Passion…unbridled

I used to travel to see

World-famous sites, to be

Able to declare I had been

To a popular place, that I had seen

Natural wonders and renowned monuments

To “see” more of the world was the intent

Behind travel-that is what I thought

But of late, traveling more extensively has brought

A different perspective on travel for me

I no longer travel to “see” a place exclusively

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Let me elaborate- the best part of travel lies

Not in places, but its people, I’ve realized

That the stories the local people have to tell

Are the ones I want to listen to as well

I want to hear their history from their perspectives

I want to know how their lives have been lived

Through struggles and revolutions about which I might have read

In filtered and censored versions, I get to learn instead

How the common people view their governments and nations

What they take pride in, and what frustrates them is usually a revelation

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To experience breathtaking sights is an exciting part of the travel process

But to know a personal story from the place of travel, in my opinion, is priceless

How did we think we could outpace

Nature and no consequences face

We assumed everything in nature was free

For our consumption, all the bounty

Of the earth for us to plunder, pick and choose

What we needed, that we might one day stand to lose

Did not occur to us as we burnt down forests, and emitted

Greenhouse gases, destroyed natural resources in places we inhabited..

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If we look at ancient cultures we find

The natural elements they were inclined

To treat with reverence, they were attuned

To the flora and fauna around them, they did not just assume

That they could take anything that they desired

They consumed the natural resources they required

The balance

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Humankind has plundered resources the earth for centuries for its greed

Now that we are facing the consequences we need

To re-examine the wisdom of the ancient civilizations

Maybe we can learn a thing or two about conservation..

When presented with a brief interlude

During my day, I prefer to spend some moments in solitude

To reconnect with my feelings, examine with a critical eye

If anything is bothering me at that time and why

If I feel at peace with myself, I try to find

The factors that have brought a sense of calm to my mind

This is an effective and efficient way

To check-in with myself every day

To take stock of my emotions and regulate

To the best of my ability, my emotional state

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By being attuned to my emotions, knowing why I feel a certain way

Has helped me in more ways that I can say

When I realize I am overwhelmed, I know

To take a deep breath and go a bit slow

Just acknowledging that I am bothered helps me

To get over my annoyance and move on with placidity

And when I feel perfectly content, I say a short prayer

Because such moments are as precious as they are rare

Not long ago, the norm for most adults used to be

To have a full-time job to pay bills, and a hobby

That was intended for relaxation, on which time would be spent

As and when available, but to a limited extent

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But this is the era of the gig economy

These days you have a side gig, not just a hobby

That you can on social media publicize

And if you are diligent about it, it can be monetized

So many people have been able to turn

Their erstwhile hobbies into sources of income

You do what you love, and film it simultaneously

To generate content for the world to see

Getting paid for it seems just an icing on the cake

You are thrilled by the money you can make..

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Except- the side gig that was supposed to be

An upgraded version of a relaxing hobby

Now turns into an unhealthy preoccupation

With gaining followers and content creation

You try to create new stuff to keep engagement high

But your new content is from your old hobby a far cry

Maybe your 9 to 5 job you have quit by now

To free up more time, in order to allow

You to focus all your energy on your online presence

And now the pressure to generate content is intense..

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Eventually you decide the influencer life is not for you

Pay your bills with a job and relax with a hobby is what you should do…

I do not consider myself especially observant

I seem to notice things around me to a limited extent

I definitely do not keep my eyes and ears open that wide

I am mostly lost in the thoughts I harbor inside..

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I would say (at the risk of sounding like I’m bragging)

One area in which my observation powers are not lagging

Is in my work as a physician, quite perceptive I seem to be

I can recognize subtle signs of illness and injury

Pick up clues that many seem to miss

Many seemingly irrelevant details I don’t dismiss

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If only I were as observant elsewhere

I would find inspiration to write stories I could share

With the world- a tale I would weave

Around an anecdote, I certainly believe

That great authors have amazing perception indeed

To build a story a vignette is all they need..

Soon it may be possible to immortalize

A human being after death, to memorialize

Their unique personality and traits

To interact with their video image that AI would generate

To hear their voice, get their advice..

What exactly would be the price

Of keeping someone in memories in this unnatural way

Would the grief of losing them go away?

Or would it prolong attachment to someone

Who no longer exists as a flesh and blood person

Would this not be a form of deception?

I am curious to know about the reception

Of this warped idea by ethicists everywhere

Of the dangers of AI as we become more aware

Limits shall need to be enforced such that the lines

Of morality stay sharply defined…

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Many people would like the idea of being able to provide

Comfort to their loved ones after they pass, to guide

Their younger generations if they cannot be there

For someone with a devastating illness where life already seems unfair

This would be a practical way to soften the blow

Of their untimely death, to let their near and dear ones know

That a part of who they were would outlive

Them in a manner much more interactive

Their “avatar” would reflect their world view

Talk and give advice life they would have too..

