Think Positive On A Rainy Day

Cold and dank room at midday
Wet clothes spread on floor and bed
Sun hides behind heavy clouds
Sheets of rain 

Slippery ground

Friend sends a message
"Are you doing good?"
I complain "Bad rainy day"
"Use no negative words
Not even for rain" she writes back

Not that rain troubles me
I stay comfortable
Lying on bed
staring at sky
Through my window
criss crossed with grill

But down there on busy street
I hear non stop beeps
Of cars, buses, ambulance,lorries jeeps
Two wheelers might zig zag
Through maze with speed
But four wheelers wait impatiently

I feel their frustration in traffic jam
I am sure there is water logging somewhere, 

or a pothole, 

a broken pavement, 

a path covered with fungus green or 

on a footpath a missing slab

People trying a balancing act, 

somebody must have missed their step, 

fell on their knees, 

broke an ankle, 

bruised their limb
Patients flock to hospitals
With illness more serious than a sneeze

"Use no negative words" 

says my friend
I look on this dark day for positivity
Doctors happy, their biz is good

City continues to be crippled by heavy rains

Self Imposed Curfew

Under self imposed curfew
enclosed within four walls
I watch the rain drops drip
The sheet blotting the world
I shift my gaze
Beyond the pages of my book
Cold air carressing my skin
Skies tear apart with rumbling sounds
Light gnashes its sparkling teeth
Days shall pass bit by bit
Till  health returns to pink
Its just I, me, myself
and crawling words on the net

Imaginations round up
of far away birds and clan
that glide down the rainbow
into mysterious ramp

Sindhi Refugees

These men got to go

Declared enemies

So they packed their bags

And became refugees

They crossed  borders in shame

Over dispute of two countries

Coldness between India Pakisthan

Divided all Sindhis

Gold coins, crockery,

Luxuries of happy homes

Vultures of the land

Looted their hard earned money

Holes in their soles

Forced to live in open tents

They dined in community kitchens

Just rice, lentils, bread

Dignity had to be earned

For pride to return

A new life was chalked

For them to start all over

They up-toned their muscles

To begin from scratch
No map to follow
There was no going back.

On streets, railways, footpaths

On every unclaimed land

They spread their merchandise

Began to sell their wares.

Night and day, day and night

They toiled under harsh weather

Framed inside faith

Wrapped in cloak of self respect

Inch by inch,  hard work

Yielded good results

Sixty years after migration

Sindhis are everywhere

Offering hand of compassion

They lift their families up

Sindhis, the philanthropist

Helping every common man

Building schools, hospitals

Doing unselfish work

Communities, friends, families

Share their extra wealth

Hardwork pays,

Lady luck smiles

Wheels of fortune

Turns around

Dot by dot,  chain by chain

They learnt to survive

Third generation of

Migrant Sindhis

Winners of the game

Fore fathers

Faced much hardship

With stickers of refugees

on their backs

Scion of refugee men

Champs in present world

Suicide

Suicide 1

I want to commit suicide
Walk over to a different world
Natural death might take me to heaven
But suicide is a sure shot hell

Send me a poison
You experimenting with
I am willing to taste
Much corruption now,
Every product adulterer
Always disappointing

Were I to die
Famous you could be
For having reached a new milestone
of producing better stuff
World would rejoice
For having product
That really kills

A suicide note
I will leave
with poison name
that works

Suicide note 2

If you find me still
No breath under my chest
Understand I am gone
Forever

Dont panic
And thrust me in an ambulance
Like pizza in the oven
Stay cool

I have my will neatly
Filed and folded
In the lower
Shelf of kitchen cabinet

Some recipes, tried and tested
Few bottles of sauces, herbs
Steel pots and pans, brand new 

Up in the loft, they stand

Had even bought ceramic knives

Thought I would use some day
You inherit them all
Its my parting gift for you

Cooked Briyani sits in fridge, 

Feast for those who may come to mourn
Few pickles that will last 

Few days or maybe months
You may taste them all
But remember to clean up 

After you are done
The maid may not return

She too ate the poison that you wanted to experiment on me
Yesterday.

Poetry in April #Poem 25

There are the rich
The poor
The families cling to tradition
The sons compelled
Urge their members
To hold certain beliefs

A family live to uphold anarchism
Theories and beliefs handed down
Assume the dignity of blood laws
The levelling tradition is dead level of equality
Not a man of the family has been
Whole-souled, single-purposed labor man

The man of the family is actually
The woman.

