AIN'T NO SAINT

I am angry
I am upset
I rock the boat couple of times more
I am still not a saint, in soul

I debate
I discuss
I have tantrums, at times thrown,
I am still not a saint, in soul

I am hurt
I am disturbed
I feel all that humans go through
I am still not a saint, in soul

I am greedy
I am hungry
I want appreciation two times more
I am still not a saint, in soul

I stink in gold
I stink in silver
I stink in all that is materialistic personified
I am still not a saint, in soul

I am heady
I am mad
I think I AM, all times
I am still not a saint, in soul

I feel elated
I feel delighted
I feel on top of the world
I am still not a saint, in soul

LOVE factor- Decades across

Love in the 50’s
She was invited to a friend’s party
He was invited to a friend’s party
He saw her through the mirror in front
She saw him through the same
He hesitated time and again before asking her name
She looked at the ground and kept drawing with her toes
He proposed to her under the clear moonlit skies
She said NO, shied away behind a wood, and said YES

Love in the 70’s
He had a scarf around his neck
She, a dupatta waving in the breeze
He had a wink in his eyes
She a smile and blink in her eyes
He smiled at her with a rose
She blushed and giggled with gentle strokes
He asked her- Toh tumko mujhse pyaar hain
She said- Nahi nahi nahi….

Love in the 90’s
He in a sleeveless black vest
She in a mini skirt trying to be
He smoking chains in the air
She sipping Coke and eating MacD
He in a sleek Yamaha CBZ
She ready to hug him tight
He asking if she is interested
She saying – is it the bike or you

Love in 2010’
He- Imu
She-mee2
He-howz tonite
She-Old man’s sitting tight
He- FO him alright
She- Why not in your tent

And they say Love still exists…..are we blind to it.

Nature Cries

So I saw the streaming drops
Cleaning the glass panes
A thought struck
Is this purity washing
Perversions that cloud our minds

Does nature tell us something
So openly, yet we remain unawares
Of the pain that nature goes through
Of keeping our surroundings pure

Are we so stuck with our own
We tend to forget Mother Nature
Are we so irreparable now?
Mother Nature cries,
We let go drops waste

Pains of yesterday and today
We will realize tomorrow
When there will be none to cry
And we will just live to die

Life- mystic journey

Traveling through the marshes
Adjusting in the bushes
Some more resilience is needed
Some more patience to depend

What is the reason I am bewildered
Why do I feel, at times, surrendered
What remains in the heart is not known
Why so much of pain is sown?

This phase will pass too
I will feel free too
My heart will remain unperturbed
My fondness will remain ingrained

So this journey is bound to continue
So this life is bound to shine
Through these verses I try to be
Through these lines I read mine

Dedication to class of 86NBWs

Nostalgia seeps into me
When I think of you , oh my friend
Those days of assembly hall prayers
Those days of friendliness with teachers
Nostalgia seeps into me
When I think of you , oh my friend
Those days of smiles and our very little egos
Those days of tensions of scoring better
Nostalgia seeps into me
When I think of you , oh my friend
Those days when my lunch box contained your items
Those days when my teacher was better than yours
Nostalgia seeps into me
When I think of you , oh my friend
Those days when life was waking up early
Those days when unit tests were to make us ready
Nostalgia seeps into me
When I think of you , oh my friend
Let me live them again
Let me revisit
Oh my friend, with you in tow
I can go back to those days for sure.

a tin roofed classroom

tin roof sheds
mats on the floors
voices a plenty u hear in and around
watching them watch you
smiling at their welcome
looking at the innocence
you feel cleansed
a shaded dark cooking spot
where food to be served is
open garbage bins lying all over
stinking restrooms besides
how are they to read and write
how are they to be citizens worthwhile
what is done to keep them alive
what is done to keep them loved
teachers try their best - one can see
but restoration is the key
how can u have kids under trees
in the heat that drenches ur crease
still reading, still smiling
still they are alive
still they have a hope
of some day help will arrive
for some more days they will survive

the heat, the sweat and the chennai sun

the heat beats on the chennai sands,
the sun hits on the chennai lands,
what is it with the sun and the city,
is it the love of the sands
or the sweat bands
every stroll i take
beads of sweat decorates my forehead
every huff i take
hot waves reverberate
god i feel- how they survive
for me i am just alive
this summer its eating into my head
even after lots of juices fed
life is a lot easier
inside an aircooler
but thousands travel distances afar
and suffer the brunt of Sun God's wrath
Life still goes on for all