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 Jun 2018
Valsa George
After years of aimless wanderings
Leaving behind the cities of midnight revels
And the fevered journey in metro rails,
I am back at the land of my people.

Wherever I went,
Under which ever roof I slept,
I had carried my land,
As a jewel in a casket
And ensured it rested safe
Ever under my pillow

As I moved with aliens
Unable to merge with their cultural mores,
I saw my land glimmer in darkness
Like a dew drop on a moon blanched leaf

When I sweated in the blistering sands
A patch of green landscape, like an oasis
Wafted me in a cool embrace
Then dreams poured in like star light
And I wandered in the meadows of my youthful love
My heart struggling to forget old longings
And memories lashing upon me like tidal waves

Pursued by that inalienable shadow
Suddenly being born in flesh and blood
I hastened to the streets of my youth
With hopes galore and plans vivid

But alas! There is none to recognize me
Oh! I am a stranger here
An unwelcome stranger among total strangers
Now I wonder which is truly my land?
The one left behind or the one just landed in?

Oscillating between these two worlds,
My fractured identity looms large
With worms of memories wriggling in my flesh
And a myth suddenly dying in my brain
I am glad to share with my friends here that this poem- My Fractured Identity- is prescribed for the 10th Grade students-English for Junior High School- entitled Voyagers, in the country of Philippines. The exciting thing is that my poem appears among the writings of eminent men like James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling, Shelley, Virginia Woolf, Jules Verne, Jean Jacques Rousseau and the like. I feel it a great honor !!
Resting the mind is not easy
it dances like a sparrow
and speaks like a babbler
seeking the minutest grain
from the jungle of weeds
tweeting what it has to say
from one perch to the other
in all weather.

Then the aching wings falling slow
by the cold north wind
find no worth in the haste
seek a rest
perching upon some heart.

When unbroken silence is all it has
the mind rests easy in peace.
 Jun 2018
David Lessard
What will you do with love
when once it comes your way?
will you put it all aside
for another rainy day?

Will you visit other pastures
that look greener and more fair?
is there something you don't like
perhaps the color of her hair?

What will you do with happiness
that knocks upon your door?
will you wait until it stops
until it's there no more?

Happiness is fleeting
grab it while you can
tomorrow waits the sorrow
to ruin one's own plan.

What will you do with love
when it "falls" out of the blue?
will you turn aside and wonder
if it's really love you knew?
 Jun 2018
beth fwoah dream
requited love

the heart pounds
its engines and its seas -
mend and free.


unrequited love

in the wild and
desolate sea we drown
our hearts full
of sorrow.
loving you pleasantry
 May 2018
SøułSurvivør
R.I.P. Clinton Eugene Jarvis
~My father ~

The saguaro an altar
A tree stump a pew
He knelt in the garden
His church all that grew.

Cactus and succulent
Tenderly grown
Were all in his choir
For his ears alone.

From aisles of stone walkways
Stained glass in bright clouds
The sun was his mantle
The stars are his shroud

The lakes holy water
As a child he'd haunt
Skipping stones 'cross a pond
Like a Baptismal Font

Sat he 'neath the willows
To hear their prayer's sigh
The saguaro an altar

His Cathedral the sky.

SoulSurvivor
Catherine Jarvis
(C) 5/31/2018
Yesterday evening at approximately 9PM  my father passed away. He was closest to God being out in, and working with, nature. He was a Master Gardener. A member of the Cactus & Succulent Society.  I will write more about dad later on... Right now it's 5am and I've had no sleep. I'm going to try to rest. I'm handling the grief by writing... Remembering him fondly with words. Isn't that just like a poet...?
If I could have you back
for just one day,
I’d tell you all the things
I never did say…

I’d tell you I love you
and that I always will,
I’d tell you all my joys
even my little thrills.

I’d tell you my dreams
and sadness’s too,
I’d tell you my dark secrets
that you never knew…

I’d tell you about the love
deep in my heart,
I’d tell you of the day
I was torn apart…

I’d tell you how I miss you
and wish you were here,
I’d tell you everything
I hold so dear…

If I could have you back
for just one day,
I’d find a way
to continue the stay…
~
Sometimes the feeling of loss and grief can overtake you in a second, leaving tears streaming down your face. Sometimes, just by a smell, like the smell of lilacs floating through the air on a cool spring evening.

