Were nothing to go right
You would show me the light
Because, are you a beacon of hope
Which doesn't allow anyone to mope
Really, are you that one person
Who manages to keep me sane
Even when I am surrounded by total chaos
You teach me how to find bliss
When I am trapped in a bottomless pit of despair
Thanks to you, am I able to bear
Even the worst of all situations
Much louder than your words, are your actions
You fight fire with fire
Never, do you put on airs
Underneath your hard outer shell, lies a rather soft interior
For your people, do you greatly care
Not to mention, are you extremely brave
So much is there about you, that I greatly love
You are among the greatest poets
Not to mention, the most fearless activists
About what our society thinks, you give not a ****
Even after receiving so much hate
You have shown not, any alarm
Rarely, do you take the bait
Even after endless provocation
And at the same time, you show not, any caution
Hence, by you, am I so inspired
That I feel less and less afraid
To speak my mind
Until I grow really, really old
May the Lord bless you, you fantastic human being
With anything and everything
Which you hold dear
Keep fighting, keep motivating and take care
Jai Bhim! Vaazhga Periyar!!

On this day of pride, we gather 'round,  
With cupcakes bright, where colors abound.  
Orange, white, and green they wear,  
A sweet salute, beyond compare.

Saffron swirls like morning's dawn,  
A vibrant hue, where hopes are drawn.  
In every bite, a promise new,  
Of strength and courage, tried and true.

White cream peaks with peace in sight,  
A symbol pure, of truth and light.  
Each tender crumb, a gentle nod,  
To harmony's path, where all may trod.

Green icing dances, fresh and bold,  
A future bright, in tales untold.  
With every taste, we see the fields,  
Of dreams we sow, and harvest yields.

In every cupcake, a story lies,  
Of freedom won, beneath the skies.  
On this, the 78th year, we cheer,  
For India's spirit, ever clear.

So take a bite, let sweetness flow,  
In each delight, let freedom grow.  
For in these treats, our hearts do sing,  
Of India's past, and what tomorrow brings.

You look me dead in the eye as you my shatter ego
Confidence fractures, shards fall to the beaten ground
Forgotten pieces and parts of me soak into the floorboards like water on thirsty sand
You walk callously over the memory of my existence
Never giving a second thought to the barren wasteland you leave behind

As the shadow of my once-fragile ego lay prostrate and unnoticed
A subtle breeze passes through, carrying a familiar fragrance
That lifts expectations and replaces sadness with newness
A scent so seductive it draws me to the surface

Languished scraps coalesce into new form
Where I was once forgotten, I now am found
Sometimes brokenness is needed for growth

I think I figured out my health woes
and mental ones to boot
It's salt rinses until I can leave it to the tooth extraction professionals
Why is it so difficult for me to make the phone call
Do I still fear I'll be yelled at like I was child?

I want parental validation to ward off these unknown strangers
but I've been getting to know - for 10 years now
I'm smarter than my folks at home
The horror

The trick is to have the childhood faith you once had in them
in yourself - and in everyone else when you're not there
"These idiots will get along just fine. Why can't I?"

I'll make the tough phone calls
Post vulnerable pictures and songs
Deep down, do I just want a partner again?
Dog sitting alone
If I was trapped in my childhood home for a weekend
with some gregarious girl opposite of me
I would be a wholly different person
as I was in the past - 3 or 4 times over

This is the soberest I've been in a year
"Had my tea today without any sugar, no difference"
Except I see the fear and laziness as infinitely surmountable

You're up against propaganda promulgating passive lethargy
on all fronts
Sometimes you need to admit you're better than the herd
and swat away the crab claws dragging you back down
into the bucket of schlop  
Stop feeling so bad for using a few paper napkins
when you couldn't find a washable cloth
You need to break some eggs when humiliating the charlatans
and their fans out of this cultureless slump

For we unintentionally heal ourselves
  with short laughter and conversations
and eventually
     we use fragments of joy and motivation
as a step further to a small beginning
that leads to a big change
  and through this
we hope for brighter days

When the wind is blowing
with the voracity
of a hundred love songs
that tear flesh from bone,
You have to flow with the whirlwind.

Life doesn't wait for you.

When the earth is breaking
apart beneath your feet
with the fury
of a thousand guttural cries
that freeze the marrow in your spine,
You have to crawl through the gravel.

Life doesn't wait for you.

When the forest catches fire
all around you, burning
with the hunger
of a million weeping mouths,
You have to breathe through the smoke.

Life doesn't wait for you.

When the flood pulls you under
with the tentacled might
of all your failures and sorrows,
with the darkness
of a billion dead suns,
You have to be the light
that burns brightest.

Life doesn't wait for you.

I once feared looking at the sky,
Afraid it would swallow me whole
I always covered my ears,
Believing if I couldn’t hear, words wouldn’t hurt

I numbed my heart, closed every door,
Isolating myself from life’s embrace.
A hollow shell with a fire long extinguished,
But then, your presence sparked a change.

I thought I was beyond feeling or hearing
Yet your touch opened my eyes to the sky.
I hesitated, nervous, but you held on tight,
With a smile you ran straight towards the light

My heart races, unfamiliar and wild,
Your eyes invite me to follow your lead.
I readied myself, slowly walking, running, leaping
What is this sense of freedom I feel, its warm

I don't know where we are going,
But there's no longer room for doubts
With you, I’ll soar to unknown heights,
I'm not afraid to take a step forward

In the cosmic dance of swirling lights,
Where stars are born and darkness fights,
The universe whispers secrets old,
In silver threads and dust of gold.

Galaxies twirl in elegant grace,
Each a part of the endless space,
Planets orbit in silent tunes,
Around their suns, like drifting balloons.

Mysteries hide in the blackest night,
Beyond the reach of human sight,
Yet we gaze up with hopeful eyes,
Dreaming of truths beyond the skies.

Infinite worlds, both big and small,
The universe holds them, one and all,
A canvas vast for us to explore,
Its beauty, a siren call to implore.

So let us journey through the stars,
Past the confines of our earthly bars,
For in the universe, we find our place,
A tiny speck, in its grand embrace.

He got up one morning
All charged up for the day
A long to-do list
And passion on his mind lay

A belief in his talents
Strong in his ways
To capture the world
To provide value that pays

To reach the stars was his aim
Work hard he did, never lay
His time was too precious
Successful he was, some may say

He thought the world needed him
Things would not work night and day
There were very few
To take his place in a way

But the world has its course
Its plan, its surreal own ways
Things bound to happen
Will happen anyway

The stars will shift
The oceans will drift
The air will greet
The sun will beat

The things bound to happen
Will happen anyway.