English Poetry
A collection of poems penned by Sudhām on a range of topics.
Mother
I walk alone Trying to find a way back home I look for a landmark Yet I keep coming back to the start I am tired and strained The sights and sounds seem unfamiliar The shadows grow longer I am scared and frightened I see a light shining in the distance I open my eyes Yes, I am home A loving touch A hand runs its fingers through my hair It's you mother I am comforted by your tender loving care
A Date with a Memory
A Marked Calendar! How does one prepare To face impending despair What do you do When you know the blues are going to hit you You see the pages of calendar turn A date with a memory awaits Passing time hasn't yet healed the burns Of a day when you were hit by a cruel twist of fate You try to move on Carefully treading down memory lane Past flashing images of a loved one gone The heart laments, aches and pains The day passes punctuated with awkward silences With the mind and heart attempting conversation What one says the other refuses Each year its the same situation Someday the mind hopes the heart shall learn To look back and remember The years of pure joy And not just one bad day in September
The Perfect Circle
Art: Circle of Friends by Susan Vannelli I pen these lines to say ‘Thank You’ on what my little one says is Friendship Day
There are indeed things to express and today’s as good as any other day
Always maintained and truly believe that friends are the family one can choose
Our most potent weapons always ready at our behest to convince, corrupt or confuse
To all the friends who befriended me or I ever made
At work, the university, the neighbourhood or first grade
Close or distant so many of you have had a role to play
In shaping me into the person I am from the proverbial clay
To those who really don’t fit the classical definition of a friend
The ones that are always around to support with hand to lend
The parents, siblings, the teachers at school and yes even bosses
The hands of God, the guardian angels, the mystery sauces
To those with whom I stayed the course and they’re but a few
You have a big heart, I know what it takes for being there, for staying true
Then there are those that distances and time pushed away
Mere pauses in our friendship for whenever we meet we just press play
To the handful and hopefully all of you know who you are
My rocks of Gibraltars, my partners in crime, my guiding stars
For a man of words I search for ones that’ll convey what I really want to say
I live and breathe metaphorically and truly it’s because of you I’m here todayThe Semal and The Storks
Each year come the Ides of March The Red Silk Cotton starts to bloom ‘Tis then that the waiting starts For the winged guests to arrive Somehow this cycle of nature Hast created for me a sense of normal Indicators that all’s well in the world The flocking birds and the blooming Semal This year too there was the anxious wait I wondered if, for the tree had bloomed late Woke up this morning and the cynic had died The flocking birds brought my hope alive
Drifting
Sometimes you are struck By a feeling that overwhelms A strange discomforting sense Of a total lack of control You are drifting The waters are calm You sense no turbulence Just an inexplicable fear Uneasy and unware You are still but sinking You seek happiness Peace and joy A good life You try maintain pace The ground beneath is shifting Get a grip You coax yourself Draw deep for strength Look around for motivation Believe there’s a silver lining Winds change direction Things fall into place You get dealt a good hand Hmmm you wonder if The tide is turning Green shoots around you Blue skies on the horizon You are in a better place It’s a new view Life has a new meaning The low felt really low Took away all you had You were tough though Took a couple on the chin The real deal is not loosing The high it may not remain Troubles they may visit again But one thing is for sure It’s the tussle in between That makes life worth living
Since You’ve Been Gone
Since you’ve been gone
Been trying each day
To find the strength
Pick up the pieces
And somehow move on
Days run into days
Years begin to turn into years
Yes time has tried to be a friend
But the heartache won’t mend
There’s no easy way
I look around
I see the world I’ve built
The life I live
There’s an emptiness
Despite the happiness I found
So much has changed for me
Yet so much has not
My first birthday had you carrying me in your arms
And now my first one with you in my memory, my heart closer than you'll ever be
Maybe it’s not going to change
The way I feel
Guess it’s meant to be
The emptiness is you driving me
It’s destiny even if it’s strange
Since you’ve been gone
Keep trying each day
To make you my strength
Make meaning of these pieces
Put on a smile and brave onFrom A Distance
How well do you have to know one For you to like and admire them Isn’t it easy to love such special someones Simply from the tales people tell of them The smile on one’s face the tear in the eye The signs of their rushing memory are hard to miss Unstoppable emotions hard as one may try Flooding consciousness especially on days like this The good die young they always say Short lives that shone real real bright Personalities that stood out everyday Testaments unto themselves if one might Nostalgia provokes often with a sting Why they had to go and we had to stay Nonetheless there’s no telling of the joy they bring Each time you think of them more so on their special day
The Feeling
I know I’ve known this feeling Way longer than I’ve known you The love I have for you inside me Runs miles deeper than I’ve ever shown you Should I have said these words Did I let you slip away without a fight When I so badly wanted to hold you Why didn’t I try? Try with all my might It wasn’t easy at all but I survived Learnt living with a constant craving Thought that I was setting you free Unaware it was I who needed saving What if things had happened differently Had I told you would you have stayed back Would this love have grown stronger If you hadn’t missed it and felt it’s lack Does it really matter now? Now I’m with you Should I rue the extra years we could have got Or be happy for the present and a future together Looking forward to what can be, instead of what could not Here I am telling you about this feeling That’s grown stronger everyday I’ve known you The love I have for you inside me Runs miles deeper than I can ever show you
Memories
Memories are like the rain At times, a passing drizzle That brings welcome relief At times, a downpour With no end in sight There are times You want to reach out And every drop That falls in your palms Sets you aflutter Yet on occasion You're caught unaware Drenched and lashed Soaked in muddy despair Washed green leaves Pitter and Patter Bring a song to your lip And a spring in your step Then there are gloomy dark days Not a ray breaking through Every droplet weighing you down Drowning you each passing minute Memories are like the rain A little, leaves you wanting for more A lot, and your only friend is regret!
The Colour of Love
Dear God Only you know when You made this blunder You sent down Adam and Eve And for them you created this world to live You added colour and made things bright But this fickle human mind you created Was filled with emotions To each of them man gave a colour And added to the commotion Red for passion, Blue for fright Green for jealousy though not quite But the colour of love man just couldn’t decide So dear God send down a colour A colour so new and pleasant A colour that spans ages The past, the future and the present A colour to paint this world with And make a place worth living It just might be her colour and mine You just have the name to find!