An Endless Journey

When you fall down
and hurt your self badly,
learn to rise,
for there is no other go.

When you are shown a mirror,
and get to see your flaws,
learn to change,
for that is the only constant in life.

When you are saved from an abyss
that someone else had fallen into,
learn to thank,
for gratitude works many a wonder.

When you are sure you made a mistake
and realize it has affected someone,
learn to regret,
for you won't do it again.

When you want to spread happiness
and smiles everywhere,
learn to love,
for love is an ever-abundant source of both.

When things go wrong,
and you're clueless of what's going on,
learn to question,
for that's how you become wise.

When life blesses you with whatever you want
and manifolds your hope and positivity,
learn to dream,
for what is life without something to achieve?

When you talk, meet people
and go around living life,
learn to learn,
for life has many a lesson to teach.

Learn to love;
love to learn.

Magical Hands with Invisible Strings

Colourful puppets dancing all around.
To you people's hands are their unseen strings bound.
How real it looks when they make a sound!
Great is the person by whom this was found.

Toys, cars and insects talk.
Meaningfully do all the dogs bark.
Each creation leaves on Earth its own mark.
We all wonder how you fill your stock.

Some creations have made me shed tears.
People's hearts do some of them pierce.
There is just no place for irrational fears.
With each frame of action, childhood nears.

Through all these creations, we have learnt to dream,
to let love flow within us like an endless stream.
You can raise your collars and with pride you can beam,
for your art is one of the most supreme.

The Storyteller

In her solar system,
her son is the sun.
Through spring and autumn,
she hears the tales he spun.

Her son would marvel,
observing nature's bounty.
With many a pebble and gravel
he plays in their little county.

The tales of a flying tiger
and a singing giraffe,
the friends of an old beggar
make him laugh.

The mother showers her love
through hugs and kisses.
We'll never know how
certain things God misses.

The boy knows not boredom
though he has not some features.
Sans word, (his) mom weaves wisdom,
knowing the grammar of gestures.

What a Paradox!

A heart jumps in joy
when it finds the right girl.
Hope multiplies alarmingly;
dreams increase exponentially;
smiles keep blossoming continuously.

Rarely does a soul find
another soul with great similarities.
Isn't it natural for it
to feel elated then?

The soul pursued
talks about hope, optimism and chasing dreams.

The soul pursuing
thinks on the same line.

"Wow! What a match!"
thinks the innocent soul,
dwelling in dreams, hopes and positivities.
Less intense are the other soul's emotions.

And when the pursuing soul
utters words of love
to the pursued soul,
the latter shows no similar signs.

Rapidly flash
the earlier advice of hope
and mockingly laugh
the true state of things.

Ah ha!
What a paradox!

I Dreamt a Dream

I remember the teddy bear I sketched
when I was nine years old.
It held a tennis racquet in one hand
a ball in the other.
I felt proud on completing it.
I admired its beauty at length.

The sewing machine in the bedroom
holds evidence for my interest in verbal puzzles.
The scrambled letters of my father's name
scrawled on the wood in innocent, cursive writing
still brings a smile to my face.

My sister and I 'invented' our own language,
complete with a written script.
We sang songs of being cooks with 'theepettis'* in our hats.

We laughed heartily when she sang,
"Run, run, run
for a bun, bun, bun.
You'll have fun, fun, fun
if you run, run, run
for the bun, bun, bun."

I remember winning essay competitions;
donning the roles of Tiruvalluvar, Shylock,
Puck and Tenali Raman in school plays;
playing the flute for the school orchestra;
being a part of the school choir.

Little did I know
I'd be writing this particular poem.
But I dreamt I'll become a poet some day.
I told myself
I'd become a better poet.

Till date,
I've been tirelessly working on it.

* - matchboxes

The Path

Clueless and not knowing
what to do,
I stood on the road,
trying to figure out
where to go.

I took some time;
I introspected.
I realized what my destination was.

In one path
did I want to travel.
But nothing worked out
the way I wished.

Like a ray of hope
appeared another path.
A path hitherto untrodden.
A path, of which I knew nothing.

Hoping against all hopes,
I took the risk
of walking on an unknown land.

As I started to walk,
I realized the path was uneven
and full of ups and downs.
It was then that I discovered
the journey was going to be tough.

But there was a welcome breeze
that caressed my cheeks
and touched my heart.
It failed not to bring smiles;
it failed not to make me forget the miles (to be covered).

Yellow flowers adorned the beautiful land;
crepuscular rays lit the way ahead.
I couldn't have asked for a better path.
I hoped it would lead
to an equally picturesque destination.

I remembered the words
a friend uttered,
"The path is more important than the destination."

I realized I had fallen more in love
with the path than on the destination.

I walked ahead
with a heart brimming with hope,
and a mind oozing with perseverance.

I smiled.

The Promise

When you feel sad,

I'll dance with you to the tune of Le Banquet.

I'll do my best to see you smiling always.

I'll do my best to sustain your glee.

Your dreams would I see in your eyes

Your hope would I see in your smile.

I'll do my best to see you happy always.

I'll do my best to help you fulfill your dreams.

I'll change what you don't like in me.

I'll enhance what you like the most in me.

I'll do my best to forget some bittersweet memories.

I'll do my best to love you more than I loved anyone.

I'll light your days with passion and cheer.

I'll find infinite ways for you to enjoy every passing moment.

I'll forget the past, humming this elegy to my old love.

I'll embrace glorious hope, singing this ode to the love of my future.