WORD STREAM

(30) Welcome New YEAR

2008-01-05T22:58:00.000-08:00

I tried to see him in darkness,

Shivering in cold breeze,

Opened the door at the knock-

And greeted him-'welcome please'

He was bright new YEAR,

Who entered my dwelling- place,

The radiance of divine light,

Was shining on his face.

He promised me all heaven,

To follow him behind-

All happiness, pleasure and joy,

Golden moments, that I rewind.

Terror, hatred, grief, and sorrow,

Calamities of wide range,

He assured to rub- off; only one question,

“ Can yourself in you, will change?”

I ignored that silly question,

Changing oneself is not a game,

If new year is just change of digits-

Is old and new year - THE SAME?

*****************************.

(29) Quite well here (Terrorism)

2007-12-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

I am standing here,

In this crowded street,

Lot of rush and noise persist,

I am firm on my feet.

Everything seems to be safe,

Except the human life,

An incident may darken the scene,

Only spare the ‘news’-to survive.

Terror has become the part of life,

By no means-anybody can ban,

Men can come over all evils,

But man cannot escape-man.

I see terror by face,

It looks as common as me,

Then what poison melts inside,

How anybody can kill me?

An unknown device may explode,

Shower of bullets may burst,

Always expect the unexpected,

Terrorism targets, from last to first.

Terror is mixed in air,

Terror is in the heart,

Innocents are the target,

Killing is the fine art.

Let me forget all this,

Nightmare is still in queue,

I am quite well here,

And I hope the same to you.

************************

(28)Most Obedient

2007-12-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

Man is most obedient,

When he locks his mind,

He stores the orders,

To faithfully, rewind.

It is easy to shut,

The mouth, eye, and ear,

To surrender the ‘self’,

And live without fear.

Like few pet animals,

Who dance on master’s tune,

Get bread and butter reward,

In the long chain, of- fortune.

Meaning of self-esteem,

They do not know,

Who yield to super powers,

Through corridor of life-they go.

Super powers innovate,

The regimentation of thoughts,

Mental slaves never say,

The ‘how’, ‘why’ and ‘what’!

This silent slavery ,

May one day bounce,

Clones may replace man,

To act as clowns.

*************************

(27)My dear enemy

2007-11-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

I know you, I recognize you,

You are one, in the long row,

I smile and welcome you,

You are my enemy, you are the foe.

Hatred is in the core of heart,

Chilled in the inner cage,

But modern trend teaches me,

-Paste the smile, on the face.

Weapons change with the age,

Now bloodshed is not seen,

When opponent opposes you,

Pretend all red signal; green.

All seem friendly, all well wishers,

Like next to kin, in the town,

All give firm support to leg,

And wonder! I fall down.

A friend may neglect me,

But enemy will never depart,

I may live in friend’s mind,

But I reside in enemy’s heart.

Now life is to act, not to live,

Society is one stage, as a whole,

At the cost of profitable deal,

Enemy and friend, change the role.

*****************************

(26) Money Plant

2007-11-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

It was the precious root,

Of a real MONEY-PLANT,

I planted it in my yard,

Safest place, of my haunt.

I took utmost care,

To safeguard the same,

It soon began to grow,

And then the result came.

Tiny plant became a tree,

Actual money poured out,

Coins, notes, currency, bills,

Money in all forms-stout.

Oh! But what this happened?

The tree was inclined, above all,

I was to water the root,

Branches crossed the boundary-wall.

My neighbor collected the fruits,

Money- plant was really funny,

Plant was no doubt, mine,

But others enjoyed the money.

Money is money, a solid fact,

It is not a work of art,

I set aside all great thoughts,

And cut the plant, with heavy heart.

I offered the root in charming pack,

To my neighbor- smiling wide,

To grow the same, with hard labor,

So that; fruits may come to my side.

************************************

(25)The story of story

2007-11-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

Stories had the same start-

“Once upon a time”

And that concluded the same,

A hero-worship rhyme.

The stories had legends,

Queens and kings,

They were honest, corrupt, fighters,

Devils, spirits, and angles on wings.

Meaning of story has changed,

Story was pure imagination,

Now, in the hands of journalist,

Is a weapon to create sensation.

