Passion…unbridled

Learning from my growing child

Whose simple logic makes me smile

And lose myself in reflective reverie

If only things could as simple be..

If my thinking could be that concrete

Maybe conflicts my mind could beat

Come to black or white conclusions

Avoid areas grey that cause confusion..

If like my child I could sometimes be

Maybe I could imbibe things as easily

Not lose a childish sense of wonder

Not be afraid of making a blunder

Get excited by objects inane

Find happiness in things mundane

Not be weighed down by irrational fear

Of being judged or rejected by peers

With my child I am trying to learn

How to my childhood I can return

Discover in every moment pleasure

Make each moment something to treasure.

I will confess that I love adornment

With make-up, jewelry, such shenanigans

That does not mean you can pass judgment

On me, or equate me with mute mannequins-

I am professional to my very core

I’ll come early to work dressed to the nines

Much as the “girly” objects I adore

I take pride in this profession of mine

My lipstick-smeared lips are perfectly capable

Of spewing arguments considered intellectual

My dossier is of thickness considerable

It will render the smirk on your face ineffectual

You shall see me raise a perfectly arched eyebrow

When your performance falls short of  expectation

These kohl-smeared, mascara’ed eyes will never allow

Any unprofessional conduct to escape observation

My sparkling diamonds attest to the fact that I can

Pamper myself with luxuries I can afford

In a male-dominated arena, I don’t have to be a man

Dressed like a diva, like a lioness I’ve roared!

Photograph: From “The Art of the Brick”- lego art exhibition at Franklin Institute, Philadelphia

This one is only for my Indian friends who are mourning the loss of an extraordinary human being and the former President of India. 

A man of infinite capability

Scientist extraordinaire

His aspirational ability

Inspiring us everywhere

His dream in conception singular

Of raising India to heights unknown,

And making her the “knowledge superpower”,

An action path he had shown..

Hermit-like living in the personal domain

And lofty ambitions for the nation

He will in our collective conscience remain

For being the brightest inspiration.

From humble beginnings he rose

To occupy the highest position

Despite his power, he still chose

His country over personal ambition.

Ignited the spirits and minds

Of countless directionless youth

He was truly one of his kind

That is the immutable truth..

He spent his life serving the nation

His death was not an exception

He was in the midst of an oration

When death snatched him by deception..

I keep writing about being different, being an iconoclast on this blog, since that is what I want to be. However, I realize that this may not be for everyone, so here I present the opposite point of view:

Why should I try to stand apart

And deal with the stress of being unique?

Why do I need to be considered smart

By way of how I do things or speak?

From the common path I can deviate

And alone I can carve my own way

I may get attention (?notoriety) immediate

Maybe there are others whose minds I can sway..

**

The world, sadly, operates in such a way

That nothing ever comes to you for free

When you decide to be different, that day

You give up all peace of your mind instantly..

**

The accumulated stress of expectation,

Of fear of failure, of abject loneliness,

The constant insecurity can lead to frustration

And sabotage the joy that should stem from success.

**

Why, then, can I not merge with the crowd

Find safety in numbers, a conformist be

My life’s achievements may not make me proud

But I will have friends that identify with me.

Maybe the thorny path of ambition

Is not something that I am cut out for

Blending in with others gives me satisfaction

Mediocrity appeals to me, I shall stay obscure. 

I was the one that always lived for

The thrill you get when you explore

Something new, beyond your comfort zone

Unwrap a mystery, befriend the unknown

Throughout my younger years I tried

To accumulate experiences in their scope wide

Constantly tried to venture into realms new

Enjoyed myself thoroughly, regrets I had few

Wandered here and there like a vagabond

My restlessness led me to cross the pond

And settle on the planet’s other side 

To embark on a more exciting ride..

**

As I grow older the charm of things new

Has faded away;  I’ve realized it’s true

That like a tree you can branch all around

But your roots always anchor you to the ground

Now I crave for something old and familiar

To satiate my senses, be music to my ear

Watch all old movies, to old songs listen

Dance to old beats, as tears in my eyes glisten

To comfort my soul lost in experiences varied

Unearth the memories that lay deeply buried…

And in the process, undergo transformation

Discover myself in a new light, with old information.

 

So this post is about my latest (mis)adventures in my new job- using a voice recognition software to document notes for my patients in the new electronic medical records system that requires people to either type (which I am very slow at) or use this software. I am trying to train the software to recognize my accent, with hilarious consequences at times.

Here’s how I feel about it-

Technology has huge strides made

Typing is now archaic; instead

There is voice recognition software

For those unfamiliar with it, beware!

For it has transformative power unique

To mutate the words that you speak

You can witness your words chosen with care

Metamorphose into monstrosities, so beware!

The pristine documentation in which you took pride

May be so distorted that you want to hide

What’s worse is that it could offensive sound

Four-letter words might have space found

In the letter addressed to your superior colleague

You chide yourself for the accent with which you speak..

A never-ending adventure it is now for me

As I read my distorted documents amusingly!

Just to clarify here, I am talking about all the wonderful people I have met in my life with whom I had an instant connection, and not just in a romantic way. In moments of inner reflection, 

In the midst of quiet introspection

I have thought about them all-

The kindred souls that I recall-

Those who through my life’s journey

I met and was drawn to instantly-

Lost pieces of a puzzle that was my soul

Lost parts of myself that made me whole

I found them during life’s toughest moments

Our souls connected and calmed the torment

Helped me discover myself in a new light

And in the blink of an eye, they were out of sight

Leaving the sweet ache of farewell behind

Soon their presence was out of my mind

The valuable lessons in life that I learnt

From those interactions are in my soul burnt

Our paths had for a reason converged- 

To lift us spiritually as our souls merged..