English Poetry
A collection of poems penned by Sudhām on a range of topics.
The 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…
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…
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…
The Beggar
I’ve seen many a time, a beggar. He sits under the old oak you know, Just down the street. He sits there with his hands spread Crying out just, just a rupee for today’s bread. He is pitiable. I wonder why he took to begging. He is not disabled, that much I know And his handicap, it never does show. Was it joblessness? I asked. But to this he just smiled. My attempts to know him were futile, And he’s been there all this while. I’ve known him for ten years now And till today I wonder, why? But my questions get lost in his smile.
Time to Fly
Some pages in the book of life are best unread No point looking back nor consider retreat Got to find a raindrop that patters to your beat There is a cloud that has your silver line There're shells at a beach for you to find Spaces for you to venture into Challenges waiting for you to try Dreams waiting to come alive Go on! Turn the page Life's waiting to be lived It's not just spreading your wings But courage that makes you fly
An Ode… To Those Who Believed
It's not easy to walk a different path To set off on a journey where questions abound The doubts they flourish when you are stepping onto roads That are foreseeably bumpy, uncharted, even inexistent Risking it all doesn’t mean absence of fear The clock is your enemy and the mirror isn’t your friend When you have only yourself to blame and to rely When there are no maps or guiding stars in the sky Tis the believers who hold the torch For the explorers on their onward march No birds ever flew without the wind beneath their wings It is their belief that fuels the hope each passing day brings
The Choice
Why should life be lived On someone else's terms One needs to feel the angst Of their own itches and burns Who knows when a right may come Even if it is after a few wrong turns Happiness lies in chasing ones own dreams What good are wings if they are tethered Life is only fulfilling if it's lived unfettered