Passion…unbridled

I see the world change around me

An atmosphere of fear surrounds me

Fear- naked, primeval, intense

Dousing the last embers of pretense-

The pretense of equality among men

The hollow claim of love among brethren

Fear borne out of deep-seated mistrust

Simmering hatred that in a flash can burst

Releasing a lava of loathing profound

Singeing humanity, spreading evil around

Where men kill each other for minimal gain

Miserable themselves, on others they inflict pain

In an atmosphere so sharply polarized

How do we raise children unprejudiced?

They are forced to inherit hatred and fear

They grow up surrounded by mistrust severe

If not for us, maybe for future generations

We need to dispel such fear and apprehensions...

Free my soul, free my mind

From the shackles that bind

Me, within a web of worldly desire

Free me from ambition that fuels the fire

Wipe the slate of my life clean

Such that no expectations are seen

Let experiences a blank canvas color

Enrich my life and make it fuller

Let me face each sunrise sanguine

With vigor and enthusiasm genuine

And when the day is done, go to sleep

With no regrets, just contentment deep

If only this utopian life I could create

I would be the luckiest being on this planet!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “New Skin.”

If there was one thing I could take

From the attributes of a snake

I’d like to learn to shed my skin

Periodically, with a mischievous grin

Turn over a new leaf and appear

More charming, confident, without any fear

Hide for a while my gaping flaws

With the new skin providing camouflage

There are scars within that throb with pain

Visible, they mock me in disdain

If made invisible, I can maybe

Forget the pain they arouse in me

A new skin, like a new, improved facade

Projecting a vibrant personality, a warm heart

A metamorphosis of the best kind

A change of perception, a cleansing of mind!

Preconceived notions surrounded me

Ways different from mine confounded me

I had developed tunnel vision

In rigid ideas I was imprisoned

Where did these ideas originate?

What did this narrow-mindedness precipitate?

When I dwell on these fixations of mine

No logical explanation behind them I find..

I think from my family did I inherit

These prejudiced notions without any merit

Never doubted the dictums passed down to me

Accepted them as gospel truths unquestioningly.

*

As I travel through life’s meandering pathways

Old assumptions are shattered in different ways

I should be vigilant and keep in restraint

The tendency of my mind to taint

My experiences with sprinkles of prejudice-

Such is the conditioned mind’s artifice…

Above all, I shall try my best

To hold my tongue and not express

Before my children such notions

Let them face the world with a mind open. 

If only I could portray

My world in its unembellished way

Unadorned, unedited, bare

If stark reality I could share

Ungainly sobs contorting my face

Shrieks of laughter quite out of place

Dancing to a favorite song with abandon

Cracking up at humorous memories random

Maybe, if uninhibited I could thrive

My world would appear much more alive

If I had no worries about the perception

Of others around me, here’s my confession

I would break through the barriers in my mind

Follow my heart, have a disposition kind

But here I am lost, trying to decipher

How to avoid people’s displeasure

I am imperfect in one million ways

The more I obey, the more I face

Criticism that is inconsequential

Distracting me from work essential 

Therefore today I boldly decide

I am who I am, and shall not hide

Behind a beautiful, dishonest facade

I will not let my life be a charade.

This poem is about the archaic school system that prevailed in India when I was growing up, where learning was tantamount to committing facts to memory and reproducing them during exams.

Lackadaisical in their attitude

Shuffling steps dragging their weight

No inclination to show their aptitude

They go through class in a stuporous state

Expected to learn things abstract

To memorize pages from textbooks insipid

Then regurgitate verbatim every obscure fact

During examinations, so they are not labeled stupid

No wonder they have no enthusiasm

School is nothing but a heavy burden

There is such a deep and wide chasm

Between what is taught and what is relevant

To preparing children for the real world

Teaching them to think, deduce and act

Teaching them tips and tricks for survival

In this competitive world, not teach them just facts..

Let their active imagination soar

Develop the spirit of scientific inquiry

School would  not be such a huge bore

For learning, they would develop a passion fiery.

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”

– Buddha

With power to hurt and power to heal

Words that were made to express what we feel

Can drastically change the course of history

Can enslave men, can  set them free

Spoken or written, words have might

To conquer nations without a fight

Timely mentioned, a single word can 

Unleash a storm among strong men

By domino effect, ripples it may create

Serve as the start of a heated debate

While human life is transient, variable

Powerful words are immortal, immutable

Preserved just the way they were transcribed

Their essence the same as initially described

Words can also transform broken souls

Words can encourage one to attain newer goals

But words are like arrows, once shot in the air

Cannot come back, so handle them with care. 

(The Stages of Life (German: Die Lebensstufen): oil painting, 1835 by the German Romantic landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich.)- wikipedia

Dreams, hopes, aspirations

A mind full of expectations

Looking at the world starry-eyed

The world was your oyster, for you to decide

On the road unknown you could embark

You had the will, you had the spark

You were naive to the world’s crooked way

Never heeded what people had to say

You felt like a reservoir of energy vast

You assumed enthusiasm would forever last………..

*

Voices around you clamored for attention

The chatter got louder, causing distraction

Draining the sea of energy from you

Seeping unnoticed as the years flew

Unrealized dreams just withered away

Your existence grew mundane day after day

You narrowed your path to the tried and tested

You embraced the ennui you once had detested

And one day, your gray hair made you realize

You were now middle-aged in the world’s eyes

Boring, predictable but considered respectable

You now had a lifestyle that was fairly stable.

*

As you descend towards life’s twilight

Weakened in limbs, with failing eyesight

You hear faint sounds of death at your door

The initial fear gives way to something more

You do not have anything left to lose

Once more, you feel liberated to choose

To rekindle your passion, your dreams reignite

Through all these years you have earned the right

To be oblivious to what others opine

You are free once again, your life to design

Just like your youth, the difference being one-

You live life each day, and then you are done

You have no aspirations for the future

Only the present that you nourish and nurture. 

With a reverent tone

Slowly, softly I tread

These hallowed corridors alone

Full of thoughts unsaid

Filled to the brim with emotions

Overflowing with gratitude

Today I walk in slow motion

Reminiscing over the platitude

Of lectures I had sat through

Rendered in soporific monologue

Sprinkled with memorable moments few-

Those memories surround me like a fog.

As I take a step into the real world

Beyond the walls of my alma mater

New adventures before me shall unfurl

Nostalgic, I’ll recall those days later..