Rosa's Verse Kitchen

Time
its dragging by
like ball and chain
manacled on a prisoner's feet.
Rustling papers, whirring fans and
unsure gazes fill the silence
in lazy form.

Ah! A happy crow sings an off-key melody
Phew! Life exists!

Still, stillness pierces through
No matter how peaceful
body starts its complaints
All kinds of
cramps, cricks and knots
march relentlessly into the body
like soldiers ready to fell
a mammoth enemy

So, is rest, relaxation, peace and
all the hoopla a hoax then?

If only
a true emotion
was allowed
to burst free in this void
with wild abandon

Sadly, its not to be
Sit tight, gaze steady and
'Duty', be honored!
This stillness, unwelcome
But to be endured still
will endure....
must!

This was written when I had Xmas exam supervision. When i was a student, I used to think that the exam supervisors are really lucky, that they didnt have to write or undergo the pain of writing the exam. Wrong! Its a torture to be an exam supervisor. For three hours, which stretches like 3 years, I (not just me, other teachers also) have to stand there-doing nothing but stare at the exam fevered students. One thing we can do, is study the expressions of the students. Its semi- interesting. This poem reflects what went through my mind when i was in one such exam duty.

Journey with an unknown destination
Propels me, moves me-onward.
At times, I feel the rose petals under my feet
At times, craggy rocks tear my soles
Gushing water threatens to trip me
lush green grass-a soothing balm
I feel the light grainy sand
They comfort me with their coarse tenderness
I stop......look back.....How much did i travel?
Years have passed.
How many more to come?
Who knows?
I plant my feet forward......Steady and sure.
I walk again
Will i look back after a while?
Will i stand on smarting gravel or on sunny meadows?
Only time will tell
So, onward I march, forward i journey!

Reclining on the cane chair
in the veranda,
The feeble canes collectively hold me in their comforting grasp
Legs propped on the cool black granite pillar

Evening slowly creeps in
An insignificant drizzle working anxiously
to pour into a full blown torrent
Lying on my legs is my little munchkin,
my adorable nephew
murmuring incoherent nothings
singing songs of his making
He in his world,
I in mine.

Three,no-four mosquitoes buzz around us
with their evening performances.
I don't hear my munchkin's prattle anymore
I see him looking at the blue-gray sky.
I too see the same.

Vista so serene
beheld by two gazes.
But perspectives differ
One of childish wonder
Other of calm appreciation
But one thing's for sure
Both drank the beauty
of the twilight sky
together, with no pestering thoughts to disturb us.

A few seconds more...
My munchkin went back to his little games on my lap
Oblivious of his surroundings
Those shared moments forgotten
Though these moments
I have marked in my mind
To reminisce and smile about for later
On days yet to come

Ah! Heart wrenching it is
See these faces!
But helpless am I
It pains me that I cannot relieve their pain

Their faces! So many!
Some with tears rolling down their cheeks
Non-stop...
Some others look forlornly
An escape to materialize
Some lost in this unknown
tears dried
like silver streaks of lightning
pasted on cheeks

Still, there are some
the bold, the brave
They fought valiantly
unloading all their might
Their voices, a battle cry
Fierce and full of demand
They WILL fight till they fall

"Why?" Their faces questioned
"Why subject us to this cruelty?
What is our crime?
Why are we punished like this?"

Little do they know
this is everyone's fate.
Endure this they must
Part of life, a phase

And so starts the first day of school for these Tiny Tots
Nursery, a circus
of life, of tomorrow's blossoming buds
Lament clogged classes
With them, the tots
Torn from their spaces
Thrust into the unknown

A prerogative thrust upon them
New paths of unsure knowledge
Theirs to conquer!!!

Not the best. Wrote this one quickly & that too at the request of my sister. This actually happened. This was what she saw when she accompanied her son for his first day of school. She looked around and saw children at various stages of crying, wailing, thrashing on the ground, and so it goes on. My nephew was not one to hold back. He was one of the valiant ones who 'fought boldly" till the last moment. We send them to school for their own good, I know. This poem is dedicated to him, my adorable 'kuttappi', as I call him.

Elements vying for my company

With fervor, Aeolus clasp my being

An embrace snatched by Terra

Here and there a kiss

Courtesy of a nippy drizzle

O! Midnight! Ever so lovingly you cloak me

With your dusky blue blanket

I ride this verdant carpet

Mine for the taking

Sat on my sturdy steed did I

When a light glow caught my eye

Luna! My sister!

