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 .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Am Not Your Last Refuge

                                                                                    

                                                               Empty words of silence

From an empty soul in peace

That’s all that left to greet you

When you come back for my love

 

You took me for granted, always

Came to me, when you needed me

You grinned past me many a time

When you found someone lustier

 

I saw the days of loneliness

When you were fooling around

And having fun, with no loose ends

Back then, you didn’t remember me

  

Now, why are you turning around?

Looking to reach out for my hand

When my heart has gone frozen

Without your smile for a long time

 

 You got me wrong,

 Every time I trusted you

You left me crying,

 Every time without mercy

 

I am not your last refuge

Where you could come and leave

Whenever you feel like

Cos, I don’t love you anymore

I wrote this poem in 2010. It was another failed attempt to write a song. I don't remember the context. Images were taken from Amy Tran in Unsplash and  Foundry in Pixabay. 

Dream Hunters

 

There used to be days of gloom

Hearts filled with ruthless agony

Heads used to drop down steeply

With the shame of being duds

 

This world is for the winners only

Those who fail are doomed out

Just like worthless coins on the street

Is it fair on your part, to act like this?

 

Here we come, Dream hunters,

We are the dream hunters!

We are out in this wild world,

To hunt down our crazy dreams!

 Here we come, Dream hunters,

We are the dream hunters!

We are out in this wild world,

To hunt down our crazy dreams!

Enough is enough we had enough

So, we started this hunting mission

To hunt down all those lost dreams

To show this world, that we aren’t duds

 

We wanna see all those who wrote us off

To have a rethink about what they said once

As for all their words, we now have answers

We changed our destiny with the power of anger

   

Here we come, Dream hunters,

We are the dream hunters!

We are out in this wild world

To hunt down our crazy dreams

 Here we come, Dream hunters,

We are the dream hunters!

We are out in this wild world,

To hunt down our crazy dreams!

We never gonna back down, never again

We never gonna be ashamed, never again

No matter what they say, we will walk on

Conquering all our dear dreams, every time 

This was another attempt to write lyrics back in 2009. There was agony in my mind due to the repeated failures in life at that point in time. That was channelized in these lyrics. The pictures are taken by Peter Fodgen   and    Artem Zhakarov , 

Isn’t This A Beautiful Silent Love?

 

We met for a purpose that we knew

From the moment we started talking  

We started a journey of friendship

Which we never hoped to have in real

 

Don’t even know how we got involved

Deeply In each other’s personal lives

Sharing those fun times and memories

That gave joy as well as immense pain

 

Isn’t this a beautiful silent love?

When I know I m in your heart

When you know you are in my heart

Even in dreams, we are together

Isn’t this a beautiful silent love?

 

We are trying to shrug off our emotions

Even though we like each other so much

As we know it is hard to be together in real

Yet, we wish to change the circumstances

 

We made each other stronger with care

We wiped out each other’s tears with hope

We gave affection without even realizing

We shared our love without uttering a word

 

 

Isn’t this a beautiful silent love?

When I know I m in your heart

When you know you are in my heart

Even in dreams, we are together

Isn’t this a beautiful silent love?

 

We are still wondering, what made us closer

Inner voices always made us be in touch

Giving all our goodwill, we changed our lives

Looking ahead with some prayers for unison

 

Isn’t this a beautiful silent love?

When I know I m in your heart

When you know you are in my heart

Even in dreams, we are together

Isn’t this a beautiful silent love?

 

This was an attempt to write a song back in 2008. My friend Thomas recorded some songs based on my lyrics during that period. We had a wish to start a band. It sounds funny now when I look back.  Pictures were taken by Nathan Dumlao and Fanny Gustaffson

A Reason To Live

Why should I live?

We face this question at some point in our lives 

As kids, we have ambitions to chase 

It drives the life forward 

After studies 

There are career ambitions that drive 

The life to its limits, burning all mental energy 

In between, there's a phase of love 

That is a mirage that overdrives the wish to live 

Save money to marry the girl you love 

It remains a dream for some 

Lucky ones marry their sweethearts 

Starts living for their kids and grandkids

Some have bucket lists to live for 

Do many things they cherish 

Before they leave this world 

There are unlucky people who have 

Only a few days or years to live  

They live life worthily and inspire others 

They leave memories as a reason for others to live 

Some people find making money a reason to live 

To enjoy all the luxuries this world offers 

Some others find fulfilling responsibilities important 

The pain of unrelenting failures, heartbreak, illnesses, debts, 

and depression offers  reasons for some people to quit life 

While struggling to meet the societal pressures

Friends leaving you behind with their success 

Loneliness, even when surrounded by people 

Without being able to share the fears and thoughts 

Even with all counseling and therapy 

Suicide may seem an escape route from miseries

It takes a lot of courage to quit life 

Those who quit life are not cowards 

I asked myself million times 

Why should I live in a world without my dad?

