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Jul 2016 · 1.9k
Frozen Grief
Valsa George Jul 2016
In the Church, I met a woman so old
Bending under the weight of years
I wonder what made her steal my attention
Was it her struggle to hold back her tears?

In spite of her frail stooping figure
She seemed to have an indomitable will
Defeating all infirmities of age, she stood
With a face though sad, yet tranquil and still

Strange enough, she recalled to me
The determined, but decrepit old man beside the pool
Whom Wordsworth had once encountered
Gathering leeches so scarce, but resolute and cool

I watched the woman humbly prostrate
And feebly rise and straighten her aged form
Surrendering herself at the feet of God
Imploring grace for life’s little tasks to perform

In her gnarled hands, she firmly held a prayer book
With the other supporting her frail figure on a staff
And with a sigh of relief, she left the church
As if her afflictions were reduced to half

As the Congregation dispersed in all directions
She feebly walked to her accustomed haunt
At the rear side of the church was a Cemetery unkempt
Where the ancestors slept, devoid of earthly cares and want

Among all the tombstones in marble and granite
Erected in memory of the kindred dead
There was a newly dug up grave
That stood aloof as a heap of mud

I watched the old woman approach this spot
Where she knelt down with a calm demeanor
Her withered hands clasped together in piety
And her eyes closed in silent prayer

With a convulsive motion of her lips
She rose up and once more knelt down
As if searching for a face so dear
Whose memory she could never ever drown

Within that mound, slept her only son
Who died in his prime, a month before
Leaving his widowed mother behind
To brave the shafts stinging, so sore

As Time by seconds and minutes ticked away
The bereaved mother stood up at last
And heavily yet quietly walked away
Leaving the one who was once her own part

                               *                          *

While the wounds of the young are quickly closed and healed
And their ductile affections entwine around new passions
The aged withdraw to the silence and desolation of life
Once when deprived of the love that life no more sanctions!
The pain of a widowed mother left lonely by the death of her only child is  something beyond one can possibly imagine !
Jul 2016 · 1.9k
On a Wet July Morn
Valsa George Jul 2016
It had rained all night
And drenched the land outright
Leaving puddles and pools,
Here, there and everywhere.
But the morning saw
The sun blazing ever more bright

I watched the water
Flowing silently away
With no ostentation
Along channels, furrows and waterways
Cavities, crevices and culverts
And through ditches and drains
What little remained,
Seeped down unnoticed
Through innumerable pores unseen.

As prisoners from narrow cells
Suddenly released into boundless space
Or troops from a garrison
On a spurt of fresh attack
The children shut indoors
Came out in gangs
To romp, jump and play.
Unmindful of anything,
      They soon lost in a wave of giggles.

But how sudden was the change!
The sky over cast with dark clouds
Fired out like a water cannon.
Once more the rain,
Cascaded down with greater vengeance
Each drop weighing gallons
And the silver needles pricking deep
Making the children flee
In directions all round
Like autumn leaves
Scattered by the wind!
The rain continued to pour
Inundating the low lying lands

Oh! Mother Nature
How erratic are your moods
How unpredictable
How like a child throwing tantrums
And how quickly appeased!
July is the month we get maximum rain in Kerala... Sometimes it will rain for days together... But the sunny intervals in between showers are most cherished by children and they get out from confinement to play out door, unwary of Nature’s tricks!!
Jul 2016 · 1.5k
The Wail of a Love Letter
Valsa George Jul 2016
Carrying the fever and heat
Of love’s first flame
I set out on a journey
Expectant and anxious,
Sealed and tight lipped
All emotions bottled.

From port to port I journeyed
Travelling in a little love vessel
What a heavy cargo of dreams I carried
With the scent of memories perfumed

Did a black cat cross my path?

Behind all veils of cloud
Hope lingered
My spirit….
Pulsating inside
My senses….
Waiting for the moment of beatitude!

Skyward I flew
Floating through the air to land
Finally in your trembling hands
Dreaming of a nameless delight
Bursting open at the earliest moment

With my heart beats rising hoarse
You slit my mouth,
Pulled my soul out.
But,
Gnarling at my face
Mercilessly you tore me into bits
And threw me into the bin

In the Westerly wind
Slivers of me flew about
Like ghosts unable to get back to their graves

After whirling naked in the gust of wind
Pieces of me fell down one by one
To lie inert on the ground
Gasping for the final breath

Did the firmament tattooed by stars
Mock at my pitiable plight?
Jul 2016 · 1.6k
A Sealed Letter
Valsa George Jul 2016
It was on a bleak afternoon
That Cancer came and abruptly announced
"I am going to be with you for ever
Follow me wherever I lead you
Fight back if you can, rather if you dare
But indomitable I am, you know"

Never had John been punched so hard
Shocked beyond even a sigh or silent moan
Dumb he stood so petrified
He saw his dreams fall apart
The sky high edifices crumbling down
The soil under his feet giving way
With a lovely family and an aspiring career

With life, he was passionately in love!

The remaining days were a Marathon race
From hospitals to labs and from oncologists to specialists
While passing through the ordeal of radiation and chemo
Bravely he fought back the pain and nausea
For hope had reigned supreme
And for his family, he must live!

