My Poems Of 2017
Here I am, sitting with my laptop on a Friday night at 10.30 PM with three full days stretching ahead of me and nothing to do. I am struggling to think of a topic on which I can write quickly for I have had a rather hectic day in the office.
The story behind how I started writing in the first place is quiet interesting. I hit upon writing by chance when I was requested last year to participate in the founding day function of the organization where I have been working for the past twelve years.
I was at a loss to know what contribution I could make to a cultural program when a friend of mine had the bright suggestion that I recite a poem. My immediate reaction was like ‘Me! Write poetry! Oh God I don’t have any creativity at all’. But somehow the idea stuck and that weekend when I was lazing about idly at home I picked up my laptop and penned my first poem which was about my ten year old daughter who is the darling of our family.
The poem was appreciated quiet a bit by my colleagues when I presented it in the function and thus began my sojourn with writing. I soon started this blog in January 2017. Well, it is now December and I have put in 63 posts in my blog. So what should my 64th post be? Well it is already 10.51 and I have had a tiring day. I don’t feel like writing up to 12.00 AM.
Suddenly an idea struck me. Why not give my readers a chance to read all the poems I have written this year at one go? There are seven of them. So a quick job of cut and paste will do the trick. So here are the sever poems I wrote this year from January to December.
My Sweet Princess
My little princess is ten years old,
when she smiles her eyes sing and dance,
when I hear her laughter and squeals of joy,
in her hands I am nothing but a toy.
When I come back home after a tiring day,
to the melodious tunes of her violin strings,
the troubles of my life are washed away,
ah, the peace to my mind that brings !
When I listen to her incessant natter,
full of innocent and non stop chatter,
I close my eyes and smile to myself,
yes indeed, I have a pixie for a daughter.
My little princess wants to be a pilot,
flying high above in the blue sky like a condor,
she has promised to take her mummy and daddy,
to Venice, Shanghai, New York and yonder.
When we are waiting to catch the school bus,
she grins wryly telling me the first lesson is Maths,
I look at her sternly telling her learning maths is good,
if she wants to be a pilot who is any good.
“Why does a pilot need maths?” she counters,
“my co-pilot will deal with the maths,” she says
I falter trying to find an answer to that one,
alas! my brain can think of none
When we take walks in the park,
I lag behind trying to keep to her stride,
she rushes ahead of me like a breeze,
that strides across oceans and seas.
One day away she will go with her prince charming,
ah! the thought of giving her away is so alarming,
thank God that day is not tomorrow or today,
thank God that day is still far away.
On Human Emotions
Anger, thy name is like a curse,
you cause such profound distress,
causing grievance and spreading dislike,
in both men and women alike.
Sorrow, you fill the heart with agony,
making the soul cry in disharmony,
causing men and women alike,
to shed copious tears of woe
Arrogance, you really are a slayer of men,
who can bring about any man’s downfall,
You really play by the proverb,
You really play by the proverb,
The bigger they come the harder they fall.
Oh Mirth, you are the great healer,
cleansing the mind and soul,
making them purer and cleaner,
like they were never before.
Oh Love, you can create or destroy,
produce great beauty or cause immense grief,
who has not heard of the Trojan war,
Or the beauty of the Taj Mahal.
Oh Happiness, you make the soul sing,
with profound and beautiful hymns,
you fill the heart with great joy,
you are the most cherished of them all.
Spare a thought! Spare a thought!
Spare A Thought For The Terminally Ill
Spare a thought! Spare a thought!
For those of us who haven’t got a lot,
of days and nights left to live,
but who still have a lot to give.
Riding in the valley of death,
days and nights shrouded by a cold breath,
that slowly sap a man’s strength,
leaving him in agony of spirit.
Spare a thought! Spare a thought!
for that never say die spirit,
which refuses to give any quarter,
as number of days left to live become shorter.
The will to fight to the very end,
right down to the final bend,
in the road to the ultimate end,
where man meets his creator.
Spare a thought! Spare a thought!
for friend and foe alike,
who face a common enemy,
in death the great leveler.
A Poet’s Muse
Oh I am smitten by a fair maiden,
I am bewitched by her dark wavy curls,
her deep big eyes like limpid pools,
shining brightly like gems and pearls.
When I look at her from far away,
her sweet lips parted in a half smile,
when I see her pretty face shining like the full moon,
love courses through my veins making me swoon.
I dare not tell her she is my fountain of joy,
She is my muse but I am not her fair haired boy.
She walks past me gazing straight ahead,
oblivious to my presence or my love for her,
no love in her heart for me, I am afraid,
I am but a part of a picture for her.
She comes in my dreams like a fairy princess,
a goddess who cometh from the planet Venus,
she drifts past me like a gentle breeze,
that touches me and caresses my cheeks.
I dare not tell her she is my fountain of joy,
She is my muse but I am not her fair haired boy.
Oh how I wish she would pass me a glance,
with a hint of love in those beautiful eyes,
acknowledging the love I feel for her,
filling my heart with joie de vivre.
