Passion…unbridled

Who do I write for, I cannot exactly say

Only a handful of people read my verses anyway..

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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

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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

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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

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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..

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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

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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

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I am privileged to have so many stories to tell

I hope to be able to treat this privilege well

Each time I use disposable plastic cutlery

To eat a quick meal in a plastic box in a hurry

And toss everything in the trash can when I am done

A little guilty, a bit ashamed, I have begun

To feel about this lifestyle of convenience

I have a variety of excuses in my defense

But the fact is that single use plastic is not and has never been

Good for us or the environment, it poses dangers unseen

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I know I can bring my lunch in a container made of steel

Bringing a ceramic coffee cup to my office should not be a big deal

I can keep some real cutlery at hand

The concept of reusable dishes I do understand

Here a small confession I must make

I grew up without single-use plastic, but it did not take

Much time to develop the bad habit of toss and throw

I was using plastic with abandon, but now I know

Just how harmful the ubiquitous use of plastic can be

I can no longer use and throw plastic without feeling guilty

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The cost of convenience and durability is high

When it comes to plastic, all of humankind needs to try

To replace single use plastic with reusable stuff

It is eminently doable, though it seems to be tough

A rather unusual gift I received recently

A book personalized for a reader like me

A book with me as the protagonist

It was a full-length novel and this is the gist-

The story revolves around a sort of medical mystery

That I, the protagonist, solve quite cleverly

Using my skills as a cardiologist and a leader in the community

The book cover includes a professional picture of me

There are some testimonials printed at the back

To give it the authenticity that it otherwise lacks

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Of course I was intrigued by this book personalized

It was interesting to see my character development, but soon I realized

This book generated by AI seemed quite daft

Worse than an amateur writer’s first draft

While the thoughtfulness of the gift-giver I appreciated

My fear of writing being taken over by AI dissipated

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A quick internet search showed me how a personalized book could be created

Both fiction and nonfiction books could be generated

In minutes using artificial intelligence

But the writing was formulaic, at times not making much sense

I doubt a reader worth their salt could be deceived by AI

To figure out that the book was not written by a human, one did not need to try

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I know large language models are learning fast enough to outpace

Human beings in every sphere, but I believe there would always be a place

For authentic storytelling that humankind has always done

The battle of creative expression is unlikely by AI to be won

Don’t say anything if you cannot say something nice

Many women, like myself, have grown up with this advice

It is ingrained so deeply in me that when I try to write

Being negative or critical just does not feel right

But as any avid reader or aspiring writer would know

To create an interesting piece of work, one has to show

Conflict and negativity, introduce shades of grey

Trying to be nice would leave one with nothing to say..

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There is a lot I would like to write about

But I would ruffle some feathers, no doubt

By being intensely critical of many issues around me

Therefore I tone down my writing intentionally

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I have nothing nice to say, so my tongue I bite

A writer’s block of my making, I continue to fight

I have so many unfinished dreams…

In the throes of pessimism it seems

That my dreams unrealized would remain

But when I am being rational and sane

I realize that many have come true already..

The dreams that my younger self used to see

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Thirty years ago, my ambitions did not stretch that far

My goals were less lofty than they now are

Life was simpler, material possessions were few

And so were the things I wanted to do..

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Many expectations of my younger self I have exceeded

In ways unimaginable to her I have succeeded

But now my dreams are soaring higher

Is it greed or natural expansion of desire?

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When I feel unfulfilled, myself I need to remind

A lot of blessings in life I’ve been able to find

If my future dreams remain unrealized I shall not fret

I’ve already received much more than I thought I would get

In order to preserve your sanity you know

Do not say yes when you want to say no..

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How do I interpret this when my first response is always negative

I say no to something immediately and later give

More thought to what was asked of me

And realizing that refusal is too easy

I decide to say yes, as a challenge I view

Whatever it is I’ve been asked to do

I admit that often myself I overextend

I take on more on my plate than I intend

Sometimes I feel exploited as well

Whether I’ve made the right decision, I cannot tell

But there is a distinct sense of achievement too

When I finish something I had initially refused to do

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I’ve been cautioned that saying yes to everything is unwise

But saying no never moves the needle, I’ve realized

When I say yes, and get things done

It is a win-win situation for everyone

People with an entrepreneurial spirit have realized

That everything you do can be monetized ..