My heart told me then to live for my mother and brother

From the brink of giving up on life  

I kept finding reasons to live 

After every setback, ever since  

In search of new destinies!

This poem is an adaptation of prose, with the same title, I wrote a decade ago. The images are taken by Aziz Acharki and Danica Tanjutco. Thank you :) 

Summer Rain Romance

A balcony facing the paddy fields

Steaming black tea and fritters on the teapoy  

They were watching the summer rain 

Together like for the first time 

The rhythm of rain fall on

The paddy leaves and trees

The mosaic floor was cold 

The air had the fragrance 

of soil, Lillies, and Jasmines 

Their favorite flowers 

They leaned on to each other

Whispering the sweet nothings 

She blushed and her dimples bloomed

While the rain droplets dripped toward them

From their roof in the direction of the breeze 

They stood up and cuddled for that rainy breeze

Drenching with the excitement of new lovers 

Their summer vacation in a village homestay 

They saw more rain than the sun and the scenery

They remembered how they met on a rainy day 

Drenched and shivering in a tea shop sipping tea

Their eyes made contact and froze while the steam

Took them back to senses and they talked excitedly 

It seemed like they have gone back to that moment

They took their tea cups and walked towards their room

With desires from the past luring them for nostalgic romance

This poem is inspired by the extended rain sessions during the summer in Trivandrum. Images are taken by Dagmara Dombrovska and Miliju Varghese

New Forests In The Deserts

Countries are reclaiming deserts 

Through raising new forests on sands 

To stop the sandstorms in cities 

To create farms for food security

To increase the green cover of a nation

To save the rainwater from draining away

To create a new ecosystem and biodiversity 

To bring back the birds and animals 

Egypt used wastewater to grow a forest 

In the desert to fight climate change 

The Great Green Wall in Africa is aiming 

Eight thousand kilometers long arrays of trees 

An irrigated afforestation program 

To stop the expansion of the Sahara desert 

And combat the effects of climate change 

Saudi Arabia is planning to plant billions of trees 

In the desert with modern technology 

To reclaim degraded lands into forests 

China has grown millions of trees in the Gobi desert and 

Mu Us Over the decades to generate a new green forest 

With an ingenious technique to store water for trees

Thousands of Chinese people have contributed efforts

This is reducing the sandstorms in Beijing 

It has increased the overall forest cover of China 

An engineer created a small forest in the 

Thar desert in India based on ancient paintings

Israel has converted desert land into Yatir forest 

A new eco-system has emerged there 

The trees have adapted to the harsh arid conditions

Relying on a lesser amount of water to grow

The coastline of Abudhabi is witnessing the 

Planting of thousands of mangroves to provide 

lush green cover and another forest closer to

Abudhabi city is aiming to create an ecosystem

To give a hangout for the city residents 

The world is witnessing various forest projects

With an aim to improve forest cover and prevent

desertification of the land or afforestation of deserts

That could positively help in controlling climate change

Reducing greenhouse emissions and global warming 

Deforestation is the previous poem related to this topic. During the lockdowns related to the Corona pandemic, I saw a lot of videos on growing forests in deserts in various parts of the world. It take a lot of painstaking trial and error methods initially before they succeeded. The trees that can adapt to arid conditions are primarily used along with some shrubs that can grow in sand. Watershed programs that help in the absorption of the rainwater for replenishment of groundwater is also a significant step. Thousands of people took part in the forest projects in China and Africa. Some of the projects are decades old and now they have lush forests with birds and animals and enough water. Images are taken from Science Photo and Great Green Wall. Thank you :)

Deforestation

The greed of humans is exploding deforestation

Felling trees without an afterthought 

To meet the needs of a construction industry 

To clear the land for the expansion of settlements

To prepare land for cultivation 

Deforestation affects biodiversity, 

Loss of habitat for countless plants and animals 

Many rare species are facing the threat of extinction 

Without trees to stop the fast runoff of rainwater

Climate change implodes flooding and soil erosion

Untimely monsoons and flash flooding make people 

Take refuge in camps, with damages to their homes 

Kerala and Europe have seen the effects recently 

Without trees storing water, droughts occur in places

The temperatures are increasing in many countries 

Affecting the availability of potable water

Desertification is posing a threat to more population

Deforestation leads to more greenhouse gases emissions

As trees are the best storage medium for that

It is a major factor in the global warming that 

Caused drastic increase in sea level over the years

Putting the lives of thousands of islanders in 

Tuvalu, Kiribati, Maldives, and Marshall Islands under threat

The manmade fire in the Amazon that lasted months 

Burning everything down in a rainforest 

To make way for soybean plantations 

The clearing of rainforests in South East Asia 

To build monoculture palm tree plantations 

It destroyed the entire ecosystem over the years

It is causing conflict between humans and wild animals

The captive tree forests for claiming trees 

Too ruined many thick forests for commercial revenue

And the natural bushfires in Australia and California

Seeing more devastations with climate change 

The images of barely alive animals seeking water 

The seasons and weather are changing drastically

Across the world in different ways 

As people uproot more trees daily without replanting

A search in my blog by someone about deforestation led me to read about deforestation and its effects worldwide. It is a rather complex issue. I touched upon some aspects of it in this poem. Images are taken from istockphoto and dreamstime. New Forests In The Deserts is the continuation of the topic of this poem. 

