ME!

 

I hurt, so you must care.

I hurt, if you don’t do this or that, I am angry.

I hurt, if you don’t humour me, it means you don’t care.

I hurt, thus I am diminished and fragile.

 

I hurt, so I am in need of constant delicate care.

I hurt, please be at my service.

I hurt, so your needs met; I don’t care.

I hurt, thus what I want is a law, a priority.

 

If I didn’t hurt, I would care.

I do hurt, so for now, all eyes on me.

The rest around me is beyond my care.

The responsibility to deal with you all, I can’t bare.

 

WORTHY!

 

It is funny how love goes.

When the soaring, turns sour.

When the heady, turns hateful.

When the gentleness, turns gruesome.

 

You stay laying there.

Wallow in self-pity.

Whining, wailing, pitifully.

Waiting, in agony.

 

You hope they turn, with a loving glance at you.

You hope they realize, how valuable you are.

You hope they repent, regret, tearing, hurting, breaking you.

You yearn, wait, languish, hope to no avail.

 

They walk away calmly.

They walk whistling a lively tune.

They walk without a backward glance.

They ignore the wallowing, whining, pitiful you.

 

Merely walking away, turning the pages, letting the curtain fall.

 

Will you stay down?

Will you let you down?

Will you give up on you?

Will you abandon, turn away from you?

 

Walk towards yourself.

Turn over a new leaf.

It’s time to raise the curtain.

You are worth it.

 

Love, you! 

 

ADVANCE!

 

I cannot give up.

I cannot give in.

I cannot let despair creep up on me.

I cannot go down and cave in.

 

Live? I must.

Survive? Without a doubt.

Thrive is the name of the game.

Down? Up is the way now.

 

LIVE THIS YEAR, MY DEAR!

 

Dream on, dear.

Dream big.

Dream crazy.

Dream impossible.

 

Reach out.

Latch onto, dear.

Never letting go of this crazy possibility.

Keep it close, dear.

 

Outwards.

Inwards.

Upwards.

Always.

 

Run for it.

Run after it.

Run with it.

Run, run, run.

 

Expand.

Extend.

Expel.

Dispel.

 

Expand your possibilities, aim for the stars, reject limitations.

Extend your horizon, look up and banish negative thoughts.

Dispel the doubts that assail and torment.

Expel the naysayers, who discourage, diminish.

 

Dreamer, dream on dear, don’t stop.

Hold onto it tightly, don’t let it slip away.

Keep the dream alive and thus live.

Don’t exist!!

 

STAND STRONG!

 

I rushed home and turned on the radio.

I heard about the solemn march of my peers.

 

They did not give in to fear.

They stood firm and shed a tear.

They vowed to let the whole world hear.

That, though the killing of colleagues dear.

Had made their hearts profoundly fear.

Had made them, against violence to forswear.

They would still let nothing steer.

Nor move them from the goal that was dear.

They wouldn’t turn away, from the purpose that was clear.

 

Standing firm, they affirm that all life is precious.

Therefore, nothing will ever justify destroying it.

 

RAW GEM!

There is a miracle in me.

That is what she said.

I held onto those words.

I latched on, like a drowning man to a raft.

 

What did she see in me?

That she would say such a thing?

What precious gem is there?

Locked inside this earthen vessel, called me.

 

I roll it in my mind.

I look at it from all angles.

I look back at her perplexed.

Why don’t I see what she saw?

 

She looks deep into my eyes.

She looks straight to my soul.

She smiles and whispers to me.

If you don’t believe you are, you’ll never see what I see.

 

For, I believe in you.

You are a miracle.

 

MY DEAR LIFE!

Life, how are you?

What are you?

Who are you?

Where are you taking me?

 

My life, you take me on a roller-coaster.

You bring me up.

To throw me down.

These highs and lows are driving me berserk!

 

Life, why leave me empty?

You make me yearn for something more.

You dangle a treasure beyond my reach.

Life, oh life, do share the treasure and let me live!

 

NO ESCAPE!

Wow!

It doesn’t matter which way I look.

It’s always there.

There is no escape.

Tell me.

How do I run away?

How can I escape from myself?

It doesn’t matter how hard I try.

It doesn’t matter wherever I go.

There I am!