Ride you beside me?

Her answer?

Only a smile

A vision

Mysterious, yet surely artless.

La Luna, sisters we are

We ride together

To paths unknown

No winner, no loser!

You in the skies

And me on land.

Freedom stretches before us

No impairment

No schedule

No, nothing to stop us

Time unravels itself before us

Unseen, unknown

Boundless eternity

At our hand

To race unlimited

No thoughts about the next hour

Just now, just this

Head to head we go

None gaining in speed

Wait! Did I just overtake?

Or was it my imagination?

“Your imagination!” she playfully said.

Enchanting was her presence

Transcendental beauty, so enthralling

Sisters we are

Sisters we always will be

Her aura a surety

Our bond impenetrable

Neither man, nor god can

Break this unity

We ride

She on my side

And I on hers

We ride!

Beyond is our destination

Our resolve, unbreakable!

Not happy, nor Sad
just a plethora of contradictions
swirling, asking acceptance
Longing to flee
these talons of company
This enveloping camaraderie
I try to break free
But no freedom forthcoming

'Let me be
Let me make my mistakes
Let me make my choices'

But no!
Norms there are aplenty
Stick together, flock together!
Loneliness? Ha! A crime!
Staple a smile, talk to the no-names, no-faces

No wish there is to be cocooned
in warmth, in synthetic comfort
Greeted by False smiles ,unwilling pats on the back
Bogus advices I have received in abundance
Smirks when I fall

A break I find in this wave,
this wave of niceties
A break that spells "freedom"
Leak out from the theatrics, the drama

Into the storm will I march
Into the quagmire will I sink

I Run, run into the blazing sun
For who does the sun shine if not me?
I Run, run into the moonlight
For who does the moon glow if not me?

Hi,
What comes to everyone's mind when u hear the words 'Bucket list'? I came to know what it actually meant only when I saw the movie recently. It certainly makes u think bout makin' your own list. My gud friend chris has passed on the baton to me. So first I would like to thank her for getting my lazy brain out into the thinking fields. So, I will list the things i would like to do before I croak and pass it on to others. Its as simple as that.

Have to warn u though, its not that impressive. Just some of the simple pleasures of life that I know I would enjoy.

1) Live in a wooden cottage(alone & with all the amenities of course!) overlooking snowcapped mountains and a little stream nearby where i can just sit and watch the water gurgle over the rocks. It would look Something like what the following links show- 1 or 2

2) Go to Switzerland and eat lotsa yummy Swiss chocolate.

3) Learn to play the guitar and just go crazy with it( hopefully, i won't drive people crazy)

4) Make the perfect Christmas Tree and enjoy a white christmas by myself (hopefully in the cottage listed above)

I think, that's all for now. I don't know if i'll add to the list later on. But if luck is on my side I'll be subtracting rather than adding to it.

So, now I'll pass this on to others who, I hope, will carry this on.

Chinny - I hope she puts her bucket list into verse. Would be interesting to see how it would turn out.

B - awesome writer and, if my guess is right, a die hard traveller.

Bindhu -She's also a traveller. i would really like to see her bucket list

Lockhart - he writes some pretty good poems. I would like to see what he comes up with.

I am a packrat(not the actual rat,but figuratively). I keep every bit of paper, card, pen, refill, pencil stub……. And so the list goes. Whatever I got from others I have kept it. My cupboards are crammed with things. I know, people say we should not give importance to material things, we should be spiritual, blah,blah,blah…But sometimes these things that we keep, insignificant as they are, they cheer us up(somewhat).When you think about it, are they useful? No. But something just keeps me from throwing them out. Recently, I took a decision to clear out a few things (no easy task, mind you). So started my crusade to rid myself of my packrat label. It was like hacking through a jungle. Pulling up stuff from under, reaching inside the corners, separating things which you didn’t think can stick. And all the while, having some sneezing bouts.

So, after a kerchief around my nose, kinda bandit-ish and a lot of work(a whole lot of work) later, the cupboards were clean. I had a smile on face. Phew! At last! The cupboards were clean. But my smile was a bit premature. I turned around and was greeted by a big pile! A huge pile of trivial possessions. The “Phew!” that I released, came back in full speed and settled in my throat. Ah, well! I started this. Might as well finish it.

