Pressures And Deadlines

This is an old handwritten poem salvaged by my mother today. I am hoping to find countless old poems written on paper. 

My Sassy Girl

I am healed 

After years of misery

Gifted by those girls 

Who left me for new pastures

They had their fair reasons 

They believed that I will be alright

But I ended up with depression 

Now I am alone 

I need a sassy girl 

Different from those who left me 

Someone who could bring new 

Experiences of my dull life 

Someone, with whom I could explore 

The places I have never visited before 

Someone, with whom I could write 

Poetries of love and romance 

Someone, who will be a companion 

For the rest of my life 

After listening to the song 'I Believe' from my favourite Korean movie 'My Sassy Girl, I wished to write a poem. The image is taken from SoundCloud.

Mysterious Well

 An abandoned well 

Inside a forest 

Attached to an old temple 

There was no water for centuries

As it was filled with earth over the time 

Astrologers predicted that there is a hidden treasure 

Beneath the layers of the earth in the well 

Some treasure hunters left behind the tools 

Besides the heaps of earth, they removed 

From the well, might be in dismay 

The natives were amused to see water 

During their lifetime in this well 

Native temple devotees see no reason 

To dig the well again  for water 

It might have taken so many days 

To remove that much earth from the well 

Police are now looking for the culprits 

It seems that the treasure hunters failed 

In finding the treasure in the well 

The well is attracting curious visitors now 

This poem is based on a piece of news I saw. The image is taken from mathrubhumi

My Percussion Dreams

 I focus on the layers of drum beats 

When I listen to the songs 

I started my tryst with percussion 

By making beats on a wooden bench

As a kid, emulating tabla in mind 

Given my interest, my father let me learn tabla

I loved those fast notes and tried to grasp

But I was bad at byhearting the notes 

So my learning was slow 

I was so insecure about my tabla skills

That I skipped meeting the legendary singer Yesudas

When he came to meet the music students

It remains a regret that I didn't play for him

When the high school became more important

I had to take a break from the lessons 

I did perform before audiences 

With contrasting  fortunes

I used to jam along with some nice beaty songs 

Then I fell in love with drums 

Bought drum sticks and joined a class

After learning the basics for a few months I quit 

I have two pairs of drum sticks waiting for me to play

Maybe I will learn drums again

And fix the tabla to play it again 

As beats in songs still slip my heart to beat the desk

And I dream to play beats in front of an audience again

Most people follow their musical aspirations. I have left my percussion learning midway. The beats of songs still lure me to try beating the desk. I want to make up for an embarrassing tabla performance in front of a packed audience someday. The images are taken by Carlos Castilla and By Heaven. 

Internet Explorer

 

Goodbye to Internet Explorer

I still remember the first time I went 

To an internet cafe with a friend 

To create an email id 

The slow buffering browser became

A part of my life 

As it was installed as the primary browser

In most the places

You had the monopoly as you came with MS Windows

When I had a monthly internet browsing card

I used to sift through countless web pages 

Checking for sports and other news 

While chatting on some messenger 

I remember browsing at home through 

Dial-up internet at home 

You buffered eternally slow 

While I searched for engineering topics

For my presentation  at college 

Then I moved on to other internet browsers 

With the availability of broadband internet 

But still browsed with you for nostalgia at times

Your monopoly ended when Opera, Mozilla, and Chrome 

Made inroads into the browsers' landscape 

Now that you're gone

I must say, you were very underappreciated

For the job you did during the internet revolution

Though internet explorer was hated by the people due to its slowness and bad features, it played a huge role in the internet revolution. Its monopoly was down to the fact that it came with the Microsoft operating systems and most of the computers had Microsoft OS. People craved better browsers with better features. Microsoft was eternally slow to update IE and others made better browsers and IE ended up in the bin. Microsoft opted to create Bing and IE was bound for ignominy.  

Air Quality

The weather app informs me 

That the air quality is good 

It made me wonder

When did the air become toxic here?