FACADE!

She laughs a lot.

She shouts a lot.

She cries a lot.

She yells a lot.

 

She has no middle ground.

She goes all out.

She goes the extra mile.

She pours herself out.

 

She’s empty often.

She’s lonely always.

She’s mistaken sometimes.

She keeps it all in.

 

She is self-sufficient.

She is resilient.

She is a fighter.

She takes it all well, you think. 

 

She bounces back up from all.

Unscathed, whole, uninjured.

It’s a mirage; all is make believe.

She morphs, she changes.

 

She is a crab.

Hard on the outside and soft inside.

She is an oyster.

The hard shell guards the soft flesh within.

 

The soft, delicate flesh of her yearning heart jealously guarded.

 

She smiles a lot.

She laughs a lot.

She jokes a lot.

She listens a lot.

 

Don’t let these different facets fool you. 

For she is hiding, in plain sight.

 

OH! THAT TIME OF YEAR

Ding dong.

Bells are ringing.

Choirs are singing.

Streets lighted.

 

It’s that time of year again.

It’s the same old story.

It’s a frantic rush, to get the present, the gift.

Preparing us a meal, the perfect feast is urgent.

 

It’s strange how this time of the year,

We sing about sharing good cheer.

Yet, many are shipwrecked.

Many are forgotten.

 

Oh, how strange it is.

 

That when there is so much light around us.

There are many hidden in plain sight.

They’re sidelined, abandoned by me, by us.

For it is dark beneath our lamp.

 

Our tables are full.

Their tummies are empty.

Our bags overflow with gifts.

Their hands are empty.

 

Our soul longs for more.

Their soul longs for more.

 

We meet at the same place.

We yearn for a soul that is not lean.

We desire a soul that is well fed.

We feed on the same thing.

 

These are our nourishment:

Love, companionship, healthy relationships, 

benevolence.

Wholeness we so hunger for deep inside.

 

So, ding dong bell.

Open my soul.

Lights bright.

Brighten my heart.

 

Gifts abundant.

May I share more.

Sharing fills me up.

When I give, I receive.

 

It is that time of year again.

Season greeting.

Sharing and being of good cheer.

We reach out to receive more.

 

Oh, may we, may I, open my heart and genuinely care.

 

A STATEMENT!

She is three in one, or maybe even more.

 

She’s unapologetic, unwavering.

She morphs, transforms.

She peels off layers.

She adorns new ones.

 

She is more than a woman.

She is a queen.

She is a girl at heart.

She is a princess.

 

She is reserved.

She is water.

She is fierce.

She is fire.

 

She is the wind.

She is independent.

She is nourishment.

She is a mother.

 

She is free.

She is a cat.

She is wild.

She is a lioness.

 

With each transformation, she puts on her armour.

 

She puts on her adornment.

She wears her precious makeup.

She puts on her statement, her lipstick.

She adorns her lips and morphs.

 

Read her lips, and you will know who she is today.

Are you game? 

 

SHOW ME!

I want you.

Not the frills and things, you offer me.

I want you.

Not your money

 

Yes, your time.

Yes, your presence.

Yes, your smile.

Yes, your whole being!

 

I want you to inhabit the moment.

Share your brokenness, your mistakes.

I want you to show me how to laugh at myself when I fail.

Share your discouragement and comeback moments, after failing.

 

Teach me how to love me.

I learn when I see the way you love yourself.

I see it in the way you interact with me.

So, be entirely and naturally you.

 

That way, dear parent,  I will finally be me.

DREAM ON!

Long tunnel.

What a lonely, dark, dreary tunnel I am inside.

An endless tunnel that twists and turns.

What an oppressive tunnel I am navigating.

 

How long must I walk?

How long must I tread?

How long must I dread?

How long must I balk?

 

Dreams shattered.

Dreams withered.

Dreams evaporate.

Dreams dried up.

 

Like dew drops in the noonday sun.

 

I scream.

I cry.

I yell.

I groan.

 

Oh, my dear dream.

 

Let you go; I can’t.

No matter how far you seem.

No matter how futile you appear.

No matter how stupid I seem.

 

For you see, dear dream.

 

You are my lifeline.

You make me see life differently.

You reveal to me new possibilities.

You make me come alive.

