Erase

Do I want to erase?
The lows, the blues, the sighs?
And keep only the happy stuff,
The unimaginable highs?

But what fun would life be, then?
Would the good be as valuable?
If it wasn't interspersed with the lows?
Would the meal be as tasty?
If there was only sweet!
Aren't the spicy, the sour, the bitter.
As vital as that delectable dessert treat?

Yes, this makes sense.
To keep the picture complete.
And not erase the edgy poky parts
For, the big picture, is a whole
Like a warm blanket stitched from shards!

-

A poem on beverages of India!!

(Read in caption below)

-

The Void

The long empty halls and
corridors of my mind
Echo with the silences
you left behind
The biggest gift
you gave me
Is this void
inside me
That no one else
seems to be able to fill...

-

Listen

Listen to others when in a group
Listen to yourself when alone
Listen to those far away
Listen to the forlorn

The torrent of your words
May drown many a voice
Listen keenly, listen often
If you have the choice

Your words may race
They may interrupt the other
But listen, without having
To look any further

Listening is respectful
And is full of manners, good
Listening with empathy
Is akin to soulful food

-

A Grateful and Mindful Women's Day

This International Women's day
I have quiet a lot to say!
First, I'm grateful
to the women and men in my life
Who moulded, inspired and influenced
me through the joy and the strife...
I'm grateful for my priveleges:
Of relative freedom, of education,
nutrition and financial independence...
Yet I'm mindful that this
is only one side of the equity lens.
I'm mindful that while I'm showered
With wishes, colourful images and
many a virtual women's day greeting...
There are millions of women
for whom joy is elusive and fleeting...
I'm mindful that while my inbox
is flooded with women's day
offers and discounts
There are women who are barred
from opening bank accounts.
While I have a voice and
of basic needs, a lion's share
There are women who are denied and deprived
of food, water, respect and healthcare...
This women's day lets be grateful for what we have and
Mindful of what the have-nots don't!

-

Cooking and Life

I garnish with a sprinkle of
Happy salt and smiling spice.
I add in grated senti carrots
That taste very nice!
The colour of steaming thoughts
The subtle aroma of feelings
Tingle all my senses!
Cooking has expanded
My perception beyond the field
And its fences...
I call upon all of you
to celebrate and
to join me in this feast!
As I action-cook my way through
This exotic dish called Life!
Despite the minor heartburn
And that wee bit of strife!

-

Self-love

Will you love me?
I asked the reflection
In my mirror.
Yes, I replied. I will love you.
I will love myself...
For, I thought
What love can be as pure
As untarnished, unadultetated
As the love for oneself.
I will love myself, I thought
In totality. All my flaws, my scars,
the grey hair, the cellulite.
The moods and the swings
The whirlwind of emotions,
The gentle breeze of feelings.
All of it. All of myself.
Is it selfish, I asked myself
To talk of self love, proclaim it!
It's prudent, a voice whispered.
Prudent and natural.
Live the water in a brook
That comes back as rain.
Yes, I affirm.
I love myself...
Through all the joy and the pain!

-

The end

I listen to the story
My heart pacing at times
And at times as still
as a mountain lake...
As the story flows like a stream
Gaining pace and volume,
It's end seems far,
Evasive and elusive.
Yet when the story's
River of scenes
Ends in the sea of my mind;
A gush knocks me over.
Then, it dawns on me!
Ah, so this is how
It will all end...
The end.
Of a story, a river or a life!

-

Happy New Year 2021!

To fulfil your heart's earnest dream
May you take that giant leap!
Of joy and happiness,
May you have a huge heap!
May you make sweet memories
In an ornate wooden box to keep...
May you find peace, calm
And get loads of restful sleep...

-

Turmoil

The feelings of yesterday:
Warm fuzzy feelings,
wrapping you in a blanket
On a cold winter night,
Are lost and gone.
The darkness of the night
Has given way to light.
Yet the sky of the mind
Is cast with shadows
Of dark clouds.
Threatening a
heavy downpour.
Boats are thrown around
On the choppy waters
of the mind
Far away from the shore.

-