Pictures

The tiny toothed, thin piece
of silicon and metal
Snug safely in a plastic frame
A second
A million switches long
And the device, like flame
Emit heat and light

An ornament worn
In every occasion
Festivals, weddings, parties
Replacing the black box with an eye
The plastic frame emerges again
And then, a flash

Good old friends, separated by time
Kin that appear
Like the good old man of Christmas
Those you see only in their festival best
Or even those, on a daily basis
Love or loath, but that is all hidden

Gloss-coated lips and flossed teeth
Hair that appears like silver thread
In sunlight, falling on your face
Lighting up your eyes
Your triumphant screams to be heard
To those that behold your perfect piece of art

And you look again
Feel the screen,
the skin of your fingers glowing red
And sell it to the wall
That state-less wall
For the pile of blue-cuffed hands that make you smile

And oh, if time spared
In the plain, four walled room with no window,
You swipe through your extended brain
When the real one just cannot
Discard them, pictures, as it can, with a click
A second before, a parting thought
How you let the world believe your real facade
Your perfect piece of art
In the tiny, thin piece of silicon and metal
Snug safely in a plastic frame

The Princess

Dark brown eyes made hazel by the sun
Her mottled teeth, brown and cream
She smiled at, visible to none other
A vibrant, marvelous dream
The princess I saw, sitting on a rock
The most cheerful creature I know
Breathing in, dust laden air of that site
That coated her hair and brow
And smiled again, to that fragrance
Like she enjoyed the green water
That ran down her parched throat
And to her every cell, a nectar
A much awaited, for her mortal
Starved, stunted being
She swayed to the tunes of her own song
Seeming like she weaved the wind
But princess she is, and much envied
By those who cannot stand the sun
As she locked her eyes on the weaving disc
with no prince or Godmother to wait for
Left with an abyss of her life
She is willing to take the risk

Hope

A RAY OF HOPE

A ray of hope

Was what you were for us

When we, far from home

Wished we were near

To those who were to us, dear

And when we got to taste

The bitter-sweet world

A tempest beyond our harbour

You were our solace

When theories like boulders

Were kept on our shoulders,

Those used only to stones

And complaints about us,

Fell upon you like an avalanche

Of us being incompetent, naughty

You tried to correct us instead

Gave us a smile, made us feel special

Made us feel like stars

Made us feel like winners

And thus, you were for us

A ray of hope

A new year message

A year of hope

What is left of this year,

Memories, sweet and sour,

Records of losses and gains,

And lessons learned.

Images, those deleted,

Or laminated and framed.

Names, written in sand,

Or engraved on stone.

This year had been a furnace

That produced pure steel.

This year had blossomed

The reward for years of toil.

The year approaching, the one of hope

Must chisel away one’s false,

And make one a master piece.

The year approaching, with promises

To bloom roses, among thorns of life,

And cut diamonds out of stones.

The coming year is just a sheet

Of plain white paper,

But you have with you, the permanent ink,

And the right to inscribe.

So, may it be the best of your own will

For you have the power to succeed.

a sibling

 If I had a sibling

If I had a sibling

the one with who I’ll be

I will tell them stories

explain to them, what is that they see
I’ll tell them “I’m your elder

you can always count on me”

I will let them wrap

their little fingers around mine

And step by step, they will

walk by my side
Thrilled will I be, when they speak out

names of papa, mama and mine

My toys will be theirs

and I’ll take them out to play

Together we’ll see the sun shine

and dance in the rain
I will be the one with whom they can

share their pleasure and pain

To my friends, about my siblings

i will talk most of the time
But oh, I do not have any

I’m the only child

My parents dote me

although I’m pampered and wild
I have all their love and care

I have all the books and toys

And I have no one else to share it with

Or fight for it and make noise
At moments, when I’m lonely

I wish to hear a voice

that of a sibling, who would ask

“Shall we go out and play

I want to hear your stories

And talk to you all day”
If you wish you were the only one

Then those who are will say

“How I wish I had a sibling

To keep loneliness at bay

For when you tell me about yours

i would wish for one again.