"I will don my armor and brandish my steel
I will not yield! Oh! Never shall I give in
I shall make it through and come out victorious"

But soon he realized it to be a tough battle
And saw the chances of winning too bleak
The villain had almost taken his sway
And day by day his body grew frail
But his unconquerable spirit stood unperturbed
With grace he decided to accept his fate
After thirteen months of incessant struggle
His invincible life came to a peaceful halt!

At the end of his funeral rites, his best friend
Showed himself up before the congregation
In halting voice he said he was on a task
To read out a letter John had prepared
Long before his death but had kept sealed until then
Opening an envelope, with wavering hands
Like an envoy divinely ordained on a sacred mission
He took out the carefully folded sheets of paper

      The subdued murmur inside the spacious hall
Gave way to silent breathless anticipation
“My dearest family and friends” the words ran
“Long at last, I am at peace, absolutely at peace
With no emails to check, no bills to pay
No more deadlines to be worried over!
But unfortunately no charming females in sight’’

The words breathed his flamboyant humor
With his trade mark grace and copious dignity
He led the audience through his life under death sentence
He was thankful for the love and concern
His friends and family had so profusely lavished on
In his ailing days of agony and dejection
That exceeded far more than what an ordinary man
In the whole of his life time could accumulate!
The last part was a pronouncement of love
On his beloved wife and his wonderful child
Who stood by him in silent suffering by proxy
With a plea to all to keep peace with one’s soul
Despite life’s sham, drudgery and shattered dreams!

The congregation silently dispersed, walking away
Into a day of sunshine, greatly consoled and inspired!
This is the impressive story of a man who faced death in a nonchalant way which I heard from an oncologist.... !   Inspired by that account I wrote this poem which I fondly dedicate to Chris G Valliancourt.... who yielded to cancer in a similar way...! I feel sorry I didn’t read enough of his poems while he was alive... As I read many of the poems he wrote, especially towards the end, my appreciation for him grows more and more and I identify him with the character in this poem.
Jul 2016 · 1.6k
To My Younger Son
Valsa George Jul 2016
My son, to us, you’re so very special
For reasons not just one or two!
But when you announced your arrival first
At an unexpected time and age-

Was it with joy or fear, still not so sure
That I first felt the faint stirrings of life inside
Sure, when you barged in more like a late night guest
You gifted us with a mixed pack

After eight months of anxious wait
When you showed up a little earlier than due
With a clear shriek and a piercing cry
All our fears vanished, all anxiety fled

Like a cute little kitten with eyes shut
You slept peacefully day and night
Refusing to **** your mother’s breast
That again put your mom in severe stress

You never threw any tantrums wild
As all other babies usually do
Pleasantly gentle with a chuckling smile
You were a spring flower, come alive

You readily accepted the cast away stuff;
Broken toys and milk stained bib,
Faded clothes and the little crib,
Used recklessly by your naughty brother

You never gave us any stress or pain
Even in days of adolescent strain
You were ever gentle and ready to mingle
With eyes lit up with a delectable twinkle

You are endowed with a loving heart
When we are glum, you are by our side
Your compassion, care and abiding love
Are truly gifts, God has blessed you with

You know every nook and corner of the house
Where each little thing placed and kept
If something is amiss inside the house
You run with a click and get it by trick or fluke

As you left for studies, miles away
The house looks empty like an abandoned nest
With no more songs in early dawn
Until once you return to give it a tilt

Time will fly and you’ll be grown
An adult, ready to soar into the world
But you are the reason that keeps us young
And give our tired legs an unusual spring

You lit our yesterdays with hopes for tomorrow
And even after your hairline recedes
Even after you become man and Dad
You remain once and ever our *‘Vava’ dear!
I conceived my second son at a late age. Naturally we had fears if the baby would be healthy.  But God proved our fears to be irrational.... He became our joy and has been with us through out..... a very understanding and compassionate fellow! I wrote this poem four years ago, soon after he left home for his medical studies. I got inspired to post it on seeing Kristy Renae Dalton’s poem
My (((Son-Shine)))    
‘Vava’ is a term of endearment to refer to a baby !
Jul 2016 · 2.4k
Molestation
Valsa George Jul 2016
Rain clouds stain the Sky
  with dark lies
Vagrant Wind trumpets them
to the world aloud
Lightning ruptures her
with needle like claws
Thunder stamps her
under its thudding feet
And the molested Sky sheds tears,
inconsolable!
Jul 2016 · 1.9k
My Stroll to the Seashore
Valsa George Jul 2016
As the shadows began lengthening
I slowly walked to the sea shore
Through the cobbled path
With stinging stones under my feet
And piles of golden clouds floating above
Enjoying the whistling of the wind through the reeds
Inhaling the saline air, smelling of rotting seaweeds

On the vast strand, I stood for long
Feeling the foamy fringes of water lapping at my feet
And sensing the sand slipping away under my feet
I watched the gentle undulating billows
Rolling their silver volumes
As if to die away on the happy shores

The sapphire waters and the roaring waves
The churning tides and the feathery foam
Made me wonder at the horror and beauty
That ****** dichotomy Nature carries within

I saw numerous fishes gambol beneath the waves
Do the finny herds that roam
The fathomless valleys of the Deep
Ever experience the tumult and scuffle
Of the roaring waters?
Oh! Never!

