English Poetry
A collection of poems penned by Sudhām on a range of topics.
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 stayThe Night Watchman
Dense fog hangs on Rather obstinately The underlying sense of gloom Is undeniable Rays of the morning sun Battle to sneak in The air feeble in its movement Struggles to rustle a leaf The embers have braved on Valiant in their heat They beat a cold night The ashes tell their tale The steaming cup of tea Signals a new day Dutybound or subservient He salutes with a morning wish Hope and need intertwine Need saying survive another day Hope nudging and telling him This too shall pass
I am YOU!
Perhaps it’s always been the case But I have begun to feel it more these days In important and in those little things In familiar yet in undescribable ways I notice it in the way I speak Even in the way I react to what I eat It manifests in my constant worry I have changed for sure and it’s bittersweet Each day I look in the mirror the feeling grows It causes me to miss you more and then not to There are no two ways about it, I am sure I was “me” now I am “you”
I Believe
Sunlight streams through my window But fails to lighten up my dark corners The corners of my vacant heart Life just passed me by While I sat making other plans A long winding highway with pain at every bend A journey spent in waiting for the next milestone Just tunnels without any light at the end Good things come to those who wait they say How much longer? How much further? No stopovers, no goodbyes No fleeting moments stolen from life Lifes just a one way track headed nowhere Hope is the fuel I run on And I still wait because I believe Yes, I believe
Ode to a Sibling
Is there a burial ground for a heartache? A deep distant corner to bury your feelings Of the sort that were suppressed Emotions left unexpressed The ache of a playmate lost The agony of a companion gone The hand that helped me walk The one who shaped the way I write and talk Never to come back again ..you're gone without a trace Every time I've thought of you I've held back Stopped myself from wondering How it would have been had you been around How you'd have felt In my moments of joy and those when I was in pain Years have passed yet the hurt remains The unsaid and the unreleased is what I pen today Don't need photographs on the wall I close my eyes... I see your face
Thank You
A chance encounter A wave of hand A familiar face A breaking smile Triggers a train of thought A walk down memory lane Vivid images of cherished times Of growing up and carefree lives Classroom pranks and innocent lies Stolen lunches and greedy bites Muddy shoes and loose hung ties Of friendships stronger than family ties The teachers who fanned our imagination With a word of praise and the occasional stick An encouraging smile for every puzzled look Of discovering a world beyond text books It all comes back each time I pass you by I find myself await another smile This perhaps is a good time to say this For its been brewing for a while Everything I've ever wanted or wanted to be For making me who I am or ever will be Thank you dear Alma Mater For being a part of me
Life In a Cliche
I love to catch the morning sun in my eye Always believed there's a cloud with the silver lining somewhere in the sky I long to catch the winter morning breeze When it rains I relish the sight of the washed green leaves Yes there's a rainbow somewhere with a pot of gold For every ending there's a story still untold I know that good things come to those who wait That there will come a day when all the work is finished or when it is not too late I still feel the bitter truth is better than a lie That belief is in saying why not rather than why Wisdom is not in holding on but letting go When the tide is against you its better lying low In my life I have not loved wisely but loved deep Never made promises I could not keep Always tried to disguise my despair as patience Looked forward to the journeys and not the destinations Chosen life (Well...considering the alternative !) Thank you Lord for all the mercies Whenever I look back at my life I would love to have LIVED it just like the cliche!