Ray Of Hope

When all doors of opportunities are shut 

All roads towards new avenues are closed 

You see your dreams withering away 

You see a dead end of the tunnel with

No light coming from the other end 

You are resigned to accepting the end of a 

Long journey you've toiled hard for years 

The promised calls don't ring as they don't

Have any good news to share with you 

And when you are letting go of the dreams

Somebody come with a ray of hope from

nowhere, As the messenger of God to 

Inform you that your prayers are heard 

Don't lose heart and keep believing in God 

It might be in the form of your dearest

 friend or someone you don't even know 

Giving hope and belief to continue the 

battle, To survive and chase your dream 

Without those who have given up on you 

Without any fear to complete the journey

I have seen these messengers of the God 

When I have hit the rock bottom, And I 

have no means to move any further 

Pray from the bottom of your heart and 

Keep working hard towards your dreams 

It will come true, in the end, despite all 

odds stacked against you to fail!

Yesterday, I was hopeless after my last straw seemed non-existent to make a comeback, I wrote the poem closing doors. The late-night my friend from. abroad gave me the ray of hope to continue to pursue my dream. This poem is dedicated to her. The picture is snapped by  Ahmed Hasan .

Closing Doors

A positive phase of life has turned 

Into a nightmare within a few months 

Omicron started the fall from the wall 

A slide down into depths of depression

Upon variation of dosage of medication 

Led to a volatile mind drawing the focus 

Away from the research and the writing 

While my mind readjusted to new dosage 

The doors that brought prosperity to me 

Started closing without any warning bells

While mind was rather waiting for the due 

payments, The change in management 

Closed the door for payments and work 

The smaller firm that gave work regularly 

Started running out of orders to give work 

That door was my big hope for this year 

I had made a deal with a supportive friend

Another door to fallback during hard times

But delay in delivery owing to depression 

Took away my credibility and reliability

Leading to that door getting closed hard

Now I am stuck with three reports unsold 

Company after company giving a no for sale, 

A wicked man wants them at cheap rates, 

Months of research and analysis lay 

in a folder, Awaiting a fresh lease of life 

Now that all doors are closed, I am just 

letting my mind write poetry, Blog a poem

 a day until I see a door opening for me 

I am not ready to succumb to depression 

Depression cost me my career. I had to become a freelancer. I am just a day away from a disaster if my mind struggles to focus. I rely on medicines for focus and concentration. I can't write a word even if I have done all research if there is any variation. It happened on multiple occasions in the last 5 years. Meditation, positivity, etc sounds nice. But the battle inside the mind is not easy to tame.

The Island Of Creativity

A private island detached from politics

religions, colours, races, and nationalities 

Where the artistic chaos exists with peace 

Based on unwritten rules for behaviour 

An Island of artists, writers, hippies, 

poets, sculptors, and other creators 

Connected to the rest of the world 

With the internet and social media 

Living in old buildings and new tents

Artistic mud huts and wooden cabins

Hostels, homestays, and cottages 

Amidst the nature with the new gadgets

Solar and wind resources powering life

A place where artists can collaborate

In real to create unique art installations 

Poets collaborating to create anthologies 

Recite poetry for the interested audience 

Painters giving life to the written words 

And decorating streets with canvases 

New age hippies practicing spirituality 

 modern hippy music sans drugs 

Silent rooms for authors to write books

They can sell books online worldwide 

Libraries keep books for lending and sales

Gardens for those who want to meditate 

The vivid floral arrangement art on display 

Walkways with tree canopy along with the 

gardens for minds seeking inspiration

Playgrounds to enjoy games for relaxation

Farms for sustainable fruits, vegetables, 

dairy production, Community kitchens 

serve the artists the chemical-free food 

Open-air theatres for dramas, comedy, 

music, movies, and other performing arts 

Podcasts for reaching out to the world 

Walls of graffiti art that change with time

Sculptors bring to life new age sculptures 

Masons and carpenters give life to new 

artistic buildings with limited materials

Each individual contributes with their 

talents and manual labour to maintain 

The way of life and creating new avenues 

Visitors can explore the island and follow

their interests, They can contribute to the 

sustainability of the island of creativity 

There are some pockets of liberal places

Around the world where artists co-exist  

I dream of a utopian self-sustainable 

island for creativity to thrive in groups

This poem is inspired by videos and write-ups about Danish Freetown Christiania, Auroville in India, and Quartzsite in the USA. Image courtesy stock.