Passion…unbridled

(On National Book Lovers’ Day)

If you are a stranger with a book

Know that I’m not being a voyeur when I look

At you intently, I am only trying to read

The title of the book you possess, it’s a pressing need

For me to satisfy my unrelenting curiosity

Regarding books, it is a fixation, you see

I must find out the title if the book is in a language I know

Or decipher the language the book is published in, and so

You may notice me glancing surreptitiously

Until the title of the book I can clearly see..

If you are my patient and bring a book with you

There’s a fair chance I’ll talk to you about it too

If you make eye contact while traveling next to me

I shall start the conversation referencing your book immediately…

*

As for myself, I carry books everywhere

And am always more than willing to share

My thoughts about my current book

I would be happy for someone to take a look

At the book in my hand, that is the best way

For me to make new friends any day!

I am supposed to listen to you without

Interrupting you, I do not doubt

That letting you drive the conversation

Is the right thing to do, but in the spirit of self-preservation

I have to interrupt to redirect you

I must ensure you pay attention to

What I have to say, my message should be clear

If I keep listening to you, I definitely fear

I would spend more time than I can afford to spend

The appointment time is finite, and must end

So that I am not running late for my next patient

By keeping an eye on the clock I can be more efficient

In the limited time we have, I must address

Your concerns, have the ability to assess

Your condition objectively, and discuss my plan

With you, ensure that we both understand

How our shared decision-making would be implemented

I still hope you leave my clinic contented…

Heavy, thick, humid air

Envelops you, ensnares

Beads of perspiration fall

Trapped inside a heat wall

You feel your cells shrink

All the water you drink

Does not keep pace

With the loss in this furnace

Hot, languid, listless

Squirming, turning, restless

Dehydrated brain unable to think

Heat brings you to the brink

Of complete shutdown of faculties

When would this heat wave cease?

Thunder, lightning, downpour

The air fills up with moisture more

The heat index higher soars

Storms more power outages force..

Intense heat unrelenting seems

Of cooler temperatures I dream

All the information that I need to procure

Is sourced from the internet for sure

Most of the time I simply assume

That Google is right, I naïvely consume

The information that is presented to me

That I am in an echo chamber I don’t even see

The internet knows thoroughly my interests

From political leanings to fashion trends I like best

My search for answers serves to confirm

My biases, my faith in my opinions it affirms

*

When I browse through the library or the bookstore

I may stumble across a subject I’ve not yet explored

Find a new idea, or discover a way different

To look at an issue contentious and relevant

The selection is not filtered to cater to me

Thus I can learn the way learning should be

*

If I want to expand my world-view

It is not just preferable, but crucial for me to

Browse the aisles of a physical place

Where the printed word takes up space

If a book or article contradicts

My opinion, it’s the one that I should pick

Confirmation bias is a danger real indeed

To recognize and avoid it is what I need

*

Let the crisp pages and bold prints inspire

Novel ideas, let me skills in critical thinking acquire

न साँप मरे न लाठी टूटे

(Hindi proverb which means to get your way without causing any damage or breaking any rule)

I am a rule-follower, a conformist, and I confess

I am afraid to deviate from an established process

I try to comprehend the logic behind rules and norms

But like an obedient pupil, I am conditioned to perform

Within the parameters that those in authority have set

I don’t want to be reprimanded, I don’t want to regret

Breaking a rule, of being unable to defend

My actions, those in power I don’t want to offend..

*

I hate to say this, but not all rules and norms

Are grounded in reason or justice, therefore to conform

With such rules, I have to try to fight

My conscience or intuition, to decide what is right

As I grow older, towing the line just to appease

The authorities gives me a growing sense of unease

I want to find a workaround in a manner such

That I satisfy my inner voice and not get in trouble much

Rule-makers are not perfect and nor am I

Both of us can co-exist under the same sky

I am too scared to break a law outright

But less stringent rules I can definitely fight

In a manner diplomatic, and often achieve

A better result through a process in which I believe

I have to remind myself that real life is not elementary school

For real life solutions, I may sometimes need to bend the rules

There is a superpower I’d like to possess

I think it might be the key to success

Or at least, a life of greater fulfillment

To master Simplicity is my intent..

