Featured

WE or THEM – doesn’t matter

woman s face

When the Wrong happens to THEM

WE are not bothered

WE don’t react

WE think

WE are safe

Well . . .

It’s ok

WE are not one of THEM

but WE forget . . .

The Wrong spreads its fatal wings too fast

Its mammoth clutches are too cruel and gigantic

and WE nurture the Wrong with our deliberate apathy

And very soon it forgets to differentiate between

WE and THEM

Moreover, when hooliganism spills on the roads

none remains untouched

WE or THEM

doesn’t matter

it affects all of us

WE or THEM

doesn’t matter

All have to face the consequences

WE or THEM

doesn’t matter

In fact, WE don’t know

for whom the bell tolls

what will be the Wrong’s next whim

what will be his next fancy

And

WHO will be his next victim

WE or THEM

doesn’t matter

because

strange are the ways of the Wrong . . .

Featured

The Choice

Three Red Hearts Hanging With White Flowers

I had to choose between

Him and my dreams

Obviously I chose him

because,

Once upon a time

He was my biggest dream

And I knew

If he is with me

I can see many new dreams.

I had to reshuffle my priorities

so that I could stay close to him

And every time I did it happily

I changed with the changes in his life

Because I knew

Once upon a time

He was the only change

I wanted in my life

And I knew

If he is with me

I can change every change

into a new opportunity.

So I deconstructed myself

again and again and again

Just to be with him

I know loving someone this much is strange

but

He is my happiness

He is my love

And you know

Love is blind

happily blind…

Featured

Our Snail Connection (Full Poem)

assorted color of snails — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Everyone needs that perfect protective shell,

Where we can live, breathe, grow and excel,

Without having the fear of the predator’s gaze

Where we can hide, retreat and rejuvenate.

Where we can shout, roar, giggle and wiggle

Be a dumb-head who fails to solve even a simple riddle

Without being conscious, like clown dwarfs,

Of those watchful eyes of hunter sharks

Yes, all of us need love, care and protection

Of that defensive shield which saves us

From the maddening, haggling, narcissistic rush

The egoistic selfish materialistic slush

Underneath which, I can be me and you can be you.

The real ME and the real YOU

Featured

The Real YOU

Oh, so desperately I want to see the real you.

Oh no, not the facade, the real you.

No,not the fake you.

The unpretentious, unpolished you.

The YOU, with whom I can talk without being conscious

The YOU, to whom I can bare my vulnerable heart

The YOU, with whom I can take a leap of faith

The YOU, to whom I can talk about my hidden fears

Please be that YOU

Please . . .

Featured

Determination

Two Yellow Flowers Surrounded by Rocks

“I want a lil bit of everything in life.”

Are you sure?

“Yes, pretty sure.”

It’s not possible.

“I’ll make it possible.”

But Man proposes, God disposes.

“Only for less determined. For people like me HE says, ‘Go ahead, I am with you!’.”

Featured

The Rain

Water Droplets on Gray Textile

The gentle pearl-grey wind entangled my hair a little more

The sparkling moonlit raindrops drenched me and my soul to the core

That ecstatic moment on a sandy shore

I love, I cherish and really adore.

I loved the aroma and loved the touch

The sand melted under my feet as such

But I felt peaceful inside and outside

That beautiful night I really adore

When I walked with him in rain on that sandy shore.

Featured

The Scary Mirror . . .

We fear what we hear

We cringe and try to disappear

We fear, What we see in the mirror

The scary lousy (un)truthful mirror

Prisoners of our own reflection

We fear the rejection

Why?

She did it

You did it

Even I did it

Why?

You are FAT like a filthy pig

You are THIN like a stingy pin

You are FRECKLED like a dirty frog

You are PLAIN like a useless board

You are BLACK like a sweaty buffalo

You are BROWN like a clumsy gruffalo

And You, You are WHITE like a soggy marshmallow

Abusing, blaming and needless naming –

this is what if not body-shaming?