Like them, I too floated weightless
With all the barbed distractions drifting away
Wishing to get a pair of wings of the swallow flying high
To soar safely away from all gadflies who disturb
And cocooned in the inner citadel of my privacy
Enjoying a permeating peace, I had seldom known!

Then Byron’s words came floating to me
Mingling with the cadence of the waves
‘There is rapture in the lonely shores
There is society where none intrudes’
Jul 2016 · 1.4k
What Life Teaches
Valsa George Jul 2016
From life, we learn many a valuable truth
That makes our existence one of worth

So growing old is no curse
As experience aids us steer life’s course

While life itself is a riddle
Remember, Death is an inexorable puzzle

Hatred burns life like fire
And wickedness turns it into mire

On Earth, forgiveness bonds hearts
But revenge, sure, breaks all bonds

Even a guilty falls prostrate
Before those willing to commiserate

Know, a true friend has no deceit
And a truly learned has no conceit

If jealousy is an acid which erodes
Generosity is a fuel that reloads

If inactivity is akin to death
Creativity is vital as breath

If perseverance conquers mountains
Laziness dries up fountains

While pride leads a man to his fall
Humility takes him closer to his goal

While Honesty leads him to salvation
Deceit drives him to damnation

Patience is an inexhaustible well
And *******, a sure road to hell

Know that those who long for the crown
Should also be torn by the thorn

While love of God takes us to eternity
Love of man leads us to fraternity

Ye Friends, with such priceless tips learned in bits
Light up your life in glowing glitz

Bury your past with all its woes
As each morn of hope brightly zooms!
My friends,  on reading  this poem, please don't see me as a sanctimonious proprietor! These are thoughts that have sprung from my heart. There is nothing new about them.... thoughts that have become cliche. But life has taught me these valuable lessons... I have learnt that love and forgiveness can conquer more than hate and  strife can destroy !  With age,  I am learning more and more. If these thoughts can douse the heat in someone...... well I am happy !
Jul 2016 · 906
Whither Vanished My Dream?
Valsa George Jul 2016
In the wee hours of a silent night
In my sleep I dreamt a dream
A lovely delightful dream
That took me to the land of love

In my dream, I saw my prince
His contours aflame with sparks of fire
His eyes dewy with love
His lips quivering for a passionate kiss

But the cruel dawn came down
Sounding bugles across the hazy sky
Spreading thick veils of separation
And tore his face from mine

Come, Oh Night! Come once again
Driven in the chariot of darkness
      And bring him to the shelter of my arms
To wrap him in the warmth of my caresses
To enfold him in the tangles of my tresses
When the whole world in deep sleep lies

Let me once more be blessed
With the dream of my heart’s delight
And be lost in that magic spell
Of his enchanting, electric presence
Which in the height of my passion
Was sullied by the light of dawn!
Whimsical........
Jul 2016 · 2.5k
What I Wish to Be
Valsa George Jul 2016
Let me be,
As God intended me to be:
Neither a wicked elf,
Nor a fairy godmother,
Never a demon,
Nor an angel,
But a true woman,
Oh! No, not the ‘Phenomenal Woman’
Of Maya Angelou,
Drawing a hive of honey bees round
‘With the span of my hips
Or the stride of my steps’
But,
One with a loving heart,
Calm and caring
Though at times touchy and itchy

A gracious host and a helpful neighbor
Able to stand in my own light
And lessen the darkness of the night

An abiding spouse
In whom my man can see
An ocean of love in my dewy eyes
And feel the steady warmth of my grip
When the seas of life grow stormy,

For my children, an adorable mother
In whom they can confide,
Their doubt, despair or delight
A counselor, a friend and guide
With the balm to heal their wounds
Touch and move their spirits
And show them the miracle of love

Piecing together these different roles
Let me, into a close knit texture weave
The fabric of my life!
Like the interlacing threads
Of a great tapestry!

In a way, is not living the art of quilting
Bringing out unique patterns
Of exquisite beauty and delight
From the scraps thrown in our way!
Jul 2016 · 1.5k
In the Sylvan Setting
Valsa George Jul 2016
There’s nothing like the lovely rustic charm
Exuded by the far flung lush green country farm
Where trees in majesty sweep heaven with their crown
And birds with celestial music, the surrounding valley drown

Where the air, so pristine and sweet like the forest glade
And Heaven with rich profusion bless the country wide.
Where the rural folk in relentless toil, values and pride
With their simple, artless and modest life reside

My senses have ere long etched every sight n’ sound
Of that country side wherein my childhood inextricably bound
To those days of bliss, I would like to retreat
And splurge in memories that cascade down in surfeit.