 

Lonely, yes.

All alone.

Misunderstood, yes.

Disregarded sometimes.

 

Even most of the times!

 

But dream on, I will.

Fail forward is the motto.

One day, at a time.

One dream moment, after the other.

 

So, let’s go, dear dream.

Let’s conquer the world.

Reveal to me, who I am.

Let’s be the best of who we are!

LIFE!

You are a fragile shoot.

Snuffed out in an instant.

You are a tenacious weed.

You stubbornly hold on.

You don’t let go, till your last breath expires.

 

Oh, life!

 

You are high.

You are low.

You are a joy.

You are a pain.

 

You are plenty.

You are lack.

You bring happiness.

You are sadness.

 

You are companionship.

You are loneliness.

You are calm and appeased.

You are mad and enraged.

 

Oh, life!

 

You span short.

You flow long and broad.

You are so hard to grasp.

You are untameable.

You are elusive, like holding the wind.

 

WORK OUT!

She hurled angry, resentful words.

She wanted to rip off his face.

The laid-back demeanour he portrayed.

The calm and collected air he exuded.

 

She wanted him to react.

She needed him to act.

He had been passive for a while.

He had been grating on her nerves for some time.

 

It takes two to tango.

She knew that.

Disrespect was his fault.

Did she respect him?

 

Facing herself now, she must.

Stay the same, an option no more.

Facing each other’s core is a must.

Healing together is their joint goal.

 

IT ALL COUNTS

Number my moments.

Number my comments.

Number my torments.

Number my adornments.

 

These precious people, I have in my life.

Precious Moments, I experience.

These precious things that embellish my life

Valuable opportunities, I have.

 

These precious moments make my day worthwhile.

They make my life worth living.

They make my heart glad.

They make my soul rested and peaceful.

 

Numbering, Accounting for each moment.

I make the most of my time.

For each moment counts.

PERCEPTION

Who am I?

 

Am I what you think I am?

Am I what you say I am?

Am I what I think, you think I am?

Am I what I think I am?

 

Who calls the shots?

Why do I bend over backward? 

To do what I think, you would want me to do.

To do what they, would want me to do.

 

Who are they?

I do wonder.

They are nameless and faceless.

They dictate my life, don’t they?

 

They decide what is in and what is out.

They decide what is trending and what is not.

Or do they?

Do they care that much about my life?

 

Aren’t they caught up in their own life?

 

So, who am I?

I am what I think I am.

My life will go in the direction of my dominant thoughts.

So, what do I think about myself?

 

What do I tell me about me?

How do I see myself?

Do I even like myself?

If I don’t, who will?

 

I stand.

I decide.

I move forward.

I jump.

 

It is time.

No one can do it for me.

 

So dear me, stand up and be you.

Be the best you, you know how to be.

That is what matters.

So help me God!

 

 

 

 

MOMMY!

Crying, baby.

Child, wailing.

Screaming, baby.

Throw, tantrums.

 

Managing, juggling.

Staying calm.

Stay in control, is the name of the game.

Make it all work.

 

Nerves taut and tensed.

Come unravelling.

Measured, controlled voice.

Shouting, shrilly.

 

Well laid plans come crashing down.

Bewildered exhausted mum.

She stares woefully.

She looks helplessly at the wailing child.

 

IT CAME TO PASS

It’s heavy.

Your back’s against the wall.

You are losing your mind.

Your sanity’s slipping away.

 

You deny yourself sleep.

You deprive yourself peaceful slumber.

You deny yourself a healthy meal.

You enjoy no balanced nourishment.

 

You deny yourself a relationship.

You deprive yourself any close rapport.

You shut yourself in, no one allowed.

You shut them all out.

 

Oh, do live one day at a time.

Take it, one hour at a time.

Walk, one minute at a time.

Move forward, one second at a time.

 

When you can’t move forward, keep going.

When you’ve lost all hope, keep going.

When all your strength is gone, keep going.

When it hurts like crazy, keep going.

 

Keep moving, even when you’ve hit rock bottom.

Keep moving, one step at a time.

Keep moving, even if you only slither, wriggle.

Keep moving, one desperate crawl at a time.

 

For my dear friend, it all came to pass.

Yes, this too shall pass.