Poetry form:Erasure..
Source text ‘Youth Challenges’ by Clerence B Kelland

Poetry in April #Poem 24

Soon you will be off those trees
On to our dinner plates
Now you are green 
So I wait
Till you begin to blush
As you approach your maturiy
Your flesh- juicy and succullent
You will be a delight
When I chop you to pieces
And enjoy it with my meal

Ah ‪#‎Mangoes‬
I am eyeing you from my kitchen window

#Napowrimo

Poetry in April #Poem 23

............................Smile...............................
...................Fine rayon thread......................
.........................That binds...........................
.....................People together......................
.......................Unkind words........................
............................Spoken............................
.........................On impulse.........................
.........................Causes rift..........................
.........................Friendship..........................
........................Decays like..........................
.....................Withered flower.......................
...................Cannot be revived....................
........................Till set aside........................
...........................Pressed............................
.................Between folds of book...............
............................For it to...........................
.............................Bloom...........................
.............................Again............................

Poetry in April #Poem 22

Friendship

She calls me for lunch.....Feast is on her mind
We need no.....................Reasons; we meet any time
My friend is my board......Intellectual and sound
In good times and bad.....Emotionally we are bound
We meet in hunger, in......Need, and in peace
We seek no favors, no.....Desires, just love
Expectations are born......Shared, joys unclaimed
Morning, day, night, all.....Hours untamed
With all the strength........ Invariably I recall
To be worthy, I..................Pray, that it lasts on and on.

Form-Poem Mesozoic
The letters in the centre make up the word ‘FRIENDSHIP’

Poetry in April #Poem 21

Child lifts sand in his plastic pail
Walks barefoot, with staggering gait
To empty sand again
He chuckles
Exposing his two front teeth
Unaware of the future

Somewhere, at this hour
Thick blocks of ice descent
Rumbling down from North poles
Gushing angry waves
Wash away shores

Good Earth looks for a place to hide

Poetry in April #Poem 20

Paper doll
Covered from head to toe
No mind of her own
Sit
Stand 
Cry
Stretch
Obey
Thick veil of dictatorship
Crushing her under weight of norms
Love
But with strings attached
Watch
With silent eyes

Man
Turns
The key

Until the day
She opens her mouth
To speak

Poetry In April #Poem 19

He posted pictures
Tagged her name
To refresh her memory
She wished to forget

The great expanse of hills
The dusty roads
Where they had trekked in broken shoes
Just two of them
Their faces bright
Reflecting radiance
As they stopped to sip wine
From faded urn
He would pull her plait
Fold around his arm
Bring her close to
Whisper nothings

Time has changed
All that remains is
Chill of deep dark void
Filled with sadness and pain
They are friends no more

Her best revenge is to live well,
Untag him

Poetry in April #Poem 18

She was young
Desires were plenty
There was no money
Not enough money

She walked down the road
Lined with stores
Just gaped
Nose pressed against window

Someday I shall buy fur
Some day I shall buy
That pure leather purse
Someday I shall have money
She walked away, heads down

She worked hard
It paid
She climbed the stairs
Of success each day
Time finally arrived
She could afford everything

But feeling changed
Beyond horizon
Spirituality was the cloak she wore
Four legged animals were her best friends

She never bought fur
Nor any pure leather bag

Poetry in April #Poem 17

One way love
Meaningless verse
Words hang in air in
Silence

Joie de vivre message
Crawling into his phone
Reads them all in
Silence

Generation gap
East and west
Forced bondage in
Silence

She strikes off his name from her life

Silence

#Napowrimo

Poetry In April #Poem 16

Cousin sends me her picture
Dressed in green silk dress with gold border
She is wearing the necklace that we had exchanged
During her last visit to my home
The glow on her face tells me that she is having fun
I begin to wish
I should have been there with her
We could have shared the happy times together

Like we always do

Walk down the narrow lanes of new city
Try the local cuisine
Stroll by the riverside
Enjoy a boat ride too.
Watch the sun set together
Munching on chips and seeds
Argue for no reason at all
Next moment wash away the blues.

Friends come and go
But cousins are there
Forever.

‪#‎Napowrimo‬ ‪

Poetry In April #Poem 15

Mumbai Metro
Versova to Ghatkopar
An interesting ride

Comfortable you sit in a cool cabin
Through crystal window, you watch
Reality of Mumbai life
Rich and poor live side by side.

