Destiny

(This is one of my older poems, and not a particularly good one. Is it because I don't really hold the opinions expressed in it?)

I don’t believe in luck.
I don’t carry the foot of a rabbit,
Or the tooth of a woodchuck.
I refuse to accept that it
Controls my destiny.

By the laws of probability,
The longer your run of luck,
The lower the probability
Of it staying stuck;
And you come crashing down.

I don’t believe in fate;
It is an excuse for failure
That I absolutely hate.
My life’s like this, I’m sure,
Because I made it this way.

Your actions today
Decide what you are tomorrow.
I have one last thing to say:
If your life’s full of sorrow,
Do not weep, but seek to set things right.

A Hint of a Tear

(Eleven days to submit my thesis, and instead of writing about PLC programs I ended up writing this poem. Some people are plain incorrigible I guess.)

He breathed twice, long and deep,
And forcing a smile onto his face,
Climbed stairs that never before seemed steep.
His mind was swimming in space,
But he managed to knock on the door.

She chuckled as she recognized
That characteristic double knock;
But she was quite surprised
When she opened the door and took stock,
For in spite of his smile he looked troubled.

Idle conversation did no consolation lend,
So he said the words he’d come to say;
He thanked her for being such a good friend -
The past few years, in his heart would ever stay,
But it was time for him to return to his homeland.

She stood rooted to the spot;
Her throat went dry, her heart nearly stopped.
But her expression betrayed her not,
And she looked merely concerned as they talked,
About the days that would never come back.

He relaxed in her company, as always.
He searched for some hint, some sign,
In her words, her face,
Oh! That face so divine…
Please just ask me to stay…

She did her best to make him feel at ease,
She wanted him to leave with fond memories;
But, she thought, just say the words, please,
Say you love me, say it, please,
And I will be with you forever…

He couldn’t bring himself to say it;
He would say nothing that could bring her grief.
Her concerned smile was like a beacon lit,
Strange: she the stalwart pillar, he the fragile leaf.
And as he bade goodbye to his best friend,
He imagined that he saw
The hint of a tear in her eye.

Rain of Emotions

(This was the first poem I decided to save for posterity. Suggestions for a change of title are welcome!)

When it begins to drizzle
Before the clouds sizzle
With lightning and thunder,
Doesn’t it make you wonder
How the weather could be so pleasant?

That ephemeral twinge of dampness,
That joyous touch of coolness,
Tangible, yet evanescent,
The sky, translucent,
With sparks of blue
In the gray misty ocean.

The ground is covered with spots
Due to the falling raindrops,
Vanishing as soon as they appear,
Only to be replaced by others.

Then the Gods show their anger;
The heavens roar with thunder,
And send forth bolts of lightning,
The experience is frightening.

Mercifully, finally, thankfully,
The sun appears in all its golden glory.

Soul Searching

(A very underrated poem of mine. I guess it's because I am the only person who can understand all the undercurrents in these verses. One of my favourites.)

I like to think of myself
As a lonely book
On an empty shelf
That does not wish to look
Anywhere but inside,
Where a zillion thoughts collide,
But nothing fruitful results.

I like to think of myself
As a lonely star in the sky,
Beaming brightly to itself,
Content to stay there and lie
Unconcerned and unbothered,
With innocence unsmothered,
Completely at peace.

I like to think of myself
As a dew drop on a rose,
Not beautiful by itself,
But you look real close,
Simply because it is able
To add that extra sparkle
To its chosen domain.

I like to think of myself
As a lonely little goldfish,
Looking around from its glass bowl,
With a secret wish
To be out there,
But just does not dare
To even give it a try.

Soul searching is not my specialization,
So I shall end my introspection,
For I truly believe
That the person who knows me best
Is you.

The Secret of Relaxation

(Enigma would be proud of me...)

Let me take you on a journey
Into your mind, your spirit –
Take a break from the real world;
Float away from where you sit.

Calm your nerves, your senses;
Let the world around you dissolve
Into a kaleidoscope of images and sounds
Let it fade away, there is nothing left now.

Enjoy the pure silence.
Can you hear yourself breathing?
Let the serenity sink in.
Can you feel your heart beating?

Allow yourself to be enveloped
By the milky white heavens,
Let it course through your veins,
Charging you, heightening every sense.

Launch yourself into the sky.
Go ahead and exercise
All the degrees of freedom
That you can realize.

Absorb the unadulterated joy
For a few minutes -
Then prepare yourself to return;
Start gathering your wits.

Slowly let the visions fade
Darkness is what you see;
Return to awareness,
Return to reality.

Gently open your eyes
Isn’t it amusing
That you stayed in this cacophony
Yet were aware of nothing?

It is possible to achieve
Such levels of concentration
Anytime, anyplace
By this meditation.

Do you not feel refreshed
As though you have just rested
For many hours
With a fraction of that time wasted.

Do you not feel enlightened,
Your mental powers sharpened:
Everything seems so clear
As though something in you awakened.

This is the secret
Of total relaxation;
These are the fruits
Of transcendental meditation.

Feet on the Ground

(Oh, heck... I promised myself that I'd record every poem I write, no matter how big or small. Hence this little one I wrote for a friend today goes into my poor blog.)

Look ahead, not behind,
For the future is yours alone to command;
Memories will always be there to remind
You of the ground on which you stand.

So do not look down and burrow,
But look up and leap high -
For you are standing on an evergreen meadow
That will rise as you reach for the sky.

Every Single Day

(Another one to make you feel better after a bad day; but this one's way better, as it has the ingredient necessary for cheering people up: Humour! Consider this poem as an allegorical way of stating the true message contained in the last paragraph.)

Yesterday I burnt my toast,
Cursed and started over,
Thinking that at the most,
I would have to drive faster
In order to be on time.

So I raced down the highway,
And got pulled over for speeding;
The fine I had to pay
Made it difficult breathing.
I ended up an hour late.

Though I knew my excuse was feeble,
For some strange reason,
I was chastised by four different people,
As though it was rabbit season
And I was the sole target.

Complacency, lack of sincerity, unpunctuality,
Some more words I couldn’t pronounce,
Such rare moments of unanimity
For them, is when they denounce
Hapless chaps like me.

Still reeling in a semi-trance,
I went to work with half my mind,
And I suppose I had the chance
To salvage my pride,
And get some work done.

But for reasons not hard to guess,
I was staring at the dreaded blue screen;
Looks like I made a complete mess.
Computers can be so mean;
Maybe I forgot a semi-colon.

I rounded off my splendid day
By spilling coffee on my boss’ shirt;
He didn’t have anything to say,
Just stared at me as though I was dirt,
And left me there with an empty cup.

I reached home and went to bed
Without any further incident.
Wishing I were dead,
My ego sporting a dent,
I went to sleep.

I woke up in time to see the sun rise,
With golden rays peeping from behind clouds;
Smelling the fresh air I realized,
The past may not forget what I’ve done,
But I can forget what I’ve done in the past,
So with a smile on my face
And levity in my soul,
I made up my mind
That from that moment on,
I would make a fresh start to life
Every single day.