January mornings

 An icy chill, frigid within 
Snaps me out of a reverie,
While the days wear thin,
The time is indeed a memory.

Snowflakes frozen clear
While trees are laid bare,
Toward renewed, we veer,
Awaiting the refreshed ware.

A new book and a rehashed chapter

 

A new book, I open,
I smile at the blanks
The pages that await
me to fill them up.

Words flow, in bursts
I aspire a deluge
but, sometimes its dry
I don’t give up

Mediocrity seems to
be my trait, defined.
Quality, while sought,
Quantity persists.

A start, that’s half way
To the destination
of completion, of the end
And, that is my aim.

Freshness, in stale

Today, in the time of morn,
a renewed winter dawn,
There's a faint pink hue
That outshines the sky’s blue.

There’s a feeling forlorn
But, love over me fawns,
I am long overdue,
for a taste of morning dew.

The day passes now reborn,
While some ‘brights’ are spawned
I wish some joy, I could woo
A fresh start, I begin anew.

Birthdays in heaven

A day, special as ever,
Etched in mind, forever,
Remembrance from afar
Wishing upon the lovely star.

Seeking a stairway to heaven,
if only time could leavened.
There are words left incomplete
Waiting for when we meet.

Without cards, nor flowers.
Sorrow beyond our powers,
A milestone - today would be
If only you were here to see.

Always, loved beyond measure,
every moment in past, treasured.
There's an ache that persists,
A void that never ceases to exist.

Parting

A decade and some
Pearls of moments
Strung together with aplomb
Of many, endorsements
 
A chapter in life, longish
Not the cliched era though
Years of joy undiminished
But for a brief presence of sough
 
The walls echoes with us
Our joys ingrained in them
The tear stained nooks
Interspersed with some humdrum
 
Without looking back, I will
Walk away from this abode,
Fighting back tears that’ll spill
Heart filled and head bowed.

Tallying my thoughts

 

I pretend I am a nurturer

I whisper into the air

My endearments of love

And, thus my gloom, I forswear

 

I wear a cloak of sainthood

Where nothing fazes me

As I march on alleviating

The distresses of humanity

 

And, yet the once I pause

Assessing my balance sheet

The moment I seek a miracle

The universe has me beat.

Exceptional, exclusive and extraordinary - the day

Birthdays are special,

A personal commemoration,

of self worth, a reflection.

As you revel in elation.

Age, a number, is cliche.

Count the moments,

that blow you away,

of happiness these are potent.

The more, the merrier

yet another platitude,

the truth nonetheless,

to embrace in gratitude.

You are the most special,

not just today, every day,

to all around you, who hover

you remain, our mainstay.

Happy Birthday!

Living with a shrewish one

Singed by constant hurts

my heart refuses hope

with a smoke that envelopes

every spark, I can't cope.

A touch, a lift - of spirits

that is all I sought

Instead, I faced empty threats

dished out in onslaught.

A breath of air, to clear,

my frothy turbulent mind,

remains a pipe dream, like 

building cottages in air, I find.

Life that's vested

Conditional, if this

then! only suits

lines of code to

create apps.

In life, reality 

is a simple how

'if things work well,

I shall remain bow'

everyone is measured 

in a balance of ifs

where all that's needed

is checks in the lists.

Centered around self

the universe shall revolve

that's the expectation 

in which they devolve. 

Confined in Caution

The silence is deafening 

I step into the building alone 

My desk of decade and a half 

stands watch over the agone. 

With a heavy heart, I pose 

click a selfie for posterity 

Pushing the button, for a hard reset. 

I stand still to ingest the severity. 

I repeat certain words often, 

‘eerie’ and ‘unreal’ mostly. 

Everyone agrees with me, 

while the world feels ghostly.

 

The things once the norm, 

seem unattainable at best. 

The mindless living on, 

something I have begun to detest. 

As I peer out of the window 

streets lined with parked cars. 

No one has anywhere to go. 

The world is indeed on a pause.

Mired in contradictions

Blessed to be alive,

cursed to despair,

Fortunate with fortunes

But, the heart lays bare.

Surrounded by many

Amidst them all alone, 

enveloped in affection 

But, unconditional love, none.

Plentiful are necessities, 

Provided for in abundance,

living close to perfection, 

But, hollow without substance

Trying conditions persist.

Days are long and fleeting

Struggling to stay in pace, 

But the mind takes a beating

Gazing at the twinkling stars

I walk the road, across

from my door. I look up

at the vastness of skies.

Inconsequential, I letup.

In the shadow of my eyes,

swirled in perpetual grief,

the twinkling stars don't

provide an inkling of relief.

gazing at stars, gushed at

romanticized in emotions

When the heart is in despair

hardly a healing potion. 

Into the abyss I stare

Prayers, miracles, luck

chances and luck of the draws,

Guarantees are non existent,

Talks remain about last straw.

How did I not know?

How was I so naive?

To believe in another

Letting my heart grieve.

Complete exploitation of relationship

There is no happy way

to disengage with them.

There is ripping the bandaid

And not worrying about the outcome

Never a reciprocating gesture

Nor a give and take, mutually

There is only one way of things

oblige and operate perpetually,

In every aspect of life, there are

Many demands of sorts.

Not once is offered, anything

close to a remorse

Use and throw brutally

there is no emotion attached

Only when there is a need

There's an effort to stay latched.

Prompt:24 

The art of condescending

They stick up their noses

at every failure of others

They laugh in derision

every time someone falters.

They point fingers in abandon

Deeming themselves free of blame,

They don ' t realize that four of

those fingers direct at their shame.

Their brood are examples

Of excellence in every field

Others, however, are scoffed at

for any skills that they wield.

They judge every measure of action

of the people all around them

Never once, do they look into

Their own sins before they condemn. 

Prompt - Poetic Asides

Poem of Origin

I am from the right path

Never to be strayed

I am from the strong

emotions are not displayed.

I am the heir of values

of the greatest kind

I am from the people

claiming the sharpest mind.

I am supported

by generations of piety

I am held up in good stead.

by not quantity but quality

An upkeep of these lofty

Ideals calls forth,

Of rising beyond ordinary

And of mindful things doth. 

DAY 11