The Tree

The Tree

Aeons   ago, I emerged

Stretched myself to the world

Clutched on, with my fragile roots

As I felt the whiteness melt away

Then, I remember, the young Earth

My mother, and I the infant sap

I embraced the amiable breeze

And basked in the glory of the radiant

Wondered how, with eloquent ease

Flowed the water, with its clear grace

Nourished my roots, and strengthened

If I had eyes, I would have seen

How, emerged forms of life

Of various sorts, of various sizes

And many others of my kind

Holding fast and breathing out

Sustaining life

The breeze would tell me

All what he saw

The tales of east and lore of west

And yes, about the creature best

Set him apart from all the beasts

The species, destined to conquer the world

Though fragile, is  gifted

But alas, their greed and thoughtlessness

And some sadist fancy induced the kind

To turn against their kith and kin

Do what they themselves call ‘sin’

The breeze himself, of chemical woe

Blurted out the terrible truth

Of how they turned out a foe

To us, who fed them, sheltered them

And from us, made a home

I hear the mourns of birds and beasts

And for our kind, a massacre

To build themselves

They say , a home

Of concrete and of stone

My kind, felled, one by one

Gasped through the grip of death

That with a sharp, gleaming axe

Piercing a slow, painful end

I see that nightmare, but still, hold on

And hope, a day, that they would see

And then, would come back to me

And I will keep waiting, day and night

With my wooden arms stretched wide.

Thank You, O Lord

Thank You, O Lord
For the shelter you have given us,
Like how you held up the mountains,
To protect your people from the wrath of the rain,
You gave us homes.

O Lord, we pray
that for life on earth,
may have roof above their head,
A safe place to stay.

Thank you O Lord
for the prosperity you have given us.
Like how you blessed impoverished friend and his family,
embraced them with love.
You gave us, all what is needed.

O Lord we Pray
that for every life on earth,
May they never go hungry to bed.
May they stay happy all day

Thank You, O Lord
for the guidance you have given us.
Like how you guided Partha,
through the clashing of weapons of kith and kin,
during the dreadful war

O Lord, we pray
for every life on earth,
may they brave hurdles, approaching ahead.
Have faith in you always

Thank you, O Lord
for the love you have given us,
from your abode, so high and divine
You came down to us,
to this evil stained world
several time, lived and grew as one of us,
washed those stains away.

O Lord, we pray
that, for every life of earth,
may have your goodness and spread it.
Do what the evil dread
to live for you, we pray.

KRISHNA

KRISHNA

Oh Krishna, the deity of peace

Whom one can think of with love

His grace and form are indescribable

See Him with your mind’s eye.

He is a waterfall of peace and happiness

Deep as the ocean is His love

Bright as the sun is His brilliance

His smile brings happiness to millions.

He is like the lamp that spreads light

To make us all happy and bright.

FROM ANOTHER WORLD

FROM  ANOTHER  WORLD

The sky was wide and still,

With a multitude of glittering stars

And a smiling moon, ever so bright

As I stared from the window sill.

A fragment of the eternal dark

Of the calm and peaceful night.

I stared further, and there, I saw

A little speck of white

So tiny, but proclaimed its presence

Like a drop of milk on black granite.

A strange presence, I thought amongst

A thousand blazing stars

Like the fire, in the oil lamps lit,

Radiantly for hours.

But this little white wonder

Who never strained much

Gave me a thought to ponder.

Its eyes, like my sight

Had the power of flight

To see through the dark clouds

And throughout the endless night

Higher than our home, and reach the height

And find will I there, a world like ours

Find will I there, I might.

There will be flora and fauna, land and water

And weather, maybe colder or hotter.

People, who sleep at night and work all day

And children who laugh, cry and play.

Perhaps they have schools where they learn

Arts and sciences, so they may earn

More from their own world.

Now may be, a little child

Thither may stare from a window 

And smile and think if there might be

Like theirs, another world.