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You’ve spent hours perfecting your art

You’re passionate about it, you’ve poured into it your heart

It is a means of escape from the daily humdrum

You showcase your art to people, and the suggestions instantly come

To try to sell your art, to monetize your creative avocation

It is meant as a compliment- anything of merit is worth monetization

You get sold on the idea, you start trying to sell

But your passion nosedives when your business starts doing well…

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You’ve spent months in planning and curation

Of your wedding, you give in to the temptation

To sell your wedding pictures to a popular online magazine

You offset the cost of your wedding, and it is good to be seen

In the public eye- both criticism and praise are heaped on you

You’ve won yourself some moolah, but you’ve lost your privacy too..

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You create funny videos as a creative outlet

And post them on social media, all you want to get

Is some likes and views from close friends and family

But soon you realize you can turn your content into money

Eventually an influencer with substantial following you become

Your genuine content is now by algorithms run

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You’ve monetized your passion, your creativity is now a business

Truth be told, there is no longer as much fun in the process

One day an epiphany goes off, and you realize

That your passion, your pastime, you no longer want to monetize

Things unfinished I hate to leave

If I do not complete what I’ve started, I believe

That my precious time has gone down the drain

I take up short projects, that rarely unfinished remain

Even when a film or a book seems to be dragging on

I stick with it, long after the excitement has gone

I do keep hoping for a surprise twist at the end

Either way, I watch or read as long as the story extends

If I am studying for a test, I rarely stop before

The entire material I have tried to store

In my fickle memory, I fight the urge to rest

Before I have combed through the syllabus of my test

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I paint on small canvases, because I do not possess

The patience to spend days on artwork, I want to be done in six hours or less

And once I have begun, I make sure it is completed the same day

Even if fine details end up being taken away

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I write short verses for the same reason, instead of prose

I start with a conflict and with a resolution close

My verse is complete within an hour or two

And the next day I can begin anew

If I was given an assignment in school, I would ensure

That I did a bit extra, I wanted to secure

For myself, a respectable position among my peers

And that tendency did not with time disappear

There were people who always sailed through

By doing the bare minimum they were expected to do

To me just doing nothing except the minimum required

Was sheer laziness, I had no desire

To join that club, I wanted to be known

As someone who had sincere effort shown

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In my adult life, I have realized

That there are times when doing the bare minimum is wise

Because there are multiple tasks taking up space in your mind

By doing the bare minimum you can find

For stuff that really counts, more time and space

Therefore not always going the extra mile I have now embraced

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In my chosen profession there are serious decisions to take

That require time and effort, where there is a lot at stake

But simultaneously there has been a proliferation

Of busy work that is mandated but has no real ramifications

For patient care, for these assignments I do

The bare minimum that allows me to work without an issue

I still go the extra mile where real work is concerned

This is the practical lesson I have as an adult learnt

Gardening as a hobby exciting appears

Except that I have a strong (not unfounded) fear

Of killing all plants left under my care

I don’t have a green thumb, and even the most hardy plant is not spared

Either I forget to water them or flood them inadvertently

The growth expected from a plant I never see

On my watch only weeds seem to grow

I am lazy about pulling them out, and so

The desirable plants do not survive

While the weeds in all their glory thrive

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If I had a green thumb I would cultivate

Plants that would fill up most of my plate

Seasonal fruits and vegetables, pesticide-free

Would grow prolifically in my nursery

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Books on gardening I have tried to read

I have tried to plant both saplings and seeds

I have tried to grow indoor plants too

But raising plants is something I can’t seem to do

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I still want to my own vegetables one day

But for now, I’ve let that dream wither away

Let me get from farmers’ markets fresh produce

It’s better than letting plants wither on my watch, I’ve deduced