When you are in the middle of critics
And not a  single soul believes you
When the whole world thinks you are a liar
Can you stand up for the truth?

When failure stares at you
When anguish, sorrow and pain confront you
When storms tear you asunder
Do you still follow your dream?

When there is a steep mountain to climb
And your legs are weak and tired
When the ***** is slippery and arduous
Do you lose sight of your goal?

When this body is shrieking in agony
And the final moment nears
When the last breath is seeping out
Can you smile and face death?

Courage is not bravado
You don’t have to shout and roar
It is that little voice within you
That constantly guides you

© copyright skm

Lurking in the shadows
Casting sly, furtive glances
Treading slowly without a sound
Thief who steals precious life

Hiding behind window blinds
A cold, silent stranger
Lying in wait for the right moment
To devour his prey

With a coy smile
He takes you in his embrace
Showering kisses all over
Taking your last breath away

Writhing in pain and agony
The sick pray for him
Yet he turns a blind eye
To their fervent pleas

He acts in mysterious ways
Sometimes striking a fatal blow
With bullet wounds, blood and gore
Or taking you away in your sleep

After the job is done
He flees the crime scene
Without leaving a trace
Of his presence behind

He dances in joy
Ignorant at his folly
The heart does not beat
But the spirit lives on

Death – Are you friend or foe?
Should I love or abhor thee?
Trailing life – like a shadow
Death – Do you ever die?

© copyright skm

A gathering of familiar faces
Of relatives and of friends
A vexing thought revisited
In the canvas of my dream

From the inner recesses
Out of the blue
Objects, characters and emotions
Enact the play in my mind

Screams and sighs
Echoes of laughter
Chased by a tiger
Fights with that school bully

A medley of thoughts
Hidden desires
Resurface and unfold
In a whole new world

A reverie to remember
Or a nightmare best forgotten
Lost in this maze
Of my minds kaleidoscope

The alarm ring resonates
And I wake up with a start
Befuddled by this conundrum
That they call ‘A Dream’

© copyright skm

The majestic Himalayas
kiss the azure skies
And the Ganges flow down
Blessing the land below

Bruised and bloodied
By ruthless conquerors
She stood her ground
Strong and resilient

Vibrant and chaotic
With an energy that awakens
Exotic and colourful
India – a celebration of life!

The blare of horns
The maze of daily traffic
The muezzins call
and temple chants

A creative burst
A dizzying plethora
A dazzling confluence
Of cultures and tradition

Dances and drumbeats
A riot of colours
Lights and sounds
Its festival time

A land of saints and sages
Who meditated in solitude
Seeking truth and knowledge
To free the world from ignorance

As the sun sets
The crowds disperse
And at the street-corner
A little boy greets you with a smile!



© copyright skm

Those sparkling eyes, that charming smile
That countenance full of love
You cast a spell on everyone,
Innocence, you are a child!

Your naughty pranks, your witty lies,
Your cries and your giggles
I have no answer to your endless queries
Innocence, you are a child!

You know no caste, you know no creed
You know no envy and pride
You put to shame, men at war
Innocence, you are a child!

I watch you sleep, undisturbed
A picture of serenity!
With a smile on your face and a tear in your eye
Innocence, you are a child!

Snowy-white cotton *****
Magic carpet of eternal white
A white quilt for the blue sky
Soothing and comforting

Pearl-white candy floss
Across the  blue  skies
The sun like a small child
Bathes you in its  glow

An angel draped in her wedding gown
Waiting eagerly for her moment of bliss
Just in time the groom jets through
Lifting her off her feet

Meandering through infinite space
Slowly but purposefully
I see you change colours
Sparkling white, orange, yellow and crimson

We look at the sky in awe and wonder why
Your shapes keep changing all through the day
At times you turn dark and grey
And wave your magic wand to thunderous  applause

When the sun sets
You dazzle and sparkle
Like a peacock ecstatic
Showing its multicolour plumage

And when you are hurt
Tears fill your *****
And fall down like pearls
As a blessing from heavens!

© copyright skm

In my dreams
From a world yonder
You still appear
With all the answers

Holding twilight in your hands
You wake me up
To a new dawn
Of beauty and wonder

You watched me grow
Like a ray of hope
And put me to sleep
With divine kisses

Caring eyes reflect
Sacrifice and concern
Words unspoken
Convey everything

O Mother! O Angel!
From the kingdom of love
Showering grace upon me
O Star!  in the sky

© copyright skm

The morning sun in all its glory
Is smiling through  pine trees
Mountains kiss the snow-white clouds
And birds soar  towards the heavens

Fields of multi-coloured tulips beckon
The honey bees buzzing by
The sound of the cascading waterfall
Calling to the river below

Wild grass swaying in the passing breeze
And radiant butterflies fluttering by
A frisky squirrel nibbling nuts
And cows grazing listlessly in the pasture

The sweet stream trickles in calm delight
Guiding rainbow fishes along
And water lilies shyly dance
Their leaves glisten in the light

I drink in the sights and sounds
And my heart feels light
Transfixed, I stand and gaze in wonder
Amazed at natures splendour!


