Passion…unbridled

I’d like to think I am not primarily driven by greed

But when greed becomes a way for me to succeed

In ways that matter to me, greed feels justified

My greed manifests itself in ways dignified

As I become more efficient and more productive

Greed motivates me to take, it motivates me to give

*

A capitalistic society has its underpinnings in greed

Greed guides capital, talent and energy to society’s needs

Because that is where the money lies

That is where resources are galvanized

Greed drives competition, and competition in turn innovation drives

Innovation leads to progress, and the entire community thrives

*

At a personal level, greed still seems to be

Something that should not be the driving force for me

I should call it ambition, though it is the same

Nevertheless ambition is a better name

For the desire to achieve more and more

Whether I am ambitious or greedy, I am unsure..

For the longest time, I tried to protect and preserve

The life that I had, I wanted to conserve

Every bit of happiness that came my way

To act as a buffer for difficult days

My hands balled into fists I kept

Fearful that if I opened them, nothing would be left

*

I acted from a place of deep-seated fear

Afraid that good things in life would disappear

Anxiously clinging to my imagined safe place

Petrified of the possibility of loss I could face

*

The lessons you need to learn, life ultimately teaches you

In my case this definitely turned out to be true

Life happened, and I realized that keeping my fists balled

Did not protect me from incurring losses at all

I opened my palms, and realized there was space

For love and happiness to enter and take the place

Of loss and despair, I had to let go of my fear

And give life a chance for good things to appear

For years I read books consisting of characters with whom I could not identify

And even though I would sometimes laugh and cry

With those characters, a distance from them always remained

The world they inhabited was unfamiliar

The social structure of their lives different appeared

To place myself as a character in those stories was not

Something to which I could give plausible thought

*

The last two decades have witnessed the emergence of voices new

From the South Asian diaspora, and I have found a few

Characters in books with whom I can identify to some degree

Reading those books feels like a more intimate experience to me

*

Although I enjoy reading books with characters diverse

Finding someone like myself in the fictional universe

Gives me the representation that did not previously exist

Therefore a book by a South Asian author I never resist..

My stress levels are already high

Despite knowing this, I do not know why

I allow myself exposure to even more stress

That results from using my device in excess..

*

My nervous system goes into overdrive

Each time any kind of notification arrives

It could be a call from the hospital, an abnormal vital sign or a spam text

My brain has a Pavlovian response, regardless of the context

Even if the notification represents something I like

It has already caused a cortisol spike

*

In the morning I no longer have a newspaper to read through

Instead browsing through the news on my phone is what I do

The crisis headlines send my stress levels in the stratosphere

And I keep doomscrolling, spellbound by fear

*

In the hustle culture of today, multitasking as an asset I view

But in trying to multitask with my device, I am raising my cortisol level too

When social media posts send me into comparison mode

My stress levels see an additional load

*

Most interactions with my device seem to lead

To rise in my stress levels, therefore I need

To reduce the time spent on my device

It is time for me to follow this advice

These days it appears whenever I try to write anything on a device

Artificial intelligence is by my side to give me advice

Filling in blanks, suggesting the next word, (auto)correcting constantly

A “helpful” writing assistant it is trying to be

Formulating a selection of replies to a text from which to choose

It is trying hard to ensure I do not have to use

My precious brain cells in writing what I want to say

It is trying to “assist” me in every possible way

*

This assistance is completely unsolicited from my point of view

Mostly, it’s just amusing, but sometimes it gets annoying too

It creates a distraction to the flow of thoughts in my mind

I try to ignore its suggestions, but sometimes I find

That inadvertently I change what I am going to say

To match the suggestions it has given me, anyway

*

I think I can write without receiving advice from a bot

I have the capability to translate into words my thoughts

But AI-enabled programs seem to be designed

With the assumption that most people find

Writing difficult, and if it is difficult for them to articulate

Their thoughts, such assistance they would appreciate

*

I have been writing this verse on my device

I have been ignoring AI’s unsolicited advice

Each day as I’m trying to fall asleep, I make

A mental list of all the tasks I need to undertake

The following day- often I end up getting energized

By the planning, my sleep duration gets compromised

I wake up sluggish and slog through the day

Trying to accomplish things on my list in any possible way

*

The cycle repeats itself, night after night

I make plans when the time is not right

To execute them, and when the right moment is there

I am tired and not motivated enough to care

*

I’d love to make plans at the beginning of the day

But a lot of distractions come my way

In the morning, whereas the night is all mine

What I want to accomplish I can without interference define

*

As I write this, the wheels are spinning in my mind

An ambitious list of tasks I have to myself assigned

I must say it warms my heart when I see

In the hospital where I work, a little free library..