On a beautiful day with the sun shining bright
And the white downy clouds lazily trailing west
We walked down to the creek to catch the silvery fish
And waited for them to come to the surface with a swish

On the rocky bank, breathless as we sat
Looking for the fish greedily nibbling at the bait
We felt the hook line suddenly going taut
With something from the other end pulling it tight

Of a sudden reflex as we lifted the rod upright
To our wild uproar, saw a fish dangling and twirling uptight.
“Angling in a brook on a bright sunny day
Is so much fun for the kids”, we heard someone say.

We went after dragon flies, by the side of the pond
And all through the fields and the pastures beyond
Meandering our way, chasing butterflies              
That, from flower to flower do nimbly flutter by,

We pace up and down, ever eager for the best catch
To carry home that winged thing with no other match
To shut it in a glass jar to survey it close
And watch it splay its wings in resplendent gloss.

Back from school when homework is done,
Quickly, gathering friends, we move as one
To the open ground beyond the clump of trees
To run and play in the evening breeze

As black birds wing their way across the sky
And the ruddy orb in the west is about to die,
When shadows slowly shrink and shrivel
And the dusky eve spreads a smoky veil,

Only then, demurring, we leave our play
Cursing the elements that Time doesn’t stay
****** and gritty, homeward as we plough our way
We promise once more, we would meet the next day.

As hot summer fades and dark clouds gather round,
When east wind scatters dry leaves from the ground,
When elders announce the arrival of an impending shower,
Stealthily we plan to go swimming in the nearby river.

On stormy nights as we lie, listening to the splatter of rain
Over tiled roof with the clatter of a speeding train
How swift, we drift involuntary to the castle of Slumber
To be lulled asleep by songs of magical tone and timbre!

Now, staying in the mad rush of a steaming city
With people surreptitiously chasing goals so petty
How I miss those yester years that are fled
And yearn for the sylvan paths once more to tread!!
Jun 2016 · 6.0k
What Shall I Serve You?
Valsa George Jun 2016
For long, my house has been lying deserted
My gate has not been opened wide to let in anyone
No guest has so far come to visit me
Tired of distant wanderings
I have come here to listen to the beat of silence
Occasionally broken by the sound
Of birds' laughing wings overhead
Here I have brooding shadows for company
Hermit like I wrap myself in my solitude

Now abruptly when you announce your arrival
I feel excited and equally perplexed
What shall I serve you? I am at a loss
My hearth has not been lighted for long
And my kitchen pots remain empty
I know I should serve you
Something chilled or warm
In my menu, I have a simple surprise
But not of the edible kind
Nor delectable to your palate
But as I have known you since long
I hope it will appease you

In poetry’s platter
I shall serve my thoughts warm,
Garnered in the lonely hours
Of my solitude!

The only dish I have!
Jun 2016 · 1.4k
Pervasive Grandeur
Valsa George Jun 2016
In grandeur, a leaf of grass is no less high
Than all the glittering stars in the sky

There is beauty alike in **** and reed
When each fulfills Nature’s need

Thus the low and the high in equal glory stay
When their respective roles, they fairly play

With the focus of perception turned to levels transcendental
Everything would appear exponentially beautiful!
Jun 2016 · 1.2k
Chugging Back in Time
Valsa George Jun 2016
Petals fall, wheels roll
How swift is the flight of time

Lifting the veil of my translucent memory
The past comes alive with a rare fragrance
Don’t you remember the very first time
We saw each other on a Christmas Eve
Amid gazing eyes, we stood embarrassed
As Time, like an unsteady toddler
Crawled away on hands and legs
How we simply stared at each other
Unable to commune our thoughts in lucid words,
Later in the ripe moment,
When we solemnly held our hands
How dazed we were by that electric touch

Memories so green linger my dear
As though it all happened just days ago

With all the fervor of our young hearts
We were pledged to explore life
Youth and hope then walked hand in hand
Warm blood flowed through every capillary and vein
And life glowed in gleams of golden light
We were lifted upon wings of love
From the terrestrial plain unto heaven’s heights

Days flew, months into years fled
Amid gusts of laughter and of tears
How the stairs of life we climbed
Through what labyrinthine paths we traveled
Posing undecided on turns and curves
But holding fast and never loosening our grip
In the ripe season how thoughtfully
Had we sown the seeds of love
Watering them with our saline tears
How excitedly we watched them sprout and grow

Memories so green linger my dear
As though it all happened just days ago

I feel the years have flown too fast
Now life’s fire is almost extinguished
Somber shadows darken our track
The night ahead is darker and colder
We have to accept the in eluctability of it
Doting on the past is now our pleasure
When we look back, we see the thrill of victory
And the tears of defeat and heartbreak
Life presented us with a mixed bag
We have watched the death of spring
We have bore the heat of summer,
Seen the leaves drop in the mellowing autumn
And the chilly shroud of winter is about to veil

Without revolt, let us accept the truth
But till Death do us part, Oh my Love,
Let us hold our hands together
And stoically wait for the final sunset!
Jun 2016 · 1.7k
Where Lies True Bliss?
Valsa George Jun 2016
Where encased is the secret of bliss
Is it encoded in any talisman abstruse?
Does it linger unseen on the face of angelic babes
Who with smiles and laughter create such heavenly vibes?