With a canopy of coconut trees around

With plenty of creepers and plants on the ground 

Wind lashing out from the ocean frequently 

Endless rains for weeks every year 

The air was always relatively safe 

But with the growth in the number of vehicles

Maybe, there is some change in air quality 

But I hope that the ocean and rain will keep

The air refreshed 

At least in this small city 

 I have seen the accumulation of black soil 

On the floors in some other cities 

I have felt the breathing of black soot and soil 

Where construction materials create dust 

As the cities grow vertically with high-rise buildings 

Also the millions of vehicles spitting greenhouse gases 

They are still safer than some megacities 

That requires air filters at home 

Electric vehicles alone won't improve air quality 

The industries need to reduce pollution drastically 

Else we will end up living in toxic gas chambers 

Susceptible to lung diseases and other illnesses 

This poem is inspired by the air-quality information I started receiving from an app on my laptop. I was surprised to receive the air quality information. As the air here is relatively cleaner compared to bigger cities. The images are taken by cleanairpartners and breathepa. 

Runaway Wedding

 

I romanticized the runaway wedding 

Breaking away from the societal conventions 

I didn't want an arranged marriage 

And life with a total stranger 

With a decision on a partner taken 

With mere minutes of meeting and conversation

Nor I want to be bought by dowry 

But the girl I loved, chose to run away from me 

And not risk being ostracised by the family 

By marrying me, after six years of friendship 

I still see families avoiding their beloved kids

For marrying someone they loved 

Not talking, not meeting, and not giving properties 

Some families relent after seeing the smiles of 

Their grandkids, they welcome back their kids 

With the runaway weddings involving

Different caste, class, and religion

Many get killed for the honour of the family

More than love for their kids

They take pride in their societal status 

People might cite the failure of many love marriages 

But, I have seen arranged marriages that are hell

People remain stuck in abusive and unloved relation 

For the sake of kids or for the sake of family pride    

I wonder when will the society of my country 

Rise above the societal norms and accept love marriages 

I have come across couples who ran away and got married and led nice life. But my society and relatives are still not very evolved to accept love marriages. The ostracisation of the girl or guy for marrying someone out of caste, class or religion is still a reality. The honor killing of young guys and girls is also prevalent in my country. The image was snapped by Lorna. 

Bridge of Words

 

A

 bridge 

of words 

Built between hearts 

Living continents apart 

A friendship of the digital age 

There is no voice or visual treats 

Like a good old pen-friendship 

Without the paper and pen 

The inboxes of social media 

With meaningful emojis' 

Conveying the emotions 

Without words at times 

Reading the creativity 

With a like or comment 

Without sharing the stories of life 

Without opening the hurts of past 

Yet good conversations evolve 

Over the beliefs and thoughts 

Poems and real-world issues 

Fifteen years of online friendships

Have evolved my mind into detachment 

And enjoy the moments with words 

Without expectations that plagued 

The growth of long-term friendships 

 

I feel that I have evolved in terms of online friendships from 2007. From Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, and many other social media platforms, I found different friends over the years. I am still in touch with some friends from Orkut. Others just faded away with time. Then I came across liberals on Facebook. I am coming across nice writers and poets on Twitter and Instagram.  The image is taken from gapatton. 

A Reflection

 

Alongside a birthday greeting 

Someone left me some questions to reflect 

Reduction in dosage of depression medicines 

Stood out as the best thing that happened in a year 

I learned a part of the work that I struggled with for years  

I wish to be less dependent on medicines and join an office 

I hope to handle the market research reports on my own 

I do not have lofty ambitions to achieve in a year 

My depression dictates the success of my efforts

Writing poems again gives me a glimmer of hope

To follow my dreams with strength 

This poem is based on some questions given by a friend to reflect on the occasion of my birthday. It did make me realize that I have come a long way in the last year. My aims for the next year are simple. But it will depend on how I am able to tame my depression. The images are snapped by Kevin Noble and   Nikhita Singhal. 

