Passion…unbridled

The memory of my phone is running out of space to store

Photographs I have taken, and in order to keep taking more

Old photographs I am forced to delete from my device

I start by choosing duplicates and the ones that are not that nice

But doing just that proves to not be enough

I don’t know what else to delete, letting go of memories is tough..

*

I want to record all of life’s important moments

To maintain a visual diary is my intent

I love looking back at old pictures when free

I cherish each and every memory..

*

To document our lives in pictures has become

So simple that it can be done by anyone

But this way of preserving our memories is relatively new

For thousands of years, taking pictures is something people could not do

Their memories were solely confined

To the storage space in their minds..

*

So why am I fretting about a photograph being deleted

When I have formed many memories deep-seated

I retain the memories even though the photographic proof is not there

Not every moment in life needs documentation, I’m aware

I write about a range of subjects wide

But what I want to write most about, I hide

There are emotions trying to get organized

Into words, to suppress them I have tried

Because I am not mentally prepared

For my innermost thoughts to be shared

I skirt around my emotions, I try to find

Anything to write about other than what’s on my mind

*

I try to remind myself not to seek external validation

When I write, it should serve as a distillation

Of my thoughts and emotions, therefore I should not be

Inhibited by the thought of being judged negatively

*

Writing is an exercise in being comfortable

In my own skin, in letting myself be vulnerable

Perhaps I shall get there one day

And to shape my deepest emotions in words, find a way

Each year incremental changes I see

In my physical and mental capacity

My reflexes are just a tad bit slow

Compared to what they were a year ago

I cannot sprint as fast as I used to do

Climbing up and down uneven surfaces wears me down too

Late night partying no longer desirable appears

Major disruptions to my daily routine I’ve begun to fear

My memory neither serves me well in retention nor recall

I am losing grey cells along with hair fall..

*

The inexorable signs of aging are there

But this is something I am reluctant to share

In a world where people my age seem to be

Younger-appearing, more adventurous and lively

It is hard to admit any age-related decline

In my physical vigor or faculties of my mind

*

I’ve started living a dual life inadvertently

In public I display the energetic side of me

The wounds inflicted by age in private I nurse

Knowing that age-related changes I cannot reverse…

*

Some day I hope I shall gather enough courage

To fully acknowledge and embrace my age

I have traveled to places with high expectations in the past

Only to realize the reality is different, quite fast

After hours of travel and braving long lines

The most famed sites lackluster I would find

Inclement weather and jetlag would add fuel to fire

And suddenly for travel I would lose all desire

*

Now I deliberately keep my expectations low

I avoid in-depth research on the places to which I go

I try to travel with a more open mind

So that I take at face value whatever I find

I hope to be pleasantly surprised by every new place

But be prepared for challenges that I might face

*

This is harder than it appears, once my travel plans are finalized

Travel content for that place shows up on my social media accounts, I’ve realized

That it is hard to ignore content staring in your face

So I end up looking at the airbrushed photographs of that place

Unfortunately I end traveling with notions preconceived

And get disappointed when differences between reality and instagram I perceive…

I know sleep is precious but I cannot resist

Staying up late to read a book with an unexpected plot twist

To put a book down just because it is past midnight

Is something I cannot bring myself to do, even as I fight

A battle between my mind that tells me to go to bed

And my heart that tells me to finish the book instead..

*

Reading is considered a good way

To wind down and relax at the end of the day

But someone like me must be careful to choose

The right book for bedtime reading, or else I might lose

Myself in the plot and stay up way too late

Leaving me to spend the next day in a sleep-deprived state

*

Unfortunately I do this all too often for my good

I would prioritize sleep over reading if I could

Get over a lifelong habit of reading late at night

Reaching the end of a book before going to bed just feels so right!

I am seeing you in my clinic for the first time today

I get the sense that no matter what I say

You are going to have a hard time trusting me

You have grown disillusioned already

You’ve been given the runaround, I know

Between referral delays and insurance denials, things have been slow

You have been dealing with mounting frustration

In addition of seeing in your symptoms deterioration

*

The good news is that you’ve come to the right place

The bad news- a life-altering diagnosis you face

I can treat you, but we have no time to lose

I do not know if you are going to choose

To place your trust in my expertise

Listen to me with an open mind please..

*

Together we can try to beat your disease

Hopefully I can put your mind at ease

With the next step I hope we proceed

I promise to be there for your medical needs..