Just having a bad “Miss You Dad” day…
July 4th will be five years since he's been gone, it doesn't seem that long.
 May 2018
Siska Gregory
As I was driving down the road the other day, headlights switched right on
I realised what I saw… darkness… the inevitable truth
I cannot see the light, for it has gone, taken flight!
As I was wondering why so dark, I realised I was lost, lost in a world of blaming storms and oceans of terrible sadness
The gladness has faded… slowly away and away and further away it went
The more I thought about it, the more I saw of darkness turning into grasslands of frustrations rather than rivers of inspirations
With my head in my hands, sitting on the floor, I keep asking myself “where am i?”
“But no!” I said thinking out loud, talking to myself knowing that my path is destructive to everyone and everything in it
“How can this be all to life? My Life? I will not accept this fate!” and I made a conscious decision of revision, revising my life and the darkness that ruled it by day and by night
Pestering my thoughts, pounding away in my mind taking over my way of what I want my life to be about, I pushed it all away!
And slowly as the minutes, the hours and the days gone by, I saw the light returning
I grasped it fast with both arms and held it close for I can see again, breathe again and inspire and be inspired again
Oh the way I laugh today from relief and pure joy as my trouble have been let go!  
And let me tell you this my friend, worry no more for earthly things and blame yourself a little less or not at all at best
Appreciate the small special things and keep your eyes wide open for times are getting shorter and life more rewarding and extraordinary as you are
~Thank you for reading my story~
Thanks to my bf gf for inspiration
 Apr 2018
Siska Gregory
My heart cries out to thee oh God, my fears ended up in tears.
The years have come and gone, taking my faith away for so long.
Trying to control it all myself, humanity took over my sanity and left me all alone.
Literally going from one thought to the other,  trying to save myself from pain.
I kept falling deeper and deeper, much further away from grace.
From deep within my heart I hear you calling: “Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and i will give you rest”.
But my burdens are so heavy too much to bear, how can i walk to You without falling over every possible snare?
Then one day You came to me touching my heart with grace - oh my God my burdens were lifted and into your arms you raised me up, holding me close wiping my tears from my very eyes.
Its over and the battle is won! Grace has been restored beyond measure.
Faith is a substance of things not seen so keep holding onto yours until you see the glory of what it will bring.
2018-04-22
To difficult times
 Apr 2018
Sarita Aditya Verma
Mastmaula - The happy go lucky little turtle

On the beaches of Konkan
Lived a few families of turtles
For ages it has been their home .

Amongst them lived Mastmaula a young and adventurous turtle
To explore the surroundings he loved, popular and lovable , a friend to all .
Many a times he would stray away and had to be fetched by the elders in the group .

He loved visiting  the homes of the fishermen who lived by the sea.
Particularly fond of cabbage fed by the fisherwomen .

Amusingly he was also fond of music .
And loved to dance

The fishermen went fishing by the day
And would celebrate  the catch and their life by evenings .
Music played  and seafood savoured in almost every home.

Mastmaula was sure to visit, the fisherman 's house when there used to be a party.
One of the evenings , there was one going on in one of the houses , music was loud with party lights on.
And ,the food yes cabbage in colours, purple and green ,
Mastmaula knew would sure be part of the menu.

The fisherman's family had guests coming from afar
The occasion , an engagement ceremony .
As the music went on , Mastmaula went turtle and began to spin.
And sure he did have a few amazing moves , which caught the guests' eyes
And one of them ,fancied  carrying Mastmaula to their home.
The host opposed but the guest's  7 year old daughter Mili loved Mastmaula and wanted him to be part of her family . The host reluctantly obliged.

Soon , it was dark and a bale of turtles were out to fetch back Mastmaula home. They knew where to  find him.
Reaching the party venue and not finding him there they panicked and soon swelled in numbers.

The fishermen family knew it was time to call their guest ,who had taken away  Mastmaula .
The guest hurriedly came back with Mastmaula in a little basket and placed him down .
Mastmaula was overjoyed to reunite with his family and promised them all that he would never stray away and be careful of his visits alone to the fishermens homes.
Have always told self invented bed time stories to my boys .
My older son , Amitabh has been fond of 'The Hare and the Tortoise' since he was a toddler , have told him many , cause he always to listen to a new version .
Last night came up with this story of a young turtle .
I haven't ever written any story so far . This is the first that I have documented and so thought of sharing here on HP.

My mother tongue /Native language is Hindi .
Narrated the boys this story in Hindi .

MastMaula means -Happy go Lucky

Dedicated to both my sons , Amitabh and Anshul  :)
Thank you all for reading
 Mar 2018
Valsa George
bearing a crown of thorns
someone planted a kiss
the spikes  pricked deep,
scarring my face, letting
a stream of blood run down

but,

like a gush of summer rain
it cooled my smoldering spirits
slumbered my frayed nerves
and loosened my taut muscles!
My Good Friday experience..... !
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