Murky Ending

You were pith and beautiful 

I was not a beast or a killer

You turned me into a villain 

In front of your loved ones 

I wish I had a lot of sugar to 

Coat my words to appease 

The fragile ego of your mind 

You insidiously sailed away 

Without delving Into the issues

You crafted and didn't address 

That halted all the wings of our 

Openness and mutual emotions 

You were in a hurry to close the 

The door of reconciliation forever 

To find pastures anew so early 

Leaving muddy tragedies for me

 These  prompts #2WordPrompt #Crowstales #Moonmystic #Bravewrite #FlexVSS #WIPwordsearch #Converstory #TrickyTues #BookishTues #vsspoem #vssdaily #vssmagic and #vssink on Twitter helped me in sculpting this poem. The picture is snapped by Brooke Cagle.

FIFA Gaming

 As a college student 

I found myself on football ground often

Playing the game with my college mates

When I got my first Computer 

My craze for gaming started with FIFA

Playing with my favourite team Manchester United 

My friends used to come over for multiplayer games

That was competitive and fun during the evenings 

Then I got fascinated about starting from the lower league

Building the club through the leagues to the top league

Then playing the continental club competitions 

It was thrilling to play with unknown players

And make them worthy over the time

Then the art of buying and selling players 

To ultimately build a team full of stars 

Simulating some games along the way 

And playing the glamour games with excitement 

My keyboard keys were worn-out with excessive use

I have lived in ecstasy playing FIFA many a night

Without any girl in my life and the troubles

I had an addiction to playing FIFA for years

Now it has been a decade since I've played it!

This poem is purely based on my nostalgia for playing EA Sports FIFA games. Since I came out of my addiction, I don't feel like playing again. Images are taken from Google. 

Earthship

A self-sustainable home  

Amidst the arid and desert areas

Walls are erected 

By ramming soil on old tyres 

Filling old glass bottles and cans 

Binding it with  soil, mud, and other binders

A long sloped roof to the back 

Wooden support and structure 

A linear building from the front 

With huge glass panes to 

Welcome all the sunshine 

The backyard is filled with soil to make slopes

It and the wall act as thermal storage 

Releases heat on cooler nights 

The Greenhouse in the building 

Grows vegetables and fruits 

It helps in bringing fresh oxygen 

The rainwater from the roofs fills 

The water storage tanks to meet the water needs

Grey water from kitchen, bathroom, and sinks

Goes through natural filtration beneath 

The bed of plants and provide water to them 

Then it is recirculated to flush the toilet 

Even the septic tank sludge is used for

Making manure for the plants and trees outside 

The solar panels and wind turbines make

Off-grid life as a reality in a society

Away from the hustles of cities 

The piping systems from the rooms to the 

Lower slope areas help in the recirculation of fresh air

With temperatures varying with the climate 

 A sustainable house that could reduce carbon emissions

With the usage of wasted materials and renewable energy

It is now sustainable in tropics and rainy areas too

With the use of different materials to cope with local climate 

This poem is based on countless documentaries and videos about earth ships I saw over the years. It is remarkable that wasted materials like old tyres, glass bottles, and beer or soft drinks cans among others can make a sustainable home. Earthships, with advanced designs, provide comfortable living with off-grid energy and sustainable water usage. This is ideal for those who wish to live amidst nature and lead a sustainable lifestyle. The images were taken by Earthship Biotecture Australia and Claire Carrion. 

Love And Reality

 

I am no younger

I am closer to my forties 

The ladies of my age are married  

I do miss a good company of a lady

I wonder if I will fall in love ever again

The heartbreaks that shaped my present 

The loss of opportunities due to depression 

I wonder If I could trust another woman 

To bring hope and seal my healed heart 

Maybe, I am averse to taking a risk

Without sorting out my finances 

To not to be in a situation again 

Where I cannot afford the lady

Nor win over her family 

I wonder why I come across 

Nice ladies from far away places

I write poems about my crushes 

My heart is hardened to stop there 

I would leave my native someday 

Like I attempted five times in the last decade 

I don't wish to raise a kid given my mental health

I don't know If I will come across a woman 

Who will make me wish to build a home! 

