Africa

Golden rays through gargantuan clouds

Shimmering showers on parched lands 

Against a landscape of yellow acacia trees

Nature and its occupants look so grand

Lands that whisper of promise and hope

For life to prosper wild and free

A sight so rare and splendour so divine

Behold God’s creation in all its magnificent glory!

Bountiful lands beckon the beasts

To faraway pastures that are lush and new

Moseying along are elephants, giraffes and hyenas

Not far behind the zebras come running the wildebeests too 

A juxtaposition of the spectacular and shy

Are my many fine-feathered friends

Lost in a kaleidoscope of colours

The superb starlings, roller birds and kingfishers ascend

                                                                                                             

Enchanting are the impalas and gazelles

Dazzling in its exquisite charm and gait

Hilarity ensues as the amnesic warthogs enter

With ostriches who can’t seem to walk straight

And then a stillness sweeps over the turf

As the hunters ponder over their prey

Twilight sees the lion, leopard and cheetah

Pursue a dangerous game of seize and slay

A new dawn gives rise to new beginnings

A paradise wherein all beings survive

A power greater than mere mortals

Is the power coursing through the Circle of Life

The Dark Monster

There was once a wee little bunny

As happy and carefree as can be

His brown and white fur was velvety soft

And his long whiskers twitched like jelly

Wee little bunny lived his bunny life

Frolicking with his furry friends till sunset

He was a lively one, this bunny

A more lovable creature you wouldn’t have met

Leading his pack of bunny pals,

Wee little bunny raced up and down the burrows

His friends trusted the wee little bunny

As he bravely scurried about the green meadows

Nothing seemed to rattle wee little bunny

His quick wit and sharp ears kept him safe

His parents were mighty proud of their little one

Their son was the bravest of the braves

Then one evening as wee little bunny

Made his journey home from lively play

His tummy growling for hot supper

His thoughts on the fun he had that day

The sun was soon setting

As evening descended into dark

What creeped up behind wee little bunny

Gave him a mighty violent start!

Now wee little bunny was brave

Everyone had told him so

Having spotted the big dark monster

He wasn’t feeling so brave anymore

His heart beat wild against his tiny chest

Wee little bunny stifled his scream

He had never felt this scared and helpless

Surely this was just a horrible dream!

Wee little bunny scrunched his eyes

And ran as fast as his wee toes could take him

He powered uphill and rolled downhill

Leaving behind the monster, so scary and grim

When his home appeared in view

Wee little bunny breathed a sigh of relief

As he jumped onto the brightly lit porch

The monster decided to take leave

Huffing and puffing, he sat down for supper

Taking breaks to tell of his adventurous tale

His younger brothers were left agape

And his poor frightened sisters turned pale

When wee little bunny’s tale came to an end

His mum and dad looked at him and smiled

They had a secret to share with him

The pudding would just have to wait a while

His dad said ‘Wee little one, don’t you see?

The truth unknown to you but known to me

In the evening, we cast shadows of ourselves

So it was really YOU that you found scary’

And just like that wee little bunny

Wasn’t afraid anymore

The world had no dark monsters

There were only secrets that one learns as one grows

So this is the story of wee little bunny

Who learnt that only YOU can scare yourself

To free your mind of fears unknown

One needs to only have a little faith in oneself

 

Fickle Claims

We claim we are atheists

But turn god-fearing before an exam

We claim we are democratic

But clamp down an opposing voice

We claim we are honest

But sneak a bribe without blinking

We claim we aren’t prone to envy

But turn the same shade of green as the neighbor's new car

We claim to aspire for contentment

But burn ourselves out for another raise

We claim we’re just being funny

When our humor is aimed at another’s sorrow

We claim we are world travelers

But don’t know the name of the neighboring state  

We claim we are compassionate

But turn the other way when we hear a cry for help

We claim we believe in simplicity

But indulge in ostentatious one-upmanship

We claim we are humble

But we need the world to acknowledge our grandeur

We claim we treasure friendships

But how easily we let our egos break the ties of a lifetime

We claim that we’ll love the other in sadness and in health

But seem to fall unwell during times of sadness

We claim to be patriotic

But strangely only on days of national significance

We claim we live by noble ideals

But it’s always our words, not our actions, which does the talking

If only we were held accountable to all our claims

I wonder whether we’d be so quick to make claims in vain.

   

A Different World

They want us to differ

They want to cultivate diversity

But when we seek change

They tamp down our unity

They claim we are progressive

That we must wake up

But when we attempt to do so

They don’t allow us to speak up

Democracy needs dissent

Don’t we claim we are democratic?

But when we grapple with dissonance 

Our government turns autocratic               

They want us to be strong

But in our differences lies our strength

Binding us into one mould

Is an insult to our intelligence

Do they see us as slaves

Emaciated within tyrannical walls?

Don’t they realize we chose them to reign

So we can also bring their downfall?

Our power lies in our thought

That allows for rally and debate

Unleash the power of multiplicity

Stand up before it’s too late

We are not bricks of the same color

That can be laid side by side

We are an assortment of many colors

That in our eccentricities, shine bright

Allow us to move from an archaic world

Allow us to be a dissimilar ‘we’

Allow us to prosper and progress

Allow us to live fearless and free

Numena

This poem is inspired by Charles de Lint’s book Memory and Dream. The term ‘numena’ refers to non-physical beings who are able to take on form through the act of creation that goes into a painting

Brush in hand

Stroke after stroke

Russets and turpentine

Soft curves and unyielding lines

Scrutinizing stance

Followed by a satisfactory sigh

The painter leaves the room

Leaving the masterpiece to dry

Twilight reveals

That which reality belies

From an iridescent canvas

The painter’s creations comes to life

From another world

And a land unknown

Fantastical beings appear

Bathed in an unearthly glow

They alight with silent feet

Only on silent nights

To protect their creator

With all their unearthly might

Adjoined in spirit 

Creations and their creator

Share memory and dreams

Fading as the early rays grow stronger

The painter awakes

Drowsy from dream

Memories of powers outlandish

Far more real than what fantasy seems

Mounted on the easel

A vision that escapes the naked eye

But aghast is the painter

A sight too real to deny

The wondrous nymphs

Painted the night before

Newly sprouted wings aflutter

Mystery increasing evermore

Awakened by this secret

The painter is now set free

The memory of what was a dream

Now altered to a strange reality

Treasure Chest

A blanket of glittering stars

Meshed across the widest sapphire skies

The smell of old books

Reminds me of cake and something nice

The yummy smells from mamma’s kitchen

That made a happy belly

The times my stomach cramped up

From laughing myself silly

That hot cuppa we shared

Laced with cardamom and ginger

Dunking biscuits

Debating trivial matters

The overwhelming tenderness

When I catch the innocence in a baby’s eyes

The excitement to share with friends

Of something I saw and liked

The tears that rolled down my face

When I watched my favorite movie

Tears that would change to anger

As I watch you laughing at me

My shameful eagerness

With which I still welcome my birthday

And you running out of ideas

To make it special yet another way

Lost to the beats

As the hours sashay away

I will still dance tirelessly

When my song is played. Again and again.

My book and my thoughts

Make for lovely company

Sometimes I long for precious moments

When it’s just us three

The times I shut my room

To deal with exam stress

I would look up and burst out

As you pulled off a pathetic Elvis

New and charming cities

Never ceasing to fascinate me

Innumerable magical moments

Captured and filed away in memory

All those lazy afternoons

Huddled on the floor

Playing Scrabble for survival

Skeptical of words unknown

Age and money may flounder

Against the test of time

But I have my treasures

These will always remain mine