One of the benefits of being a packrat is that you’ll find many things which you lost awhile back. Like my game and watch which I thought I lost. Wow, almost feel bad for accusing my bro for stealing that.

Has anyone seen mouldy money? I have. I found some rupee notes which were covered with mould(Talk about ‘pootha kaasu’. Eeww! That one was disgusting). I can’t throw these away. It is money, after all.

Aww! I found the B’day gifts which I got in college. Cannot throw them away. Too many memories.

What about the shampoos and lotions? Whoa! This one expired in 1995? Yuck! Thump! Into the dustbin it goes followed by some more of the half finished and barely touched lotions & shampoos.

Then came some bills. Ok! Ok! Not some bills, but a pile of bills. Hmm! Lets see-Anns bakery, Anns bakery, Ladies Store, DC Books, Anns Bakery, Archies, Anns Bakery, Anns bakery, Varkeys Supermarket, Anns Bakery, DC books, Anns Bakery, Anns Bakery ……..I know what you are thinking.

How come I didn’t have any bills from Jocees bakery, right?

So on and on I rummaged, sorted, categorized. Then came the treasure. And what a treasure it was. Just the discovery of this one made me forget all the trouble and hard work. It was my bundle of greeting cards. These I kept safe and sound for a long time. Nowadays I don’t get greeting cards, only e-cards(which are not bad, except for the fact that they are not accessible after 65 days). It felt wonderful to go through all those beautiful greeting cards. Cards from family, friends, classmates who I can’t even remember now. It lifted up my spirits. All the while I sorted through them, I had a stupid grin on my face. Those cards were so beautiful. Some had music, some had chubby babies, some had talcum powder inside them(it was during the anthrax scare-by the way, talcum powder can become mouldy) some had flowers, teddy bears, bunnies, santas, reindeers, infant jesus, nativity and so it goes on. Fact is, it felt great knowing that, some time or the other, these people liked me enough to go to all the trouble of sending me a piece of paper with a picture on it. I had to keep them. They were too dear to my heart to throw away.

And so I continued with my clearing out process. It took me a long while to do it, but I did it. In the end, the dust bin was not full like I expected. It held only some bottles of lotions and shampoos and some bills. The rest? Well, the rest ended up back in my cupboards, but in an organized manner. Still cramped, still full, my sweet insignificant memory ties!

The noose tightening round my neck.

Life as I knew it would is over.

That life! Lying on its death bed, breathing its last wisp of breath.

This new life, is not one I know of,

but certainly! It doesn’t look bright. It approaches me, A large billowing cloud,

Hands outstretched, Victim clear in sight.

It seems to have a villainous smile.

I face it head on, but with shivers coursing through my body.

No turning back.

Rolling forward, that cloud!

Like a cloak of many folds blowing in the wind.

Even as it approaches me

I can’t help but admire the majesty of this new phenomenon

So beautiful, with a beauty so dark

All-consuming

In mere moments it will envelop me

I won’t fight it,

But certainly won’t accept it into me

Fail to see the glory of that new life which others before me and after me see

Fool you are! Called my other commons

Accept it! Told my other commons

You will in time! Prophesied my other commons

I don’t know

Maybe time will tell

But for now, I stand my ground

Face the music as they say

And not hope for the best!

-M. Rose

Hi, this is not verse, i know, but it was written a long time ago and I wanted it out somewhere. Excuse the crappy style!!

Strange Encounter

It was a very cold night in December. The tall, beautiful lady walked down the snow paved street. She wore a long dark coat. Her face looked like polished alabaster. But if we take a closer look, we can see her cheerless eyes. Those beautiful eyes carried a world of sorrow, so much of pain, such dejection.

She had no choice. It was her job. She ‘had’ to do it. He was selected for her. It was simple- Go, meet the man and do what she was told to do. Not many people were out in the streets in such cold weather. Those who were out didn’t spare her a glance. Who would look at her? A woman with a profession like hers! She shook off her sadness and concentrated on the job at hand.

She went straight to the man’s house. She thought about the particulars of this man and winced. He was married and had two children! Right now his wife and children were out visiting their grandparents. How could she go on?