Can it be in the eyes of charming belles
Who hold the world under their mesmerizing spells?
Or is it in the heroic deeds of valiant men
Who on the face of death, undaunted remain?

Can we behold it in the brilliance of the rising sun
Or in the serene calm of the misty twilight dawn?
Does bliss hover on the banks of streaming brooks
Or on the heights of snow clad mountain peaks

Can it be with fair Venus- Queen of Love
Or in the arrows speeding from amorous Cupid’s bow
Does it glisten in the silvery beams of the shining moon
Or in the setting sun’s embers of amber and maroon

Can it be somewhere in heavens so high
Beneath the fluffy clouds quietly gliding neigh
Can sweet Paradise be the seat of  bliss
Where seraphs sing, angels dance and nothing is amiss

Nay, it surely resides not in worlds beyond
But here on Earth, in the union of hearts with love abound.
From time immemorial, man has been on an eternal quest…. a treasure hunt… a relentless journey to find happiness or bliss!  He found it so elusive….and thought it to be something dwelling outside himself, something like a mysterious charm enclosed in a talisman! He sought happiness in the smile of an innocent babe, the beauty of a woman, the sweetness of a flower, the sights and scenes of Nature like the rising sun, a colorful sunset, the moon  behind the veil of clouds….etc… etc. Some saw it in power, money or material comforts.   But do these things give us enduring happiness? Of course to some extent they can make us happy. Unfortunately our happiness stays only for fleeting moments and that too varies widely depending on our mental state..! Some think that happiness is with Venus, Queen of love or in  the amorous life led by those struck by the arrows of Cupid!  

Like a musk deer which looks around to locate the source of scent without knowing that it comes from somewhere close to its own genitals, we search for happiness or bliss in so many external factors . Bliss has to be understood in a wider connotation than mere happiness… It is perhaps a cumulative and purer form of all happiness…a state of unalloyed bliss. Though it is a rare possibility to attain it here, still we can reach a ‘near state of bliss’! It is not something that lies outside the frontiers of our immediate environs. It is within reachable distance, here on Earth itself. True bliss lies in the union of hearts in love!
Jun 2016 · 1.3k
The Rain and the Exodus
Valsa George Jun 2016
The afternoon was excessively humid
The earth seemed a seething hot furnace
Dark clouds were gathering overhead
Lightning drew florescent patterns in the sky
Thunder boomed and rumbled
A few sparse drops of water hit the window pane
The air grew dark, leaves shivered
Soon the rain pelted down in torrents
Drumming on the corrugated tin roofs

Spreading a dark curtain between the eye and the sky
It poured down in full fury for about an hour
In no time it flooded the ditches and hollows
But its might slackened and it vanished as quickly
As it had come, like a messenger on an urgent errand

The day was dying and I witnessed another rain
The rain of insects into the sequestered freedom of the night
Termites and white ants, sleeping in the hollows
Suddenly emerged from their lairs in thousands
Out of every crack and cranny, every fissure and hole
From under every boulder and brick
Winged termites emerged, fluttering about dreamily
Never knowing they were on their first and last flight
They all flew towards the bright light in the porch
But striking against the concrete ceiling
They fell down one by one, some losing their wings
And creeping on the floor, like wounded warriors
A quivering swarm of insects, a clumsily moving mass

This was the harvesting time for the geckos
In one and two, the lizards emerged from their hide
Flicking their tail, they stood ready for the catch
With their darting sticky tongue, they began
Devouring the insects, hastily cramming their stomachs
Until they could hold no more

When the insects began invading the inner space
I switched off all the lights and went to bed
The cool air and the sonorous but rhythmic chants of the frogs
Put my sleepy eyes into sound slumber
Early morning as I woke up
I saw the porch strewn with filmy wings of the termites
They lay like scattered chaff after the corn has been stored
Also some weak survivors, staggering to their end

I thought, to what bleak fate, the exodus of insects
Had taken off on their wings for their maiden flight!
The other day when it had rained after a dry spell and soon after the rain had stopped, I witnessed winged ants in thousands taking into the sky..... another rain!!
Jun 2016 · 1.8k
Angling
Valsa George Jun 2016
Stung by an angling fad
He took a fishing rod
And sallied onto the nearby stream
That leaped down a rocky shelf
Forming small cascades
But running down into plain ground
With a placid demure face
Uttering soft murmurs sweet

Aiming at the darting Trout
That made the still waters into spiraling whirls
He swished the rod in the air
With the alacrity of a practiced bowler

Looking at the line sinking low
He waited for the fish to nibble at the bait
Meanwhile, inhaling the salubrious air
And watching the limpid movement of the stream

As the hook line went taut in his grip
Hopefully he pulled it up

But alas! With no ***** to boast!

Patiently sat he there for hours
Like a sculptured God upon a rock
Oh! It requires immense patience
With adroitness to boot
To be an angler, no doubt
That sure is a sedate man’s pursuit!