The days when I do not see her even once,
my heart fills with a nameless fear,
it throbs with unbearable angst,
I ask myself is this the last I have seen of her?
I dare not tell her she is my fountain of joy,
She is my muse but I am not her fair haired boy.
Oh, the pangs of unreciprocated love,
can completely break a man,
no matter how strong he is or how mighty,
it saps him of his vitality.
One day away she will go with the man of her dreams,
leaving me with an ache that would break my heart,
I hope I have the courage to face that day,
thank God, for now I can worship her from far away.
I dare not tell her she is my fountain of joy,
She is my muse but I am not her fair haired boy.
Mysteries of the Universe
On a dark starry moonlit night,
when I look at the stars in the twilight,
twinkling wondrously from infinite height,
shining like beautiful little pin-points of light.
The shining moon and the starry Venus,
and the bright red planet Mars,
the plethora of beautiful and distant stars,
so high above in the skies that are dark.
Oh who can tell me how it all came to be?
This universe that is such a mystery.
I ask myself in awestruck wonder,
whence-forth did it all come to be?
Did it happen like the holy books tells us?
Maybe God created this wonder through his ingenuity.
Scientists talk of mega-verses,
of universes larger than ours,
from a singularity it exploded with a big bang,
and this universe in all its glory sprang.
Oh who can tell me how it all came to be?
This universe that is such a mystery.
A pinpoint that was extremely tiny,
exploded into space, time, mass and energy,
creating the universe with the stars and planets,
which is what the men of science tell us.
Was it God or was it something else,
Should I believe the holy books or science?
Whatever it may be I shall never cease to wonder,
about the endless mysteries that always surround us.
Oh who can tell me how it all came to be?
This universe that is such a mystery.
Oh little bird, tell me your secret,
Let The Human Bird Fly
Oh little bird, tell me your secret,
where did you learn to build your nest?
Who taught you to find a mate,
lay eggs and raise your young ones.
You do not have any expectations,
from your young and pretty ones,
you cherish and nourish them all day,
so that they can leave your nest and fly away.
You hunt early in the morning for food
to put into the mouths of your brood,
you make your nest strong and safe,
so that your young ones can stay safe.
Oh little bird, you do not want anything
you give everything and take nothing,
you make your young ones independent,
Oh little bird, you are truly great.
Oh human, one day your young ones,
will also fly away from your nest,
to chase their dreams and destiny,
maybe to far off lands full of promise and beauty.
Oh human, take a leaf out of the bird’s book,
let your young ones fly far away,
breaking the shackles of bondage,
to your love and affection.
Oh human, do not let sorrow overcome you,
when your young ones take leave of you,
when your young ones take leave of you,
let them go where they want to go,
where they can find their true greatness.
The human bird also needs to fly,
and let the spirit of freedom soar high,
and discover the joys of being oneself,
and find the true spirit of the inner self.
The Ultimate Leveller
I was riding in the valley of death,
mounted on a shining black stallion,
mounted on a shining black stallion,
trying to shake off my relentless pursuer,
who was reaching out for me like a steel trap.
Oh, he chases me relentlessly,
up steep hills and down deep valleys,
he will not slacken his speed,
till he can crush me with all his might.
He will not give me any quarter,
he will not let me stop to catch my breath,
how long can I keep riding,
before my spirit breaks?
“Your time has come, you come with me,” he bellows
I dare not turn around to look at him,
for I know what he wants from me,
is the spirit that keeps me alive.
My body is ravaged with pain,
every muscle and cartilage quivering in anguish,
as I urge my horse to move faster,
trying to shake off this monster.
Suddenly in the distance I see,
a fairy goddess who beckons to me,
a fairy goddess who beckons to me,
with her arms outstretched,
holding a rose in her hand.
I then realize what I have to do,
to escape my pursuer,
if only I can smell the rose in her hand,
this monster behind me would give up the chase.
As I come closer to her,
I can feel myself growing weaker,
oh, if only I can reach her,
and get a whiff of the rose she holds!
Suddenly to my utter horror,
she drops the rose on the floor,
and crushes it underfoot,
and smiles at me.
As I urge my horse to move faster,
her voice reaches me from the distance,
“Do not be afraid, do not run,” she tells me
“He who comes behind you is but a mirage,” she says
“He is none other than the great leveller
whom all mortals have to meet one day,” she says
“Turn around and face him,
for he is your ultimate friend”
Suddenly I can see her no longer,
but my mind is now free of fear.
I stop my horse and turn around,
and look my pursuer in the eye.
If you have had the patience to read all the poems I have listed here and are reading this line I hope you enjoyed what you read. I hope to be able to come up with more poetry in 2018.
That's wonderful poetry.
All these are wonderful poems and I can’t decide which one is my favourite. You are good at writing poems. YOu should write more!
Thank you so much, Deepa 🙂 I am happy you like my poems so much. Thank you indeed.