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For a child about to lose his parent too soon

This capability could be interpreted as a boon

To have the ability to talk to and get valuable advice

From a parental figure would be nice..

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There is no black and white answer here

While the technology has some merit, I fear

For its misuse, there is huge potential

And therein lies the dilemma existential..

What constitutes “good writing”, how is it defined

This question surfaces repeatedly in my mind

I read quite avidly, and the books that I like more

Usually have a compelling story at their core

A story with a definite beginning and an end

A book that tells you clearly what the author did intend

To convey to the world- I do not like books that take you

Through a bewildering maze of tangential subplots without trying to

Tie all ends together or have a unifying theme

I appreciate books less if disjointed the plot seems…

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Does the complexity of language matter in

Determining if a piece is well-written?

Sometimes the language is beautiful and evocative

But often the reader is unable to give

Adequate attention to the story, language steals the limelight

But great language cannot make a poorly- constructed plot look right..

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In my humble opinion good writing should be

Straightforward in language, with a great story told authentically

Water bodies are relaxing to be around, we know intuitively

But staring at water can also be a form of therapy

A few minutes of looking at a river, lake or sea

Can drop your stress levels, provide tranquility

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Instinctively we seek places with water in sight

Such blue spaces are for our senses a delight

But in modern urban living where our weekdays are spent

Cooped up in cubicles, despite our best intent

We may not have access to an aquatic oasis every day

We have to identify water bodies in creative ways

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Fortunately the benefit of staring at water can be

Achieved by staring small ponds or fountains, as the case may be

The healing power of water is profound

Based on individual experience and science sound

Water is immersive, quite literally

Therefore once again, I must go down to the sea..*

*Tribute to John Masefield’s poem Sea Fever-“I must go down to the sea again..”

Sometimes a curious dilemma I face

Recognizing in a patriarchal society my place

I do not correct men when they are clearly wrong

They are used to being right, so I go along

With what they are saying or if I really feel the need

To correct them, I try to do so very subtly indeed

I raise my point as a question, sounding unsure

As if asking them to humor me, I’ve encountered before

That if I interject boldly or point out their mistake

Often an ugly turn the conversation seems to take

Since I am subordinate to them, I stand to lose much more

That their egos are not injured, I must ensure..

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You would say this is all in my mind

But if another man says the same thing as me, I find

It is received much more positively

Because it poses no threat to patriarchy..

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To be a woman smarter than her peers

Sometimes like a double-edged sword appears

On the one hand, women have to be twice as capable as men

To get half the credit for their work, but when

They outsmart their male colleagues they stand to lose

Therefore to dumb themselves down or stay quiet they choose..

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To shatter glass ceilings, women will continue

And keep outsmarting men too..

I straddle between two worlds, sometimes I get tired

Of switching from one to the other, from inherent to acquired

I don’t belong to either one now

I am a chameleon changing colors to allow

Myself to blend in seamlessly with the crowd

It’s difficult to proclaim my identity out loud-

A hyphenated identity, a confused amalgam

Of values both Indian and American..

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I am not in rare company, I know

There are many others like me, although

Each one of us is an alloy in proportions different

Many of us are confused to some extent

Before parents and relatives we channel Indian traits

At an individual level we find it difficult to create

Identities for ourselves beyond what people expect

Who we truly are, sometimes we struggle to accept..

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There is a silver lining to this dark cloud

We have the immigrant ethic, but we stand proud

Representing all the values that have made America great

The best of both worlds in our work we amalgamate

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Let me now frame this identity in a way

That is more positive- this is what I would say

Being Indian-American should be a matter of pride

Straddling between east and west, we represent the world wide!

The otherworldliness of fantasy books

Attractive to many readers looks

The quintessential fight between evil and good

Fits better in a make-believe world than it would

In a story set in the real world full of cynicism

While in a world full of magic, sorcery and mysticism

The writer is unfettered in his craft, he has free reign

To take the story in different directions, unconstrained

By the limits of space, time or plausibility

No one can question the credibility

Of a world dystopian or phantasmagorical

That allows readers to escape the world real..

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I am a voracious reader but I do not endorse

The fantasy genre of books because

To escape to an alternate reality is not

For me, an interesting or intriguing thought

Strange creatures and dystopian universes I find

Too morbid and disturbing for my mind..

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I gloss over the fantasy books that my child reads

To immerse myself in stories set in the real world I proceed

Tell me a story in an interesting way

Through a series of paintings or photographs that say

A lot more than words alone would

Tell me a story that is extraordinarily good

Through dance and drama, through pantomime or puppetry

Narrate a story, in prose or poetry

Merge artistic and literary techniques to create

A feast for the senses, a composition that elevates

A straightforward story into something more sublime

That remains relevant through the passage of time…

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Tell me a story age-old in an innovative way

Tell me a story that in my heart would forever stay