A thought-provoking article on body shaming:

https://magdalene.co/news-2045-mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-the-perennial-problem-of-body-shaming-.html

Featured

A Mother Never Dies

A Mother Never Dies

Close Up of Leaf

She only leaves the mortal body

to go to the heavenly abode

She only shifts from here to there

But it is true that a mother never dies …

You have seen the pyre

You have felt the numb coldness

You have done the rituals

You have heard the puraan

But it is true that a mother never dies …

Because the next day you wake up

You go to her room as all the other days

You see the empty bed, then you look at her photo on the wall

Her smile in the photo makes you smile

As it is true that a mother never dies …

Because after a few days while cleaning a shelf

You find a letter she wrote much ago to ask “Are you fine?”

You mumbles gently, “Ya, I am doing fine”

You heave a deep sigh, clutches the letter tight and smile

As it is true that a mother never dies …

Because after a few months while rummaging an old drawer

You find the red bangles she gave you on your first Karvachauth

You sit there for a while caressing those memories in your hand

You wear those bangles once again and smile

As it is true that a mother never dies …

Because after a few years while resetting an old cupboard

You find your first silk saree that she bought for you

You admire that saree once again and wrap it around you

You get lost in the memory lane and smile

As it is true that a mother never dies …

Because after a few decades while visiting your daughter’s house

Your daughter looks at you lovingly

Hugs you tightly and whispers in your ears

“Mamma, you resemble grandmaa so much!”

Her words make you smile

As it is true a mother never dies …

Moreover …

Many times when life becomes tough

And treats you rough

You can’t take it anymore and cry

Sad and shattered, you look at the night sky

A star shines on you, and twinkles a lil more

In those moments you are sure

That it is true …

A mother never dies …

P.S. – For all who lost their mother.

******************************************************************************

Featured

The Visit

via Daily Prompt: Trill

Trill

Image result for orphanage clipart

The trill of their voices still on my mind

Though I had left them a fortnight behind.

Neatly combed and properly tied-up laces,

Taught to be quiet, those dressed up faces.

But those eyes …

Those eyes I can’t forget.

Emptiness and longing in there

I think is beyond repair.

Today in the cold morning holding each other’s hands

Tied by many unseen strands.

Once Abandoned and deserted on garbage loads

Born behind closed doors then left to die on roads.

Curiosity flickered in their eyes for a while

Two or three in fact happened to smile

A few tried to break the monotony of standing in a line

When I extended the gifts in a pile.

They are the ones who know how to survive

Even in utter dejection and incessant strife

Some of them, I BELIEVE, will eventually shine,

Will rise above the stigma, their lives almost fine

This sums up my visit to an orphanage

But …

What remains …

The echo of trilling and tweeting in the haze?

Featured

Ode to Parkinson’s

I got the shock of my life last night

When my mother saw me but failed to recognize.

Once strong like a mountain, now she is ill and fragile

Parkinson’s has taken a toll on her ability to survive.

Oh! What have you done to the woman who used to thrive with life?

Her once capable hands shake continuously

Making her unable and reliant; and this perturbs her profusely.

Her once high and proud head is now drooped habitually.

Her once unwavering and kind eyes are now all vague and lost strangely.

Oh! What have you done to the woman who faced every odd so bravely?

When I called her “Mamma,” she turned her face to me in vain

And tried to grope in the dark to get a signal from her brain.

I heard the angry pitter patter on the window pane of cold winter rain

I felt the cruelty of old age and tried to hide a tear of pain

Oh! What have you done to the woman who taught me not to feign?

Oh! Dear God! Something changed in those senile but still beautiful eyes

My mother narrowed her gaze on me, it felt like getting the most coveted prize.

“Don’t cry, don’t be afraid, my dear,” she repeated her old advice

Her words broken and unclear but still so wise.

Oh! See this woman who never fails to rise and shine!

You can take away everything from a MOTHER, You shoddy,

But not the MOTHERHOOD, embedded in every particle of her body.

