in the mirror
of a blood shot full moon
i glimpsed thy beauty

not the physical you
but a reflection,
where that angelic smile
has been wiped clean
by stealthy time

the cracks
on the surface
gave away
the pain of your solitude!

remember,
your beauty will
shine into eternity
only as long as my reflection
stays firmly in your heart

for without question
my dear,
despite your distance
I alone can give you
your true sense of I

© 2018

under a neon blur
in a karaoke bar
loneliness
desperately seeks
company

not even tequila
with bitter lemon rinds
wipes clean
the solitary foot print
left behind
in the sands of time
of an unrequited love

a chilling silence...
buried memories...
anesthetized pain...
are all that remain
between
empty shot glasses

© 2018

filling
that great divide
between
total faith and veritable doubt
i reside as
pure luminescence
the primal seed
behind all existence

my dance
gives the boson
its mass

i am that i am
truth, existence and bliss
intuited by sages
to be the ultimate reality

© 2018

me too
just groped by a president or two
#me too
just ***** by a senator or two
#me too
just fondled by a celebrity or two
#me too
just pinched by a pervert too

#me too
where you care not
to seek consent
cos I'm a woman
and therefore branding me
to be "on sale too"

© 2017

a black cobra
with a raised hood
slithers
around his blue neck
gaping in awe
at the primordial being
adorned with
a crescent moon
on his matted locks

even
the dance of the atom
comes to a standstill
pausing
to catch a glimpse
of his half-smile
delivered out of pure compassion
for all human-kind,
so caught up
in their pettiness
missing the bigger picture

© 2017

from
deep within
his tawny matted locks
adorned with
a perfect crescent moon,
her epic journey
begins

ancestors belonging
to a great lineage,
cleansed
by her whimsical flow

as millions take
soul-stirring dips
in her crystal-like
icy waters,

they worship her
with melodic hymns,
and decorated lamps
every step of the way

© 2017

We take this moment
To offer
A heartfelt prayer,
For the many odes
Seeded in the
Mind-womb of poets
Worldwide,
Which never made it
To birth

Aborted
Along the way
For equally
Good and bad reasons

© 2017

to the cosmic nomad
wandering
from one end of the universe
to the other
riding his faithful bull
with no place to call home
except
the heart of the pure devotee,
i offer
one bilva leaf
with
all my love...

© 2017

i-con-i-c means
i con (you)
(and) i (see)
(that the con's working well!)

no iconic brands
that you sport
is a window
into
the real you

true completeness
seldom comes
from
boutiques of glamour,
but discovered
from a deep dive within
to find
the real "I"

© 2017

my poetic joss
seems
to have run out
for now.

this patch of dry ink,
feels like a bee,
visiting flower to flower,
only to find no honey

oh goddess of poetry!
when will thou
take a seat
on the tip of my tongue
for the river of poetry
to flow freely?

© 2017

scarred
for life
she was....

not from
the burns inflicted
by an archaic kitchen stove
which quietly
became her life...

or those instances
of physical abuse
levied against her
by her drunken husband

but by a barrage
of verbal diarrhea,
sprayed from
his foul mouth,
each stinging word
sharper than any sword

© 2017

after fourteen billion years
of separation,
shakti
is finally ready
for her rendez-vous
with shiva
the true love of her life...

as duality ends
matter
and awareness
become one

© 2017

ever noticed
three cloaks worn by God:
omnipresent,
omnipotent,
and omniscient,
all start with
om,

it's as though
providence says:
om (n) i are:
present, potent and scient

om,
thou art
the sacred sound
of the cosmos,
and the very breath
of consciousness

© 2017

my darling krsna,

isn't it time
to put away
that decorated flute
of yours?

knowing well
this is where
soulful melodies
which sustain
the rhythm of the universe
emanates from

let the birds stop singing
the gopis stop dancing
the stars stop shining
and the universe stop expanding

from here on
you belong
to me alone...

eternally yours,

radha

© 2017

with a sleight
of thy hands
you draw the mighty
wheel of time
into submission
of thy will

with a crack
of thy smile
you draw
my fickle mind
into poesy of thy greatness

to this timeless
cosmic dancer
who's without
a beginning or end
i offer my prostrations.

© 2017

behind
this dancing peacock
with azure feathers
fanned
in visible excitement
i spy
the blue lord of my heart

staff in hand,
attending to
grazing cows,
while showering
his love and tender care

god,
simply doing his part
as the protector
of all beings
small and big

© 2017

as tectonic plates
crash
under the ocean floor
creating
tsunami waves
the great deluge
begins...

i incarnate
as a whale
leading a vessel
full of species
safely through
the tumultuous night
of Brahma,
ready to start
the next round of creation

steering this ship
clear off Shiva's
dance of destruction

© 2017

smartphone -
the only witness to
his indiscretions

confrontation -
her perfected uppercut
lands on his face

in divorce court -
wife and the mistress
slay the defendant

by slow mail -
wife's settlement check
less than her lawyer's

© 2017

deep inside
those soulful eyes
are hidden poems
holding
a bank of emotions

as she waits
for the chosen one
enshrined
firmly in her heart
to slowly decipher
and publish
the poetry of her life

© 2017

between
cubes of ice
in a crystal glass,
a pour of liquid gold
twenty-one years old
anesthetizes trauma,
the pain of a failed love

as ice melts,
his new passion
from
the highlands of Scotland
drowns
her blurry image,
at least for tonight....

