For hours I sat
between the rustling leaves
and the humming wind;
the tender kiss of breeze
upon my eyes
I could hear the singing
of birds and the laughter
from the ripples in the lake
and the soft, cozy blanket
of peace around my arms
I was just a ******* a bench
between the rustling leaves
and the humming wind
with the tender kiss of breeze
upon my eyes ...

~ Priya

The silence has settled in
In a plea for noise,
I scream from my heart
but only my ears can hear

Life is slow moving now;
slow to begin and crawling to end
My mask is fading
and I can no longer pretend
that everything is okay

It's not okay, I'm hurting
but I no longer feel alone
and although this is not easy;
and very hard to understand,
so many have reached out to me
to help me and to hold my hand
So many that wants to help me accept

Everything is not okay
but I no longer feel alone

I tried to bring back the past,
to face old hurts and joys
thinking I was so strong
and unaffected
How wrong I was;
I was affected
I thought I had moved on
and that all my yesterday's of you
were just wonderful memories
tucked quietly away for a rainy day
to smile about
I thought I could hug you,
touch the warmth of your hand
and the soft of your eyes
and feel nothing but acceptance
Instead, I felt all our yesterday's
with one look, one smile
and everything inside me changed
I remembered every moment
of our waterfall dreams
and our castles in the sky
and I remembered telling you goodbye
I thought I was strong, unaffected
and no matter how wrong
and in so many ways it may have been,
I was very much affected

~ Priya 🕉,  3/3/22

Brightly colored corridors
decorated with a child's
imagination
The hopes of animation
upon tiny weeping faces
So many places
they could be
so many things to see
if only they were free 
from this place
But they are here 
A Children's Hospital
for kids that are ill
feeding from pill to pill
Tiny bodies everyday 
fighting wars with tears
killing and creating new fears 
dreams chopped short 
with silent shears 
Orders and disorders
cancers and disease 
brightly colored corridors
hoping to deceive
the raging wars within
So much stronger they are
then me 
This was where I've been 
Humbling and crumbling 
watching them stumbling 
and feeling myself 
falling to the ground
moments so very profound 
realizing how truly blessed I am ...


© Priya Oct 4, 2015

Sharing comes from trust
but you never shared with me
I had to think about that for awhile,
wonder why you would let
your thoughts pile;
push them into a corner to collect steam
while I was lost in loves dream
I would wield poetry like a sword
slaying all walls of communication
using words to express flirtation
so you would know exactly how I feel,
there were no layers left of me to peel
In your presence, I was a new flower
blooming every time you were near
but with me, your thoughts were never clear
I would shower you with syrupy words
not knowing that you were slowly
shutting me out
I wonder about your thoughts now,
months later,
slowly collecting steam
and while I was lost in loves dream,
you must have been swimming in loves'
doubts
So many years of ups and downs
together we had broken so many grounds
together we had swam through joy and pain
just to find ourselves here,
all alone again
drowning in all of loves' doubts

~ ©️ Priya, 4/23/23 🕉

Another day has come and gone;
a Tuesday forlorn
The sunlight hid behind clouds of grey
Raindrops sprinkled throughout the day
Another gloomy day for sure
Until I felt a whisper soft
against my shoulders wide
I snuggled within my mothers cardigan
and could feel her by my side
Her arms warm across my waist
A whispers kiss against my face
I could feel her by my side
Raindrops sprinkled still
throughout the day
and the sunlight hid
behind clouds of grey
but I felt her whisper soft
and I truly felt her by my side
I love you mom

Always lingering, longingly
Like leaves frolicking in trees
Your gaze entraps me
Tempting me
Mesmerizing me
Engaging me in a lovers dance
Seducing my senses
Only you, only you

she lived in the darkest recesses
of here and there
fragile and alone,
not quite new
but young enough
to have been pricked by
the stings of neglected pain
she was a discarded bloom
left unnoticed;
parched from the drought of love

so I rescued her;
this beautiful flower
tossed aside
with no way to blossom
into the rose she is today

