are you proud to carry your father's name?
the weight of all your family sitting at the end of your title.

do you whisper it to yourself as you look in the mirror? do you search out his face in yours?
do you find the man that you remember? or do you find that man who still walks the earth?

people always tell you
"you have your father's eyes"
but even with his eyes you can't seem to find any part of him in you. except for his name.
stapled onto yours.

Put me on your boat Mr Pirate man
And sail me away to the edge.
And if we fall off at the sunset
I promise I won't be upset.

I'm sure we'd land in the stars
And cruise along molten black waves,
Under the light of our lady Moon
Each swell rolling us into our dreams.

Just be sure Mr Pirate man
That you've courage enough for adventure
And passion a'plenty for the timeless
The unknowns and my own zest for living.

Because I'm sorry Mr Pirate man
I cannot tolerate bland crusades
And frivolous words lost to the winds.
The fiery within needs no fear, only honesty.
For I am free to drift like the currents,
So don't hold onto me
Just sail with me to the beyond.

FACE THE THREATS *
          
Jostling through the crowds of Varanasi -
Ancient, vibrant and ever noisy,
Vivekananda found at the end
A lonely path that seemed to blend.
With his solemn, pensive mood.
Longing for silence and solitude.
As he walked along the narrow path
Winding amidst lush green plants
Towards a sprawling, lovely lake,
A horde of monkeys, all red faced,
Sprang on him from a nearby branch.
Taken aback by their sudden attack,
He ran very fast, never turning back,
But the menacing beasts were at his heels
And one of them pulled his saffron gown
While the others growled and shrieked.
Shocked to see this frightful scene,
A holy man coming from the lake,
Shouted "Do not run; they will overtake.
Stand there, face the surly brutes."
Regaining his composure and lost balance,
Vivekananda stopped at once,
Held his ground and raised his hand.
Stupified and bewildered, the monkeys fled .
        Thus awakened, he soon realised -
         "When you are threatened by opponents,
           Face them with courage and confidence,
            Yet, without malice or vengeance.
             To win life's battles, have grit and strength,
              For, strength is life and fear, worse than death."
                              **.  M.G.Narasimha Murthy
Hyderabad, India

The wicked whip of word
lashes whelps
upon the starved psyche
of the errogenous mind

Indeed !
The moment rises
in smoke and flaming
"I-don't-knows" of sheets
of layered heat
pressing down
into the flesh of desired
impunity . . . iniquities . . . liquidity

Happy is the framed statement
of thine , birthed
behind plastic cups of wine
in sheds of grey wooden sides
from long long ago

Was it board through (Bordeaux)
or just shabby (Chablis)

But the experience
while daunting
leaves you panting
for more

A thing of the graved past
Is not relevant at all.
But things you did not disclose
Is a deep dark nightmare call.

There was this noble boy
Who you've said have courted you.
You said he's a good friend
And he liked you.

I see he loves cars and travel
More often than you do,
A noble inheritor of a family firm
With an atlethic frame and hue.

But,  the way you describe him
Sounded like he has no mere value.
And me: I believed in the light
Of your tongues' sweet fondue.

Of all this precious time,
My mind have held your stories
Grasped and chained
Optimistic and unworried

Of all this time, doubts.
Yes doubting was never an option
Nor an attempt to juice
Even the slightest blood potion

Until Unexpectedly time came,
Yes on your twentieth birthday,
Expectant was not in the thoughts
Of positivism I've had for years.

Unaware and extremely honest
Smiling with a chance to navigate
Your smart phone's veins
Having a funny faith.

Until someone peeped and popped
From the large screen landscape.
And I never knew
That it was the pivot of my life
Nor a wrist sliding through a knife.

The SMS said, "I love you".
Then blah blah, "missed you"
And all of the mumbled I've seen,
Numbed my soul and ego.

I got wounded. Deeply wounded.
Every word, there's a stab
In my heart, cutting every veins
Feeling the friction and I rub

My eye, it has water I see flowing,
You loved him more than the sun
And I see the young persona of you
Blinkering infront the gun

Like a gun, Pointed at my temples
I've found my self humbly destroyed,
As I knew you missed the guy,
And how you were overjoyed.

Devasted in every word
Knees are trembling with grief
I never knew that I could,
Incorporate you with disbelief.