In the spirit of following the current social media trend

I should talk about the lessons learnt this year before it ends

I do not have anything profoundly philosophical to say

But I have realized that at the end of the day

The importance of a good night sleep cannot be overstated

Sleep is vital for well-being, and I have elevated

Quality sleep to the top of my priority list for next year

If I learn to sleep well, positive changes in my life are expected to appear

*

A good night’s sleep helps me keep anxiety at bay

My emotions are regulated, I have a better day

I handle stress much better, as a result, at night

The monster of insomnia I don’t have to fight

*

As a professional hazard, I often deal with interrupted sleep

And the next day an upbeat attitude I cannot keep

The world seems like a hostile place

Challenges I find hard to face

Nothing feels right until I catch up on sleep that was lost

Each night of poor sleep exacts a high cost

*

Now that the importance of sleep I’ve finally realized

In the new year good quality sleep I shall prioritize

Artistic gift wrap, gift boxes and bags innovative

In an aesthetically pleasing way, gifts I want to give

The packaging needs to be as interesting as the actual content

To put my creativity to use in gifting is my intent..

*

I spend the entire year scouring for inspiration

I come up with unique gifting ideas in my imagination

I try my hand at crafting, I have to desire

To create the Pinterest-worthy gift boxes that I admire

*

When the holidays roll around, it is a different story

Amid a million things to do, my best laid plans go awry

After I’ve spent time buying what I believe are thoughtful gifts

For everyone on the latest iteration of my list

I scramble to gift them in a presentable way

I end up buying generic gift bags to save the day…

*

Now the holidays are over and I’m thinking about next year

I definitely want my gift wrap or boxes to appear

Beautiful and unique, I want to incorporate

Elements from my culture, I plan to curate

Ideas from different sources starting now

I want to finalize my plans before December somehow

*

It’s the thought that counts and not the actual gift, I’ve often heard

But to give someone a poorly packaged gift seems absurd

Let me put my creativity to some use

An authentic way to package my gifts, let me

She toiled away, spending hours in the dim light

Her needle deftly pulling thread, ensuring each stitch was tight

The expanse of the sheer white cloth spread out before her

Flowers, leaves and stems, she skillfully embroidered

The project was intensive, and she had a deadline to meet

She worked on it late into the night until the embroidery was complete

*

Her work would travel the world- so she was made to believe

She had no idea how that would be achieved

The cloth she had embroidered would be transformed

Into couture pieces, she had been informed

By a prominent designer she had been chosen

Into each stitch her dreams she had woven

She had saved her family from starvation with her needle and thread

At least they had enough for their daily bread

*

She longed to follow the storied journey

Of her intricately crafted embroidery

One day on the television she happened to see

A fashion show taking place in another country

A model sashayed on the ramp in a beautiful dress in powder blue

The camera zoomed in on her outfit, she immediately knew

This was her work, even though the cloth had been dyed

In that moment, her heart soared with pride

*

She went back to her needlework with her enthusiasm renewed

No one knew who she was, but far and wide her craft had been viewed

I used to shy away from difficult conversations

But in my current life, in my chosen vocation

Conversations that are difficult, heavy, painful, I face

On a regular basis, I’ve had no choice but to embrace

The discomfort associated with such conversations

I create space before tough talks for premeditation

I leave space afterwords for reflection and contemplation

I interact with patients and their families, delve into their hopes and fears

Sometimes they are reassured, sometimes new concerns appear..

*

During these conversations a balance I have to strike

Between empathy and detachment, when I say things that no one likes

I’m scared of a strong reaction, but I am also aware

That I might react sharply too, I have to take care

To never let empathy leave a conversation

It is my best defense against retaliation..

*

To break bad news, to dash someone’s hopes, are all things I do

As part of my profession, but it is indeed true

That this does not get any easier with time or repetition

This is the least talked about part of my profession

Everywhere I look, I see my annual progress summarized

Is it just me or have others not realized

That the year is not yet over, there are six more days to get through

I can accomplish a bit more, my list of things to do

Is incomplete, I can do more work, read more books, and write some more

On December 31st midnight I intend to tally my scores..

*

Some people view this as a time of relaxation and rest

But for me the end of the year works out best

To sprint forward and exceed the expectations previously set

I pride myself in going beyond the goals already met

*

I have almost a week before the year ends

With a bang, during this time I shall extend

Myself as much as possible so that when the new year begins

I set my goals high, riding confidently on the past year’s wins

Am I the only one who already feels jaded

By the talk of AI infiltrating our world, my enthusiasm has faded

Even before learning the extent to which AI can go

How AI can take over my job, I especially don’t want to know..

*

There seems to be no limit to what AI can achieve

Human intellect would be rendered obsolete, some people seem to believe

AI is not good enough, each time I argue

I am told in the future that would not hold true

Because large language models are learning at a lightning pace

That humans would be overshadowed and subjugated by AI is the reality we face

*

I know the explosion of AI is on a scale not witnessed before

Yet I do not feel ready to get entangled in or explore

The phantasmagorical web of artificial intelligence

I want to celebrate human creativity with fervor intense

As I am exposed to more and more “perfect” AI-generated content

I want to draw, write, paint imperfectly to a greater extent

I want to engage with the world in a more tangible way

Despite knowing well that AI is here to prosper and stay