Today met yesterday
a little too early this morning
Sleep still floating in my eyes
like clouds in the skies
hesitant to clamor open;
not at all eager to embrace the day
Eager more to slumber the quiet away
Weekends are hard, harder I think
This time then, before she left
we would be planning an adventurous trip
Midland, Abilene, Dallas perhaps
A getaway to simply relax
and treasure every moment spent together
Today baseball game, and then another
a city kids event and movie later
Another day with the kids
but without you
Miss you mom,
today, everyday

You are scared, me too
Your eyes are shaded
With the color of passion
Tiny hues of anticipation

Come here, hold my hand
You are shaking, me too
I want to touch you
burning with anticipation

Do not be scared, I am here
My arms will protect you
We will douse this fire
And there will be no more

Anticipation ...

I love to see laughter
Gleaming in your eyes
Especially when it's
An unexpected surprise
This April fools day
Was no different, of course
When I saw that look in your eyes
I almost felt remorse
You got all dressed up
In your black suit and tie
Did you ever think
To ask yourself why
would they give you an award
I mean what did you do
But you were so proud to be asked
So I played you the fool
I walked you through the door
Arm in arm we went in
But the room was empty
And then you saw my grin
I ran away from you
As fast as I could
I knew you would catch me
You were up to no good
April fools day!
I yelled and your eyes held that gleam
You wrestled me to the ground
Tickling me forever it seem
You won, he whispered
But then so did I
I looked up into his face
And I tried to act shy
He kissed my eyes
And whispered in my ears
April fools day
Then the doors opened with peals
Of laughter for my failed prank
My husband and friends knew
So my con that day stank!

She is as beautiful
as butterflies in Spring
Her hair flutters in the breeze;
a gentle sneeze
from the soft blowing winds
She is beautiful; she is ...
Her skin glows golden
like daffodils at summers end
and just as flowers often do,
she blooms
In a world of trampled
black and white weeds,
she truly is as beautiful
as butterflies in Spring

*to my beautiful neice Nikita

Stunned and silent, I can no longer feel

My hands tightly gripping the steering wheel

Your hands are cold around my throat

Why must I be the sacrificial goat

Why was it me you chose to follow

Death is imminent, hard to swallow




Silently I drive, my screams are within

Blade of a knife now piercing my skin

You ask for me to stop the car

But I have no idea where we are

Skies are black and the trees block all light

I am tied and blindfolded to impair my sight




My door creaks open and the cold air rushes in

he pulls me out, the ties cut into my skin

Dear God, I pray, please get me out

Give me the strength to try and shout

May someone hear me and set me free

From this man I once knew, now new to me




He drags me across sharp branches and stones

I scream from the pain as rocks cut-into my bones

I give up now as the darkness pulls me under

Outside all I hear is the sound of loud thunder

This man who preaches now committing a sin

He rips off my clothes, it is time now to begin




He is going to **** me, I am scared and cold

His hands touch my skin and I suddenly feel old

Old and weak with nothing but despair

As he drags me down and pulls back my hair

As I fight to keep him from touching me

He punches me over and over

and for once I can see




A bright light just ahead, asking me to come in

Silently I whisper,

forgive me father,

for I must have sinned

she sets the sun soft
twirling her brush 
across darkening skies
spreading her wings
in a daily surprise
of beauty in the eyes
of the world
a rustling of leaves
a swirl of her sleeves
a breeze in the wind
a gentle reprieve
in the pinks and blues 
of her brush
a gentle blush 
she paints
across our whispering skies 

© Priya 10/20/2015

Sometimes,
we have to step outside of ourselves
and leave the world we are in
to find the peace we have lost
within us

I had to let that sink in
and find myself again
before everything me,
dissapeared

That is where I am now;
stepping away,
spontaneous, unexpectedly
finding myself

Who knows,
maybe I'll like what I find

~ Priya 🕉,  2/10/22

A story of love

46 years ago and on this day
a story was ready to begin
A dashing hero
meets the love of his life
and weds a stunning heroine
Each day, a new page was born
with words and memories
into pictures to adorn
the hearts of two star crossed lovers
So very much different
but alike in their love
forever climbing
beyond and above
to ensure the rest of us
was taken care of
In that, they were so alike
In that, their love remains alive
He was her hero
and she his heroine
A story of true love
that will never end

The story of my mom and dad ...