Angling rarely fetches any major luck
Except now and then a fresh fish upon one’s plate

Yet following one’s heart’s pursuit
Is worth more than all tangible reward it brings!
Jun 2016 · 1.4k
A Song of Hope
Valsa George Jun 2016
When the pall of gloom overcasts my mind
And at cross roads bewildered I stand
I tell myself
This shall pass

When my mind is full of fear
And I find no single soul to share
I tell myself
This too shall pass

When darkness invades my abode
And there is not even a ray of light inside
I tell myself
This too shall pass

When my burdens weigh heavier than I can bear
And when no one around seems to care
I tell myself
This too shall pass

When storm clouds gather in the sky
And my tensions rise high
I tell myself
This too shall pass

When the road ahead stretches strenuous
And the distance makes me nervous
I tell myself
This too shall pass

When those I love and trust let me down
And look upon me with scorn and frown
I tell myself
This too shall pass

When misfortunes flow in torrent
And am caught in the eddying current
I tell myself
This too shall pass

      When the cycle of seasons keep changing
Life, from sorrows to joy will surely be shifting
Let us wait for the pendulum to have its full swing
And let our hopes heavenward steadily wing!

Love will again fill the air
Doves of peace will coo in pair
The wintry chill will lose its frosty bite
Spring will come on wings like a sprite


‘‘Nevertheless, the hilltop hour
Would not be half so wonderful
Were there no dark valleys to traverse”
Helen Keller’s words resonate in my ears
Jun 2016 · 1.0k
Suspicion
Valsa George Jun 2016
A centipede,
surreptitiously crawling
with a hundred legs,
listlessly crawling….crawling
until from a covert hide out,
it suddenly stings!
Jun 2016 · 1.2k
When Poetry Haunted Me
Valsa George Jun 2016
Sudden was the descent of poetry on me
I tottered under its weight
My body heated up like the sun
A frying egg yolk on the pan
My blood started burning…. burning
A strange madness crept across my senses
Intoxicated as by an excess dose of ale
Or drunk with the vintage wine
Or by some mystical disengagement
I started levitating
Wings sprouted up suddenly on my sides
I reeled round and round
Flew up and up
Meteors flashed past
Stars blinked
Larger celestial bodies stood still
Strange sounds fleeted past my ears
My heart palpitated,
Like the rumblings of thunder
My eyes glowed like fire *****

A shout I heard afar
Over the heavens’ mysterious rim
Muffled though, I could decipher it;
“Welcome to the clan of poets”!
Around me, I saw multitudes of poets
Young and old, their faces blazing
Like a thousand lanterns lit
In that blinding brilliance
My filmy wings burnt outright!

Like Icarus, from the heights
I flopped down to the chasm below
In the scattered heap of flesh and bones
A faint stir …..
…………………..
The feeble flutter of a poetic heart
Before it was finally stilled!!
This is how I feel now....... in the blinding brilliance of poetic talents I see here, my wings are burnt !
Jun 2016 · 693
Eternal Wait
Valsa George Jun 2016
Into the horrid heat of my summer
You fall as drops of rain
The broken bangles I treasure
Fall down and crack into still smaller bits

In this Ravenous night
As I sit outside, all alone
Looking into the night sky
I see blinking stars here and there
And my memories swim
Around a starry eyed girl

My mind speeds like a steed to those days
That had the beauty and brilliance
Of the arching rainbows of the blue
And the glowing hues of peacock feathers
You were then the rhyme and rhythm of my life
The song and melody of my spirit
The symphony in my violin
The alluring dream of my nights

Once you got into my garden unbidden
Like a flitting butterfly
A leaping grasshopper
A honey ******* bee
A winging robin
When the breeze was hissing
When the flowers were nodding
And perched on my shoulder

I plucked for you a red, red rose
And you savored its fragrance
That very day you became my friend
You spread a pervading aroma
That wafted into me with every gushing wind
      You became the throb of my life
My singular passion
A rising flame
My heart’s silent language
The sole focus of my life

But without even a parting word
You left me to my fate
Now I am pushed into a desolate isle
Where loneliness comes to strangle me
And I feel so defenseless!

Here I struggle to elbow out
The train of wistful memories
And at my feet lies the withered rose
The sad reminder of a passion we once shared

Now I know love hurts, it hurts terribly
Leaving one so utterly vanquished

Won’t you come once again?
As my friend, nay as my soul mate
To be together for ever
And sit looking at each other from eye to eye!
In anticipation, I wait here
For the falling echo
Of your jingling footsteps!

Yes, I am in eternal wait!
Jun 2016 · 1.2k
Haiku- Seaweeds
Valsa George Jun 2016
Eddying currents
In its churning funnel face
Sea weeds swirl quivering
Jun 2016 · 654
Senryu-Concert
Valsa George Jun 2016
I hear from so near
War’s thundering symphony
Heart chords strum in fear !
Jun 2016 · 2.0k
A Tribute to my Dog
Valsa George Jun 2016
Here lies my dog, motionless in his kennel
unable to wag his tail as he always did.
Yesterday when I saw him, curling helpless on his mat
he still wagged his tail and from him arose
a faint tremolo of love
punctuated by gutturals of pain.
At some bleak hour of the night,
the last ember of life died down
and his supple body turned stiff and stark.

Now he lies straight and majestic in death
leaving a track record  of love
far difficult to break,
- a love no vessel can hold
or equated with what we humans feel.

