Lookback

Dappled was the year past

I don’t care to elaborate
Looking ahead without bias
And, to not anything berate

The filthy shards of life

Are unsalvageable
While days are passed on
Maneuvering the rubble

Prompt: 3WW

Delicate, the equilibrium

The fragile balance of life

Yet again threatened
A firm and grave warning

The heated frenzy of action

Timely, we hope in anticipation
The answer arrives in the future

The pain, the suffering

The wounds, the dressing
Life moves in remediation

Therapeutic, the healing

The renewal, restitution
Cyclical is the motions

Rise high

Dank my spirits

I refuse to let anything
Enabler of my destiny
In my step I will add a spring

Cinching contentment

Is an oxymoron
As I see it in print
I feel the derision

There’s a new dawn

I embrace in awe
As I move forward
I leave behind the hurrahs

Wistful over wishes

Unabashedly I lay claim

On my spawn, my creation
Blinded by unconditional
Outpouring love without ration

Selfless, I deem to be

Putting others before me
In its wake, spiraling myself
Gnawed by guilt, I ain’t free

Winnowed by one and all

My days like all are numbered
I look forward to the time
I shall become unencumbered

Cliches and replays

I pen my thoughts

 And I pause to ponder

What I envision as poetry

Is a transcript of maunder

Clichés abound in volumes

Unspoken remain few

And, of banal verbiage

There are certainly a slew

There seems to run

A constant theme

If I were to start a clique

I’d call it a meme

If connected by words

My life would seem bleak

Figments it is after all

Into imagination, a peek

Building walls

Building a wall around

My swing of emotions

Impenetrable enclosure

Keeps away even oceans

Adept, I am getting to be

At hermit mentality

While attempts are a fail

To move away from banality

Nothing seems to dent

Nor create a notch

Such is the impassability

Will not dislodge

Sunshine and happiness

Are held at bay

Darkness in the confines

And in the soul weights

Heart cries out to be free

The brain holds back

The day shall come

When the wall shall wrack.

Glockenspiels and Jingle bells

Alone in a sea of few

People who love and care

I flaunted it in pride

And cause me more despair

When the tides turned

Crowds beseeched me

I seemed to belong

In company, I decried

Push away the proximal

Retreating within my shell

This subsistence will

Prove to be my death knell

Wily words

A tart response to every word
Biting the tones, the undercurrent
This has what it's come to be
Life has turned out to be errant

Underhanded, the thoughts and ways
Devious plotting, forever hellish
Vindictive, if I begin to think
In its fumes, I will perish

There's a tomorrow, there's hope
Snap out, everyone will, of phases.
I pray that it happen sooner.
And, able I am to outmaneuver mazes.

I read me

Disappointments define me
Regrets reinforce it
As each day goes by
There is just more of it


Is it just a phase in my life
Am I not the one I used to be?
Toxic and negative now,
Does that describe me?


Is there a breaking point
Or one of no return
I day dream of such
And, of the end, I yearn

Spinning spiral of life

Out of the spinning spiral of life,

Stems the mist of muddled mix ups

Living with the constant ticking of time

I sometimes lose sight of the crux

Cringing within, at my dishevel,

I boot myself out of my stupor

To trim my toxic self-reproach

But misery is a constant intruder

Lifting my spirits seems futile

It is not for want of trying

Imprinted in my heart and soul

Is the incapability of striving

The hurt and the pain of the past

Shipped slowly at my core

While I moon at a moment of joy

Sorrow slowly begins its gore.

Murky muse

A tentative wobble toward
Joyous and content tomorrows
Initiated by shedding
The sadistic blows


As I scour my past,
For snippets of joy
I come to realize, pursuit
of happiness is a ploy


A ruse, after all, it is
Like those holidays
Created by Hallmark
Joy is indeed elusive.

Vague verve

A nebulous life we lead
the heart continues to bleed
Minor infractions are touted
And, feelings are largely flouted

Slick and oily, the emotions
In general, of values, an erosion
Bleak and dreary, does it look?
life is something we brook.

A day in my life

I look around,
see the crowd
unconcerned as
they go about.

There's not a word,
A 'how are you today?'
A 'is everything well?'
is too much to ask.

All the dedication
the diligent support
Not a peep of
acknowledgement
or appreciation

Why did I get made
the way I am
what genes got me
into this shape

I close my eyes,
just for a moment
I wait, I get nothing.