*

One day I noticed a tiny bookshelf in a corner had been placed

It declared its name and purpose, a handful of books occupied space

With room for many more-for the first few days

Attention to this addition not many people seemed to pay

But as time went on, I noticed books being added and removed

The number and variety of books had also improved

*

Over the past few months I have witnessed

Hospital staff and visitors checking out the library with interest

I have heard people talk about books they are reading

I hope initial expectations the little free library is exceeding

*

Books should be accessible, I firmly believe

From the little free library, anyone is free to retrieve

Any book, read and return, add to the collection too

Such a simple idea, but so profound in what it can do..

I grew up in a tropical country where I never knew

What wind chill to ambient temperature could do

I had no idea that the temperature I needed to keep in mind

Was the “feels like” temperature, I had been inclined

To take the actual temperature at face value

I learnt the hard way that this was the wrong thing to do

*

Polar vortex and Arctic blast entered my lexicon when I moved here

Winter weather advisories I learnt to respect, black ice I learnt to fear

Driving in the snow gives me anxiety considerable

Snowy roads can often be unpredictable

*

As I wait for an impending ice storm, potentially disruptive

Learning about the ways in which ice can be destructive

I hope and pray the storm’s fury is contained

I shall never underestimate winter weather again

The biggest wellness trends of 2026- screams the headline

I start reading out of curiosity, wondering how wellness can be defined

In terms of trends that are supposed to be

Short-lived in their life-span and popularity

Wellness should not be treated as a fad

That people follow fleeting wellness practices is sad..

*

Practices that are proven by research to enhance wellness

Should be incorporated sustainably, they should be timeless

Not trending right now, forgotten next year

As a new “trend” comes out, the old ones disappear..

*

Some contemporary trends deserve to stay

Some should never have seen the light of the day

Some by clever marketing have been popularized

Some are better in practice than theorized..

*

To follow wellness trends blindly I have no intention

But to wellness trends based on scientific studies I pay attention

The wellness trends that in my lifestyle I have incorporated shall stay

Long after the fads have faded away..

Who do I write for, I cannot exactly say

Only a handful of people read my verses anyway..

*

My writing is a chronicle of life through my lens

Reflecting my ideas, opinions and emotions intense

Sometimes when I go back to reading verses written years ago

I feel grateful for how much I have been able to grow

I write about common issues and topics esoteric

Sometimes I describe something specific, sometimes I’m more generic

Sometimes I skim the surface, sometimes deeper I dive

To express myself coherently I always strive

*

My son rarely reads what I write, but when I write I keep him in mind

If he were to read my verses in future, I hope he would not find

Any embarrassing details in what I have penned

To give him a glimpse into my thoughts is what I intend

I hope that someday he would be inclined

To read what I have written, mostly with him on my mind

From the east I moved to the west

Ever since I’ve been on a quest

To find the best of both worlds and incorporate

From both eastern and western cultures their best traits

*

I’ve made a rather interesting observation

When I travel to a different nation

Each aspect of the culture that I see

I place in either eastern or western category

Most places are in the middle somewhere

I categorize them subconsciously, without being fully aware

*

Having witnessed two vastly different cultures in different lands

The strengths and weaknesses of each I understand

To take the best of both cultures is a privilege given to me

The best example of this amalgamation I wish to be

The longer I practice medicine, the more stories I accumulate

Stories that represent an aggregate

Of the experiences of my career that were memorable

Stories that have shaped me, that have enabled

Me to become the physician that I am today

Stories that have taught me invaluable lessons along the way..

*

From scientific principles to bedside patient care

In each aspect of medicine, I have stories to share

I have forgotten facts, but stories I have not

To me, comfort and confidence in my practice these stories have brought

*

When I make a medical decision, I am influenced

By my knowledge and cumulative experience

This includes the stories I carry in my mind

Inspiration in my old stories I often find

*

I am privileged to have so many stories to tell

I hope to be able to treat this privilege well