Rath Yatra

It's this time of the year,

air is filled with joy and cheers,

the streets are lined with people,

eager to catch a glimpse of lord.

Lined on the road, are wooden chariots,

decorated with paintings and flowers,

with ropes tied at the ends,

to be pulled by the devotees. 

It's a symbolic journey,

of lord to visit their family,

with siblings to meet their aunt,

to eat cooked food in her home.

A trip that comes with fanfare,

for, devotees could see lord outside,

even the kings come to sweep the floor,

as every person there was a equal.

Not as a divinity, but as a friend,

a festival is celebrated for them,

as the people come together in groups,

to pull the ropes of the chariot.

It is indeed a beautiful sight,

connection of people to their roots,

with joy and fervor, holding the ropes,

taking it to destination, regardless of weather.

So, let me touch and see,

the energy of the surrounding,

as wheels turned, the chariot moves,

with the sound of counch and gongs.

Happy Jagannath Rath Yatra to all...

Reminders

 It's difficult to remember,

every bits and intricacies,

so I make mental notes,

to recall at the time of need. 

Be it's my daily tasks,

acheiving targets for the day,

or to make preparations, 

for meetings to be held. 

Then there's my weaknesses, 

that needed to be conquered, 

like being nervous with superiors,

or awkwardness around opposite gender. 

To create aims and objectives,

and sticking to the directives,

sometimes manual notes are needed,

to make them effective. 

There are days to be remembered, 

for greetings and wishes,

be it birthdays or anniversaries,

had to recall them before time.

As I grew old and made connections,

more things are added in my obligations, 

some were notified through online profiles,

many more needed to evoke my memories. 

So, it varies between different situations,

to act daily or some yearly notions,

every interactions need some efforts,

to display sincerity in my relations.

Feeling the surroundings

 When did I stopped,

feeling the surroundings,

like walking barefoot on soil,

getting pricked from grass on lying.

Petting some cat or dogs,

or holding street bovines,

jumping over some water puddles,

and get drenched in rainshowers. 

When did it became cumbersome, 

being perceived as wastage of time,

any activities that seemed childish,

would be embarrassing enough to hide.

Why does it matters?

if I climb on a tree,

or pause for a moment 

bend down and smell flowers. 

To adore something cute,

admire things that are pretty,

without the worries and concerns,

of my image or impression.

Let me cuddle soft things,

brush fingers through young leaves,

stand outside with open arms,

and inhale the petrichor after a drizzle. 

Creating a persona as we grew,

might have lost appeal of few,

cautioning self with reasoning,

restraining impulses by conditioning.

So, I run my imagination,

to create different scenarios,

to experience these sensations,

inside my mind as private creations.

Language

 

It works great in uniformity, 

yet affected by regional paucity,

with centuries of diversification, 

developed a sense of authority.

A medium of communication, 

important in every interactions, 

for many, it's a necessity, 

to attain some kind of familiarity. 

It's a sign of intelligence,

when we display it's relevance, 

respected as someone knowledgeable, 

having an expertise in it's utilization. 

From the ancient times,

it is used to spread the culture, 

or acted as our representation, 

in trades and travel connections. 

But it had faced difficult times,

acting as a source of conflict,

precious wisdom and information, 

had seen the hatred and destruction.

For human ego and pride,

creates an invisible divide,

making us to lose sight,

of its functions and designs. 

Still I hope,

let it not become the reason,

for quarrels and fights,

rather be used as means,

to convey our thoughts and emotions.

To be a symbol of diversity,

when we are respectful and kind,

to the ignorant and naive, 

helping us to learn and grow.

Inertia

 The sin of slothfulness, 

isn't always about laziness, 

not doing any physical activities, 

or lack of any visible performance. 

But a total disregard, 

an unwillingness to learn,

just be happy and content,

living within their small world. 

We have been blessed,

being born as a species,

that is free of burden of survival,

and bestowed with unlimited power.

It's an opportunity to seek,

to quench our curiosities,

having an receptive mind, 

desire to expand our thoughts. 

But we also love easy path,

without any struggle or hardwork,

having everything in our palms,

devoid of any sweats or blood.

An inheritance from the ancestors, 

providing the adequate support,

so, we invest ourselves in indulgence, 

while closing the vision of our soul. 

Putting a mask of diligence, 

we keep falling in the lap of dormancy,

without any directives or deadlines,

getting intoxicated in personal pleasures.

To be unaware or unwilling to explore,

keep missing out of many sensations,

from the  myriads of experiences 

that this world has to offer. 

In this limited span of time,

we do have our days of rest,

but falling into monotonousity, 

shouldn't be out of personal choice.

There's so much to see, hear and feel,

how could we ignore this need,

and remain fixed to limited opinions,

without any flexibility of perception.

Joy

 Sitting in the park,

I watched them run and play,

they were laughing and having fun,

sharing their happiness and joy. 

Joy, it's a simple thing,

seen in a child's delight,

making me remember old days,

when I was filled with innocence. 

It's such a beautiful feeling,

that's like a nature's blessing,

be it the sun, rain, or flowers,

and winds whispering through my ears. 

Some find it in friendship,

in the closeness of companions,

or the care of our family,

sharing those moment together. 

It's there in our wishes and prayers,

be our successes and pleasures,

in the work, or our passions,

or surrender to the divine.

Going through different phases,

we might have many choices,

let our desires be realized,

filling us with lovely emotion.