And as you came in the room
I immediately handed your phone,
And pulled the "surprise" curtain
And greeted you with a nice tone.

"Happy birthday, Darling"
I love you so much. With tears,
Streaming, spine shivering,
Caught off guard by the latch.

Then I stayed. Yes I'm invinsible
And strong as a boxer in the ring.
I've faced your family
Despite of the heavy sting.

Then the lights activated
And someone whispered me
And said "hey sweetie"
"The breakfast is ready"

I quickly jumped up out the bed,
And sip my good coffee
As I think of memories
Escaping the reality.

Looking at the kids
My heart beats faster than the bullet
As I look at your picture
In my treasure box's closet.

Then my wife whispered to me,
"Hunny, who is she?"
I said she is an ex giflfriend
Who cheated me nasty

As my wife and I are alone
She asked me, "why?"
I wrote this poem,
And I almost died.

Then I woke up again
Realizing it was just another dream;
I've found my 26 year old self
Decided to empty this bin

A bin full of trash
From memories who hurted my home
My heart and my brain woke up
Feeling pained and all alone.

A boy with a bear was sitting in his room.
The bear was missing an eye
and the thread was unraveling
but his mother promised to fix him up
to make him new again.

They were going to his friends house
and his mom told him to leave his bear
But the boy didn't listen.
That bear was his heart and soul.

It was a warm summer day
the sky was bright blue
not a cloud could be seen
and the boy opened his window.

Don't stick your arms out the window.
The boy didn't listen.
Don't stick your bear out the window.
The boy didn't listen.

He wanted his bear to feel the warm air
in the same way he did.
He just wanted the bear
to feel the warm air.

But with one large bump,
the boy lost his grip
and down, down, down it goes
into the street-like abyss

But he didn't say anything.
He didn't know how to speak.
His bear helped him and now he's gone
somewhere on the side of the street.

The boy closed his eyes
shaking his head
and he slowly closed his window.
His mother breathed a sigh of relief.

He stared out the window.
He didn't look back.
He turned a blind eye
to his own unraveling thread.

Where is your bear?
I dropped it
You dropped it?
I dropped it

By the time they went to look,
it was already too dark
and the bear was gone
and so was the boy

I dropped it
I dropped it
*I dropped it

I'M STOPPED AGAIN BECAUSE I'M BLACK,
THEY EVEN HIT ME ON THE BACK,
I WAS TOLD THAT I RESISTED ARREST,
THEN DRAGGED ME AWAY WEARING MY VEST.

THEY STOPPED ME BECAUSE I'M BROWN,
LAUGHED BEFORE THEY STRUCK ME DOWN,
DRUGS WERE FOUND ON ME - NOT MINE,
I WAS LOCKED INTO A CELL - SIX BY NINE.

THEY LET ME GO BECAUSE I'M WHITE,
WITH THE OTHERS - THEY DON'T GIVE A *****,
I WAS ASKED NOT TO SAY ANYTHING,
OTHERWISE, THEY'D ARREST ME FOR LOITERING.

WHEN WILL THESE RACISTS EVER LEARN?
MAYBE ONE DAY, IT WILL BE THEIR TURN.

Eager to offer obeisance
To their  heavenly preceptor Prajapati,
Gods, demons and humans,
His triple progeny and disciples,
Bowed before him with reverence,
Seeking his parting advice and guidance.
Pleased with their faith and devotion,
The divine teacher called them by turns
And uttered "Da"  - a lone syllable;
Paused for a while
And asked the gods
To explain its significance.
"Great Sire, you say - subdue yourselves."
In a flash, the gods realized
Their powers needed great restraint.
"You advise compassion," said the demons,
Conscious of their nature, too cruel.
"It denotes - give, share your wealth" -
The humans said, for they knew
They were avaricious.
Though the same syllable all had heard,
In different ways, they thought and felt,
In tune with their innate traits
And the master said they were right.
"Da, Da, Da," - the voice of Thunder
Exhorts the world even now,
Be generous, merciful and self-restrained -
To ensure happiness for all mankind.
          *       *    M.G.Narasimha Murthy,
Hyderabad, India.    mgnmurthy4@gmail.com
Copyright: MGN (author)

You couldn't conceive
How careless you come off
When I'm crying for attention
But you can't reciprocate.....
Priorities.