ॐ Priya Patel

You stumbled before me
like a lost leaf
hunting for a bed to rest on
I saw the jagged edges,
the bruising of colors;
and I knew your
life here was not done
So I sit here,
searching for the words
with the hum of the fan
urging me on
yet bundled in sheets
from the cool air in my skin
to show you
your life has just begun,
searching for the words
to lift you back up
to show you it's not too late
to drink from loves cup
You are a magnificent leaf
with golden hues
and ribbons of rubies
a whimsy to use
so that I too can believe in love

In the moments of silence
that follow in the wake of your absence,
my ears shatter a thousand times
A thousand times I hear your name,
ache for your whisper
in the soft of my ear;
ache for you to be here
At times, I am alone in my thoughts;
alone in the dark of night
And when all is quiet
but the screams of your silence,
I hear your name a thousand times
Come home, I need you…

The years of late
have not been kind to you Papa
I have seen you stumble
and cried as you fall
but more importantly,
I've have watched you crawl
your way back the the top
That is where you deserve to be
at the top of your life
free from strife
living the best of your years
instead of catching all of our tears
You are always
living each moment for us
How proud mom would be
knowing how hard for us you fight
holding us forever tight
in the warmth and love
of your embrace
How proud I am
to call you my Papa


Happy Birthday dad,
I truly love and treasure
every moment of every day
I have with you


~ Priya 🕉

As days and nights  have swam us by
I have managed to stay afloat
paddling away thru endless waves
alone in my one-man boat
One by one, oceans of memories
silently pass me by
as I row my way back to you
across a star flecked sky
My faith and hope delicately hang
by a few mangled golden threads
woven together in the mystical air
and the many tears for you I have shed
I'm rowing my way
across a star flecked sky
praying for a magical glimpse
of that love in your eyes
as I row my way back to you

~ Priya 🕉,  Feb 24, 22

I tasted the bitterness of hurt this week;
not at all meek
Pungent almost with smells of disappointment,
a lingering aftertaste of a trust misplaced;
a friendship in waste
A creation needlessly created
A reaction overly reacted
Now who is protected,
the friend or the friendship wasted?
As always, innocence is once again lost
It is nothing short of the bitter truth

- Priya

Bleeding heart

Her hands are soft and leather worn
and her heart is beating strong,
but she is torn
Bones are scattered,
ribs shattered
and then the other matters
She is fighting for her life, my mom
Through all the pain
and incredible fears,
I have yet to see her tears
but I can feel them through her eyes
I can hear her silent cries
When she squeezes my hand
and squint her eyes -
my heart sighs
Her tears I can feel
her pain I can only imagine
I just want her to know I am here
My heart is bleeding in fear
I just want my mom back at home

I think, sometimes,
I walk through life
with blindfolds on
I lean towards the dark
and ignore the light
that in my mind is already gone
I see only what I want to see
and blindly ignore
what is right in front of me;
forever walking through life
with these blindfolds on
How inhibiting this has been
I have always believed
that I was broken, but the truth is
that I am forever healing
and I'm ok with that feeling
because I'm tired of
seeing through these blindfolds
Today, I tried to stop worrying
about everyone around me
I tried living in the moment
and what a glorious sight to see,
like my son smiling so bright
I could see the light in his eyes
and the happiness in my dads face
when I met him at his favorite place
and we spent an hour
reminiscing about our yesterday's
All this I saw today
It's definately time I think,
to throw these blindfolds away

~ Priya Patel 🕉,  March 4, 22

you like awake in bed,
sultry words wrapped
in your head
like the bondages
you've created for me

can you feel

I try to push
your thoughts away
but the words you say
and the insistent way
your fingers play
with my mind

the way you, me find

The bonds too tight
touching me just right
just enough to keep me
bound to you...

