Passion…unbridled

I stay wrapped up in my own shell

Mostly alone with my thoughts I dwell

I interact with few people except at the workplace

I like solitude in my own undisturbed space

I am quite content in my company but I fear

I am restricting my growth in my cocoon here…

*

I think, read and write in a vacuum devoid

Of people, this way I inadvertently avoid

Enriching discussions and criticism constructive

There is no one around me who can give

Advice to me on how to hone my craft

No one gets to critique my initial draft

Input from others should help me improve

I need people around me who do not approve

Of my way of thinking, the way I write

I would benefit from getting their valuable insight

**

If I want to be better, I have to end

The self-imposed isolation, I intend

To reach out and share my vulnerability

With people with a range of viewpoints around me

My ideas don’t just validation need

They shall expand when challenged indeed

The world moves at such a dizzying pace

That I constantly struggle to find my place

By the time my bearings I finally find

When around a new idea I finally wrap my mind

Ideas have changed, so have the ways in which things are done

And I feel defeated when I’ve just begun..

*

Perhaps it is of middle age a sign

An inevitability before which I have to resign

I can no longer learn new skills as fast

I want my old way of doing things to last

*

Even the internet is more confusing than it used to be

The difference between real and AI-generated content is hard to see

The sources I trusted for information are not

As trustworthy now as I had thought

*

It is easy to get lost in the world today

In the maelstrom of various forces at play

I should keep calm and try to preserve

My sanity, as my brain power I try to conserve

For learning the most important stuff

That I need to know, that should be enough

I read extensively but do not retain

Most information, I cannot explain

In detail what I have just read

I tend to make associations instead

With my existing emotions-therefore

I remember what appeals to my emotions more

Facts I forget as quickly as I read

I cannot talk knowledgeably indeed

About the contents of a book, but I don’t forget

If a book has made me exceptionally angry or upset

Or if a book has made me feel positive in a way profound

I am likely to carry forever those memories around

*

I connect with the words in a book, and then they

Get lodged in my memory where they stay

For easy retrieval when I feel a similar sentiment

I remember old words in the context present

*

Yes I envy those who can remember and convey

The information they have read in a coherent way

I wonder why in that category I do not fall

Large bytes of information why do I fail to recall?

*

Maybe that is why reading that moves me

Inspires me to incorporate it into my poetry

I read, I feel, I imbibe new ideas and thoughts

Eventually into my verses those ideas are brought..

When crowds have overrun a pretty place

To enjoy its iconic attractions there is no space

The infrastructure of the city is crumbling from the weight

Of unbridled tourist fervor, yet people continue to congregate

In this city that has been known

For its magnificent architecture from an era bygone

On every travel list, this city is a must-see

But it does not appear that impressive to me..

*

Let me find a place that is not too remote and yet

Throngs of tourists in high season does not get

A place that is a hidden gem perhaps

Authentic but without the usual tourist traps

Accessible enough but not widely publicized

Let me go there before its tourist potential is fully realized..

*

In this secluded town that seems far away

From civilization, I am spending a perfect day

Unhurried, relaxed, without having to stand in long queues

I am able to feel disconnected and footloose

At this less known but enchanting destination

I am actually able to enjoy my vacation..

I travel back with my child to rekindle my desire

For my roots, long have I aspired

To connect him with the places in which I had grown

He knows his mother in a vacuum; he knows someone who has flown

From her nest, leaving half of her behind

The unbroken half – that is what we are here to find

*

For landmarks familiar my eyes continue to scan

But it does not look like I can

Identify the places seared in my memory

Haphazard buildings and throngs have replaced the trees

Where are the knolls on which I had stood

To watch sunrise and sunset in the neighborhood..

I am as confused as my child who looks up to me

A bit concerned, a bit frightened, unable to see

Anything remarkable in the urban melee

He is wondering if his mother’s promise was a lie..

*

As we continue to walk aided by Google street view

A trusted old friend comes to my rescue

The sprawling banyan tree from my childhood days

In all its glory, in the same spot has stayed

In its expansive shade we take refuge from the sun

And I show my child where my story had begun..

Flaunting material possessions is bourgeois, and old-fashioned

We want to have amazing experiences that demonstrate the passion

With which we pursue life, experiences that are one of a kind

Involving excess money, exotic travel and an adventurous streak to find

That unique experience that bragging rights provides

Not possessions, but experience-chasing now divides

The haves and have-nots, we want to be able to display

“Amazing”, “surreal” “awe-inspiring” experiences on Instagram these days..

*

The world has shrunk, therefore it is easier than ever

To travel far and wide for extraordinary experiences that never

Would have been possible for most people even a decade ago

To be able to do something different gives a boost to the ego

Therefore we have all experience chasers become

Hoping these fabulous experiences would make us “awesome”

*

In our relentless quest for something extraordinary

We tend to disregard moments in our everyday lives ordinary

That are truly amazing, that have transformative potential

We find our lives boring, we feel dismal

If we do not have social-media worthy moments in our lives

While chasing uniqueness, in the mundane we forget to thrive

*

I am guilty of being driven by the thrill

Of experiences, I realize I never will

Be satisfied if I keep chasing experiences relentlessly

In my ordinary day, let me the extraordinary see..

