Passion…unbridled

In a world where everything seems to be shrouded in doom and gloom

My attention was drawn to the news of a spectacular super-bloom

Of wildflowers that has painted the usually barren landscape

Of Death Valley in a riot of colors- this year rainier weather has shaped

The flora of the hottest and driest place in the nation in a positive way

I am overjoyed to read this, and wish I could plan a getaway

To witness this rare blossoming of flowers in pink, purple and yellow hues

Death Valley has come alive, this is indeed uplifting news

*

I wish to go on a spring hike inside this national park

To witness bright flowers on the dusty background stark

The park is saturated with their fragrance as well

I want to inhale that intoxicating smell..

*

Climate change gets a bad reputation

Almost never does it have a positive connotation

Except in this case- it is a solemn reminder for me

That even on barren land, growth is a possibility

If women used their voices, they would rewrite

The narrative, set some records right..

*

In various art forms, media and literature we see

Women described from a male perspective predominantly

Often it manifests in the form of objectification

And even when that is not the case, there is an oversimplification

Of the woman character-she is not described in as much detail

As the male characters, the two genders are treated on a different scale

*

When we see women-centric art created exclusively

By women- the difference is noticeable immediately

Those characters have traits that are complex and multilayered

They have more agency, they appear prepared

To conquer the world on terms that are their own

Such characters in literature and art had for centuries been unknown

*

Show me a woman who dresses for herself, who showcases her talent

Describe the story of a woman who is self-sufficient

Let women write these narratives, let women create

Art that the true essence of femininity encapsulates

*

Men have been loud, describing the world from their point of view

Now women must bring their voices to the forefront too

(On International Women’s Day)

All the women out there who will themselves to rise

Above the constant doubts raised on their competence, who, when criticized

Take it in their stride, who work twice as hard to overcome

The shortcomings that have been pointed out by some

Who try to lead despite their leadership being undermined

Who try to claim their voices when others are inclined

To silence them repeatedly, who ignore the pain

From innumerable paper cuts and do it again and again

Who balance the tightrope of work and domestic life every day

Who get little recognition for their efforts but do it anyway-

Let all of us learn to take more space

Let all of us empower ourselves enough to face

The world with our heads and standards held high

Let everyone know our limit is the sky

I am a poet at heart and a scientist in mind

Therefore I was overjoyed to find

How hearing poetry read aloud changes the brain

Poetry that evokes complex emotions of empathy and pain

Activates a specific brain area- the nucleus accumbens

Leading to feelings of aesthetic pleasure intense

It stimulates the brain in a different way

From the dopamine based reward pathway

That is stimulated in a materialistic world constantly

The brain thus reacts in a unique manner to poetry..

*

Exactly how, I had not been able to explain

But I knew that dabbling in poetry had changed my brain

Made me more empathetic, in dealing with patients for sure

I think for some modern maladies, poetry can provide a partial cure

I am in a minor crisis, because I do not know

What book to read next, I have not been able to go

To the local library to browse through my preferred sections

Currently I am finding it difficult to make my selections

The bestseller lists do not seem interesting enough

To buy a book I am not sold on is rather tough..

*

When popular books of the year online I try to find

They are in genres quite different from what I have in mind

Books that social media influencers have endorsed are increasingly found

On the bestseller lists, though there are much better books around

Trying to find the next best book to read and then buying it online seems to be

A headache that I would like to avoid completely

*

While I am still trying to find a book that actually holds my interest

I am looking forward to the weekend to do what I like to do best-

Browse through the section on new books, and borrow a few that pique my interest

An important facet of being a physician

Is having a keen power of observation

For the first time when a patient we meet

A quick, almost subconscious scan we complete

This “eyeball test” as it is known

Remains in the evaluation of a patient, a cornerstone

*

Of course, a doctor’s eyeball test

In their field of expertise works best

The correlation between measures objective

And the visual impression subjective

Grows stronger as one in experience grows

The eye tells the physician what the mind already knows

*

I am aware that the eyeball test carries subjectivity

And therefore from bias it cannot be free

Therefore, it must not be used in isolation

But integrated with objective data for individualized recommendation

*

To me the eyeball test represents

Of the art of practicing medicine, a perfect instance

It illustrates what we humans do best

I doubt AI can be as good at the eyeball test

If I had a crystal ball into the future the only thing I would like to know

Whether in my advancing years, as a writer I would sufficiently grow

To be published, at some level, to be recognized

That, for me, would be the accomplishment most prized..