Burden of words

A sassy retort, a snarky snap,

A trigger the cause to all mishaps,

Quick to draw, throw an insult

With nary a though of the result

Biting remarks, bordering on rage

Pointing fingers and ripping rampage

Raw emotions and fury abound

The slurs he continues to pound

Mulling over melancholy

Years have passed to no avail

This past year, will however prevail

A bag of disenchantments dominate

As ways to get past, I ruminate

 

Not a single triumph to recall

Of misery, I seem to be in thrall

Little moments seemingly so

Even those have been a blow

 

How did I get myself into this rut

Of dread and dreary, entire gamut

Snap out of it one can; I used to say

Different altogether, when it’s my day

 

Persons, things and events,

Have contributed their contents

However hard, I seem to try

From its clutches, I can’t pry.

Yet again, gloom

I look at you, yes! You there

Is your life really simple

Are you devoid of worries

Or filled with chaos ample?

 

Outlandish, as it may seem

Mine has no prospects

Lack of hope charts it out

Gone are the happy aspects

 

Perplexed I am too, at this

But, misery continues to nibble

At my already broken spirit

My soul is now awfully brittle.

Revelation

 

I fear rejection

There I put in down in a paper

I bear not any malice

But I’d rather do without.

I conform to others’ views

In hope of inclusion

I stay away from states

Where I need to pick a side

I don’t act in rebellion

Nor pioneer any reverses

I wait and I view myself

As this life passes by

Even in poetry, I toe the line

Not me, to stray from the

Path of righteousness

 

Stranded on the shore

The misty horizon beckons

The deceptive spring day

Frolicking in the beach

I hoped to, but turned out gray

 

Amidst the teeth chattering chill

I still had my sweet way

Far into the frigid waters

I let the ways on me, play.

 

Life isn’t waiting for the calm

As goes the oft repeated cliché

Its dancing amidst the cold rain

Keeping it up, be it sunshine or nay.

Ruinous reign

A lethal combination

Of misconstrued communication

And petulant demeanor

Made up for a downer.

 

Between the two, there was

no love lost. Many a faux pas

Cringing at the conversation

Sneaking away in desperation

 

The maniacal accusations,

Heralding each other’s’ frustrations

Kook, one is berated as

And, so on goes the razzmatazz

 

Caught amidst the melee

Near and dear, enter the fray

Unpleasant are their ways,

Mired in the loveless life maze.

 

Wistful - a day on the beach

Spring seems to have glossed over

Of seasons, I have lost track

Missing is the clichéd may shower

While for the beach, today I pack

 

Sand under my feet, I can bear

Scorching nights will appear

I make it my mission to care

For a sense of disarray brings fear

 

Itching for the pleasant tropics

Willing to meander the trudge

A backyard destination, nothing exotic

In peaceful serenity, to indulge

 

Bells and whistles don’t matter

If only I could turn off my thoughts

On the sand, I stay splattered

Sans the glamor and the gloss

 

Forever the workhorse, that’s me

Harried life, a price that I pay

I look forward to a day by the sea

On this calm and gorgeous day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prompt Courtesy

I wait in hope

Giddy I am in anticipation

Of the enchanting day’s arrival

The joy I could not contain

For my love for him, was primal

 

Fanatical, in my preparations

I buzz around being busy

Every little bit, perfect for him

I drive myself into a frenzy

 

One thing makes it all worth

His look of love, with a yelp of delight

My heart swells in contentment

Everything else feels just trite.

Valued veneer

Cherished life I lead

Seemingly, from outside

Strong in the face of

It; adversity I scoff

 

I babble incessantly

Within my own entity

Prized be damned

Upright, I barely stand

 

The façade stays subtle

Through motions as I muddle

This life, I have conned

Survival I have spawned

El Yunque

 

Like a speck of dust,

On my messy table

I stand in awe at

The foothills of the mount

 

The enormity strikes

Spell bound, I remain

Multitudes of magnitude

I try to envision

 

Gentle giants they are

Staying put in peace

Letting life flourish

Standing tall, untouched

 

Refreshed and renewed

I head back home

The moment was the end

the beginning and all in between

 

A half-full realist

 

 

Laying under the stars,

A romantic notion,

While I explore and pursue

Alas, not come to fruition

 

That grass holds bugs,

Comes to mind

How about bears?