Featured

My seven years old daughter sulked for many days and (as usual) the reason of her grief and pain was — I, her Mom. According to her though I am a good Mom yet many times I am unable to understand her feelings. One more complaint she has about me is: I don’t try hard to make her happy rather I tell her ‘No’ very often. OMG! Such a cruel MOM I AM!

When she talks like this I pretend to look serious while trying not to laugh. On occasions like these, sometimes I think how my mom would have reacted if I had dared to talk to her like my daughter talks to me (however, I never delve deep in this particular thought as I know PARENTING is a lot different NOW).

Anyhow, coming back to the misery of my daughter, she was sad because she wanted to buy this new toy called Fidget Spinner in the market and I had strictly told her ‘No’. The moment I told her ‘no’ she gave me a disgusting look and told me that I had broken her little heart once again. And then she played the ace that every other kid had a fidget spinner in her class and she was the only one who did not have because she had got a mean mother. She started crying her heart out and being a mother I melted. I thought how I could deny my only child such a simple pleasure worth only of a few bucks. {O.K. I know the theory of Vitamin ‘N’ (here N is for NO) and I have watched the video also in which an experienced child-psychologist is telling to give a lot of Vitamin N to kids}

I confess that as a mother I am little shrewd and immensely positive, so I decided to use this marvelous opportunity to my own benefit. I knew that my daughter was ready to do everything and anything to get the fidget spinner. I played the centuries-old trick with her, and promised her to buy the fidget spinner for her but … only if … she behaved properly for the next two weeks. (I know I am clever 🙂 )

And then started my golden period as a mother. All of a sudden my naughty daughter transformed into the most obedient kid on planet Earth. She started listening to my instructions in one go and I felt relieved to know that she was not hard of hearing. She did her home-work on her own without any reminders or my help and I was delighted to realize that she was not a slow learner. She also told me to give her a lot of greens in her lunch box as she wanted to be healthy and active. Suddenly it occurred to her that watching too much iPad could harm her eyes.

Finally, two weeks passed. As I promised to her, she got her fidget spinner as the reward of her good behaviour. Her delight was ecstatic. She hugged me and thanked me in choking voice. There were tears of happiness in my eyes too.

The next week was euphoric. My daughter was inseparable from her Fidget Spinner. Sitting there, looking at my daughter and the spinning fidget spinner in her hand, I felt amazed at my conflict-resolution capabilities and the bliss of the WIN-WIN situation. I felt happy thinking about our superb mother-daughter bonding. I was about to heave a big sigh of relief when I realized that I had already told her fourth time in a row to leave her fidget spinner and iPad (last two hours she was watching You Tube to learn new tricks with fidget spinner) and come to the dinner table but she did not budge even an inch. I also reminded her once again that her home-work was still pending and she was to submit it the next day.

Next moment I found my daughter staring at me with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her lips. The sigh of relief changed to an instinctive warning. Quickly, my daughter got up from the couch and went to her room telling me that she did not want to eat the boring dinner of spinach-corn sandwich and mushroom soup.

(Yup …. Make Believe Is Over)

I suddenly realized the bewitching magical power of the fidget spinner but I was unable to decide that the spell it cast was on me or on my daughter. My head was spinning and body was fidgeting; And the only thought on my mind was: Who Spinned Whom?

Featured

Baby: A Game Changer

via Daily Prompt: Baby
Baby

Life changes the moment the news is confirmed that you are going to enter the next stage of life i.e. Parenthood. Your mind becomes a battlefield of opposite thoughts. If you are the gonna-be-mother, then even your body becomes strange to you. You feel happy as well as quirky. The thought that somebody is inside your body and that is not going to stop there as it will soon start moving and kicking inside you scares you. When you are hungry, you can’t eat; when you eat you want to puke. If you are the gonna-be-father you feel even worse. The first thought comes to your mind is: Will you be able to pick up the baby in your arms without hurting it; and uncomfortable, sleepless nights is the other thought that troubles you. As the times passes, you wonder, though you don’t want to, whether your spouse/girlfriend would ever be in the same perfect ten shape again.

