Emptiness

All alone in an empty house
The blustery day ensues
Gray clouds hover
Leaving me feeling blue

Snow drifts and waves

Bare branches wither
A freight train whistles
Icy wind just whips

So this is the culmination

Of 9 years of occupation
22 years of habitation
Of Minnesota-ization

All alone in an empty house

Where memories were made
With many firsts and many lasts
For love, it never failed

a ray of sunshine beams

offering perspective
from the warm room
as it reveals all prospective

the evergreens flash a smile

into my sunny room
there will be new memories
in a new place, a new home.

An empty house it is today

But voices of past echo
I capture them in my heart
And together, away we’ll go.

Up-Rooted

It is time

to say goodbye

to the Polar Vortex

the mountains of snow

black ice drama

lakes and parks we know

 It is time

to gather all around

our bittersweet memories

of walk from the hospital

from obscure surgery

or with our bundle of joy

It is time

to keep it all alive

joys at the museums

applause of the theatres

little kids’ dramas

broadways and concerts

It is time

to pack up

all of the memories

bottle up all the tears

carefully carry them along

look ahead sans fear 

It is time

to Up Root

our warm, humble nest

put the memories in boxes

nestle them in our hearts

             and Re-Root in Texas.

It is just a matter of time…

and friendships extend beyond time.

 

Frosty View

We look far

Overlooking the near

We see beyond

Into the obscure

We peer to the future

Ignoring the here

We listen for high

While low we do not hear

We admire the distant

Neglecting near and dear

We see the sky

So blue and clear

Past the frosted imprints

Nature’s artwork so rare!

 
 
 
 
 

Vibrations

Sun spreads its radiance and I absorb it,

Moon glows in serenity and I sip it,

snowflake pirouettes in silence and I hear it,

dongs bang

bombs explode

atoms collide

universe vibrates into infinity. 

Radiance in her eyes

glow on his face

Their feet twirl together,

bells chime

trains whistle

Mars and Venus smile 
universe vibrates with infinite love. 

Luminous warmth in her innocence

glow of pride in theirs,

parents and baby do the dance of joy,

anklets jingle

rattlers rattle

cells combine

universe vibrates with infinite creation. 

One sun, one moon, one universe

nine planets, seven seas, one mother earth

204 countries, 809 islands, 7 billion humans,

our stars are aligned, our atoms gravitate

to merge or fuse

our paths cross, we walk a distance together and part ways

until…

another path

another lifetime

another space.

It was meant to be.

Just BE!

 

KISMET or DESIGN? - Conclusion

The morning of Ani’s first birthday had started as usual with cries for milk, demands for tea, and a push to get breakfast in her husband’s stomach before he rushed out.  She saw him ride away, on his bicycle, peddling off down the alley, her eyes glued to his back until he turned at the curb.  That was the last she saw him.  Her world came crumbling down when the love of her life, her friend, her husband, the sole breadwinner crashed into a lorry that sped up from a bend around the corner.

Blinking away tears wedged in the corners of her eyes, Radha watched the young couple.  Seeing her mother in the young bride on the platform, her eyes welled up again.  To support the two young girls, her mother had taken on odd jobs cleaning rich homes or taking in laundry.  She worked from sun up to sundown and lived with constant remarks from her mother-in-law.  The sister-in-law had moved out with her husband but the burden of mouths to feed fell on Kanta.  She was determined to get her daughters an education so they would be independent.  Whatever boon or curse future had in store for them, they should never be helpless.

Radha heard the whistle of her train and watched it come closer.  She grabbed her small suitcase and the medical case.  Boarding the train she settled in her corner for the six hour ride to her mother’s village.  Now old and bent over from sweeping so many homes for decades, Kanta lived in her village in her parent’s hut, the only thing left for them to leave for her when they passed on.  Ani lived with her and ran the local school and now Radha will join them as she planned to setup her medical practice.

 The end

KISMET or DESIGN?

