteries to unravel, and much more to tell!

A Masterpiece so grand, an artist would need,

The Hand that fashioned it, the purpose I plead,

To reveal its cause, to connect distances apart?

Lovers to gaze, hope for those that depart?

We Are Not Machines - A Poem

 

We are not machines, we love to 
Watch the sun set in the sky,
Blazing in all his glory,
Before the day ends.

We love to pause a while, to
Sip on a cuppa tea and just
Watch the world rush by in
All its madness!

We are not machines, we love to

Watch  pets doze, slack-mouthed,

Not caring about future plans,

Timelines and targets.

We love to pause a while to

Dream of flying in the sky,

Watching the world grow grow

Smaller and smaller!

We are not machines, we want to

Live our lives, to dream and aspire,

We like to  pause and wait even as

The mad world rushes by.

We love to gossip and chat, to

Joke with friends and foe in the

Corridors, even as others rush by

So what if we're a minute late?

We are not machines, we're vulnerable to

Stress and breakdown, we need our

Moments of rest to laze and doze,

While the world rushes by!

We love to watch flowers, to

See them sway in the morning breeze,

An epiphany of spirituality and joy,

So what if we get late to work.

We are not machines, we love to

Take breaks and pauses, we like shifting

Gears, we love change and thrills,

So let the world snare itself!

 

Simulacrum-A Poem

First, we laughed at those in masks,

Only to wear them ourselves! A cough sent us running for cover,

Fearing droplets of plague. And then it struck - young and old, healthy

And weak alike!

 

We squabbled for Oxygen to breathe,

Figured out saturation levels and learned of what the virus could

Do, that a deadly blow had dealt. A great leveler it was, that brought down the rich

And poor.

Many left before time, still in their prime, hearty

Souls full of life, crashing to the ground without a whimper. Grim 

Tales of sadness and grief not seen in a world so advanced! A world alas, ruled by

Arrogance.

 

After a  year we thought we were done. Alas! With

Vengeance it returned, rearing an ugly head, Reaper with his scythe,

Gathering a rich harvest! First those we knew less, and then those we cherished and loved

Drawing tears.

 

Joyful reunions turn into grief, smiles into grimaces. We

Grapple with emotions of shock and despair, remember those we 

Celebrated happy moments with. Lives end up in a mad search for Oxygen and

Vaccinations.

 

Our homes are adorned with cylinders and gadgets, 

Prizes of a year gone by. Those who survive wake up to a world,

Bleak, bereft of loved ones, grim reminder of our frailty! Now only memories remain of

The world that was.

 

It has been more than a year of staring at flickering screens

Virtual worlds, simulations of places and faces trying to figure out 

Reality. We have lost our touch, and voices that pour of speakers sound tinny and disjointed-

Buffering!

 

We live in a fantasy world of pixels and bytes, knowing not

Differences between simulation and reality! The reel has become real

And the real has become a reel even as we try to grapple with the reality of our lives,

Simulacrums.

 

Arrogance and ignorance, greatest faults, we paid a

Price for. If only we had prepared for it better, these cries of pain and

moments of mourning would not have drowned the cheerful sounds of celebrations and

Reunions!

 

 

 

Choices-A Poem

 

Choices,

Are like the winds of change,

Capricious temptations that pull you either way!

While one pulls you North, the other pulls you South.

Both loaded with possibilities and hidden risks, sweetened

With the promise of prosperity and success, fame, power and 

A fan following. Family, children, peace of mind, and health

Might for others be for another day according to some.

They tell me, they'd rather have the money and power,

Family, children and peace might wait a while.

But who'll tell which to choose?

Power,

Peace, fame, family, money or children, what 

Would to choose? That, none might tell, for choices are one's

Own and none can tell which to choose. The sages will advise wise

 Choices and luck thrown in, for success depends on what one chooses.

They might lead to corridors of power, but who'd see through layers of

Illusion? Wisdom, alas, comes so late. Till then, family and peace can

Wait as fame and wealth stand knocking on the door. Certainly, you'd

Need a lot of wealth to sit back end enjoy life? Choices. alas, are

Flirting geese, that call  out to each other, only to

One on a wild-goose chase!

Luck,

They say, favours the few, and silver spoons are

Hard to find. As for me, I'd rather slog than wait for favours few

And silver spoons. I'll wait for my moment to choose and let luck's

Choices wait a while. Gladly will I choose the path I wish and if luck

Does favour, then a good choice will make. If not then wait a moment!

Should luck be a caprice, then a tango we'll dance, till I get my chance.

If silver spoons that drop from skies are rare enough, I'd rather slog

Than wait for one moment of choice, gladly choosing the path I

Like. If luck does favour, then a good choice I'll make,

If not then wait for another day.

Destiny's

A beggar's choice, for lazy minds to rot! The

 Great flirt with games of dice while gamblers surrender peace 

Family and wealth. Some blame poor choice, loaded dice and 

Destiny. They do nothing but surrender all, blaming the willfulness of

Fate for their loss. The great do flirt with destiny's dice making their own

Game, as fools play a  game of blame. They curse a fate written in style.

Blaming misfortune on fate. They drown in a morass of grief and pity,

While others wander in a fog of grief (having stopped making choices).

They blame destiny's loaded dice for failure, an excuse to quit striving.

All this while the great make their own destiny with verve.

 

Life is Like a Cactus Flower - A Poem

Life is Like a Cactus Flower.

Life is like a Cactus flower, it starts too slow but moves

So fast. It blooms to end, un-noted too soon. Except for

Silly, crazy, dreamers, poets and lovers, none would see. Alas!

If only you’d pause to see what they saw. It wouldn't end without a

Note! So, stop a while and see it now, its start and bloom that ends at night.

An end so swift, yet all, so calm, though it lasted  just a night - a pleasure it

Gave to those that watch. So savour the moment while it comes, calm yet grand

While it lasts. See the flower that blooms at night - a sight so fine that none could miss!

So stop and savour the magic so rare, a treasure for those that wait and pause.

A gift from God, ignore you not, (gifts such as these come once a while).

Life is like fishing,

(Fishing and photography are similar too),

With patience and dedication, they land a catch. They are

Virtues for sure, that, through ups and downs help you pass! So

 Celebrate a life, success and fame might not give. Pause awhile, to soak the

Joy, so great. For such is a miracle - a flower, that blooms at night, for those that

Wake. For life does pass in moments too fast – you would not know they came to pass.

While you work the day so hard, dawn does come, the flower to wilt, much too fast. For

All you know, to see the flower that blooms at night, might be the purpose be of life. So, be

Like photographer and fisherman, pause a while for a moment so special - catch the bloom and

And the wilt, life’s like a cactus flower, it blooms at night to wilt by dawn, beauty in short measure!