Life is spread
Like a rainbow across the skies now
I am happy...

Son has to go back to his dorm
I will be sad...

It comes
In these combo packages.
Make good of them.

Did not sit down to write
For many a day...

Things happened
Some disappeared
Some memories did stay...

Sometimes I felt happy
And content
Sometimes felt,
I should go away...

Trees have gotten green
Flowers abloom everywhere
Nice, sunny days,
Son is with us to stay...

Life has been lovely
Setting up home...
When death comes up in discussions
Towards life do I sway!

Domes and imposing buildings
Canals and fairytale brasseries
Magic Christmas markets
          Crepes and hot juice
Lights and colors
Cobbled streets and
Quaint countryside houses

Majestic mountains
Murmuring rivers

People who speak
Hesitant and lovely,
loving English...

Europe in winter
Is too much!

The bare trees
Are springing leaves

The plants
Blooming flowers

The sun is shining
All over the place

Men are
Rebuilding towers

Hope springs eternal
'Cause God is good
And he has all the power.

And then in Germany
And in Japan

The madness goes on...

Would taking human lives
Dissolve the pain
That we are told
You were victims of?

Would causing more pain
Alleviate it?

Pray, listen to your hearts!
Said I...

God decided to let the world remain
Because men and women
Fought to preserve it
It snowed again in December
And people celebrated Christmas
There were gifts and hugs
That happened
There were zoom meets
And connections were strengthened
There was giving and self care
And people rejoiced with all their might
God agreed
To give them another chance…

Putting in a lot of effort,
My link to a promising future...
Wish me luck,all!
The time is exciting,
Full of indications,
Beckoning me to go onwards,
Explore,discover,be amazed!
I know all your blessings,
Will straddle along with me,
On my new journeys!

Bangladesh
Is a tiny little country.
Our neighbor.
People got killed.

Because?
They were brave?

Life is going on
At its usual pace

With great promises
Of a golden future
The foundations of which
Are getting laid...

Some near ones arriving
To start the process
Flowers blooming in hordes
In my garden...

The days sunny,happy,
And me excited at times,
And content at others!

Has the storm passed over?

Autumn is here
And many things pleasant.

As soothing and as colorful.

Like the balmy breeze
And the leaves turning red.

We thank the Omniscient
For unearthing that
Change was welcome!

Starting to spread my wings a little
Starting to do my own thing a little
Seeking support, getting support
Couching comfy
Surrounded by love
And care
Basking in the sunlight
Petals underneath my footfalls...

Went to Canada on a vacation...
Thousand Island Park
Ottawa
Toronto
Niagara...
Very nice trip, by road.

Peaceful,serene,
Interesting,happy.
Meditated,
Met friends,relatives
Were adventurous...

Came back
And son went back to the dorms.
Was recovering
When one of my plants
Almost died.
Am still sad.

As I said earlier,
It comes in packs of two:
Happiness and sadness.
Be prepared!

Back and forth
Between two nations

Both great
Both beautiful

Cannot choose
Between one or the other
So will keep
Going on
Back and forth

Till I slow down...

Flowers bloom
And likewise,
Everything has turned beautiful
All around me...

My new house
Is like a flower in bloom...
I touch it
And it opens up
Into secrets and mysteries
Yet to be built up
In its walls and cabinets
In its corners and drawers
In the pictures yet to be hung
In the mirrors reflecting...

I am revelling in it
And it talks to me.

Blow after blow,
It will come,
Purporting to take your everything away...
Hold on, do not give way!
And when they stop,
Deliver your blows!

Keep on doing this, for as long as they persist,
For years, decades...

And then, they would seem to stop...
And, would really stop.
And then you celebrate victory...

Today we bought tulips
And the desks have turned beautiful
We celebrated birthdays
A month back
And I remember the vegan cheesecake for Abby
Hubby said in his card
“I don’t know how I got so lucky…”
And I, on this Tuesday
Think likewise
Alexa plays the oldies
While we drink French wine
With steaming hot
Fusion dinner…
Life is full!

Life has gotten busy
Promised to get busier
That is exhilarating!

Lifting myself up to work
Things becoming easier
That is elevating!

Eyes on the horizon
Moving forward
Remembering when days were lazier
That is breathtaking!

Sorrow insurmountable
Taking me close to a coma
Still trying to keep myself happy
For otherwise, we would have
Lost the battle
“Emerge victorious”
Was what they told me
And victorious, I did emerge
Now, on the way to
Regaining my
Wholesome self
And showing the finger
To villains…

Heart singing
Winning accolades!
Sun shining
Unforgettable days!

