Monday, August 31, 2020

Unfurling

 

A new moment

New delight

 

Embracing

Wholeheartedly

 

The unfurling

The unfolding

 

The bright sheen

Of possibilities unseen

 

A thing of beauty

A joy to behold

Attention to uphold

To be present

 

To the little things

 

Oh!

I mean

The simple everyday things

That are really

Every-thing!

- 31 August 2020


Inspired through witnessing the formation of a new leaf on my Monstera deliciosa


Monday, August 17, 2020

ऐ मौत : To Death

 

ऐ मौत

To Death

अक्सर

तेरे बारे में

सोचा किया करते हैं

कौन है तू?

क्या चाहती है?

क्यों आती है?

क्या माँगती है?

I've often

Thought about you

Who are you?

What do you want?

Why do you come?

What do you ask for?

कब तू दस्तक देगी ,

कौन हैं जो जानते हैं?

बिन-बुलाई मेहमान तुझे

ये सभी मानते हैं

When will you knock

Who can ever know?

An uninvited guest

They all know you so

अक्सर

तुझे जानना चाहा था

कई बार

तेरा साथ हमने माँगा था

I've often

Wanted to get to know

Several times

I've yearned for your embrace

हर बार मगर

तूने परे धकेला

कभी न समझ पाए थे हम

ऐसा खेल तूने क्यों खेला

Each time however

You pushed me away

I never understood

The games you chose to play

पर तब

ये जान पाए थे

कि मुस्कुराती हुई

तू साथ निभा रही थी मेरा

I suppose

I had not realized

That smilingly

You were right by my side

झिंझोड़ती हुई

याद दिला रही थी

वो गुज़रा हुआ पल

सिर्फ और सिर्फ, है तेरा

Shaking me awake

With reminders

That each moment passing

Belongs solely to you

उस पल

पर मेरा कोई हक़ नहीं

उसकी ज़ालिम यादों से परे

है इक नया फूल खिला

I cannot

Lay claim to that moment

Yet beyond its cruel memories

A new flower may blossom

पलक झपकते ही मगर

तू उसे भी चूम जायेगी

अपनी सर्द सी बाहों में

तू उसे समाएगी

In the blink of an eye

You will kiss it as well

In your cold arms

It must thereafter dwell

तो अब

यहाँ क्या बचा है मेरा?

So then

What remains here for me?

चंद सी साँसें हैं

कुछ भावनाएँ हैं

थोड़ी ख्वाहिशें हैं

कई कामनाएँ हैं

A few breaths

Some emotions

Some desires perhaps

A few aspirations

कि ऐ मौत

इस ज़िन्दगी से हमें

रोज़ तू मिलवाती रहे

हर पल में कैसे जियें

ये हमें सिखाती रहे

That oh Death

May you always

Help me meet this Life anew

Teach me

To live each moment, to renew

वक़्त आने पर

शान्ती और संतुष्टि सहित

हल्के से तू अपनाए

उस पार के द्वार खोल

आप से हमें मिलवाये

And when its time

In peace and satisfaction

Embrace me lightly

Unlock that portal

Help me meet the immortal

तेरी बाहों में समा

चैन की नींद सो जाएँ

प्रेम के मरहम का

सुकून दिलों में छोड़ जाएँ

In your arms we find

The deep sleep of peace

In each heart we leave behind

The salve of eternal love

जन्म-मरण का सिलसिला

अब बस, यहीं तोड़ पाएँ

Break free at last

Of these cycles of birth and death

- May 2, 2012

- August 17, 2020

 

Photo by Chris Buckwald on Unsplash

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Sparkling Eyes

Picture Courtesy: UrbanAsian.com



She
Of the sparkling eyes
Leaves me mesmerized
Onstage as she glides and flies

She
Of the luminous glow
Knows what it is to be in flow
Embrace her strengths, continue to grow

She
Of the pure inner light
Cannot rest till she shines it bright
On everything that needs to be made right

She
Of the resonant voice
Knows to make a hard choice
Claim inner victory to renew recharge rejoice

She
Of an indescribable inner steel
With one look makes the world heel
Yet nurtures my spirit, helps it heal

He
Of the joyous energy male
Designs the delightful guardrail
A loving safety net to hold even if you fail

She
Of deep divine Love
Relishes life's unending curve
Accepting, embracing all even as we evolve

Sparkling eyes…
Scintillating Spirits…
Inspiring Stories…
They
The Colours of Our Hearts
- 29 March 2019

This piece was inspired by 'The Colours of Her Heart'. It was an honor and privilege to introduce Mallika Sarabhai and her troupe before this performance and open with my poem "Do you See?"

And meeting these beautiful souls after the show left me with a sweetness it is hard to describe. Shortly thereafter, this piece was born - bringing to light how each of them touched me in a unique way.

Thank you - Mallika Sarabhai, Sonal Solanki, Pooja Purohit, Surbhi Dhyani, Mehraz Khatoon - for the scintillating dances; Samia Malik for your powerful music and live singing and Yadavan Chandran for being the wind beneath the wings for the group with all the roles you played.

Sharing a few vignettes from the show - 





Saturday, August 1, 2020

The Grand Design


Oh Beloved!

How?

How do I convey
To Thee
That
YOU are as much me
As the 'other' me you see!

How do I say
That there's
Nothing to Fix
It is all in the mix

How pray
Were you led astray
Believing
It could be any other way

When you befriend
Can't you simply suspend
Picture Courtesy: Pikist
The notion of another?
Simply attend
To the pure presence of the Mirror
With an open heart extend
Your Self in wonder?

Dearest Beloved

Those million pieces
I offer up may seem slightly odd
At times perchance, may prick and prod

Yet when those shards
Pierce through your armor
Drop those veils of ego's gossamer

See how they're just the cards
To play, the choices
We've made
For the grand design
For our integration
For Love's inevitable unification
- 25 March, 2017 3/25/17