Speechless as I stand, memories churn within.
He came to us - too young to be weaned,
a glossy black puppy with tawny gleaming eyes.
His short, sturdy limbs, large drooping ears,
slender waist and elongated frame
well proclaimed his pedigree aloud
So full of mischief, he capered and hopped,
like a new born calf, always up on his heels.
Sniffing with moist nose, he dug and dug
as if unearthing a treasure trove
buried deep beneath the soil.
With alert vigil, he guarded our home,
barking at strangers and driving rodents away
He expected nothing in turn but love.
His loyalty as we deem was never servile.
Never was he on chains to be hauled like cattle.
He enjoyed sauntering through the courtyard
giving company as we took our evening rounds.
He gloated rubbing his body over our knee
and sat content as our stroking fingers ran all around
Licking our feet and arms,
what he conveyed in inarticulate words
could be deciphered thus -
‘I love you, love you true’  

Like the bouncing ball, he often played with
our hearts made to bounce up in love
and our hands fold in benison
for a comrade who departs,
valiant in life and loyal to the core
hoping to meet him anon
on the far green meadows of bliss,
still wagging his tail, avowing a bond
too strong to be snapped or splintered.
May 2016 · 956
My Woody House
Valsa George May 2016
We have a snug retreat far in the woods
Not bigger than a robin’s nest
But cozy and comfy for just two souls
A hide out from the fuss n’ fever of life

It has a small garden hemmed with a hedge
Neatly laid out in décor and taste
And gleaming with refreshing verdure
The haunt of butterflies and honey bees

An ideal place to sneak away, now and then
From life’s pressing cares and concerns
Here the air is pristine sans soot and fumes
A confluence where peace and beauty unite

Here we break loose the tethers
From the rigid civilities of urban living
Throw away the habits of reserve
And become joyous and freehearted

Sometimes we make an impromptu trip
Sometimes we plan it well in advance
Whatever it be, being here is fun
And enjoy our stay like a weekend picnic

On some evenings we go gathering
Succulent fruits and wild berries
And roam to the wide stretch of open fields
Lying furrowed waiting for seasonal crops

More than ever we now seek solitude
It is in the quiet and not in the noise
That we are able to plumb life’s depths
That we listen to our hearts’ songs

It is here our souls acquire dove’s wings
Though time has taken its toll from our bodies
Though youth and beauty have gone for ever
Still we walk in the woods with hands clasped!
May 2016 · 1.1k
An Ode to Music
Valsa George May 2016
Music, Oh mysterious sprite!
Lift us to the seamless realms of delight
Your ubiquitous presence we feel;
In the hum of crickets
In the silence of the stars
In the falling cataracts
In the running streams
You are there in the lone sea breakers
And under the swift wings of the wind

Come as subtle vibes to saturate our being,
Winding your way through every sinew
Enfold us in your rapturous hold,
Raising our souls to the magic of rhapsody
      Paint intangible pictures in silence,
Creating a sensation beyond the reach of words
Let our souls savor the taste of ecstasy,
Daubing myriad hues on all ugly stains
      Land us in the sequestered pools of oases,
As the blistering sands leave burns on our souls

Oh Music! Come and fill me
Soak me from foot to crown
Like a falling drizzle
Like a caressing soft wind
Like a marauding sensation
Drown me
In the subaqueous quietude of the sea
Levitating me through ether
And lifting me up onto the borders of heaven!
May 2016 · 736
Black Hole
Valsa George May 2016
In the unlit space
of every human heart
      is an ominous black hole
      growing bigger
by the dust and dirt of the present
      lain with the sediments
of the burnt past
      drawing to its gravitational force
our future
May 2016 · 2.9k
I Still Remember !
Valsa George May 2016
In the coffin lay your body silent and still
As with wax, sealed were your eyes
Bared of all passion, pain and strain
You were at rest, tranquil was your face

When your body was lowered into the grave
Tears trickled from our eyes like streams of blood
We stood orphaned beside the newly dug up pit
Knowing quite well that the days of glory have fled!

When you left, leaving in us a contused wound
We hoped time would heal the **** quite soon
But with every passing day you’re sorely missed
Especially when our life goes out of tune

At times when I feel lonesome with none to care
In weariness I search you among the stars of the sky
When my heart twitches with an unknown pain
To your comforting presence, my mind does fly

Sometimes I envision you coming into my room
Smiling that sweet smile in the dead of the night
But soon I realize it is only a fleeting vision
And from my sight, you vanish like an ethereal sprite

Rambling through the avenues of vanished years
We remember your sweet assurance, tender care n’ love
But never will we have the joy of having them again
For you flew into the horizon like a gentle dove

Mom, your presence my tiny world once filled
With that old bygone past how I was content
A treasure of sweet memories still I do hold
Now your eternal absence, how deeply I lament

Oh Mother, though you are dead and gone
Our love for you is inscribed deep in our hearts
Which nothing can erase or erode and will last
Until finally from our body, life silently departs!
Mom.... you are sorely missed, though many years have gone by !
May 2016 · 1.3k
The Champak Tree
Valsa George May 2016
Close to our ancestral home
Is an ancient champak tree
It now stands almost leafless n’ bare
With its face turned to the sun and sky