© 2017

A cosmic tiger
Now turned
Cubist cat
Hangs on a wall

Proudly recounting
The tale of when
He served
As a vehicle bearer,
For the most
Potent energy form
Known
To human kind
In the entire cosmos

© 2017

The chasm carved
Between us
By the inscrutable Time
Is now
Wider than the universe

Sweet memories
Gently fade
Creating
Voids inexplicable,
The ensuing silence
Surreal

Despite this divide
I peek a boo
At the clouds
Separating us
Looking for a silver lining


© 2017

Riding
A white horse
Sword in hand
His determined eyes
Signal readiness
To fight
A different battle

A campaign
To protect
The globally innocent

Unmanned drones
Deter him not,
His disguises
Continuously change,
Social Media
His new found weapon
To wage this virtuous war

His victory is certain!

© 2017

carved in black granite
consciousness and energy
shiva and shakti
in an androgynous form
performing the cosmic dance

© 2017

Clad in white
He kneels,
At the crowded corner
Of 79th and Madison Avenue

Facing East
Rug neatly laid out
Praying with a fervor
Seldom seen,
To as-Salam
His source of peace

Much
To the chagrin
Of a few Manhattanites
Passing by....

Staring,
Probably wondering:
Could he be a terrorist?

© 2017

with a kung fu kick
inside shaolin temple
ego surrenders

© 2017

every time
you use
the word "I"

dive deep
into your third eye
to pose the question:
who is the real "I"
behind
all these eyes

© 2017

to
the enlightened master
who teaches his disciples
the very essence
of true knowledge
through pure silence....

i offer
one bilva leaf
with
all my love

© 2017

riding
the car of desires
i've been to hell
and back...

each want
a death wish
inviting
the poison of envy

followed
by a disappointment
that even ticking off
one's entire wish list
renders
no permanent happiness

© 2017

the space between us --
going their separate ways
king and king maker

© 2017

perhaps
i could have said it
perhaps
i was just too scared
perhaps
I could have kissed
perhaps
i didn't know what i would miss

perhaps
in another life...

© 2017

hands on the button
two clowns playing nintendo --
as the world watches

© 2017

i count
these shy stars
scattered
in the night sky
like beads on an abacus

little jewels
coalescing
to form shapes
like a fish, boar, turtle and a lion

each cluster
merging into a milky ocean
wherein
the cosmic flutist
plays a tune to which
all the stars dance

© 2017

clad in a red robe
a tibetan monk chuckles
intrigued by this world
filled with hope and suffering
wrapped neatly in illusion

© 2017

here
even eagles dare
not enter

a snow capped peak
where
meteor showers fall
and
gods routinely visit
to pay obeisances
to the solitary mendicant

that being for whom
all things
animate and inanimate
are equal
and worthy of compassion,
this eternal resident
of gang rinpoche

© 2017

cracking on leakers
subpoenas for media --
let the games begin

© 2017

losing his footing
inside that bully pulpit --
time to reassess

© 2017

an untamed tiger--
marching to this white house
horde of generals

© 2017

caught in a whirlpool
swimming against the currents --
a new york builder

© 2017

i need no *****
to fuel my flames,
i need no drugs
to make this claim,
i need no stimulants
to feed my passion,
all i need are those kisses
which you so cleverly ration

© 2017

into
the fire of knowledge,
i offer:
ignorance
as oblations,

root cause from
where
this manifested
but illusory universe
rises

as it tricks
each of us
into thinking
what's actually an illusion
is in fact real,
and what is actually real
a mere illusion

© 2017

tired labor
screamed at greedy capital
why do you always exploit me?

i toil
long and hard
only to make you
lots of money

greedy capital giggled
and then shot right back,
i only do that because
i really think i can

so stop your complaints
and get back to work
before I really lose it
and become a total ****

© 2017

designed in russia
orange puppet with blonde hair ~~
going down for real

© 2017

embrace death
cos one day you'll run out of breath

embrace death
cos one day it'll steal your health

embrace death
cos it'll creep up on you like stealth

embrace death
cos you won't be saved from it by wealth

just embrace death
cos it's certain and closer than you felt

© 2017

pin drop silence
anxious faces
no one person
dare look at the other,
but
at bureaucratic forms
that need filling

are some dreams
about to crash and burn?
have others
written their final will?

eagerly awaiting
any good news
from an impersonal machine
called the cat-scan
which now
quietly plays god

© 2017

summer doldrums
a stillness to these leaves ~~
paralyzed congress

© 2017

hidden foes
closed doors
dirtied shores
a world gone awry

tacky leaders
massive needers
acting like dealers
a world gone awry

cultures collapse
diseases relapse
madness perhaps
a world gone awry

this movie called life
sharper than a knife
global community in strife
in a world gone awry....

© 2017

parting with something dear
subjugating personal desires
giving up for a greater cause....
like a son sent to war
for country sake,
like selling her body
each night
to feed a big family,
or seeing this brave mother
donate vital organs
to her dying son
just to see him live
for a few months more...

© 2017

guarding
the impregnable fortress
of her majesty's residence,
two tigresses sport
a no nonsense look
eager to preserve
the secret of the three cities

herein dwells
kalika......

inside
that point of singularity,
she holds captive
her only true love,
the wild
but great shiva

© 2017

a bunkered white house ~~
this game of russian roulette
slowly unravels

© 2017