Musings

  My song of fire was playing in a loop As my heat seared your terrain, painting it a dull taupe… With your skulls throbbing away to the steady bass of the sun, I knew I had topped the mercury charts – Summer on number one! I should have stayed content with the sight of the cloudless sky But alas! Why did I suddenly stop to spy?   There it was, the parched crow, flying towards the ledge, With the streams all dried up, a kind soul had taken the pledge To set out a bowl of clean water, refilling it with care For his feathery friends to survive – a sight so touching and rare!   I chuckled at the disruption of power – frayed tempers in tow. But the tireless technicians worked in silence, their heads bowed, their faces aglow – Like a lamp, each burnt to light up lives, On their sacrifice, the civilisation that thrives!   Barefoot, the poor boy stepped out at noon But there lay the tender gulmohar ‘neath the blossoming tree, dead but rea...

  You have felt me in languid moments of idleness, Watching the flight of birds across the flaming sun! When you gently stroked your pet who dozed off … Even before you noticed, through your heart, I had run … I worked my way through your mother’s nimble hands As she cooked up a storm in the kitchen, just for you! She may fret and fume every time you are wrong, But you can catch me peeking slyly, honest and true…   I have wept in the hearts of martyrs, in valour, in sacrifices endless And even crept into the minds of rivals, ending hate and calling truces! From the pens of authors and poets, in copious words have I flown, To kindle imaginations or to brighten the bitter reality of many biblio phile s unknown… An ‘ever-fixed mark’ in the words of Shakespeare, I have bound true souls down the ages, Watching Youth wane and Beauty perish, my flame flickers, nevertheless…   In grief I help you stay afloat, as you sink into the sea of memories, ...

  I believed in magic when I first saw the flight of birds across the setting sun, I believed in magic as the dew slid down a petal on to my eager palm. I believed in magic as I lay on the tender grass, gazing at the Milky Way! I believed in magic when I felt I was a part of you – in me you always stay…   In you we live, in you we thrive, You change, you evolve, you turn the tide – but only the fittest of us survive. You reign supreme, you nurture us, We may forget you, ignore you, hurt you, defy you, But you always take care of us.   You are my cotton in summer, my fleece in winter, my warm cup of coffee, From the whiff of cinnamon to the crunch of the almond – you never fail to delight. When your lightning strikes the grains of sand, we dig up the best glass. We rip you, we plough you, we pluck and we axe you, But you always reward us…   In you we live, in you we thrive, You change, you evolve, you turn the tide – but only the f...

  You may say that Jack is not a dull boy, thanks to me, But I am hardly confined to play, loss and victory. With me, you can set and break records that stay for eternity, I help you outdo yourself, as your feat outlives your mortality. I twist and turn your temporal frame, stretch it to its limits – Only to build and nurture your sportsmanship spirits. You may choose to play foul, consider fair your tricks, And end up on the faded wall, just another among many bricks. You may have fought battles for land, for revenge, and glory But I am the only war that aims not for the blood and the gory. I help you pick yourself up if you tumble on the ground dusty, So on the playground called ‘Life’, you may never get rusty! Just like my friend Music, I teach you to play by the rules, But once I have strung your heart, there’s no stopping your shoes!   I reside no more in hunting, or the swords of the gladiators of yore, You may have killed for sport – bu...

Cheshire Cat sat with his coat of silky hair, All combed and shiny, showing utmost care. His claws were filed to perfection, His whiskers parted and curled in each section.   But oh my, as he put on his famous wide grin, Pardon the onlookers – they were more honest than mean! Crooked, broken, gap-toothed, stained with yellow and brown – Alice’s frightened gasp all but made him frown!   “Eat all you want but brush you must, Floss and rinse, in scaling you must trust.” As Alice said these wise words to address the grave issue, Cheshire Cat promised to care for the most important tissue.   With time he mastered the art of disappearing into thin air, But his beautiful grin remained – that pearly white immortal pair!