English Poetry
A collection of poems penned by Sudhām on a range of topics.
Who Am I?
I am not the job I do
I am not the poems I write
I am not the city I live in
I am not the party I vote for
I am not the team I cheer
I am not the brand I wear
I am not the car I drive
I am not the God I pray to
If so many things I am not
If not all the things I’ve got
Then who indeed am I
I am the son my parents had
I am the boy who loved and lost
I am the man my spouse married
I am a father to my lovely daughters
I am the kind who holds the door
I am the guy who is a friend in need
I am the colleague who gives it all
I am the boss who takes the rap
Is that all that I am
Is that all I have ever been
Then who indeed am I
All of the above
And so much more
I am much much more
Than what I am not
I am the sum total
Of my opinions and thoughts
I am what I observe and perceive
I am the goals I couldn’t achieve
I am all the good that I do
I am the favours I take
I am the mistakes I make
I am the lesson I should have learnt
This is all I know
Of me thus far
In a vacant mood
I often wonder
If not this long list
Of who I am and who I’m not
Then who indeed am ITime Travellers
Two wonderful days that I’ve spent
Happiness that was heaven sent
Afternoons filled with tales of old
Some repeats and many untold
A lifetime re-lived in just few hours
Great escapes and magical powers
Tricks and pranks, our devious ways
Endless nights that ran into days
God’s angels or devil’s messengers
My supporters and firm challengers
So believe that true friends infuse
That spark in our life, brighter hues
Fellow travellers, my companions
Badges of honour, my medallions
Forever together, win or lose
You’re family that I’d always chooseLife
Sometimes when it rains, it pours
Sometimes it leaves you wanting for more
Sometimes there’s happiness right outside your door
Sometimes you have the key, but just aren’t sure
Sometimes you know what life has in store
Sometimes you’re just drifting washing up ashore
Sometimes life’s oozing through every pore
Sometimes just breathing is a chore
Sometimes you’re winning, not keeping score
Sometimes you’re knocked out, down on the floor
Sometimes you’re on a high, not really you anymore
Sometimes the mirror shows the real you, flaws galore
Sometimes you’re in the spotlight the crowd chanting encore
Sometimes the joke is on you, your ego bruised, battered, and sore
Sometimes it’s déjà vu, you’ve seen it before
Sometimes you’re eager, just itching to explore
Sometimes….
Just sometimesThe Rise
Cast upon me your heart’s fill
As many of those sly, questioning glances
Delight if you please at my tumble and fall
Engineer more such circumstances
Go ahead! Throw at me all you will
Vent that angst, do me wrong
I will turn up for every fight you call
Each punch you throw only makes me strong
I shall find strength in the venom you spew
For every devious plan that you devise
It’ll only reaffirm and renew my resolve
I will get up, I will come back, I shall rise
My belief in my values shall always hold true
With conviction I will continue to brave every adverse tide
Each challenge shall build a better me, I shall evolve
Shaping my future, the past and present in my strideA Beautiful Friendship
Wonder if things would've changed Or would they have remained the same Would we have grown into wise old men by now Or remained boys taking things as they came Life would have kept us together I'd reckon Circumstances no doubt would've made our journeys part It would have remained a beautiful friendship If only a premature end did'nt beckon Had life not made other plans You'd have turned 50 today Imagine all that we'd have done The boys in us would've had their way So in your memory we shall pour out one Sing songs all night from an infinite playlist Do things the only way we would have done Have one more and one more till morning come
The Average Guy
I am your average guy The kind that hold the door for you Instead of getting ahead on the sly I am your average guy The type you call your friend Not the hottie who you wanna try I am your average guy The one who sticks around Never leaves you hanging dry I am your average guy Whose word you can rely on Not someone who’s default is a lie I am your average guy Happy always to lose to you Not hide behind if, but and why I am your average guy Your very last first kiss The love you just couldn’t deny Yes I am just an average guy
The Wiseman’s Lament
Fear not the fools For they have no pretence Fear the questions they ask For they may expose your ignorance Beware of the ignorant though They certainly are a dangerous lot Stubborn enough to keep facts at bay Smart enough to connive and plot Wisdom alone isn’t enough for the wise The wise must put it to opportune use For the fool doesn’t care much for knowledge The ignorant love status quo, tis change they refuse The fools have no concept of it The ignorant don’t find wasting it a crime Quest for knowledge is a burden for the wise Wisdom isn’t attained overnight, it accrues over time The world is fair and uniformly unkind to all No matter you are the fool, ignorant or wise The wise in their knowledge of it suffer more After all, “Ignorance is bliss in fool’s paradise”
The Mind Shapers
A tribute to all the potters Who shape the human mind To those who see each piece of clay And believe that it is one of a kind Their knowledge like deft fingers Shaping and moulding the clay Expertly spinning the wheel Fast at times, at times slowing play Carefully grinding and dusting Allowing the contours to appear Baking and glazing every single one To make them last many a year So here’s an expression of gratitude Towards all those wonderful artisans The teachers who have crafted us all Into becoming our best possible versions
Unstoppable
My nation stands at the precipice A fledgling ready to leave the perch Yet a maven helming a new world A beacon of a wise and vibrant past A billion hopes ready to take wing Aspirations waiting to fly high A populace with a newfound voice Diaspora that has found the spotlight You know you can reach where you’re going Once you know where you started from India today is an idea whose time has come Our tryst with our destiny has only just begun
Armageddon
Things aren’t always
As they seem the wise say
Life is after all, about the greys
And the games people play
Be wary of the silences
For in them lie the seeds
Of perceptions and pretences
Scheming and devious deeds
Minds with power to spread fear
No sweat broken when a lie is told
Bereft of emotion, never ever a tear
Ethics pawned and conscience sold
Gather ye the guardians of good
For the hour of reckoning has come
Stand for what’s right as you should
Fight for all and not just for some
The brave must protect and fight
For the meek to inherit the earth
Light torches, shine the path bright
Time to show what truth is worth
Blow hard, blow high, blow strong
Drive those storm clouds far away
For good takes time to come along
When it does, hold on, make it stay