HOW I WISH!

 

How I wish 

How I wish I never brought a tear to your eye,  

That I didn't have to erase your smile;

How I wish you always had your way, 

And you never felt abandoned any day... 

How I wish you knew I hate the word NO, 

And I could let you engage in all that you want to do;

How I wish I never had to raise my brow, 

Or speak to you in a tone that made you curl in your burrow. 

How I wish I could let you sleep on cold wintry mornings and skip school;

How I wish I did not have to make you sit up to finish homework that's sometimes so uncool. 

How I wish you could feel the warmth of my heart that lies beneath the coat of steel, 

How I wish you knew that being a mother, I can't let you loose on a freewheel. 

How I wish you realise someday when I may be far away, 

That each act of mine was only to make you and your life worthy every day. 

Covid - A wake-up call

 

Call it a virus, a contagion, a sham or scam, 

Covid got us under a roof, away from the glitz and glam;

Before we embrace the new normal, let us take the reality check, 

Shirk off the hoods of denial and distress and the pangs of distance or pain of wreck;

A walk down the timeline shall reveal how for eons we turned blind and deaf

Taking life for granted, be it the Nature, mankind or the Self. 

Cried out the Earth we walked up on and the air we inhaled, 

When greenery around was replaced with black fumes that were exhaled;

Wept the waters when clogged with filth, be it discharge from a body or a factory, 

Disbanded were the flocks of animals or birds, when rendered homeless and hungry;

Neither did we pause to soak in their tears, 

Not did we rise to the moment to atone for our sins. 

Our abode that brought us love and peace, care and comfort, 

The family that stood in silence, in each moment of triumph or defeat;

Felt low when snubbed, snapped or disgraced, 

Yet didn't utter a grudging word or throw a grimace;

Not too late to shed the guilt and fear, 

And come home to an embrace of longing and cheer. 

In our scramble to success, it wasn't just Mother Earth or Nature who swam the tide, 

Much as we drifted away from family and friends, we also took the self for a jolly ride;

Sunk the hobbies and passions, in our sweaty pursuit to power and worldly pleasure;

Isn't it time now to hear the alarm ringing within, to break away from pressure, 

As nothing stays with us forever, be it a smile or a tear;

So why not choose the present over the future, today or never? 

An ode to 2020

At the crack of the first dawn,  

amidst the banter and the clatter;

We bid adieu to another year

and open a new chapter.

But as we exchange greetings and forwards

With our kith and kin, and friends on the web;

The heavy heart sighs and concedes

the lacuna of few loved ones and their familiar hubbub. 

As we look forward to cross over from the virtual periphery,

A mixed bag of angst, fear and caution tugs at the heartstrings;

Memories of the year spent in solitude and simplicity

Refuse to leave us unfettered and cheery.

While we may not see the light yet at the end of the tunnel

Let us remember how far we have swum along the tide;

Let us not allow the gloom to dwarf our hope, faith and belief 

That the new dawn may steer us closer to the shores of love and life.