So many toes have crushed
the very grains of sand
that give the ripples of you stability
Why, I wonder, do you crave my feet
with soles so incomplete
I have been trodden on
and accused of trodding upon
I am much like the broken shells
you wish was whole again
How I crave the tingling
of rushing water against my ankles
and the foaming bubbles
like pearls cradled in sunlight
dancing at my feet
How I ache to be whole again
like the brightly colored
imperfection of seashells

~ ©️ Priya 4/21/23 🕉

I am a blur of emotions;
the colored dots of freckles
that scatter freely in the air
and I am sometimes the knots
that get tangled in your hair,
desperately trying to come undone
I am the mystery in a love affair,
like the wild midnight mane
of a dancing horse
spinning round and round
before tumbling gently
to the soft of ground
I am the imagination of a canvas
ready to be painted me

© Priya Patel 5/26/15

I am walking again
on two feet weak,
even words are hard to speak
and so I write
I am wobbly at best
The strength of me
is being put to test
and I can feel myself
f a l l I n g

Carry me

Hold me up against
these winds of hell
Help me out of this
crumbling shell
I'm ready to stand
two feet strong;
ready to right the wrong

Carry me

Like a rustling brook,
let me be the soft
of a moving current
that carries me to peace

Carry me ...

I watched the skies above me
instantly change view
to a bright tangerine orange
from a midnight blue;
a magical float
that can so easily arouse
the gentle caressing
of chameleon clouds
They dip and sway
to a seductive play
in the changing room
of mornings dew
How I wished
I was a chameleon too,
changing with the time

© Priya Patel ~ 11/18/22 🕉

Change

I am tradition
A creature of habit
All white; no shady grays
Definately set in my ways
I fear the colors of change
and the silent unknowns
I am sometimes an
uncompromisable bag of bones

But what if...
What if I was to change
to eat the words
I can so easily dish out
To change the way I think
about whatever your upset about
To become once again
the flower you fell in love with once
instead of the unbending branch
I have become

I have hurt you I know
however unintentionally so
But I'm telling you now
I'm not ready to let go
Give me the chance
to turn things around
to remind you of all the
sweet things that keep us
tightly bound

Let me show you
that I too
can change

So well I remember
the clinking of our glasses and
the "cheers" that followed
with laughter and happiness
We were like kids that day
sipping from cocktails of love,
never realizing how truly
we were blessed
We were the dream team;
a mother and two daughters
sipping from cocktails of love

© Priya ॐ 7/2/17

Some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.

~ Willa Cather

I watch you from a distance;
the way the moon watches the sun,
waiting anxiously for the next phases turn
I trace all of our steps
the way the stars trace each other's path;
twinkling sometimes, falling other times,
wondering where our place is on this earth
We are poles apart, day and night;
Black and white, dark and light
Completely unexpected and yet somehow, we found a way to collide

~ ©️ Priya Patel 🕉

He tickled my feathers,
teased and caressed them;
fanned the beauty of my plumes
perfectly, until I was the perfect
way he wanted me to be
and then trampled me to the ground
How clearly I remembered his sound,
his thunderous roar
with the hunger of a lion,
his hunger for my peace,
his insatiable desire
to have complete control of me
But I fought back;
perhaps only in the end
when all of my feathers
were but a wilted lament
of what was once me
I fought silently,
no blood or tears
and certainly no fears
I simply walked away

~ Priya 3/21/15

Crippling

How crippling life may be
when gnarled thoughts
and broken dreams
leave you stunted
into silence