Finally the bundle of joy arrives after lots of screaming, bloodshed and anxiety. If I dare to speak the truth: the truth is that for first few days you really don’t know what you should do with this bundle of joy. It’s not that you don’t love your baby but because you feel that your baby is totally unpredictable ( in fact it means that your baby is quite normal). Somehow days become weeks and weeks become months. You don’t even change the page of the calendar on the side table. Sometimes you can’t even see it as its hidden somewhere under the heap of the nappies and diapers. Already as a couple you have had a few serious fights and sweet patch-ups as you know that the new mother is experiencing the postpartam depression (though it is not grave) and the new father, though he is trying to play the Knight in the shining Armour, is entirely clueless what to do.

One evening when the baby is around three months old, the still-new-father hears a loud shriek while he is enjoying his evening snack trying to understand the dialogues spoken by the hero of his favourite action movie (No. He has not become deaf after the child-birth. In fact, the volume of the T V is very low as the baby is sleeping in the other room). He runs to the bedroom thinking that something has happened to the baby; but sees that baby is sleeping and the still-new-mother is standing in front of the mirror staring at her reflection and crying. The still-new-father holds the still-new-mother in his arms tightly and try to console her and tells her that she would get her figure, hair and swollen eyes back to normal again. The wife smiles after a few minutes and they remember the time when they met each other for the first time. They realize that life will not be the same again as it is going to be a more beautiful and thrilling roller-coaster ride with the baby held tightly in their arms right there where the heart beats. They have heard their hearts beating together and now as parents they can hear their hearts singing in unison, wishing ‘the wonder they created together’ a happy life. Suddenly, they come out of their sweet moment as they feel that their is a foul smell lurking in the air and they know that it is time to change the diaper. First they look at each other and then at the baby and laugh loudly (their first laugh together in last one year) and they wonder again at the capabilities of the little Game Changer.

“Child Is the Father of Man”: wrote Wordsworth centuries ago, but it holds true even today as some truths never change.His implications were philosophical. However, even in today’s scenario a baby changes the game of life altogether as it gives new meanings to the life of the parents and teaches the mankind the true meaning of pain, patience and happiness.

Self love

Positive self-esteem is very much needed to lead a contented life. So appreciate your little efforts and celebrate your small triumphs. Love your own self. Try to improve but don’t nag yourself for petty mistakes 😊

https://www.instagram.com/soniavashishtaoberoi/

For more such positive vibes follow @serenediva

We all need a bit of

spirituality to survive,

to keep our mojo alive

and to sail through this difficult time

#quotes and musings

#quotes and musings

The Waste Land – Written by T S Eliot is considered as one of the most read and most discussed poem of Modern Literature.

Its sad that the scenario is the same this year.

Eliot was much impressed with the Hindu Upnishads. He ended this poem with

“Shantih, Shantih Shantih!

The Plain Janes

Image result for girls clip art

Never underestimate

the plain Janes

Some of them are miraculous

Others are meticulous.

But for sure,

they are not ridiculous

And all of them are real,

not fake even an inch

Some of them are real and raw

like the unpolished diamonds

But diamonds are diamonds

Solid, Real and Intriguing

and others are pristine and true

like dark woods or

unfathomable seas

Deep, awesome and curious.

But for sure,

they are not phony,

no, not even an inch.

So,

don’t misunderstand the plain Janes.

Thinkotopia

WE or THEM – doesn’t matter

The Choice

Our Snail Connection (Full Poem)

The Real YOU

The Real YOU

Determination

The Rain

The Scary Mirror . . .

A Mother Never Dies

The Visit

Ode to Parkinson’s

The Magical Fidget Spinner

Baby: A Game Changer

Self love

Ignorant Love

Karma Quotes

Quotes

#spirituality

#quotes and musings

#quotes and musings

The Plain Janes