Rain in Summer

                                                      Rain in Summer

It was another busy day
In the scorching month of May
The rushing crowd, the noisy streets
An ideal, summer day

And all I wanted to do that day
was just to play, play and play
That is all what a child can think of,
doing on a holiday

I ran out of the house as fast as a train
but my mother told me, "It will rain"
"Take an umbrella, or get yourself wet"
But her efforts were in vain

It was summer and it was scorching hot
and to use an umbrella, so frivolous I thought,
The sun too bright, the sky silver
As to be it ought.

We shouted at the top of our voice
But it blended with the busy street's noise
And we played as long as we could
But then, my forehead felt moist

Pitter! Patter! Fell the rain
And soon filled the potholes of the roads and the drain
And soon got the crowd, locked in the houses,
And the buildings, clean of stain

Ashamed, I ran home, in hasty speed
To my mother's advice, I should have paid heed
And as the heavy drops fell on my head,
to reach home, I thought was the need

But then, I saw the world rejoice
The trees and plants, swayed to its noise
I felt their happiness and wondered, in such a weather
The trees still chose to rejoice

The plants were rooted and I knew it,
And so were the trees, but seemed to enjoy every bit
The storm could shatter them, break or uproot them
but they still kept enjoying it.

They swayed to the strong tunes of the breeze
Which made me jump and dance with ease
Rain can be melancholy or even melody
But the latter was the choice for the trees

As I kept jumping puddles, I understood
Not always are good times, as we think it would
As problems come, do not sigh, do not mourn, but face it brave
And enjoy, enjoy, enjoy..............we should

Little Things...

With minutes ticking by

For the new year to come by

The world, cropping up with resolutions

For a better year

Without any loss of money

Loss of status, or luxury

And all the other material factors

To keep up to the stress and prejudices

Cribbing about the past

Yearning for a fearless future

Filled with happiness

But where is it?

In a world full of hunger and hate

Where there is no time for care

Or where there is too much to bear

But, little things like sunshine

Butterflies, flowers and smile

Makes the world bright

Little things, let us live

Love , friendship and family

To see the dawn fresh in you

The world in a new light.

The last summer day

THE LAST SUMMER DAY

On a summer day

The best time to come out and play

Me and my friends were doing the same

In the first week of May

Streaming sweat on our forehead

Our hair as dry as hay.

A drop fell on my forehead

Cooling it and reminding us

That it was the last summer day

Then I looked up to see

What interrupted us at play

Then was when I noticed

The blue sky turning grey

More drops followed the first

Quenching the warm land’s thirst.

A roar of thunder came loud

Made the sun run behind the cloud

We ran back home, by my mother’s call

And at home, sticking my nose on the window

There were lots of things I did see

I saw the world shower

Washing the roads clean

The stormy wind’s power

Made the towers seem to lean

There was a splash of water

Which washed the world clean

The trees swayed along

For the wind’s playful song

The sky scolded the sea

And seized the vast sky

But Posideon’ s rage was no less

And shook the sea with might

But soon, the storm stopped,

With a smile, the sun appeared

Drops of dew on the window pane,

Like diamonds they glittered

I smelt the fresh air

And saw the world bright

The birds chirped again, the weather so calm
I smiled, for i knew, the picture was much clearer.

princess of the night sky

Princess of the night sky

After the colourful sunset,

The attractive colour splashed palette

In flowed the night

In no time

Spread the sky with pure black

So had we, to go to sleep

Before the next busy day,

But it began to creep

And my heart began to leap

As the room became dark

The howling of a dog, the hooting of an owl

Made my tummy growl

Then I made myself calm, and kept still

And my eyes wandered to the window sill

There I saw the Pretty One

Dancing in her lovely white gown

And her face, lit up with a smile

But when she saw me, she was usually shy

Ran and hid behind a cloud , with a silver line

But soon she was back

And was collecting stars

To arrange them in the black

The Orion, the Dipper the great and little Bear

And the best the night can wear

She skipped and jumped in the midnight sky

And the wind translated her silent laugh

It gave a soft whisper

As she tossed the stars around

And threw them to the midnight ground

Her lullaby, carried by the wind

Soothed me to sleep

And as she sung, she never forgot to remind

To make the night bright there always will be

The princess of the night sky.

Poem on child labour

Why couldn’t I be like them?