Now story is a colorful picture,

Told with sensational rolls,

Be cautious-if it is ‘real’,

Reality and story are opposite poles.

Media plays with the words,

They hypnotize the mass,

Through the hole of a needle,

They can make the elephant pass.

Abstract is filled in material body,

You find the ready-made heroes,

A moment’s flash-and nobody knows,

How they come, and where they go.

It gets high ranking,

If story has scandal and glory,

Murder, rape, gossip make,

The modern- ‘story of story’.

**************************

(24)The Wonderful BOMBAY

2007-11-02T04:05:00.000-07:00

Dreams of rising buds,

Youth, with vigor and gay,

Struggle for vent-despair and distress,

All melted together; coin Bombay.

A city crowded with mob,

Of all color, creed, and age,

Perceive- peak of liberal idols,

And crest of human bondage

City rushes with jet speed,

Never sleeps in night,

People rise in blind-dark,

And fall in day-light.

No blast kills the spirit,

No terror stops Metro,

This giant roller crushes flat,

Any poison trying to grow.

People are unknown to each-other,

Loneliness exists in crowded city,

Faces seem faceless here,

But Bombay has top identity.

It stretches arms to welcome all,

There is firm soil, under the feet,

Open sky is above the head,

Rest; Bombay is ready to greet.

Any person who comes here,

To struggle for roof, and shelter,

Gets the matching color soon,

And becomes, branded-‘Mumbaikar’.

No unique city is found,

Away; from this city apart,

Certainly, the city- dwellers,

Have imprint of Bombay in heart

*****************************.

(23)Beyond Existence

2007-10-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

(23)Beyond Existence

**********************

He was full of excitement,

His heart was beating fast,

Spending fifty years on a foreign land,

He was reaching his village ,at last.

He had past memory of his village,

When he was young boy of ten,

He still had a vision in his eyes,

Of that place, as it was then.

Narrow lanes, and thorny bushes,

Endless fields, fragrance of land,

Round shouldered huts, zigzag fence,

Neighboring river, and knocking sand.

Crop as regiment, standing high,

Greenery laid on the bed of soil,

Tough farmers, with rigid figures,

Fighting their fate, in turmoil.

When he reached his native place,

He was shocked, with series of quakes,

His vision,his village,his dreamland,

Had turned, into an industrial -complex.

His village did not exist any more,

Dreamland was not there to define,

There was a sign- board flashing,

“National Highway Twenty- Nine.”

Highway joins the giant metros,

To bridge the new age, by presence,

A tiny river dies beneath the bridge,

To become memory; beyond existence.

************************************

(22) Welcome to circus

2007-10-19T01:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this circus,

It is free of cost,

All are guests here,

Everyone is host.

See these poor creatures,

Playing the lion’s role,

Out crying the master’s voice,

Tamed, from head to sole

A man lashes the pets,

Who merrily play the tricks,

They surrender, and learn,

That heaven is behind bricks.

See that colorful man,

Begging your faith and vote,

Swinging above, on the roof,

To vanish, without a note.

This is rope trick,

Balancing oneself in air,

Any moment he seems to fall,

But for five years, glued there.

Here, see one magic,

A girl in gown, so dirty,

She disappears next moment,

Her name is POVERTY..

Finally, enter the circus-jokers,

Who waive mirrors-high and low,

People laugh, and laugh, and laugh,

With “THE END”-starts, second show.

*********************************

(21)Good better and best

2007-10-12T03:25:00.000-07:00

(21) Good better and best

**************************

I see your rosy cheeks,

And your lips so mild,

I fear to touch you,

-my infant child.

You are my love, my life,

My mirror, and my vision,

Flying in dream horizon,

-my colorful pigeon.

I shield you from evils,

Armor you with my arm,

I can fight the whole world,

Let misery come, in any form.

But sorry to say, babe,

With myself, I cannot fight,

I have darkened this world,

Instead of giving it light.

Future has wrapped your gift,

That is pollution, atom, and terror,

Beauty is beautifully killed,

And we all pretend-not our error.

