It hits you when you’re not looking.
By the cantaloupes, maybe.
Or in the cereal aisle.
Life’s absurd, isn’t it?

A stranger’s kid is crying,
and the old man next to you
is staring at the ingredients on the soup can
like it holds the secrets of the universe.

You’ve been there too—
in the waiting room of life,
looking for meaning
between aisle four and five.

You buy the bread, the milk, the eggs.
None of it will last,
but you tell yourself it will.

And on the way home,
the sun will break through the clouds
just for a second—
and for once,
it’ll feel like enough.

mother, o mother
the river and the rain
do not shed your tears for me
mother, o mother
the sun and sky above
fret not, rest easy
i am dying
mother, o mother
caressing wind,
tempestuous monsoon,
i am sorry,
sincerely,
with love

I am the duffer,
In the realm of intellect,
Endlessly burdened.
I am the duffer,
A murmur
I caught it from society's lips,
softly whispering,
Echoing in my ears,
I am the duffer.
On the workplace,
Fulfilling my obligations,
My colleagues surrounded me,
Murmuring, "The boss knows,
This man is a duffer."
I sensed, through
Glances and gestures,
what they implied,
I am the duffer.
I pondered the trees,
Wondering why they exist,
What purpose they serve;
They proclaimed clearly,
In the fresh air,
But I couldn't grasp it,
As I know,
I am the duffer.
The universe speaks a language,
Communicating with all,
Yet I remain lost,
For I don’t understand
Because, I am the duffer.
The flowers sing sweetly,
The birds  twirl and sway,
The monkeys play games among the trees,
But I can’t decipher it,
Because,
I am a duffer.