Passion…unbridled

From scarcity to abundance

From famine to feast

From lack to plenty

To most from least..

Starting from too little to reach

More than enough for every need

Being driven by a fear of running out

To living with contentment, not greed

**

From desiring more to needing less

From accumulating stuff to letting go

From acquisitions to donations

From trying to outrun to going with the flow

**

Abundance does not correlate

With material possessions-it is a state of mind

Change the narrative of a scarcity mindset

Wealth all around you would find..

We all have our opinions and our woes

Often we find ourselves in the throes

Of impassioned discussions on social media platforms

Where opinions are vociferous, but participants not fully informed

The written word seems to have power unique

To evoke strong emotions, polarize, force most people to speak

In a way that reflects their misconceptions

Their biases, tribalism, and flawed perceptions

Until the discussion gets too heated to continue

The moderator mutes/deletes/removes members few

**

Such battles are played out every day

Having participated in many, I don’t know the right way

To deal with such discussions, should dissenting voices be

Silenced to preserve the narrative of the majority?

Or should different viewpoints be considered with respect

As participants look at the issue from a different aspect

Of course this does prolong the debate

And the anger that has erupted does not dissipate

**

You might give sage advice to abstain

From social media battles, but then, once again

Avoidance of conflict to keep everyone on terms amicable

Is a superficial measure, sweeping dirt under the table

To ignore the influence of social media, I would say

Is to deny the reality of our lives today

**

I think when an opposite viewpoint we see

We should acknowledge our discomfort, and be

More willing to understand that opinion, and not react

Immediately with a rebuttal- as if our opinions are facts

Diverse experiences, opinions and thoughts

Should thrive, echo chambers social media platforms should be not..

The power of social media increases day by day

How do you engage with the world in a meaningful way

On various social media outlets out there

How do you let the world know that you care

About certain things, ideas, happenings around

How do you refrain from adding to the noise, but still make a sound

Loud enough for people to hear amid the cacophony

Find a balance between authenticity and raking in money?

**

There are influencers all around with engaging content

With millions of followers, their lives are probably spent

On social media for the world to see

In their stride they take any form of publicity

While the accolades are high, criticism can be scathing too

Placing yourself out there is scary, it’s true

The pressure of social media makes people attempt

Every trend to increase visibility, more time is spent

In packaging old stuff than creating content unique

Because authenticity garners less followers and more critique..

**

I can go on and on, but the one positive I see

Is that an ordinary person can achieve the status of a celebrity

Social media platforms, despite many ills,

Create the most democratic playing field still..

Thus here I am, posting content no one reads

In the distant hope that someone would like my instagram feeds…

There were qualities and possessions I had admired

There was much that my impressionable mind had desired

Everything I lusted after eluded me

As I chased my desires passionately

Since those goals never seemed to be in sight

Gradually I started giving up the fight..

I kept my head down and did what I needed to

But never thought I would achieve a breakthrough

**

Thus detached from my desires, focused on results I was not

Going through the process surprising outcomes brought

What I had thirsted for, admired, desired

I seemed to have achieved- I had not required

Burning ambition or obsession, instead

Separating the journey and destination seemed to work best

At least for me- while I enjoyed the journey

I was subconsciously preparing for ultimate victory…

**

The desire to succeed makes you afraid to the core

Thus detachment from the outcome has some allure

When I want something, I try my best

To let go, trusting a higher power to figure out the rest..

I’m either a church mouse or too aggressive

If I appear bold I’m too progressive

If I stay on the sidelines, I am regressive

Emotional, hormonal, are adjectives for me if I am too expressive..

**

If I play nice, I am too lenient

If I am stern, I’m trying to be dominant

There’s no right way for me to present an argument

I’m either disregarded or labeled vehement

**

I’m either too provocative or too demure

I have to modulate my tone to ensure

No one gets offended- I have to ignore

Comments laced with sarcasm galore

**

If I stay late at work, for my children I don’t care

If I miss a morning meeting, I am made aware

That getting an exemption for childcare

Is insensitive, and for my male colleagues unfair..

**

I know this is a rant but this is reality too

In spite of all this, love my work, I do

My dedication to work please do not misconstrue

There is a glass ceiling and I have to break through

You thought there was just one of you

The version that was authentic and true

To your soul, reflecting your values core..