The sun shone high and bright igniting the vast space below.  A petite figure sat on a platform bench bathed in radiance.  Her ticket in hand, Radha looked at the grand clock and muttered under her breath, two more hours.  She looked around the small station with its one window ticket counter and a single vendor.  On a round, foldable table he stocked bottled water, soda, gum, packets of chips and candy.  Beside him sat a large tea kettle with a few clay tumblers.

Radha turned her gaze to the other end of the platform where, on a bench sat a young couple.  The petite woman covered in her bridal adornment, her red veil extending over her head, her eyes down to her chin, huddled in her corner.  The young man sporting a groom’s turban sat next to her, his left arm extending protectively behind his bride on the bench.  They did not touch, but in the way his eyes gleamed, her shoulders relaxed next to him, Radha noticed their closeness.  A small trunk sat at her feet, which Radha assumed carried all of the young bride’s possessions, her memories of childhood, and mementos from home.  Perhaps a framed picture of her parents nestled between a hand-knit sweater, an anklet from her mother’s childhood, and a scarf from father’s wardrobe to carry his comforting aroma with her.  A larger trunk stood erect on the side with presumably wedding gifts and mundane possessions.

Radha observed as her eyes glazed over to another time, a different platform. Her parents had travelled alone once, soon after the grand wedding celebration in her mother, Kanta’s village.  Her mother had related the story numerous times about the wedding and how it had been the talk of the village.  An only child, Kanta had been given a lavish sendoff even as it meant lifelong debts for her parents.  After an entertaining wedding celebration, the marriage had succeeded just as splendidly.

First were the awkward, shy moments, then understanding and respect developing into friendship over the months.  When and how that friendship evolved into love, Kanta could not recall.  All she remembered was the sweet laughter, joyous smiles and constant sparkle in her eyes.

A daughter, Radha was born out of that love and soon another, Ani. Kanta recalled those days as her happiest as she reveled in the abundance of love that surrounded her.  She even smiled through the snide remarks of her mother-in-law or hummed over the sarcasm of her sister-in-laws while they all shared a roof and cooked in the same kitchen in a joint family.

To be continued...

New Beginnings

A rumble grew from the depth of the mountain belly and echoed through the forest.  Luminous water streaming down the mountain absorbed the rumble and carried it fluidly down to be immersed into the ocean.  The excursion was short and sweet as the echo skated over river rocks that had been smoothed to perfection over centuries of flow.  Journey of each element lucid, as energies mingled to offer allegiance to the salty air, reverberating lyrically, like a song rising high into blueness of the sky.

Music resounded in the forest where the hibiscus and orchids smiled, as butterflies danced around them and the Mocking birds chanted from a high branch.  It rang in ears of the frogs who croaked to the lizards, which slithered down to the army ants who marched it to the houses on the edge of the forest. The inhabitants on the coast absorbed the melody, before letting it immerse in the ocean to be soaked in with the sea creatures.  People danced on the soft sand and sang, with pride over their land and arrogance over their abundance, as they created more energy.  Charges ignited in the air that even the thunder gods began to pay attention.  Soft, white clouds shoved aside, darkness began to surround as rain-laden clouds hung over the island.

 

All creatures looked above and humbled, retreated to the sanctity of their abodes.  A torrent fell to the earth, cleansing the spirits, making way for fresh air and new beginnings.

Samsara - Conclusion

The bell chimed overhead as she walked in through the front door.  Heads buried in books all around, looked up to glare at a disheveled bag of bones enter the store.  The owner stepped up, shielding the distraught figure from stabbing eyes.  He guided her to the back room, sat her down on a chair, not far from the door she usually entered through.

She related her dilemma, between heaves and sobs.  He listened, offered his handkerchief and a glass of water.  He then reached out and put a strong hand over her head.

Soon she had a roof over her head, clean clothes and a full stomach.  Continuing odd jobs at the store, including shelving and other clerical tasks, she started school.  Every spare minute she spent in the aisles, her nose buried in history or classics.  Her benefactor mentored her through the intricacies of life, helping her grow until the day came when she headed out to college with her mentor’s help and blessings.