*

In a world that grows increasing complex every day

More stimuli assault my senses in every way

Truth and fiction jostle for recognition in my mind

I seem to lose sight of what is important, I find

That I am trying to process too much simultaneously

And nothing gets done well eventually

*

Therefore these days my greatest desire

Is to simplify life, through regular practice acquire

The ability to distill down most aspects of life

Into their essence that is needed to thrive

Ruthlessly trim down all the fluff

Get rid of all the superfluous stuff

That my energy and time can drain

Let things be unembellished and plain

Reduce my social media consumption such

That all I use it for is to stay in touch

With people that I care about, and minimize

Sensational truths, distorted facts and plain lies

*

As I harness this superpower of simplicity

I hope more space in my life would be free

To be occupied by matters of consequence

Hopefully my life would have more substance

Sometimes I wish it would be enough

To proclaim “because I said so” but it is tough

To make my child accept that as an explanation

For how I want him to behave in a certain situation

Don’t get me wrong, I do subscribe to the view

That you should be able to explain why you want your children to

Conduct themselves in a manner specific

But there may be no reason logical or scientific

That you can provide, there is a more nuanced reason behind

Your insistence, one not comprehensible to a young mind

Sometimes it is a widely accepted norm

To which, in polite society, one has to conform

Sometimes the reason is too complex to explain

And I want to just spare myself the pain

Of a long-winded explanation that is unlikely

To be heard by my son in its entirety

*

Yes, children should be curious and inquisitive

But questioning everything is not a particularly effective way to live

Some questions in real life unanswered stay

Therefore I hope my son would accept my answer today..

In modern life Travel has been imbued

With great significance, the prevalent attitude

Is that travel is an achievement, a way to acquire

A well-rounded personality, travel is supposed to inspire

One to connect with the world in a more meaningful way

In a gathering have something interesting to say

Being well-traveled is a badge of honor self-proclaimed

Recounting experiences in tourist attractions famed

And showcasing photographs of breathtaking sights

Gives one the illusion of being erudite..

We delude ourselves into thinking we are a shade

Better than our not-so-well-traveled comrade..

*

The truth is that Travel as a tourist is not

The transformative experience that it is thought

To be- you do not change by visiting a new place

You may not be awed when you come face to face

With a famous site, a painting, a monument

It may differ from your expectation to a great extent

You may not have something profound

Revealed to you as you take in the vistas around

You may have experienced something completely new

But it is unlikely to have a lasting influence on you..

*

Travel as a tourist to popular destinations

Is definitely a great way to spend a vacation

Available to those with some degree of privilege

Merely visiting places does not give you over others an edge..

The world sometimes seems to tell me that I should

Start believing that greed is good

To work hard, greed would propel me

Elevate my standard in my community

In a world with resources finite, I would attract

More resources towards myself in fact

And when I work hard and produce more

My community would reap the benefits for sure

More resources would further opportunity give

To those around me, so that more people would live

In greater prosperity, creating a cycle positive

Thus greed would be the gift that continues to give..

*

I don’t know if greed is good or not

Greed has led to many wars being fought

Though businesses have boomed because of greed

It has served to increase dissatisfaction indeed

Greed has the potential to make someone exploitative

It is a never-ending curse, not the gift that continues to give

You go through life, through your work day

Interacting with people along the way

You feel busy, maybe productive, but you do not know

If your work makes a difference, you just go with the flow

Nestled somewhere deep inside your heart

Is a desire to make an impact that lasts

You do not really know how to measure

The actual impact of your endeavors..

*

Therefore when unexpectedly you receive

An expression of gratitude, at first it is hard to believe

When someone says your work has turned their life around

You experience joy and satisfaction profound

To positively influence even one person’s life is tough

But being able to help just one person is enough…

What if this one life is just not enough

What if in my time on earth it is tough

To accomplish all the lofty goals

To do justice to all the roles

I’ve had the good fortune to be assigned?

To fulfill my obligations I hope I’m destined

I hope I don’t leave unfinished business

I don’t want to leave behind any mess

For my loved ones to sort out after me

I want to tie every loose end neatly…

*

A life lived to the fullest, without major regrets

Most goals achieved, with no reasons to fret

About unrealized dreams and aspirations buried

To live a life replete with experiences varied

Is what I hope for- to make my time on earth

Count for something, be of some worth

*

No one knows the future, but I can start today

Focus on designing my life in a

meaningful way

Celebrate this one precious life given to me

With joy, intention, gratitude and humility

I simply meant to compliment my friend

To examine my biases I did not intend..

You look fabulous, thus started my comment

And that could have been the extent

Of my sentence- but further adjectives I did add

You’ve lost weight, you look younger- now isn’t it sad

That the biases I hold and that are prevalent

Can be easily disguised as compliments..

*

In a world where thinness and youth are placed

At the pinnacle of achievement, women face

Judgment on their perceived age and size

Being thin and looking young are epitomized

As the ideals to strive for, and those who have reached

Those ideals must be applauded indeed…

By extending my compliment to include youth and size

I revealed my implicit biases, I now realize

What’s more, I judge myself through the same lens

When I gain weight or look older, I feel dissatisfaction intense

When I get a compliment similar to mine

I confess I feel I am on cloud nine..

*

Of course genuine compliments should be given liberally

But it’s time to make them bias and judgment free