Friends getting together
Rainbow anticipated...
Cheerfulness overflowing
Breath bated...

It has been a few days since Thanksgiving...
I am full of gratitude.
This life has taken
And then given me
Hampers full of bounty!
It has given me
An array of warm smiles
And embraces
Which filled my heart
So, that it overflowed...
And loads of warm love
Which made me
Beautiful again!

When I wake up
Every day
And I wake up late
The day is
Full of promises
The sunshine
Pours in
And I carry out
My routine
Happy, assured

Dusk arrives
I am done with
My chores
And I sit down
To watch television

Why is it that
The end to the day
Is so
Disheartening?

Brutalities
Are what I am
Able to
Carry to my
Bed
At night

O God
Make the nights
Beautiful again...!

With spring, have come in
Many welcome changes

New beginnings
Chapters closing
Doors opening
On creaky hinges...

I am happy
As happy can be!

Friends cheering us on,
Dropping in.

Birds singing
Flowers blooming...

Happiness happening
In little twinges!

God, do bless us...

Do not allow treason.
It is deceiving of faith
It is harm, inflicted.
It is jeering.
We know it might go on
For some more time
Despite our disapproval.
But do not ever forget
That you disapprove.
And make your voice heard.
Do not ever forget
That if you remain silent
The jeering increases in proportion...
And then come home and drink your wine!

When I travel
Far and wide
When I
Stay at home
I carry with me
Those whom I love
Those whom I call my own

Those whom I have
Seen but once
Those of whom I have
Only heard
Even they are all
Connected to me
Even they can
Hear my call.

The whole world
Is but a
Single creation
And we are
Never alone...

Despair not
That Mother Nature
Has been so ruthless...
She destroyed all that you had...
Know why?
She wanted to test your resilience,
Your willingness to stand up
Every time you are pushed down
To smile back
Every time that she makes tears roll down your cheeks
To build atop ravages...
For that is who you are!

It was exhaustion
These last few days...

Exhaustion after celebrating,
After experiencing
A lot of joy
And acute pain...

After finding God amidst us
After having to give in to destiny
         Even after putting up a brave fight...

You feel grateful
You also feel helpless.

It is all
God's divine design
Which is played out
With the help of
Our efforts, our victories, our failings.

We have to put in
Our best efforts, our best fights.
And God will shower
The final flower petal
Upon our heads
As her blessing.

Trembling all over
Have become busy
Smiling all over
Braving the cold
Taking the bus
And then the train
Walking,
Amongst strangers
Awed at Manhattan
I have stepped into a fairyland!

Wanna come?

Smile! Fight back, tooth for tooth!
Smash back when smashed!
Do not let go!
That is today's mantra.
Forces have arisen
Which are looting, hurting, smashing you...
Be a force to fight for the just and moral.
Fight against the dark!
And you will win!

Flowers are blooming again
But the planet is ill...
People are dying in huge numbers
Infected by some viruses
Which were carried by animals...

Humans exploited the planet:
The earth,the water,the creatures!
The results are showing,
One by one...

Can't we minimize
The processes of ruin
And embrace
The blooming flowers
And read God's message?

For some days
I did not write.

The happiness,
Has already
Been put into
Words

The sadness
Has been felt

So I was waiting

And then
Someone urged me
To put down
Into words

The celebration
Of living life
Daily...

Balloons fly into the air
Kites swirl in the cloud
Spirits soar high above the world

When friends come in
And the glasses ******
Clear and loud.

They make you happy
They declare you are fair
They make you feel as beautiful
As a red rose in black hair...

Flowers held
In trembling hands
And offered to Him

Resonate with
His blessings
Beamed towards you...

Flowers offered
Because you love Him
And you love the world
He has created for you...

And his blessings come
Because He loves you!

God creates
Oftentimes we forget
We grow from a toddler
To an adult
And accumulate adulation
At such a stage
Should we bow our heads
And realize
Our maker as the fountainhead…

Waiting for Gus
To return from work.
Zillions of thoughts
Flitting through my mind
Now, at dusk...

Some good, cheerful
Some bad, saddening.

My son comes home for the weekend,
Tomorrow
My mom-in-law's birthday
Is today,
I sometimes miss her...

The goodness of people
Crosses my mind
And also the hurt,
Which was inflicted...

Had it been all hurt
And no love,
The all erasing, all encompassing love,
Would I have existed
To tell my stories?