We all, who blame each other,

Were one time, babes, in our nest,

Had seen a vision of this world,

To be- good;better; and best

**************************

(20) Yes Sir

2007-10-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

We do not apply our reason,

Here logic is to err,

Simply close the eyes and mind,

And always say –yes sir.

Known as short cut to success,

A square to lift the life,

Where four directions open,

This is number five.

We flow with the current,

In the river full of fog,

And float on the wave,

Like an inert log.

Instant success is our aim,

We are afraid of fall,

Neglecting the will and logic,

We shake head- that’s all.

Can we swim against the flow?

Can we dare to say “NO”?

Can we stand across tide?

Or bow down and let it go.

Worshiped are those, who say-no,

For the cause of their mission,

All yes-men are living toys,

Dancing puppets; in exhibition

***************************

(19)The Big News

2007-09-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

He looks for big news,

The top most of the day,

Probes papers, TV, and net,

And seeks media X-ray.

State-heads are meeting,

Warships have sailed,

War is the comet-head,

Peace-talk is the tail.

Global warming is the news,

Money is floating,

Weather is freezing,

Market is boating.

Violence, as usual,

Terror is routine,

So many leaders,

Public; unseen.

All uncommon is common,

Every ghost is live,

It is headlines today,

That two and two are five.

Go to hell-he says,

But no going is done,

Hell is all around,

Be ready to welcome.

At last, he remembers,

He had a quarrel with wife,

Let summit talks be held,

By evening it will regain life.

He cannot create news,

He is at the receiving end,

Tomorrow, news may be-good-morning,

Without print, channel, or media amend.

********************************

(18)Games We Play

2007-09-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

One game-we play,

Is the love- game,

Where start is, devotion,

And end is the same.

We play amid mass,

To claim the top,

The show goes on,

And we never stop.

We play with friends,

And equally with foes,

A life-long game-

The conflict of egos.

We play with a child,

To seek our past,

To probe the innocence,

We have lost.

We play with animals,

With pets; to boast-

“Crossing animal kingdom

Becoming super most.”

We play with Nature,

The whistle we ignore,

Foul game is fatal,

Knocking at our door.

Luck gives us an Ace,

It is very rare,

Remember-life is game,

Play foul or fair.

*******************

(17)Blind Race

2007-09-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Blind Race

************

With supersonic speed,

The earth is moving,

Everything is instant,

Needs, no proving.

Time is running fast,

Days are short,

Results are foreseen,

Before, the start.

Nobody has time,

Simply to inhale,

In this blind race,

Who dares to fail?

Life is not to live,

It is for run,

Go- ahead or collapse,

Survival is a fun.

Happiness is acting,

In the crowd around,

Empty ‘self’ sinks,

In the ocean of sound.

Don’t look back,

Past is dead,

Run for the luck,

Tail, or head.

Elixir of space-age,

All are drinking

Brains are booming,

Hearts are shrinking.

********************

(16)The Border Is Intact

2007-09-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

In this hilly village,

I lived as a child,

With the passage of time,

Village has become wild.

I visit here again,

After a long phase,

Upon the heap of years,

Is piled, the bundle of age.

It is the same rock,

My place of fun and game,

On it, with childish urge,

I had engraved my name.

With passage of time,

Nature has faded my name,.

The stone has tarnished,

And words are lame.

On the inscribed script,

Many cracks are seen,

Rustic grass has grown,

Scattered; in-between.

Time will erase my name,

The border remaining intact,

Next name will replace mine,

This is the eternal fact.

****************************

(15) I Am Helpless Dad

2007-08-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

I am helpless, Dad

*******************

Daddy I am super most,

When I come first,

If someone is above me,

Your anger may burst.

You examine my progress card,

With all possible discreet,

May I see, only once,

Your old mark-sheet?

I must be polite,

Should have good manners-

By seeing the parents quarrel,

With their ego- banners?

I must go to sleep,

Sharply at ten forty,

I don’t see your return,

From the cocktail party.

You enjoy as you like,

Your tricks are always new,

You ignore my presence,

But I always see you.

Life of great men-

I read what they said,

But you are my idol,

I am helpless Dad!

You preach me by saying,

Early to bed and early to rise-

What latest rule is; to be,

‘Healthy, wealthy, and wise’?