The poem is inspired by the prompt  #Satsplat .  The image was taken by Travis Grossen

Waking Up To The Sound Of Rain

 Waking up to the sound of rain 

On a rare dawn 

Brought disappointment of 

Missing out on the sunrise 

Which I crave to see a lot 

The breeze brought 

The fragrance of guava flowers

The teak leaves on neighbour's plot 

Flaunted happily with the breeze 

This is not monsoon yet 

Pre-monsoon showers 

Teasing about endless rains 

That could lash in the coming weeks

And the heavy winds from the sea 

I am lost in the thought of waterproofing 

As long summer showers have dampened 

Some of the walls in my home 

The sound of a small bird intrigued me 

It is trying to engage with its partner 

Sitting in a faraway tree 

It seems rain evaporated into the thin air

As sunshine is making its way back to the greens

Rain woke me earlier than usual. The prompt #FromOneLine generated a poetic seed. I wrote the thoughts evoked by it in this poem. Images from JD Nightbot and Relaxing Sounds Of Nature

3-D Printed Homes

As the demand for social housing 

Shoots up in many countries

The waiting list of council homes

Increasing with each year 

The number of homeless people in 

The streets increasing significantly 

Even in the developed countries 

There is a need for faster construction 

Of homes that need to withstand 

The climate change effects 

Large 3-D printing machines can 

Build a floor of houses within days 

All sorts of complex structures are 

Built with 3-D printing technology 

3-D printed homes made with concrete,

Hempcrete, and other materials show 

Good thermal and insulation properties Make homes cooler inside in hot areas 

Cost savings are possible with no plastering, With lesser manual work 

Multiple homes can be constructed faster 

It can solve social housing issues 

If governments adopt this technology 

It is ideal for constructing small houses 

3-D printed homes could be a cheaper solution for social housing demands. Hempcrete based 3-D printing can be sustainable solution for none availability of sand. Basic structures printing only need human supervision and providing the material. It eliminates labour costs significantly. Avoiding plastering can also provide cost savings.  ASME and The Guardian

Being Speechless

I went through 

Two weeks of horror 

Of being speechless

As my psychiatrist 

Misdiagnosed my 

sleep deprivation for 

a week as psychotic 

The drugs he prescribed 

Made me speech impaired 

It affected other organs too

I struggled to talk to anyone 

I feared if I could ever speak again

Even as the psychiatrist gave

Assurance of regaining voice 

As my friend enquired about 

The nature of the medicines 

And that it didn't improve 

The psychiatrist told me to stop using 

The medication in three days 

Slowly, I could talk again 

I was stuttering and 

Words were not clear

I had to tell repeatedly 

Loudly for others 

To understand what I meant 

An auto driver mistook me 

For a drunkard, and refused

To give me a ride to the market 

I had to convince him that 

It's the side effect of psychiatric drug 

I had to tell the same to everyone 

I interacted with in shops and in public 

Though it improved significantly

It wasn't the same and I needed recovery 

Thankfully my cousin took me to meet 

A new psychiatrist, who changed 

My medications to less potent ones 

And I was able to talk fluently again 

This poem is based on my real-life experience. I realized the importance of being able to speak to convey things to the people around me. Psychiatric/psychotic drugs can affect the functioning of different abilities and even organs of humans. The wrong diagnosis by the psychiatrist led to me being unable to speak properly for a couple of weeks. But those two weeks was the most challenging period of my life. Those drugs affected my sexual organ too. The psychiatrist told me about the side-effects of the drugs after my friend asked about them. There are side effects for even medicines given in mild dosages. My aim is to come out of the medication. The number of medicines and dosages has been reduced over the last three years. But still, a long way to go. I am under treatment for depression. The image was taken by Noah Buscher .