Chasing my behind

 

It could rain and pour

While I scramble for shelter

Or in summer nights

In torturous heat swelter

 

Seemingly is about the art of

In life, slowing down

But the pragmatic in me

Dismisses it with a frown

Clandestine

Love, the illicit kind

Scarcely, the legitimacy

Sneaking away is thrill

Heightens the intimacy

 

Pacifying the prying eyes

Playing hide and seek

The rage of stealthy hideout

For each other, thirst bespeaks

 

Covert, one tries hard,

Forbidden fruits tasted

Other throws caution to wind

In so many actions stated

 

In passion, oblivious

Surreptitious glances

A tryst into verboten

With blatant advances

 

April 20, 2016 – 3WW (Pacify, Rage, Scarce)

Onward in Optimism

 

 

A melancholic day

It began in earnest

Anxiety and panic

The heat at its sternest.

 

Nimbly, I tried hard

To maneuver my day

Opaquely stared back

While options, I weighed

 

Doomed and bleak

Words popped in my head

Dismissing it away,

In hope, I march ahead

 

April 13, 2016 – 3WW (Melancholy, Nimble, Opaque)

Irrational ire

 

Livid, he turned pale

Impolite words slipped out

Pounding on the frail

The evil he began to spout

 

In knotted anticipation

His subjects tremble in fear

As he flounders in frustration

The ambience is austere

 

No rhyme nor reason

Is seen in his outburst

Irrationality the season

To ambiguity, cursed.

 

 April 6 2016 – 3WW (Impolite, Knotted, Livid)

A perfect day

Halting my wavering mind

From its turbulent thoughts

I brought a flicker of joy

To my life’s, be it ersatz.

 

Elated, we set out in tandem

Reminiscing the days past

A good day in the repertoire  

Amid memories amassed.

Last Hurrah, or not

The innumerable photos,

The awed silence

The enthusiastic bravos

The victories of science

 

Milestones attained

By the human brains

Praises for each claimed

Reaching unknown terrains

 

To mars in a discount

Reusable rockets follow

Fascinating heights paramount

In success, mankind wallows.

 

 

 

 

Amidst all this gala

Unseen, unheard the ones,

They, with unbridled talent

Mostly facing the shuns

 

Fading into oblivion

The many worker bees

With not even a mention

They ready for a reprise

 

Poetic Asides Prompt Day 13

Savored sustenance

Concocted, a meal

Prepared in great pomp

Traditional menus created

In a jiffy, bowls are filled.

 

The courses are many,

Flavors, loads of them  

Tangy, tart and spicy

Sweet, ripe and mellow.

 

Elaborately served in

The majestic banana leaf

In grace, it is served.

In artful sequencing

 

For each, a place and

Rightfully so. The flavor

Smacking deliciousness

Of gastronomic chow

 

Prompt courtesy: NaPoWriMo.net

In search of sagacity

A novice, I remain in

The field of life, day by day

I continue in my quota

Of apprenticing. Forever,

Or so it seems.

Age, a number I rack up

But wisdom, does it bring

Remains to be seen. I

Lay in wait for the

Epiphany, days of gray hair

Becoming of the learned.

 

Poetic Asides Prompt

A flowery tale in heirlooms

Inspiration list: http://www.rareseeds.com/store/flowers/ http://www.rareseeds.com/store/flowers/

 

 

The Canterbury bells ring

every day at four o' clock

when the lassie panting

in a baby’s breath

fox gloved and in cotton

run across being

love in a mist, awaiting

the lads, prim in their

bachelor’s button, for the

kiss-me-over-the-garden

the customary rite of love

in the morning glory

of the day after

black eyed Susan vine

remained a wallflower

in the Chinese houses

while the bells of Ireland

rang in the cosmos.

 

 

Prompt courtesy: NaPoWriMo.net

Distance

At arm’s length, I place

The many who seek me out,

There are an elite few

Closeness I can tout

 

Uncomfortable in proximity

I need my distance

No matter the reason.