They asked me                                    

Who’s the most unluckiest child

In the world amongst

The children so mild

You’ll think it is me

When I tell you my story

As sad as it could be

You’ll never wish to be like me

I was born to be alone

And I haven’t seen my parent’s face

Sad, dull and grey

Were all my days

I started to work

At an early age

They made me feel like

My life was in a cage

They made me break stones

And wash their dirty dishes,

Demolished and crumbled

Were all my lovely wishes

They never gave me

Proper food to eat

All they did to me

Is to torture and beat

When I see other children

So bright and happy

Lovely and sweet

Will be their days

They learn and they play

All the day

Showered in love

Are they every day

To God, I always ask

Why couldn’t I be like them

But I got no answers

I wish I could be like them.

Happy Mothers Day

For the prettiest woman………..

Oh Mama

You’re the brightest among the stars

The fragrance in the rose

You’re the diamond among the pebbles

The language in a prose

Amongst all problems piled

Bundles of work and tiring toil

But still, for us you smiled

With all grace and charm

It’s  your birthday

And I, surely will tell you

Only the luckiest of the lucky

Will get a mother like you

life is like a journey

Life is like a journey….

Life is like a journey

Which one can never end.

A very precious journey

That goes on to the end

A journey filled with happiness

Where sadness also could be

Sharp thorns of despair and gloom

We step before the soft petals of dreams

A journey we never walk alone

And with people in company

To choose the needs of the journey

Is the task of mine alone

Started from a soft path

Where people come to welcome us

The time when we lived in luxury

The time we choose our way

Came not too early

There was a fight all day

Between my dreams and destiny

The time when memories fill our heart

To say goodbye and stop our tour

Knowing there is a father

Waiting with a heart

We slowly end our journey.

For My Best Friend

I remember, the day when i first met you

I was sad, lone and lost, 

You showed me the distant light

which guided me, and made my worries light

Our bond will be always be strong

together, we shall not it let go wrong

Problems, we shall face it head on

and solve them like puzzles, all along

You were always there for me

just as i was always there for you

This friendship, we shall always cherish

And ensure that, it will always be true

No matter what comes in our way

we'd never break apart

be it a Sunny day or a dark night

We, best friends will never be apart.

Timberhook's Garden by Arathi Menon

There is the house of Timberhook's,
I love the way their garden looks
with lots of trees, with fruits so ripe,
each branch grafted in a unique type

There are jasmines, layered in a row,
Besides water lillies ashore, which bow
Plants with yeild and seemingly healthy,
the hybrid one's ensure the Timberhook's remain wealthy


There are cows and goats, ducks and goose,
with kittens and puppies let loose
Turkeys gooble when butterflies whiz,
on the flower bed, full of daises, well knit

The mulberry bushes, where dewdrop land
Adds to the beauty of this blessed motherland.

Mama by Arathi Menon

For the prettiest woman………..

Oh Mama

You’re the brightest among the stars

The fragrance in the rose

You’re the diamond among the pebbles

The language in a prose

Amongst all problems piled

Bundles of work and tiring toil

But still, for us you smiled

With all grace and charm

It’s  your birthday

And I, surely will tell you

Only the luckiest of the lucky

Will get a mother like you

The incomplete book

Under the smiling face of the moon

The nomads wandered by

We were tired, we wished the search would end soon

For our tired legs needed to stop by

The streets were unnamed, with no guide or map

We roamed about in the dark world

But it lead us, the light of the hurricane lamp

To a hut, chalked out by the moon

We  knocked the shabby door of the hut

And we saw nothing but a book

And a feather stained with ink, spilled on the desk, but

There was no one who lived in the room

I lifted up that heavy book

So old, torn and shabby

I turned the dry pages, to have a look

At what was scribbled in there

My eyes ran through the words

Which were the best lessons I have learnt

There were feelings and deeds in every word

But I found that it was incomplete

An old man came in with age in the face

And hair as white as snow

With cracked hands and faltering face

He managed to say “Hello”

He looked at all what he had earned

And he read our thoughts, so deep

He told us “Learn what you have not learned”

He wrote the last words and went to sleep.