How come you did not realize before

That you have two faces, two sides

The tongue-in-cheek, irreverent one, that’s hidden inside

And the other- the public one coated with a veneer

Of propriety and grace, the one that always appears

In social interactions, the one that presents a sanitized view

Of your behavior, the one that does not ring true..

The true face of you stays under wraps

To be revealed in exceptional circumstances perhaps…

*

Your true face showcases your nonconformist aspect

Makes people uncomfortable as they reflect

On their true and coated selves, because most of us seem to

Carry versions of ourselves at least two

A necessary evil this seems to be

To maintain social order and harmony

Yet all of us crave that safe place where we can be

Our authentic selves, without fear, unapologetically

To the issue of language I rarely pay enough attention

With both Hindi and English, I have an equal connection

But subtexts hidden in the way language is used may

Have political and social relevance, as I learnt one day…

I was reminded of our colonial legacy

That still influences our behavior unfortunately…

It was a matter inconsequential but it stuck with me

I saw a cooking demonstration of “Indian balloon bread”- which was a simple roti..

*

I began to think- everything seems to find an English translation

As if words in Indian languages lack sophistication..

Some labels as part of colonial baggage we inherited

Like the word curry, the varieties of which could have merited

A culinary encyclopedia- but we are perceived to be

As people without discerning palates, who eat a smelly curry..

Our pooris, parathas and rotis are flatbreads merely

We try to describe our sweet delicacies as puff pastries, really?

*

Kheer is rice pudding, chai is qualified as tea

Why don’t we keep original names alive, a reason I don’t see

Maybe some Indian words are tongue-twisters

But yoga-related jargon is enunciated well by hipsters..

*

I audaciously say we should try to reclaim

Our authenticity by not readily translating names…

We need not carry the baggage of our colonial past

Into the future- but build a new legacy that lasts

*

As I pen these lines, a final thought pierces through me

Even “India” as a name is a product of colonial hegemony

The land we venerate lost its original name

From citizens of Bharat, somehow Indians we became…

Fear does not prevent death. It prevents life.

– Buddha

Somehow I know life would begin one day

At the end of my comfort zone where the way

Familiar to me would abruptly end

And I would no longer be able to pretend

That the status quo satisfactory has been

I would have to jump into the abyss unseen…

It seems while waiting for that moment

I hide behind fear, the emotion predominant

Fear seems to have such a vice grip on me

It makes me concoct stories extraordinary

To convince myself that any deviation from the norm would turn out

To be a disaster without any doubt…

**

Maybe one of these days a leap of faith I shall take

Only time would tell me if I made a mistake

But at least I would then have scored a victory

Against fear, my greatest adversary..

I look younger than my age

Why would you think that would be a cause for rage

Ageism is so deeply ingrained

Looking old should be a cause for pain

So why am I disturbed when I am called

Young like a teenager, why am I appalled

At being told to be a doctor I look too young

Why do I want to scream at the top of my lungs

Whether this is condescension or genuine surprise

I an assumed inexperienced in the patient’s eyes…

**

Yet another battle I have to fight

Race, gender and now age-there is no respite

Some folks think they are paying a compliment

When on my looking younger they comment..

There are plenty of others who tell me

To take these compliments now, before I lose youthful energy

**

We all like youth, but want experience

Can we be done with age-related pretense?

Random thoughts and ideas I find

Are eager to be transformed into words in my mind

Forming unconnected lines that I try to string

Together in verses that help me make sense of things

Placing thoughts on paper in rhyme

Makes me solve conundrums many times

Alas, these verses often interfere

With obligations in every other sphere

Such that my words I cannot

On paper, in a timely fashion jot

From my short-term memory they drift away

My verses remain unfinished for another day…

How do you suppress

Ambition that wants to possess

Every fiber of you, enslave you in every way

That burns like a fire every day

Powerful enough to paralyze

Intimidating enough to immobilize

Such that it is never translated

Into meaningful action, never lets you be satiated..

**

Ambition that wants you to leap ahead

Without allowing a slow and steady tread

Ambition that should have galvanized

You into action remains unrealized..

Ambition that leaves you thirsting for more

Ambition that causes discontent to the core

Ambition that wants you to turn a new leaf

Ambition that challenges every belief

Ambition that does not constructive remain

Ambition that destroys your peace, causes pain..

**

Can the two somehow be co-existent-

Burning desire and contentment?

If only I could a middle ground find

Where ambition spurs me to action, stimulates my mind

Does not burn me down, but allows me to thrive

With a deeper feeling of satisfaction in my life…