While her visions of the farm buried deeper within her, memories of her parents tucked in a special corner of her heart, prominent in her mind remained her gratitude to her mentor.  So it was not a surprise when she blew away a semester in her effort to be by his side in his time of need.  Her vision became blurred and her own life stood still the day she learned of his illness.  Last stages of cancer and no treatment recommended, she stood by his side, holding his hand for he had no one else.

With his last breath he made her promise.  Keep the vision alive! He pleaded.  As her tears escaped and flowed endlessly, her vision grew less blurred and she saw clearly at a future he had envisioned.

Armed with a degree and a bookstore to keep afloat, she blossomed over the years.  Three decades later, a familiar girl walked into the store.  Her cheeks sucked in, twinkle lost in her eyes she walked up to the counter to request a book.  A book she could not afford but needed to buy for her younger sister to stay in school.  Now a store owner, she gave the book for free and took the sisters under her wing…

Samsara – life is a full circle and our connections are beyond the earthly existence. The flow of our journeys is fluid and constant, ever evolving and revolving.

SAMSARA - Part One

She was alone in this world.  Not a soul to call her own.

Her parents had been farmers in their home country.  They toiled the soil with their young hands and worked hard until their stomachs growled louder and muscles throbbed longer.

Their own family perished in the famine.  Left alone on soil that won’t breed anymore they looked to the new world.  Their work-weary hands clutched together as they landed in their land of dreams, their eyes full of hope.

From shops to warehouses to factories, each family member labored day and night.  Three shared a closet in a crowded house in a bustling city.  Large chunk of their wages landed in their landlord’s pockets while they survived on bread alone.  Occasional dips in soupy broth added further nourishment.

First it was mother and her weakened lungs.  The dust on the factory consumed her until she could breathe no more.

Barely a year after her passing, father fell 20 feet.  The fall did not break him and he stood tall and strong.  The open wound from the fall went untreated.  First there was fever and shivers, then the seizures and the gibberish.  He spoke of mansions full of servants, bejeweled princess in her prettiest gown and a grand wedding with a charming prince.  They said he was delirious and it was his time.  She cried all night, with only her thread bare dress to wipe her tears.

She found herself alone on a footpath.  Caring hands over her head were all gone.  Roof over her head was taken away.  Through blurred vision she scanned the streets and blindly walked to the tiny store where she cleaned.


To Be Continued 

Beacon

The light shines up above

over and beyond
is it this world
in another realm?

A beacon of love

perfect but yon’
where I must be
in eternal glee

light shines encompassing all

hiding out all darkness
fluidly, lucidly,
placid, and oh so lovingly

my consciousness rises

to see beyond its veil
is it the metaphysical?
but oh so lyrical...

I have a need to be

floating in eternal bliss,
with no judgment or fear
feeling the presence of all those dear

connections remain

over many lifetimes,
in absence of death
or any kind of dread

time is a vacuum

in this open space
past, present, future,
peacefully azure

love flows like a river

with no direction,
beginning, or an end,
ever-present at every bend

a place that just IS

where I just BE
a place of LOVE
in the realm above.

DOORS - A Refreshing Retort by my dear friend Abha Bhow

Doors open ...

To welcome-in the unsuspecting visitor

May it be a fresh gust of wind

Or the envelope which traversed borders

Or the neighborhood warmth & cheer.

 

One sometimes

Opens doors ...

To see what's within

And to step into another world

Or another's world.

 

Doors hide and reveal

Shut out and Welcome in

Shield and Yield

Doors are just like our minds

They do what we intend them to!

DOORS

Behind closed doors

no one knows
love, cheer, laughter,
tears, fear, disaster.

An epic façade

shutting the world out
today or yesteryears,
confining joys and fears.

A grand, double door

of forgotten pasts
with ancient carvings,
layered in pigeon droppings.

A simple, single door

handle to adorn,
name plate alone,
bidding to humble abode.

Bold red door

welcoming with dread
of charming design,
with all curves aligned.

Doors are the face

put up for the world
what goes on inside,
world is not apprised.