Confinement

 They are so different,

with their values and perspectives,

in their interests and life choices,

to have any meaningful connections. 

We do have our preferences,

it's common and understandable, 

but sometimes there's clashes,

on things that are non negotiable. 

When situations goes unfavorable,

and wait keep getting longer,

we fight as much as possible,

Or choose options that's accessible. 

But how much of compromises...

would bring the true happiness?

for our essence may get diluted,

in the subsequent adjustments. 

Choosing realism or ideals,

while being bounded by responsibilities, 

our direction of life gets obscure,

bringing out these uncertainties. 

We could always escape, 

and face the consequence,

or try to carry the burden,

while making some sacrifices. 

The decisions have to be made,

to silence the blames and complains,

but it should feel right at heart,

and not leave any regrets. 

Still, I do believe,

to grow where we are planted,

there's nothing wrong in spreading branches,

and look beyond these invisible walls,

to break free of situational confinement 

Entropy

 It's cyclical,

the law of this universe,

birth to destruction to rebirth, 

it's the chain of repeatation.

From the minute atoms,

to the largest of galaxies,

things are in constant motion,

only stages are different. 

Even the mother earth,

went in this direction,

from evolution to extinctions,

ending as natural history curriculum. 

As the humanity rises,

climbing the ladder of progress,

still affected by principles of change,

we see the rise and fall of civilization. 

Our life too dictated by the same,

watching it from frame by frame,

while we strive for the harmony,

things do flow towards chaos.

Be the people or world at large,

we are influenced by some natural force,

bringing the fights, protests and wars,

moving from order to disorder...

Vulnerable

 We all are vulnerable, 

from our own actions,

some more prone than others,

depending on different situations. 

Our innocence makes us vulnerable, 

being unaware of the outside world,

seeking goodness, we trust too easily, 

and taken advantage of.

Our naivity makes us vulnerable, 

for we believe in best of people,

expecting others to be sincere and honest,

only to have disappointments. 

Our fears makes us vulnerable, 

for, we are afraid to get hurt,

hiding behind the invisible walls,

closing ourselves off from the world.

Our laziness makes us vulnerable, 

without putting the needed efforts,

trying to take the easy way out,

often end up getting hurt.

Our kindness makes us vulnerable, 

for we want to help others,

willing to invest most of our time,

not knowing their true motives.

This world can be selfish and cruel,

our vulnerabilities can become our weakness,

but remember, it can also be our strength,

for, it help us be true to ourselves.

What is love?

So, what is love?

how would we define,

something so natural yet a mystery,

to the unexprienced and naive.

For some, love is a feeling,

that provides warmth and care,

for others, it's an emotion,

a deeper connection that heart shares.

For many, it's an attachment,

that brings a sense of belonging,

others view it as an attraction, 

be it physical or intellectual longings.

Some find it in closeness of friendship,

a shared bond of trust and respect,

then there's people for whom it's pure lust,

a primal urge to possess and be possessed. 

Is it the source of our desires,

when we seek someone to connect, 

or our admiration and appreciations,

to make sacrifices for their happiness.

No matter how we define it,

it's a strong influencing force,

making us feel happy, sad, angry, 

by affecting our thoughts and actions.

With all these yearnings,

the excitement and fantasizings, 

dreams of romancing in our imaginations,

and developing these unexplainable achings.

Even after so many arts, stories and songs,

love still remains a mystery,

we can't explain it or control it,

nor we can ignore or live without it.

So, what is love?

it's like everything and nothing,

having the answers to lot of our questions, 

but also is the source of most of our pain.

Dream to travel

Sitting at his desk, staring at the window,

at the world that he longs to explore,

he dreams of far-off lands and exotic cultures,

of new experiences and adventures.

But he is stuck, at his work,

he has a job to do, bills to pay,

it's not easy to take vacations,

or leave everything and run away.

So he sits at his desk, dreaming,

of the day he can finally travel,

when he can explore the world,

see everything it has to offer.

But for now, he must be content,

with the world that he sees from the window,

keeping up with his profession, 

hiding dreams close to his heart.

** This one is an experiment poetry, tried my hand with Google bard today.

 

Mellow

 There is this music,

running through my mind,

melodius, with soft vibrancy,

calming me with rhythmic beats. 

Let me immerse in it,

the voice is so soothing, 

embracing me with nostalgia, 

in this symphony of sounds. 

As if in a trance,

surrounded by a mist,

closing my eyes to experience,

magic of this moment. 

Like the falling raindrops,

making tuneful noises over the roof,

Or the splashing of the waves,

making me hypnotized for a while. 

It's a wonder of human mind,

coming out with this artistry, 

something so mellow, making me sleepy 

as if singing me a lullaby.

An advice

They would be lying,

if they make any promises, 

but without doing persuasions,

there would be suspicions. 

For things you want to hear,

words need to be spoken,

being heartfelt, and genuine,

for it to be convincing. 

But nothing is perfect,

there would be compromises,

you have to create an entrance, 

an opening to your heart. 

Yes, things are uncertain,

there would be reluctance,

It has to be a continuous effort,

to convey their commitment. 

Give it a chance,

I know, you were waiting for long,

being addicted to your solitude,

it's difficult to invite anyone. 

Be more forgiving,

receptive of their perspectives, 

you might accept their idiosyncrasies, 

if they were sincere and honest. 

So, my dear friend,

listen to my advice,

and find someone agreeable, 

putting an end to this arduous wait.