Where are your stories?

Sitting by the blue water of the pool
Writing and reading in the sun
Makes it easier to think of Texas
And the mass shootings
Sitting by Lake George
On our vacay
Enables me to bear
The beatings doled out
By friends who turned into enemies
Frenemies teach me
To discriminate
Between good and bad
May I always choose
The Good!

So many things
Have been happening
These last few days...
I have kept busy.

Busy with day to day errands
And pursuits
Day to day misfortunes
And pieces of happy!

Went to Walmart
And went to a Jazz festival!
Fell down from my bike
And Gus treated me to almond milk cold coffee!

It has been
This whole bundle of
Contrary things
Which have made up
My moments
Of these recent days...

I am happy
Because every grey cloud
Has shown me
A silver lining!
Did you find yours?

I am on the verge of
Embarking on fruitful journeys...
My heart is full and pounding...!
Much is expected of me
And I am sure I can do much!
I am racing through fields,
Arms spread out...
God is looking down on me
And I am happy...happy!

God listens
To our prayers
And replies
When we are listening to music...

God holds our hand
And leads us
When we roam the forests...

He wakes us up
Every morning
And tells us
You are my all...

Finally the hollyhocks
Bloomed in my garden!
Very auspicious, very joyful,
Very pink!

We are aboard the ride
To settling down, very soon.
May life, bloom out.

Son is on his way
To graduation.
May we see him in full bloom...

"May a hundred flowers bloom"
May this earth,
Become a happy garden!

My rooms
Are now
Full of sunshine
And sunflowers!
I am as happy
As happy can be.

We are planning
To go to the beach one day
And go for a picnic
Soon after, possibly.

The people
All around me
Make everything
Materialize
Very pleasantly...

I am happy
Because they are there
I am happy
Because I am me...

I am learning
How to ride a bike
And am spinning
A lot of dreams...

With the
Coasting and stops
As practice
During the initial lessons

I am coasting
The beaches and the woods
On my bike
With Gus and son
Following close by...

My splendid bike
Can be folded and kept aside
As I do
With my dreams each night
And go to sleep

Wake up every morning
Looking forward to
Another practice session
Of
Rushing and stopping...

Thoughts alternate:
Happy,
Not so happy...

Everything alternates.
Nature, Life,
When
there is sadness,
we have to know

Happiness
will come
knocking at our door
Very soon.

Like flowers bloom
Inspiration
Makes your heart
Bloom likewise!

Treasure it
Remember it
Gather it from the fields
And preserve it...

For
Being inspired
Is like
Being touched by God!

It is one of those days
When I am done with my chores early

I am relaxing
Writing
And listening to music,
Sipping iced tea...

In the evening, though,
I know that when
I would switch on the TV
There would be
A lot of noise.
Regarding the Presidential race...

But also, some
Very appealing entertainment.
A little loud,sometimes
But nice...

So my day rolls on
While I recover
From my biking wound,at home
With some noise
And some idyllic nuances...

I am lucky.
Do you count your stars?

The sun did come up bright today
After the dark election
And we did go grocery shopping...

Though it rained
The immediate day
Next to the announcement
Of the results...
God was sad too...

The baton has been passed on
And let us see
How well he runs...

Be alert
And keep smiling
The world is not
Coming to an end...

Be ready to voice your opinions
On whatever happens
Now onwards...
Do not cry.

God is listening
And everything
Will gradually
Turn okay.

It's been a hard winter
And now it's spring
There have been storms
And snow
And now the bare trees
Are bearing new leaves
There were forebodings
Stay indoors they said
And now everyone's stepping out.
Hope springs eternal
And now God is
Rewarding the human soul!

It is the season of festivities.

As winter comes in
We are asserting the human spirit
And that it is indomitable!

Winter?
Let us celebrate the beauty
Of the incoming snow and bare trees...

Let us pray on
Till it is sunny again!

The land of kings
Still holds its head high
The treasures still
Tell tales
The people are still happy
With their
Pink and blue cities
And those who visit
Following the trails
Discover joy!

Life goes on
With its pressures
Its frights
Its helplessness
Its threats
And discomforts

But your faith in goodness
Shows its true colors too
And at the brink of
Getting destroyed once again
You get to grab
The extended hand
Which
Hauls you up from the crevice

Promising to nudge you on to
Wide roads
Once again ,make you trudge on the lane to your destination!

Laugh, for you know not
When tears will fall
Laugh, for after summer
You’ll fall.