© copyright skm

The ubiquitous lust for power
Constant strife and discord
War, discontent,  terror and arson
The constant rhetoric and finger pointing
Arms race and nuclear buildup
Bloodshed and broken rubble
Shuffle like images in a kaleidoscope

The fleeting dove has lost its way
In this illusory maze
Deluded in anger , lust and envy
Its vision is blurred
Seeking the rainbow -utopian and ephemeral
The naive man rushes outward
Hidden in his own *****
Is the lasting peace he seeks

©copyright  skm

School, office, homework, business
Projects, shopping, cooking and chores
Bogged down with the daily grind
Our lives are like one big race

Lugging overloaded school bags
A child brings home more work
Is there a time for fun and games
When lost in this timeless maze?

Caged behind office cubicles
Targets and timelines
Deals and telephone calls
The blood pressure builds

Sandwiches, noodles or pancakes
What would you like to have today?
Have you thought of your housewife?
Who cares for you like a trained waiter

Bulls and bears
Stocks and Indices
It is the economy stupid
Giving you those nightmares

Add some rhyme and reason
Replace logic with intuition
Clear that mental clutter
Add balance to your life

Spill some colour
Pen a verse
Play a game
Listen to music

An artist is a breath of fresh air
Revelling in creative freedom
Letting loose enchanting melody
The song of his soul

© copyright skm

Lying in the mothers lap
After a fun day
Sleep like a lullaby
Soothes the little infant

Fatigued, tanned bodies
Lie on the pavement
Sleep gives solace to them
Magical,  sweet sleep

Sleep tender sleep
You ease the pain
Calm the nerves
And appease tired souls

Like a loving mother
Who dotes all her kids
You bring tranquil peace
To thief, saint, beggar and  king

Sleep take me on a dream
To a world without walls
Where there is only joy and peace
And one does not belittle another

©copyright skm

The first look, that smile
A twitch of the lips
Flush of the cheeks
Cascade of heartbeats

Words unspoken
Yet a lot was said
We held our hands
And time just fled

Sweet innocent love
A roller-coaster ride
It made us laugh
And made us cry

We fought and made up
Over matters trivial
And laughed over it
All through the night

Birds flew in patterns
In the clear sky so blue
Everywhere bright flowers
Welcomed us with delight

Stay young O love
Peaceful and content
As you illumine our lives
With a radiant splendour

© copyright skm

As the sun sets
He is laid to rest
The bugle sounds and guns fire
A nation pays tribute to a soldier

He fought with honour and without fear
To protect our country from foes
He stood guarding our borders
As seasons changed around him

Far away from his home
Leaving wife and son alone
A soldier fought a war
So that we are at peace

Braving bullets and bombs
Without food and sleep
He is alert all day
Keeping enemies at bay

The earth upon which we tread
He worshipped till he was dead
Fighting hard for our freedom
What a noble patriot he was

Then one day he fell down fighting
A bullet tore through his chest
With a cry for freedom on his lips
He lay down his life for us

A tearful wife and son
Are joined by a whole nation
We salute the brave soldier
And his noble sacrifice


© copyright skm

The curtain of clouds  has cleared
The sun lights the stage
A new day, a new act will be staged
All of us are wearing  masks
The show has begun
Acting is our forte

Sometimes we are a child
Crying out for attention
In another scene we are parents
Teaching our children
An employee at the office
Or a spouse at home

The show is a thriller
With a host of surprises
It has action and emotion
Humour and suspense
You can have popcorn
and coke during the show too

We get carried away in our roles
An emotional roller-coaster
The scenes keep changing
And new actors appear
Time just fleets by
And we have grown old

When will you throw that mask away?
How long can you hide behind that shadow?
Suppressing your true self
The curtains will soon fall
And the sun will set
Come out of that cocoon
And live life carefree

© copyright skm

The little girl looks at her reflection
In  the train window
She begins play acting
oblivious to those around her

The old man in the corner seat
cannot suppress a smile
Suddenly their eyes meet
And she takes cover

The crowd  swells in  as people jostle for space
The intercom resonates
Train door is closing..
Please mind the platform gap

She  turns to her mother
Pleading to play a game with her
She recites the names of the stations
Novena, Newton, Orchard, Somerset..

The young lad sways to and fro
Unable to control his sleep
He is shaken from his dream
By the lady beside him

Suddenly it turns dark
The train passes a tunnel
The little girl hugs her mother
And eagerly awaits the light

All around people tapping
smartphones and  tablets
Checking out social media and games
Absorbed, riveted and focussed

The girl runs to the window
Amazed by sight of boats in a row
serene waters and blue clouds
Skirted by green trees

Events change along the train ride
one after another like patterns
Of a kaleidoscope
Surprises waiting to unfold



© copyright skm

A pure mind
Discerning and dissecting
Living in a world of forms and shapes
Still revels in the true essence
Beauty in truth

When beyond mere looks
Your presence enlivens
Brings meaning to my life
A feeling  unexplained
Beauty in love

A child at play
Looking, touching, querying
Lost
In wonder
Beauty in innocence

The artist looks at his canvas
And it becomes his world
Everything else turns to nought
A flourish of colours and strokes
Lost in creation
Beauty in work

This universe infinite
Defying all imagination
All we can do is surrender
In awe, In admiration
Praying for inspiration
Beauty in devotion

© copyright skm