It would be nice to cook food from scratch

Fresh for every meal, not prepared in a batch

Food would be more flavorful if I could incorporate

Spices freshly ground, that explode on the palate

Melt-in-the-mouth soft would the texture of food be

If it was cooked on a low temperature setting slowly..

If vegetables could be perfectly cubed and diced

The curry I make would be a feast for the eyes

If I had the luxury of time to cook lovingly and with care

More appetizing, satiating and healthier food I could prepare

*

But I cannot cook from scratch, from fresh ingredients most days

Therefore I try to cut corners in different ways

Sometimes packaged ingredients I incorporate

Instead of fresh ones, for lack of time I must compensate

I use machines to help simplify

The arduous process of cooking, I shall not lie

My vegetables are chopped into pieces unequally

They are hardly pleasing to the eye, aesthetically

I use microwaves and pressure cookers to minimize

Time spent in cooking, the taste it does

compromise

Garnishing with fresh herbs is reserved

For special occasions, since time I have to conserve..

*

It leaves me dissatisfied that elaborate steps I have to circumvent

In order to place home-cooked food on the table, despite my intent

But working outside the home is also important to me

Therefore I am perpetually in this quandary..

*

I give dietary guidance as part of my treatment plan

To my patients, and try to adhere to my advice as best as I can

Though I am unable to prepare delectable feasts

I rarely order dinner from restaurants at least!

I have mulled over and taken some time to decide

One thing I want to be intentional about, now I want to abide

By my decision- each day I want to indulge in something creative

Whether a new spin to old thoughts I give

Or find a novel way to complete tasks routine

Write something new, take a route previously unseen..

*

I had long assumed I did not have a creative streak

Traditional expressions of creativity I never did seek

That creativity could take many forms, I had not realized

When I finally understood the full breadth of creativity I was surprised

To know that many of my problem-solving techniques

Would count as creative, being innovative and unique

*

It took me a while before I could perceive

Myself as creative, before I could learn to believe

That being authentic in self-expression

Is of the creative process a manifestation

Now I consciously try to seek a way

To be original, be creative every single day

I remind myself that I possess

A supply of creativity that is endless

I see the world through fresh eyes

I am perpetually ready to be surprised

Each new experience is an opportunity

For me to flex the muscle of creativity

A dictum that we all have internalized

Is that more is better, we have capitalized

On human ingenuity to ensure

That as time goes by, we keep acquiring more

The availability of more resources has raised

Our standards of living, scientific advancements are to be praised

For various drugs and treatment modalities innovative

So that longer and healthier lives we can live

In our affluent lives, we consume more and more

And with that, our lives should be better than before..

*

Then why are we more stressed out and sad

Surely having much more should not be bad..

Conspicuous consumption in a world with resources finite

More consumption of resources over which we fight

More stuff to fill our lives at the cost

Of time and relationships that are lost..

*

Perhaps it is time to remember the principle of success

Everything in moderation is good, but excess

Can be detrimental, and therefore

Less may actually be better than more

My sleep I am known to compromise

To keep reading until I reach the surprise

Ending of a book, sleep is less important than

Unveiling the mystery in a plot well-planned

Without reaching the end I would toss and turn

Therefore the midnight oil I burn..

*

Not just a mystery, but a book of any kind

That thoroughly engages my mind

Gives me the urge to compulsively read

Another page, another chapter- that greed

Transcends my circadian rhythm’s influence

And I manage to go on despite sleepiness intense

*

Reading before bedtime is suggested frequently these days

Instead of scrolling on the phone, reading is better in many ways

The idea is that people would gradually be lulled

To sleep while reading, but I rarely find books that dull

I am excited and stimulated when I read

My creative juices come alive indeed

*

As an avid reader, I am energized

By all kinds of books, but it is unwise

To stay up late to reach the end

And get less sleep than I need and intend

So I need to tear myself away

From interesting books at the end of the day..

Why does it hurt so much when you hear

The unvarnished truth from those you hold dear

You know the truth in your heart even when you

Do not want to acknowledge readily what is true

You know your dear ones know your ugly secrets anyway

And with audacious optimism, you hope they would never say

Them out loud before you, you know they have the ability

To destroy you with their knowledge, you hope this would never be..

*

Your worst fears are realized when the ugliest truths about you

Are aired in the open, there is nowhere to run to

It feels like a betrayal but it really is not

What you dislike about yourself has now been brought

To the forefront, there is no choice except

To examine and gracefully accept

Your shortcoming, and then work towards improvement

You take it as an opportunity, and let go of resentment

There must be a sweet spot I need to figure out

Between being a rule follower and following my intuition, no doubt..

I tend to gravitate towards the extreme ends

Either I follow rules completely or completely bend

Existing rules if my intuition suggests otherwise

Following rules blindly makes me feel irrelevant , I’ve realized

While following intuition blindly is a brave thing to do

Sometimes the consequences can be hazardous too

*

I think the best thing is to treat existing rules as templates or guidelines

And use my creativity and intuition to design

A path forward that is unique but not outside the norm

Live a life that is authentic but still conforms

To most societal conventions in such a way

That I blend in enough but still stand out any day..