Black Beauty

Black Beauty written 

With the image of a horse 

Reminded me of the book 

I learned in my school 

While I was in the salon 

I have been there before 

The new hairdresser

Looked familiar 

I initiated a conversation 

And I remembered 

A salon bearing the same name 

Near where I used to live earlier 

My father used to take me there 

For haircuts as a school kid 

Where I had my last haircut

In my twenties 

He told me that it's the same brand 

I asked about the other man 

He was soft-spoken and friendly 

But he lost his voice somehow 

I remember him showing me the 

Facilities in the salon after upgrading 

And inquiring about life 

Whenever I visited the salon 

That man was the uncle

Images from the past came to my mind 

There's always a special bond 

With the hairdressers 

The stories they tell while cutting hair

They remember individual hairstyle 

They're the local vocal classifieds 

I used to look for Black Beauty 

But their board was gone 

A few years ago

I found it again

A piece from my past 

It was nostalgic to find an old salon relocated. For years I thought that they shut the salon. It is more intriguing that I have been to their new salon multiple times. At that time the hairdresser was a migrant from another state and spoke Hindi. I didn't notice their brand name. This time I saw the name and the picture of black beauty. It brought back everything from memory. The hairdresser was also glad to know that I was an old customer at the old place.  The images were taken by Erik-Jan Leusink and Agustin Fernandez . Thanks to Unsplash. 

Bio-Logs: An alternative to Firewood

Charcoal and firewood fire up 

The barbeques in the backyards 

More trees are cut for making a fire 

In Argentina, pomace, the leftover

extracts from apple, pear, and other fruits 

Spread on the grounds with sunshine 

For days to let the moisture dry 

Then it's laid in a brick-like thickness 

Again to dry to lose all moisture 

The dried thick slabs are cut into logs 

They provide similar thermal properties 

As charcoal and firewood does 

It infuses fruity flavor into the meat 

The pomace from olives is turned 

Into long bio-pellets as well in Greece 

Coconut husks and shells are pulverized 

And converted into short briquettes 

In Sierra Leone as an initiative to 

Replace firewood as it offers more heat 

These bio-logs can save thousands of trees, 

It can change the way people cook, grill, 

and barbecue in many countries 

Bio-logs could light up the fireplace 

In the winter in the old buildings 

And allow trees to capture more Co2

To fight the climate change in a small way 

I came across multiple alternatives for firewood and charcoal. I saw some videos from Business Insider telling stories of individuals making products that can transform the way people cook, grill, barbeque, or even heat. A lot of people might be already using these pellets, briquettes, and bio-logs made from fruit and farm waste from factories and in general. I am experimenting with poetry based on solutions available for solving issues affecting nature and climate. Images are taken from Business Insider. 

Reclaimed Earth Colors

Abandoned mines discharge 

Acidic mine drainage 

Full of oxides 

To the creeks and streams 

Making them toxic and polluted 

For years after the closure of the mine 

The sludge from the polluted streams 

Processed to remove impurities 

And dried at different temperatures 

To make powder of different colors 

When mixed with oil and additives 

And cold-pressed 

Magical paints of reclaimed earth colors emerge 

The tail ends from mines have lumps of minerals 

Crushing those minerals creates natural colors 

That can gloss pottery like in historical times 

Painters can give colors to their imaginations

With paints  made from the mine waste

And get closer to the nature 

To spread the message 

Of healing the nature 

This poem is inspired by a documentary of researchers from Ohio Department of Natural Resources, True Pigments LLC and gamblincolors converting AMD into the paint. Reclaimed Earth Colors is the brand of the paints produced in this manner.  This is not a paid promotion of the brand. I feel this is worthy of a shout-out due to the significance of their efforts. I also came across some other videos of converting minerals from tail end of the abandoned mines into paints. They're natural colors. 

Untold Love

I came to your doorstep 

I didn’t knock

I heard your voice

It thrilled me

 

I had a letter for you

I didn’t give

I saw your smile

It graced me

 

I had a lot to tell

I didn’t try

I just walked away

In silence

 

You were raining joy on me

You were blooming love in me

You were showering hope on me

But I didn’t know how to tell you

 

I wrote this poem in 2011. The images are taken by Jean Carlo Emer and Serhil Prysiazhnyi . 

