With groggy eyes

I glanced outside my window.

It was early morning

and the street was deserted below.

Sleep had somehow evaded me

the night before.

The desire to mould my future

forces my mind to work overtime.

I have forgotten how to relax

and switch off at night.

Unknown fears drown my mind

all the time.

Below, I saw a vagabond,

unaware of where he was lying.

He slept more peacefully than me.

His needs were probably less than mine.

He was like a rolling stone

who gathered no stress.

Whereas my expectations offered resistance.

Preventing me from going with the flow, in acceptance.

Though our needs are few,

our expectations can become too many.

As I looked away, I wondered whether

I should pity him or me.

I knew my destination

and it incited me to drive.

I took upon myself

to steer onto the route,

on which my life would thrive.

I began dodging obstacles confidently

to move ahead in a hurry.

The path turned rough and craggy

and driving on it soon became tough.

It narrowed without a warning

eventually leading to a cul de sac.

My patience fell prey to the delay

and my confidence started to wane away.

I began to frustrate and tire,

on seeing my plans go haywire.

Worrying over the future,

I accumulated only stress and fear.

I prayed to the Almighty

and then moved to the rear.

I let Him become my chauffeur

and pull me out of this mire.

I have since entrusted Him,

to lead me onto my destination

by whichever way, He desires.

I now sit and enjoy the ride,

as a back seat passenger.

O’ Wanderer Wind,

Tell me, where have you been.

Like a nomad you love travelling

and are blessed to always be blowing.

You tease the Sun for following a routine

while you rise and swirl at your will.

You ogle at the majestic mountains while squeezing through the valley and whistle your presence as you rush past in a hurry.

You playfully engage with the blooming flowers and borrow their fragrance cleverly, to charm others on your onward journey.

You even caress the green grass as you sail past, flooring it with your flirtatious touch.

Blowing over the Sea you leave behind ripples many, suggesting your romantic alliance with the blue sea.

You kiss the falling raindrops, swaying them off their feet while turning them into mist magically.

I wish I could be as carefree as you,

blowing where ever I wish to be.

O philanderer Wind,

Tell me, where have you been ?

A maverick personality with

a bohemian style of dressing.

A flowing beard and a hat worn obliquely.

He was a painter par excellence,

exhibiting his piece de resistance.

His painting was to any eye a treat

but a part of it was left incomplete.

Left inadvertently or maybe intentionally.

My curiosity got the better of me

and prompted me to inquire brusquely.

The artist answered rather politely,

“I leave it incomplete to stay away from conceit.

To avoid being coloured with it vainly.

And prevent my ego from craving more than what my skill can achieve.

The incomplete painting now made sense to me as I continued to  marvel at his masterpiece.

A thought that comes so sudden

Like a stranger unpleasant

Who knocks at your door

and barges in before you say, No

Why was it let in without resistance.

Why were you stupefied by its appearance

What made you so afraid that you watched helplessly while it settled in.

Maybe the intruder was not a stranger but someone you had seen earlier.

Someone you were afraid to encounter

and wished would never come so near.

Helped by your fear, this intruder dictates your behaviour and enslaves you further to become your master.

This intruder is Suspicion and none other.

An undesirable thought when allowed to register will feed on your fear and soon become a doubt that is difficult to clear.

Save yourself from being ruined by this intruder, whom Suspicion we call here.

You are the sheen, I see in the eyes.

You are the echo, I hear in a voice.

You are the spring, I notice in a gait

and the firmness, I feel in a handshake.

But tell me O’ Confidence

Where do you originate.

How can I let you accumulate.

You are a treasure to possess

but remain so difficult to access.

Your presence truly brightens my day,

as everything happens the right way.

Hard work doesn’t always fetch you.

Nor does Belief or Conviction retain you.

O’ light footed Confidence

Tell me, how can I hold on to you ?

You are capricious and ready to flee

Your sojourn is short and untimely.

What shall I do to acquire you indefinitely

and how can I insure,

you stay with me permanently.

Lying in a ICU and in coma was

a loving wife and a doting mother.

Only one to attend to her now was her husband, a retired Air Force officer.

An ideal couple, they had spent their life’s savings to procure their two sons a good future.

Their sons had graduated with elan, making them proud

but had chosen to marry and settle abroad.

The visiting sons couldn’t spend time with her as they had to fly back for sure.

Even during their visits they were obliged to arrange for their family trips of leisure.

Unfortunately her aged husband was struck by cancer and passed away earlier.

The sons performed his cremation but expressed their helplessness in looking after her.

They flew back abroad leaving her in coma as she was now nothing more than a sleeping God.