She was a dazzling bloom
a daffodil amongst thorns
until the wheels of life
trampled her
into the ground

Leaving me alone
with pictures and memories
and silent, pent up tears
trying so hard to accept
the absence of her smile

How crippling life may be
when everything you admired
is gone

© Priya Patel 9/16/2015

I love how you make plans,
smiling like an anxious kid
floating on clouds
that only rain for me
excited for the weekend to come
and for all the amazing places
you want to take me
Even through all your
personal torments,
you look happy

I watch you from the side
as if I wasn’t even a part of the plan
as if all my confusion and doubts
that we just talked about
was all in my head
as if you forgot
everything that was said
I watch you make plans
I feel like it’s all for you
but deep down, I know
I know it’s all for me

I wonder,
do you see what I see?

and then, you were 18
just like that
so hard for me to see
who I'm looking at
so eager to grow up
my world shook up
my baby, my smiles
my happiness for miles
ready to take on the world

It's all happening so fast
and I'm not ready
for this show
I've anxiously waited
for this day
and also dreaded it so
where a boy
becomes a man
and a mother let's go

Eshan, I will forever see you
as the boy that saved me
Happy 18th Birthday
my sweet, sweet baby

~ Priya, Jan 7, 22 🕉

Fall leaves 

The leaves appear distressed
angrily rustling 
frantically whispering 
lashing out at the branches
that once held them strong 
Their path has changed course 
from a tree of life 
it is now each leaf for itself 
and soon the leaves will Fall 

© ~ Priya, 9/5/16

Fear not my eyes
for they are a sea of happy memories
that will bewilder you renderless
but also an ocean of sadness
that will mute even your sighs
Fear not the pockets of stress
pooling with unbrimmed tears
for there are also golden specs
of laughter and gem stones smiles
Fear not my eyes
for they are the only
windows to see me in

A picnic in the park
a leaf with a breeze
hibiscus and vanilla
an afternoon tease
Sweet lemonade
under a shade of oak trees
hummingbird duet
with buzzing bumblebees
Teardrop kisses
a gentle love bite
you and I laughing
what a beautiful site
A few filtered moments
just you and I
spring flowers and bluebirds
under a clear blue sky

Close your eyes
and picture this..
you and me
and our first kiss
Open your lids
so you can see
how your lips
feel to me
So soft and gentle
and spicy too
Can I have
a taste of you?
Just a nibble,
maybe a bite
Come here,
let me hold you tight
Close your eyes
and picture this
you and me
and our first kiss

My eyes are at rest
lashes twinkling
with unwashed diamonds
I can cry now
I have a bed of hope
for which my tears may lay
arms wider than life
for which my fears can play
Pain has no home here
I can float astray
the sweet scent of peace
lifting me away
You are my river
and I, your waves
Together we shall float away

A forgiving grey
Black and white together sway
until the next rain
A forgiving grey
Moody clouds come out and play
a forboding and colorless sky
Black and white together sway
A forgiving grey

© Priya Patel 6/1/2015

I love the feel  of you in the morning
The softness of your hands, roughness of your feet
the way your legs feel wrapped around mine
I love the way you turn to face me
Even in your sleep
I love when you open your eyes
And see me gazing at you
And you gaze back at me
Smiling, you touch my face and whisper
Good morning sweetheart …

In happier times

Together always, and also apart

Smiling on the outside, crying inside

Holding hands, mile high walls between us



In happier times

Joined by paper, by properties

By kids, by work, by bills,

By love, by hurt, by hate, by hurt



In happier times

Music throughout, wrong music but music

Watching tv, wrong shows, but together right?

Dinner together, one ate and one cooked cleaned served

Happier times??



And now – alone and yet not alone

Friends, family, strangers

Sometimes crying outside

But then .. smiling on the inside



No longer joined by paper, properties

Work, bills, love hurt hate hurt

No more bad music, no more wrestling

Dinner together – with kids and two goldfish

Finally –happier times