One moment tall skyscraper
Of glass and steel reach for stars
Next moment mud houses
Coated with dust crawl on the ground

There is stark contrast like in Movie scene
Everybody is struggler in this city
Be it in glass buildings or on streets

Metro rolls on cutting through under belly
While life continues to bleed

‪#‎Napowrimo‬ ‪

Poetry in April #Poem 14

Limericks

A self-styled Godman Baba Ramdev
Teaches tummy trick night and day
In Yoga lesson he warns
You might lose your charm
If you didn’t chant regularly ‘Bharat Mata ki Jay’

‪#‎Napowrimo‬ ‪

(Ironic at what Yoga Guru Ramdev Baba promotes in his programs, the beheading comment by him showed a violent streak.)

Poetry in April #Poem 13

There is certain kind of pleasure
In cheating
At board games

I love to watch your expression
Of threat and disgust
As you crinkle up your nose
And warn

I defend that I am honest
And cross my heart
Make you believe
I am smart.

Mood lightens
We continue to play
Friendship bond strengthened
By the end of the day

A blissful afternoon
A day well spent
Of food, laughter, song
And a board game

It’s the betrayal in real life
That brings pain

‪#‎Napowrimo‬ ‪

Poetry in April #Poem 12

She could not talk loudly

She repeated her views
Several times
But it faded 
Blurred

Thunderous voices
Even though
Gibberish
Were clearly heard

Nobody cared

She covered her opinions
Under her cape
Walk away into oblivion

#Napowrimo

poetry in April #Poem 11

Don’t ring my doorbell today

I am sleeping
I am cooking
I am reading
I am meditating
I am dressing
I am watching TV

Listen love, come back on another day

I am taken by me

#Napowrimo

Poetry in April #Poem 10

Chop
Chop
Chop
Put some butter
Add some salt
Knead it well
Roll into a perfect ball
No worries
If its’ taste not right
This is only your first time

We learn from mistakes
Experiments are just a game
You can always redo again

Only life has no retakes

#Napowrimo

Poetry in April #Poem 9

Ten minute
Twenty three seconds
To be exact
Since you last uttered a word.

Your silence is so refreshing

Like going for a long walk on a quiet beach
Like sitting on a lone bench on top of hill
Like watching colourful sunset rings

Talk
Talk
Talk
You talk too much
Rambling same stories
Over and over again
Throb
Throb
Throb,
Hammers on my skull
Ouch!
My head hurts.

Silence is Gold
Come sit
Cross legged
Shut your eye lids
Listen to magic sounds
Of soul within

Shhhh!!

#Napowrimo

Poetry in April #Poem 8

Gasping for breath
He jumps into moving train
Too late
Not a vacant seat in sight

He stands, shifting his weight
From one foot to another
Rivulets of sweat trickle
Down his glossy skin

The train rumbles in rhythm
Of musical band
He opens his mouth as if to yawn
But begins to sing to ease
The pain of hard work done

Catchy lines.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
Trallala la la
More people join
Some tapping their feet
Some drum their fingers on window sill

Bollywood song of 80’s
Proves to be stress buster

He is regular on Mumbai Trains
A common man,
A happy man
A struggler.

#Napowrimo

Poetry in April #Poem 7

I dragged him
By flap of his collar
Buried him
Inside pages of my book

He rattled on
To draw my attention
I stared briefly
At his script

He rolled into lit
Explored
Full range of words,
Monstrous words
Cynical words
Chocolatey words
Buttery, slippery words
Words that rhymed
Twisted without reason
Till cul-de-sac
He was a great raconteur

I fell into his trance

‪#‎NaPoWriMo‬ ‪

Poetry in April #Poem 6

‪‪

Today
I walked into your home
Barefoot
On pristine clear floor

I see
You have swept away
the murk
Of misunderstandings

The filtered sun rays
make beautiful designs
on the wall

There are no more
memories
of pain

just you and me, let's play scrabble 

Today

#‎NaPoWriMo‬ ‪

Poetry in April #Poem 5

He said she was sleeping
She said she was Not
He said she was dozing
She said she was Not

Evening was Spiritual Advancement
On reaching ultimate Goal
Complete silence in Auditorium
Just words 'Science of Soul'

Eyes closed, she listened
floated under clouds alone
Smelling fragrance of mighty words
Plucking powerful quotes

He sat, folded arms,
Watching her
Like a troll

‪#‎NaPoWriMo‬ ‪#‎Poem‬ 6

Poetry in April #Poem 4

I am flattered by

Your phone call
in the middle of night just because
you had a bad dream

Your courage
to stand by my side
when you saw me bleed

But I never wished
that you break off all your bridges
just to be with me

The knots of friendship
are tightened
when the ropes of love are stretched

Beyond you and me...