*

To not talk about my dreams out loud, I’ve been conditioned

I feel somewhat embarrassed to have publicly expressed my ambition

Worse still, I wonder if I have jinxed myself now

I fear that talking about my dream would make it vaporize somehow..

*

Sometimes I laugh at my dream’s audacity

Without any formal instruction or a creative writing degree

Without having followers on a social media platform

From an aspiring poet into a published author I want to transform?

*

Maybe all I want to accomplish today

Is to get past the self-doubt blocking my way

Take some steps to hone my writing skills

Find a way after articulating my will

There would never be a crystal ball to see

What the future has in store for me

So all I can do is keep my ambition alive

While to write better and write more prolifically I strive

The local market had a bookseller, and I needed to buy a book or two

What I saw was a stack of books arranged on a cart, publications old and new

A bit difficult to browse through, for someone used to large bookstores

I must admit I had never bought books at such a place before

The books were all in English, the language of the literary-minded

(In a country with twenty-two official languages, myself I reminded)

*

I had read quite a few, and was trying to find

A thicker, unread treatise to occupy my mind

My enthusiasm the bookseller did recognize

He began suggesting options, and to my surprise

He knew what the books were about, he could give me

An elevator pitch for each book he held out, an abbreviated summary

When I picked “Great Works of Franz Kafka”, quite enthusiastically

He listed the titles of all the stories in the book for me

He knew what Kafka had written, he knew something about the content

I was genuinely impressed by his effort and the extent

To which he had tried to learn about the goods (books) he was trying to sell

It could not have been easy for someone who did not know English well..

*

Despite the fact that someone like him probably struggles to make ends meet

He had learnt the art of salesmanship, to sell his cartload of books on the street

I smiled to myself as I walked home with Kafka’s works in hand

This was salesmanship at its finest, in my motherland..

The world right now is with uncertainty fraught

In these volatile times, I need a grounding thought

To calm my anxious mind, as if on cue

A gorgeous sunrise comes into my view

I am reminded that in an uncertain world I can rely

On the sun rising and setting every day in the sky

*

When human unpredictability has a destabilizing influence

Turning to nature has a grounding effect immense

It is a reminder to me to detach myself from the news cycle endless

And go outdoors to observe a natural process

When world events lead to anxiety and despair

I must remember to breathe in some fresh air

Allow myself to be awed by sunset and sunrise

See the world around me with hope in my eyes

Increasingly when I create a travel itinerary

I’ve come to view it as a guideline and not necessarily

A plan to be executed barring an extenuating circumstance

These days it almost seems a matter of chance

Whether my trip proceeds according to my plan detailed-

Weather, conflict, war can work individually or in collusion to derail

Elaborate travel plans made months in advance

Each time I plan a trip, I take a chance

On being disappointed, on not being able to go at all

The unpredictability is worse now than I previously recall

*

As I pen these lines, I thank my stars that the right travel itinerary I chose

I am on my way back from a trip, while some airspaces have closed

I could have been stranded had I chosen differently

Who knows if my sixth sense had influenced me!

When good penmanship was considered a desirable skill

I learnt to write in cursive, I would fill

My notebooks with letters looping together and slanting to the right

My pen flowing on the paper in strokes fluid and light

But when it was time for my son to learn writing I realized

That cursive writing was considered a relic of the past, I was surprised

To learn that it was not being taught any more

My son has only learnt to write in disjointed letters, therefore

*

The ship has already sailed where cursive writing for my son is concerned

But it was heartening to read that in some states, children are now required to learn

How to write in cursive- educators have realized its value

It encourages creativity and enhances written expression too

*

Unfortunately I am typing out this verse but I wish I could

Write the same in cursive letters, as in my childhood I would

After spending a few decades on this planet, most of us should realize

That if something seems too good to be true, one should not be surprised

When it does not turn out to be as good as it initially appeared

Despite this being proven true repeatedly, I find it weird

That people still fall for the wonder-drug, superfood or miracle cure

It is amazing how the public can be lured

Into buying a product that can their lives transform

The frenzy envelops even those well-informed

*

The internet is bursting with stories of unprecedented success

All experts and social media influencers seem obsessed

With this newly discovered elixir, extolling its seeming endless virtues

Consumers feel compelled to buy the product even when it sounds too good to be true

There is also the fear of missing out phenomenon at play

So even the skeptics are willing to try it anyway..

*

Experiences vary, as they are expected to do

But the miracle cure rarely ends up being true

To its hype, most people find results that are at best

In their effectiveness no more than modest

Eventually the hype dies down and sales decline

The cycle repeats when a new product is designed