Fog Catcher For Water

 

A hill on a desert 

Rain is a rare mercy 

A water-deprived society 

Men migrating to cities for jobs

As land cannot support farming 

Women walk miles to fetch water 

Then came the magic wand of fog catchers 

Standing tall on the hills inline to embrace the fog 

That looks like clouds and remains there for months 

The frame withstands the heavy breeze from the ocean 

The mesh lets the mist form droplets of water 

Then drain to the bottom of the frame 

And through the pipes to the tanks 

Collecting hundreds of liters of water each day 

To sustain the lives of the people in the region 

Giving new lease of life to the farms and farmers

Giving women time freedom from fetching water 

Allowing men to return to their native to build lives again 

This could be a lifesaver for many communities around the world 

This poem is inspired by documentaries I watched about fog-catching technology to absorb water from fog in Morocco, India, and Peru. There are new materials being used instead of mesh. It allows catchment of more water. There are tower-based structures too for catching water. The simplicity of the technology is remarkable. Images are taken from DW and CNN

Being Friend To Old Lover

  

 

                                                                           It is hard

 To be the friend of your love

 When you know he is

 Someone else's life

 

It’s hard to control emotions

As old memories and dreams

Flocks the heart, giving

A sense of great loss

 

Every time when you see him

Your heart craves for getting closer

Like the olden days

With nostalgic eyes

 

He conquered your untamed heart

Made you his beautiful princess

Filled dreams in you

About life together

 

Still, you are there in his heart

 He wants to care for you like before

 But from a distance

 As a loving friend

I wrote this for a friend back in 2010. It is indeed hard to be a friend to someone you love so much. But, circumstances demand the presence in that person's life, when he is building a new life with another woman. Image courtesy Antonio Guillem . 

In Memory of Achhii

 Courage behind the smile

It defined your nature

Tears hidden in your words

You never let anyone know

You left behind your dreams

In search of your ultimate wish

I hope that you found your joy

To be with your dearest one

You live in our hearts

With the charm of your smile

You lits our lives forever

With your prayers from heaven

You are that angel, who

Comes in our dreams, with hope

You are that star in the sky

Who shines for us every night.

This poem was written in memory of Achhii after two years of her death. I knew her only for a very short period of time through Orkut. But she has left a big impact on me. She lived her last four months with the knowledge that she will die. She had blood cancer. She chose to spend those time with her friends and loved ones in India. She wrote a short passage to me in her last letter to her friends from hospital. She said goodbyes to us before going to the hospital. Image thanks to sdominick in istockphoto. 

Take A Break

  

Take a break from your anger

Take a break from your tensions

Take a break from your tears

Take a break from your regrets

Take a break from your dreams

 Give yourself a day for peace

Go out and spread all your love

Shower all your care

Fly yourself in a world of freedom

Go out and spread the love

Let others know how much they mean to you

Make them feel wanted

As they make up your world

In sorrows and joy alike

Have a great, peaceful day

Keep some time for yourself

To rest and rejuvenate

As the marathon of life keeps going on

And you are just a runner

Trying to cross the finishing line

But the finishing line keeps moving away

As you reach near it

With new tasks to finish and new glories to achieve

In this busy life, every pressure gets on your mind and body.

Take a break and enjoy yourself

As if there is no tomorrow! 

This is a poem I wrote in 2010.  I don't remember the context. The images are taken by Romolo Tavani and Ferenc Csullog. 

Live Your Life

                                                                                 

                                                                 This is a storm before

The rain of joy

Your silence will tame

When the smiles burst

Your Tears will dry before

The sun shines

 

You may be walking

Through summers of past

And Living through

Colours of lost dreams

And Swimming through

The lake of hope

To snatch back all that

Flew past your heart

 

You got to fly away from your past

Towards a new destiny

You got to dream something new

That’s so exciting

 

You got to fight for a new dawn in life

To show your courage

As there are some people

Who considers you a sour loser

Writing you off as a failure

They find joy in mocking and teasing you

But you can leave them speechless

As you walk past them

With the wand of glories

That they could never even dream

 

Stick to your likes

Build your life around it

You will see your life blooming

With the joy, you've never experienced before

There is a reason for every life

Search for your reason

You will find it

Live

 

 

This is a poem I wrote in 2010. I feel I was more optimistic back then. This poem sounds like me in 2010 telling me in 2022 to live my life.  I wasn't depressed at that time, I guess. I certainly cannot write a free-flowing poem now. Images from Unsplash. Taken by Marc Najera and Fabio Comparelli .