‪#‎NaPoWriMo‬ ‪#‎poem‬ 5

Poetry in April #Poem3

I couldn't help sneaking
into your life
Stealing the words
that kept me alive
Words that uplifted me
Words that tickled me
Words that steered me
towards warm sunshine

But, now that you have
bolted your door
shut me out
i am beginning to explore
some other insights.

There are tons of useful words
within my own mind

‪#‎NaPoWriMo‬ ‪#‎Poem‬ 4

Poetry in April #Poem2

Looking at your food pictures
I drool
I know you are going places
without me

May the Cheese turn sour
Your chicken roasted but charred

Sauces, salads, soups,
Slurrp!

They turn me green with envy

Here I sit in a lonely room
Eating just dhal and Roti.

‪#‎NaPoWriMo‬ day3

Poetry in april #poem 1..Friends Marked safe

I have scanned the facebook pages
Several times today
All other friends marked safe
But I still await
Hope they find you
under debris
By the end of this day

Hungry Limping Man

For no fault of his

He hobbled on one foot

From one car to another

Asking for alms

'Karma' they said.

Not batting their eyes

They turned their face

In other direction

Drove off out of sight

Hungry limping man

He waits patiently

On lonely streets at traffic light

Waiting for kind soul

No one meets his gaze

No one stops by

No one understand his pain

nor hear his soft cry

Far distance, in a park

A feast is on display

For immigrants who are hungry,

but have not enough cash to pay

Meat, rice, pulses,

distribute on festive days

happily by some youngsters

Earning blessings all day

A lady in torn gown, alone

She sits on a bench

Eating with knotty fingers

Thanking Lord for her brunch

Hundreds of people

All stand in one line

To get their share of ration

All have grateful smiles

But the hungry limping man

He couldn't walk too far

Just waited for kind soul,

one who would stop his car

Knew not that

Kind souls were distributing

Free food in the park....

Failed Tea Party

Sun is about to set
I wait
in anticipation
Its two hours now
tea has paled
pistacho, walnuts
have lost their taste
I mince my words
that hurt your soul
I hope your moods change

Do come around
to sip the last
drops of
cold tea
Lets start all over again

Careless Selfie

She stands there
Taking a selfie
Hand held camera
Just few inches away
Pouting and creating
Weird expressions
That could put monkeys to shame

She cares not
For art or for the architecture
Nor the beautiful colors
Of rainbow
Nor the fragrance of flowers
Nor the flight of speeding train

She sees nothing with
Naked eye
Just reflection of herself
On mobile plate
Unaware of the danger
Of missing a step
As she blindly moves
Backwards
On uneven plane

Taking a selfie
Is such a craze
Of sharing with the world
The brave act
Of being there
Done that
Showing the proof
On Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Snapchat

She cares not
If she becomes
A celebrity
Behind the silent grave.....

Love Everybody

Love for dog
Love for cat
Love for neighbor
Who keeps alert on your private
Activities all day

Love for friend
Love for spouse
Love for housemaid
Who makes you happy whenever she reports to work each day

Love for gajjar ka halwa
Love for chocolates
Love for bhelpuriwalla
Who waits patiently for you
At the end of your lane

Love is in the air
Love has its own flair
Express it in which ever way you care
You may dare
Today is the day

Go ahead
With a red rose
Sweets
Chocolates
Or Basmati biryani
But

Say it with a smile
Happy Valentine Day

Hate - Useless Emotion

Hate is a strong word, 
nobody is born with this emotion, 
it is learnt with wrong assumptions and bleak perception. 
The poison of hate is so strong 
that when nurtured, 
it builds up till it ends
 in flames 
killing the very soul 
that nourished it..

love, on other hand.. 
is calm, 
peaceful and
 beautiful...

yet..sadly..
hate is everywhere....
ready to take weak within its fold......
feeding on ego, anger and pride...
building an army 
to spread.pain..

Gift Of Love

With every knit and purl
You weave a rug of love, 
Your thoughts revolve 
around person 
for whom you had wished the warmth
The hand that makes a gift
has sentimental value 
at its start
it may have cost just a penny 
but its worth is million hearts.....

Being Fearless

Being fearless brings freedom to enjoy life to its fullest.

Why be afraid of people judging you, 
Of doing things to please others 
At the cost of making yourself uncomfortable, 
Losing your identity, 
Your own peace of mind.?

People will gag you, 
take you on guilt trips 
if you give them power to steer your life

As long as you have your own judgement, 
your own presence of mind, 
your own liberty of doing things right, 
it matters not what others will think.

Being yourself is the only path to happiness......