I carried you
through a minefield, past ***** traps;
though the mortars lobbed their lethal loads
and the rifles spat speeding streams of death,
all was silent, until we reached the end of the field,
and I lay you on the grass

you thanked me, and asked me
to hold you--you were so cold, you said
I put my arms around you, and looked back
across the field--a stretch of fire now, blazing
the night sky, casting eternal light on you and me,
two young brothers I spied, prostrate,
still, on the other side of the field
we had crossed…still

on the other side

Monsoon Rhapsody by Nishu Mathur

I am rain on a summer day
Drenching drowsy, lifeless buds
Stirring them to a dancing wakefulness
Washing leaves dull and dry with dust
Dousing fire in a desert ringed inferno

I am the drizzle on a pale moon night
Easing into the heart with music
The melange of water humming with the wind
The splash of puddles in fields of barley
Gently filling thirsty river beds craving for a flow

I am showers before monsoons
Impregnating the air with soothing droplets
The hint of life in an oasis of colours
Breathing moist on a farmer's bronzed skin
Tingling the world with shimmering emerald

I am sawan, the monsoons
Winding my way through a chorus of clouds
Thundering my presence into the sea of renewal
Cascading on sandy shores that glisten with light
Whisking away waves of gold with jubilant darkness

I drape the land in arrays of greens
Scent the soil in my fragrance
Dance with the rhapsodic dance of the peacock
Wreathe petals into flowers that vine
And curve in the soil of growth.

Independence was a seed
planted in me at an
early age
Cultivated in the soil
of indifference and
apathy
Watered by disappointment
often until I lost all
hope in people
So I am sorry if
I have never needed
you in the way
you've wanted
My tree does not
bear the fruit of
weakness

It takes patience to be kind,
For the world is cruel my dear,
And you've got to take your time,
Chances come, go, they're forever;

But when things boil over,
I hope you'll know that it's alright,
The end is not that far, not close either,
You just have to go on and fight;

Sure people will break your heart,
Stay strong for yourself don't fall apart,
For you're made to survive this life and the next,
You're a warrior, a goddess, your mother's daughter;

Don't let the others talk you down,
Make you doubt yourself and your crown,
For this life is yours to rule and own,
A cavalry at your disposal to claim the throne.

@byizn