*****************************

(14) Cost Of Happiness

2007-08-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

COST OF HAPPINESS

I am glad to attend this party,

It is in full swing, with merriment,

All are dancing and shouting,

Climax of hilarity is present.

People pretend to be happy,

The whole circle as they seek,

They are happier in advance,

And become happiest at the peak.

I feel all this is a magic,

Which is live- show, to perform,

All are acting till drop-scene,

To exhibit, the maximum charm.

My happiness be the top most,

If it lags; it is a curse,

This happiness is meaningless,

If I do not compare it with others.

I pay for happiness, to buy the same,

Spending the money is no trouble,

If this happiness is a thousand deal,

The two thousands, may earn the double.

With the bundle of happiness, I come out,

It is raining, in the darkness of night,

A child is dancing on the road,

Mud-clad, bare naked, shining bright,

His body has fragrance of soil,

He is beating a broken flute

I feel my happiness, with respect to others,

But his innocent happiness is absolute.

*********************************

(2) Child Is The----------

2007-08-17T21:37:00.001-07:00

It was his son’s sixth birthday,

All were enjoying the occasion,

His gift should be unique-he thought,

His heart filled up with passion.

He recollected his own childhood,

When his age was the same-six,

His father had given him a book,

This was an old book of ethics.

The book mentioned the golden rules,

To be followed in the life,

Honesty, truth, kindness, and love,

To shield from vices, and survive.

He took out that book from a box,

A flash in his mind just came,

Now, does he follow one single ethic?

No, but children must follow them.

He offered the book to his son,

With all fatherly love and affection,

“My son, this is golden gift for you,

Read this book, read every section”.

He became busy to welcome guests,

To his son, he could pay no attention,

Suddenly, he was shocked to see,

And reached the climax of tension.

The boy was chatting and laughing,

With mates, girls, and next to kin,

Was opening new gift wrappers,

Had passed the book in the dust-bin,

At the peak of anger, he stopped,

An instant thought gave him a new look,

Moral values in books, can not be taught,

Unless life itself becomes the open book.

Child has wider vision than we think,

You can suppress his mind, but cannot ban,

An old saying is there, which tells,

That child is the father of man.

**************

(13)The Happiest Man

2007-08-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

He was blessed with fortune,

All happiness knocked at his door,

Grief, sorrow, pain, and tension,

Darkness in his life was no more.

All his wishes were fulfilled,

He dwelt in the castle of wealth,

Beauty, love, power, and respect,

The divine favour and sound health.

While all virtues lay on his feet,

One day, he prayed with pure heart,

O God! bless me happiness for ever,

Let the chronicle of Time be stopped.

There may not be any future,

And no dark past- to repent,

My grand life be stand-still,

No lead or lag- but only present.

Then a rare incident happened,

His humble prayer was granted,

Among his happiness, the Time stopped;

To comply with his will; as he wanted.

He is still amid the eternal joy,

Reflecting brightest phase of life,

People come to see this unique man,

Who stopped the Time to survive.

People call him a master piece,

Who claimed rise; and no fall,

He tried to check the wheel of time,

His portrait is hanging on the wall.

******************************

(12) SCHOOL BUS

2007-08-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

School-bus runs very fast,

Little Dolly has a vision to read,

Thoughts in her mind have wings,

Which run the race with speed.

Why trees are sliding back,

Why wind is slapping the cheek,

Why Mom had broken the tea-set,

When Dad’s anger was at peak?

Why the glass window is tight-,

Which stops the rain, to come in?

Why Madam shouts in class-room,

Why children shake like fin?

Why home-work is daily diet?

Why addition is so negative?

Two “minus” quarrel like Mom-Dad,

And result into the affirmative.

Why Sunday comes so late,

And lays fragrance on the floor,

Hardly does it enter the home,

Monday knocks at the door.

Dolly presses her head in vain,

The last question fills her with fuss,

Can it be- can there be,

Two opposite engines in the bus?

[11]Everyone has a-----

2007-08-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a child in himself,

Who sleeps in his heart,,

To keep that child in drowsy state,a

Is, the skillful human art.

Man poses himself to be mature,

He is master of art and skill,

He climbs up stairs in life,

The world moves on, at his will.

