Train Journey

Chugging along with varying velocity ,
It offers a window to India's diversity .
Through the windows is seen .
The India that I heard of , but remained unseen .

An India that consists of villages and lush fields .
And rows of crops with rich yields .
Cows and buffaloes , hens and cocks .
Dense forests , hills and boulders and rocks.

Trees with branches long and snaking .
Many grasses , some green and some yellowing .
Underneath a bridge , flows a wide river .
On the waters , float many a streamer .

There are ghettos and there are slums .
Now the view looks pretty glum .
Poverty is stark all around .
I can see that I've landed on the ground.

There are giagantic factories with heavy machinery
They are the spoilers of the tranquil scenery .
The chimneys belch out so much smoke ,
I'm surprised that life hasn't choked.

The station edges near and near .
The platform becomes more clear .
Signalling an end of a long sojourn .
Bringing a full stop to this train journey .

Death

It somes slowly
Creeping towards you like a lizard on the wall
With soft steps
That become louder as the feet progress .

It's an occurence far away ,
Your near and dear does it steal away .
When they're stolen with might you grieve
Your own demise you can't perceive .

But about that occasion you often ponder .
"What happens then ?",Do you often wonder .
"Where will it lead me to?"
"Is there life after death ?Is it true ?"

The prospect of death scares you too .
When in some form or the other it glares at you .
You know your moments are measured and few .
Neither do you want life snatched away from you .

But sometimes it is an unimaginable blow .
You don't expect it at all .
It doesn't bother to warn .
An accident's disguise does it often don .

Sometimes it just approaches you ,
Taking you in it's dark caress , which becomes a tight grip .
But fortunately it releases it's grip on you
And leaves you free , only to take you again .

Now death is far away .
You don't worry about it night and day .
But it just flits across like a thought
A new zeal to live has it brought .

Is death as frightening as it's made to be ?
Time will tell and we'll see.

Birthdays

Another year has come and gone ,
Another birthday has finally dawned .
Bringing with it a new chapter of life ,

How I wish , a child I should be forever
To be weighed down with responsibilities never .
To be enclosed in safety's bosom ,
In a place where life is a bed of roses and a shower of blossoms .

But a part of me wants to grow
Seeds of opportunities in life's soil , I'm willing to sow .
Even if I have to encounter bugs and pests and rocks and stones .
The difficulties will never never break my spirit , even if they break my bones .

But life is a constant tug of war .
Am I a child or an adult ? I am not so sure .
Sometimes I want to be safe and sound .
But I also want to live a life of responsibility , I have found .

I am going to take everything in my stride .
Sometimes I'll swim along , or I'll direct life's tide .
I'll be cared for and I will care .
I'll absorb all there is and all what I have , I'll share .

A Boring Class

Yawn !! , I am in the middle of this boring class .
How I wish it would get over fast .
The teacher is going on and on and on ,
About some alien concept that's making me yawn .

Why can't i get out of here ?
If i do , my fate i'll fear .
God , when will the bell ring ?
I'm waiting for the sound of that joy inducing ting - ting .

How i wish she'll go mad and dance .
But no , of that there isn't a chance .
She is too sane for her own good .
This glaring truth is spoiling my mood .

Perhaps the loudspeaker will fall on her head .
Then for good she'll pass out , and be stuck in bed .
Wouln't it be excellent if she wouldn't return forever .
But this idea is not too clever .

Because the loudspeaker is too steadily fixed to the wall .
Of it's fall , there is no chance at all .
Okay then , forget it .
If she finds out what i am dreaming , she'll throw a fit .

Ouch ! What has hit my head ?
" It is a chalk " , my partner has said .
I say , " From where ? "
She says , " There "

She points towards the teacher in rage .
Who now looks like a tiger in a cage .
She looks at me with an expression such
That I regret my inattention very much .

She says to me , " You dreamer , get out of my class "
I think , " Yipee !! In fun my day will pass "
Just as I am on my way out ,
I hear her shout .

" Don't children have manners ?
Can't they say sorry when they err ? "
Just before she plunges into a lecture , rings the bell .
Finally , some relief from hell .

I am not Alone

I am not alone .
The world is filled with my kith and kin .
I am not alone .
Perhaps the story of our life is different
But the path is the same .
The pursuits aren't so
Some may want riches or wealth .
Some may seek knowledge
A few may strive towards fame
Some inch towards excellence
While a few desire peace and health .
But all want eternal happiness , don't they ?
All go through those brief moments of happiness
And those moments of anger and pain
Those moments of wonder
The few moments of realisation
And painful experiences of humiliation .
Therefore , I am not alone .
Yes , those feelings strike us at different times .
The circumstances aren't the same .
But there are also those feelings of unity
Those strong waves of togetherness .
A strife exists still
when the differences are made stark and similarities discarded
Maybe this strife may end
When humanity breaks down the walls of differences
And we embrace each other as we are
No matter what the intricacies of the character
Then maybe everyone will be saying
We are alike so I am not alone .

Why doesn't life give them a second chance ?

Why do some babies die ,
even before they learn to cry ?
Why do a select few birds fall from the sky ,
when the first time they decide to spread their wings , into the open sky .
Why are there eggs that never hatch ?
Or crops that don't grow from a well prepared patch ?
Why do some flowers wilt before they bloom ?
Why by danger are all lives doomed ?
So many dreams are crushed ,
When the life from a body is flushed .
So many missions crash before they start ,
leaving behind gloom in the dreamers heart .
Why does life choose a few and not all ?
Why even before their rise , do some fall .
Fall so badly that they never rise again .
It is difficult to get the hope to rise again .
Why doesn't life
Give those seeds the chance to bloom and rise ?
Why doen't it give them a second chance ?

A New Year Wish

The tree has shed it's old leaves ,
now it's branches are bare .
I'm waiting for that golden moment ,
when my vision , of the shoots of a challenge , gets a proper share .
A challenge so insurmountable ,
that it takes every ounce of energy I have .
A challenge which makes me wise and able ,
which I feel does difficulty enable .
This challenge should elude me .
Huge and mountanious it should be .
Just when the summit is in sight ,
there is more to climb , realise I might .
It matters not whether the summit I reach ,
But I should get something to learn and something to teach .
I don't want medals , i don't want an award .
The immense satisfaction of learning and improving will be my only reward .