She opened the door and went straight in. When at first she started this job, she used to tell herself “Don’t tell them who you are, they’ll know.” She stepped into the living room and saw him sitting on a sofa reading a book. He heard her and stood up. Transfixed, he stared at her for a while. “Are you…?” he didn’t finish his question. She nodded. “When?” he asked. “In a few moments” she replied

Suddenly, the man’s face crumpled. He clutched his chest and fell down. The pain was unbearable and he writhed in agony. A few minutes passed. The lady has not moved from her position. A light breeze blew in from the open window. She saw the man standing next to her looking down at his own immobile body. He looked at her and she said, “Its time to go.”

The Angel of death and the soul walked down the street disappearing into the shadows, unseen, unheard….

Sat under the cherry tree did I,

Gazing at the mesh of cherry blossoms above

Candy pink was their hue

And downy to the touch

Like pink snow from the sky

They fell around me

In a slow dance

Like little ballerinas

They twirled as they made their way

To the waiting earth.

Some of them settled on my lap

While others preferred my hair

Like little girls who had secrets to share

They whispered in my ear

“Joys and sorrows tangled;

is what life is,

yet so short

like a dream”

I am a pile of bones.

No! Really! I am literally a bone pile

Used to have a life

But now, as you can see

Jumbled carcass use for none

Call me…uh… Mr. Bone Pile!

Suits me, don’t you think?

A clutter of calcium

With comeliness only on Halloween night

Life in death

Possible? Yes?

U don’t think so?

Thoughts with wings are clipped

For they are dead

Do we die just to be buried and turn to dust?

Or is there an ostentatious heaven waiting for us?

With the histrionic trimmings

Of chubby angels and Golden gates

Waiting for us with open arms

If there is one, my friend

Can skeletons be allowed entry?

Or is there a garish gruesome hell?

The domain of Mr. Fearsome scorching ex-angel dude

Where we get roasted on the pit for sins past.

If there is one, my friend

Can skeletons be allowed entry?

What if…

What if this is it?

We live, we die, we are buried

With glories sung in our name

Those laurels, half-truths is what they are

As we surely know

All that is left and will soon turn to dust is me

Mr. Bone Pile

I will be what remains

Ha! Remains! (chuckles)

I guess that’s what I am

Well, what really is life after death?

Guess what my friend,

Think! Yes, yes, all that crap of the soul going to heaven and hell…

Yes! Ideas which you hold so dear

But have you proof ?

Confirmation from the dead?

I didn’t think so.

Now see, I am real

You who demands reality in an age in which sanity is each his own

This is what life after death is

This is who life after death is.

Take a good look my friend

A pile of bones is what you’ll also be

What? Heaven and hell, do they exist?

HELL NO!

Um… excuse my vocabulary….

As I was saying, NO!

If there were such, won’t I be in either?

After all, am I not a creation of that mighty maker

Unsettling it may be my friend,

But its a fact

We live, we die, we are buried

Move on with your life friend, and let me contemplate

For there’s nothing else I can do.

But sit around, be a pile of bones

For, guess what?

This is what life after death is!!

A pile of bones!

No more! No less!

- M.Rose

Blue mountains and crazy seas,

Think a while where you are.

So soft the grass beneath my feet,

Freedom unimpaired, you are mine.

Oh wind, caressing me like a lover so gentle.

No time for thoughts, no time for recollections

Only now in this dream universe,

Just me and nature for company.

Forward I move, where to? I do not know.

Yonder I can see, nestled among the hills,

The most wondrous palace there ever was.

Dazzling white in the bright sun.

I knew, this is where I’m meant to be.

This is where I have to be.

Without qualms, I forward myself

To my dream destination

I must pass on.

-M.Rose

Not everything you see is real,

Not everything you hear is true,

Let instinct lead you forth

Let your heart preserve your soul!

-M.Rose

Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Pulsing crimson

Stop, no! no stop for this.

For, to stop would be the end.

Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Fading into the system

Encased in this bony trellis of a prison, this scarlet beating rock

For no escape it has ever known

Stop! NO! It can’t

No freedom ever it will know.

No sights ever it will see

And sounds? Any?

Ah! Only its own.

Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

A ticking time-bomb

Whoresome ruby sap courses over it, under it

Through it

Feeding it, keeping it present

Blissfully unaware, this red being

Effect on its humanity

For who could breathe the golden sun if your throbbing there be no more

Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

- M. Rose

Ah, Loneliness! Does anybody crave you like I do?

So often do mankind flee from thee

But la! Lament not!

I’ll embrace thee!

- M. Rose