Childish purity in heart is shielded,

Smile of child, slowly gets lost,

Man writes the future in space,

By rubbing, the script of past.

Dancing of birds, swinging of trees,

Flutter of butterfly, and twinkling stars,

Chastity of soul, and innocent eyes,

All turn into hatred, terror, and wars.

Violence, lust, slyness, and proud,

Man inherits, along with the age,

When he reads the meaning of life,

The child in him, laughs in the cage.

“You cannot reverse the time-wheel”,

Says inner child, bent on his knees,

“All the world is blessed to you,

But you cannot get me”.

**************************************

(10) RAINBOW

2007-07-29T01:31:00.000-07:00

A rain drop rests on a leaf,

Dances on the tune of sun-ray,

And stains the beam kissing it,

At dawn, of a rainy day

The night is slowly departing,

Rainbow gives it a farewell,

Seven colors shield the drop,

Not to touch it, not to tell.

Violet gives it the strength,

Indigo feeds the courage,

Blue creates the valor,

Which fills it with rage.

Green gives the notion of love,

Yellow pacifies the tension,

Orange makes it to jump,

Red fills the drop with passion.

The drop is laying idle,

Rainbow gives it a life,

It breaths with vigor,

And turns fully alive.

Then it rolls from the leaf,

Color strings try to check and revive,

Alas! Colors are faded at once,

It drops down with a dive.

Rainbow colors come in life,

Like the hide and seek game,

The time-wheel moves intact,

Eternal white beam fades the same.

********************************

(9) LAUGH

2007-07-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

Laugh is the first instinct,

That Nature has gifted to man,

No other creature can think of,

But people laugh without ban.

We laugh in the package of joy,

In happiness and merriment,

Hilarity opens the mouth,

Pleasure flows out of vent.

We laugh at human follies,

Other’s distress is our concern,

When lips tender, balm of words,

Secretly, we laugh, turn by turn.

Killing, death, calamity, and terror,

All are condemned by mankind,

Among the crowd of crying mass,

A hidden junk of laughter, we find

Laughter is declared good for health,

This natural gift is now a device,

The expert trainers teach in the club,

Laughing has become an exercise.

When we stand opposite to mirror,

And see our charming graph,

Can we judge the person inside,

At our own SELF, can we laugh?

*****************************

[8]DREAMS

2007-07-13T03:57:00.000-07:00

Life dwells between two extremes,

Both hanging upon balanced beam,

One is the reality of life,.

The other is, world of dreams.

Man sees numerous visions

All are colorful and bright,

Some come to him in sleep

And day-dreams, in day-light.

Dream pushes him on the rock,

Made-up of gold bricks,

All power comes to him,

His overall authority is fixed.

He dreams of colorful world,

His beloved is in his arms,

If she is yet to come,

Beauty is there, in visionary forms.

His dream is to fly on wings,

Not to delight like birds,

But to conquer the men around,

To make them obey his words.

Dream makes the moon, a, bread,

And the sun, a coin in hand,

When man starves with hunger,

Stars drop the dew on sand.

All visions are not visualized,

Dreams never touch reality factor,

When lot of dreams are still pending,

The eternal sleep, closes the chapter.

*********************

(7) Nature The Child

2007-07-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

A child plays with the toys,

                                                   Without any meaning or sense,
                                                   Nature plays with the creation,
                                                   And totally ignores our presence


                                                  The child pats the doll with love,
                                                  Or throws it by the side,
                                                  Nature keeps us on the lap,
                                                  Or rolls us away with stride.

                                                 Doll is the means for infant-
                                                 To keep him busy in game,
                                                  Man is the puppet of nature,
                                                  To play, and throw the same.

                                                 Why child is angry; nobody knows,
                                                  He scatters the toys on the floor,
                                                  When nature is furious, with cruel hands,
                                                  Traps the man ,and closes the door .

                                                  Next moment, the child is pleased,
                                                  Charming smile is on his lips,
                                                  Nature also shows the happiness,
                                                   Rainbow reflects the divine tip.

                                                   Nature is free to show his will,
                                                    He is neither kind, nor wild,
                                                    He is innocent, without sense,
                                                    Nature is the infant child.
                                       ***************************************