This defines my existence

 

A step forward, if one takes

Instinctively I step back

Familiarity bounces off me

While I stay wrapped in a mack

 

Poetic Asides Prompt

Three obsessions

A fixation to happy endings

In movies, I see. visions of cheer

Neatly tied up in bows

 

A fascination for storage I

Seem to harbor. Deep down

Within, everything I enclose

 

A passion for memories, the

Mania for photographs, frozen

In moment are the laughs

 

Poetic Asides Prompt

Luminary

 

 

You can do no wrong

In my books, at least

In a pedestal I place

You, the highest among

 

Flawless, in demeanor

The flawed are others

Not a speck of dust

In your spotless life

 

It is just a game

They all seem to say

At the top echelons

You always stay

 

Stoic and solid, you

Barge ahead in grace

Accepting defeat in

Same breath as victory

 

Lasting, your legacy

Shall remain. A spot

In the world’s history

At the very lonely top.

 

Prompt courtesy: NaPoWriMo.net

 

He said.. She said, they concurred

He said that life was meant

To be lived in the slow

Making memories not money

And not collecting baggage to tow.

 

She said, nothing short

Of a rat race, life was

Milestones to attain

And no time for a pause

 

He saw the beauty

In the mundane things

He promised to be the

Wind beneath her wings

 

She raced past in

Her dogged pursuit

Deserved accolades

And gaining her repute

 

Comfortable in their

Own unique skin

No place for conflicts

To idyll, their life was akin.

 

Poetic Asides Prompt

Chip of the block

A little bit of both

I am, I have heard

My father stands tall

My mother in gird

 

Of the same mold

And chip of the block

I seem to be of my

Parents, in chock

 

What I shall become

Shall feature me

The launch pad is

Solid, as it can be

 

The lessons are from them

Theirs, the values imbibed

Gently propping me up

While victories to me ascribed

Prompt Courtesy: NaPoWriMo,net

The beginning

Launching my pursuit

Poetic
With zeal and passion

Reminiscences

Memories flood our eyes

The heart doesn’t play nice

Stories pour out today

Just the same as every day

 

Of this tiny being, who

Brought moments, a slew

The distance now exists,

The bond, however persists.

 

Not a day goes by

in recollection, we don’t sigh

Days into months and years

We await, holding back tears

 

The yearning still lingers

Refusing to ever wither

Our arms ache to hold

And, his joy to behold

The battle’s begun

 

 

The innocent face

Looks at me in faith

I let him down

wont emerge unscathed

 

the world got to him

before I could

leaving wounds

heal, no salve would.

 

Before the race,

Began, was snuffed

Out and screened,

Treated with unjust.

 

Life ,I have heard

Is always unfair

To my little being,

Explain I wouldn’t dare

 

Break barriers

Rewrite destiny,

He shall, with the

grace of almighty.

Silence? relatively ..

A piercing screech
of incessant chatter
Baring souls, heart
in naked banter.

The words burn on
my poor brain
obey my commands
it seems to refrain

White noise, in effect
nothing but that
polluting my little
serene habitat

Reflective

Maybe I can be sad

Said a three year old

Wise beyond his years

With words profound

 

From tomorrow I

Try to barter and probe

Like the little boy from

The other side of the globe

 

He rewards me with

A million watt smile

Today is for us to live

Tomorrow away by miles

 

It may turn out

Great, bright and cheery

Not like what I feared

Not dark or dreary

(dedicated to a very important little one, who has enriched my life beyond words)

Looking within, letting go

 

 

I flutter above

Suspended animation

I oft state

 

I want to watch

Myself go by

I await completion

Of a well put day

 

Instead of a chaotic

Mad rush of

Pandemonium

Surrounds my

every move

 

every step of mine

fumbles and slips

I fool myself

Of being settled

 

Far from it! Very!

Enveloped in love, strangely ...

Limp with overwhelming

Gratitude and joy

Marveling at all the

Love pouring in deluge

 

With not a hateful bone

None of any spite even

A day and people

Filled with pure love

 

Unlike any other

Today was different

Just a warm blanket

Of much needed affection

Silent love

Oh you, I remember everyday

Beside you, I sit to converse

Without you, tears will flow

If only, time, I could reverse

 

Today, the first of the rest

Of my life, as I begin

Milestones none, void many

Just a series of has-beens

 

Little does one know, I

Walk in silent love

Burying regrets within

Hearing you, from up above.

 

(Self commemoration for the birthday, a milestone one...maybe)

 

Walt Whitman’s Leaves of grass, 1900

“O you who I often and silently come