      Once from far, everyone could see
This lush green Champak tree
It stood in all beauty and grace
And carpeted the ground in fallen blooms

Its lovely blossoms were so redolent
Like tube roses, heady and fragrant
In its dark and leafy glade
How as children, we sat and played

Men weary of work in its sprawling shade
Were sheltered from the heat of midday sun
Once it was a bower of sylvan ease
And on its boughs, birds merrily sang

Rustled in wind and shaken in storm
It braved the inclement weather all these years
With its roots boring deep into the ground
Nothing could uproot the tree from its base

How many stories it has to tell
How many robins roosted in its verdure
      How many fledglings took wings into the sky,
From the tiny nests built on its twigs

Now its ancient trunk and gnarled branches
Proclaim sadly that it is about to wither
The tree has just turned itself into
A ghostly shadow of its former self

But the fragrance of these champak flowers
Which still bless the tree in one and two
As if determined to proclaim themselves
Continue to perfume the surrounding air

This tree is much like my ancestral home
Once it was the seat of life and bounty
Now it stays desolate and empty
Spreading memories sweet and fragrant

What solid shelter the house once gave
And how my parents fulfilled their task
Putting all they had into making it a sweet home
That nurtured three generations of our family!
Champak tree is a tropical flowering tree with its flowers having a heady scent !
May 2016 · 1.3k
Stillborn
Valsa George May 2016
As I closed my door and lay down to sleep
A poem came and violently knocked at my door
Being late, I put a rein on my desire to admit it in
In my sleep I could hear the faint sound of a knock

In the wee hours of the morn, as I sat up to house it
scattered phrases and broken lines floated around
A crazy excitement made me trap them in ink
But nothing worthwhile showed up on the writing pad

I found I had only violated the virginity of the paper
After hours of spasmodic labor pain
What came out was a stillborn with no heart beats
It lay limp before me and all excitement died down

It’s still body, I found had closely resembled me
Something of me was there stamped on it
How could I who had parented it
Callously discard it in a dustbin?

So I carefully stashed it away in a secret place
Where no one’s prying eyes would ever fall over it!
I am sure some of you too must have experienced it !
May 2016 · 1.1k
The Unrolling Expanse
Valsa George May 2016
Before my eyes,
The sea stretches far;
An infinite scroll of chiffon
Rolling and unrolling
In shades of green and sapphire

In its sedate hours of brooding silence
A calm expanse with feeble waves
As if seized by an uncanny lassitude
Lying in majesty
Swirling in ecstasy

Within this mammoth silver submarine,
How many mysterious live forms thrive!
What curious shaped corals, what all sea urchins!
What wealth of fish, what gigantic mammals!

Between the blue sky above
And the blue sea below
I see seagulls fly,
The long beaked pelicans prey,
Grampuses heaving their huge form
Above the calm surface
And the milky spray
Tossing shiny pearls
Upon the stretching naked strands

I can see a distant sail
And the hull of a ship
Gliding over undulating waves
Leaving a frothy trail of foam behind
With water churning and spiraling around
Where sharks and seals and dolphins swim

Piles of silver clouds move above
And the golden sands stretch below
With periwinkles, ***** and shells
Scattered by the receding waves

Splashing tides, dancing weeds
Rising crescendo, falling rhythm

Oh! What a splendid scene
In the rosy gleam of this evening!
What delectable mélange
Of tinkling sensory delights!
May 2016 · 951
The Magic of May
Valsa George May 2016
May is now here, the season of sunshine and rain
Bringing the magic of bright tints in its train
All around are fresh and fair flowers
Peeking out from the foliage and peeping from bowers

In the tranquil ***** of this now beauteous land
An array of varied and glorious sights abound
And how my sauntering gaze labors to trace
The shifting scenes in all their loveliness and grace

Look at the hare bounding away to its covert burrows
And the pheasant suddenly bursting upon its wings
How the swans playfully glide over the still waters
And the birds in resonating melody charm the woods

There is love in the quickening breath of May
Drowning all Nature in song and mirth’s sway
The whole atmosphere is made electric and gay
The air is so jovial and children are at play

My heart quakes in a rush of exuberant delight
At the memory of something I am unable to relate
My sky is aflame in colours splendid and bright
And I have spun the web of a dream, delicate and sweet

My blood runs in tumultuous flow, warm and fervent
And each heart beat sounds sonorous and vibrant
My lips though silent, longs to tell a tale
Of a moment that still leaves me joyously hale

Drunk in the loveliness of this season of delight
And choked by an inexplicable ache, that is sweet
Here I stand so dazed and distraught
Festering and panting for some coherent utterance!
May 2016 · 704
Forking Paths
Valsa George May 2016
Walking down the country lane
I saw trees in flower all the way
Gleaming gems among emerald leaves
A medley of colors on fabulous display

The path was carpeted with grass
Thick bushes grew on either side
The sun was mild and the air, pleasantly cool
A quiet place where peace did abide

I felt so thrilled sauntering alone,
Enjoying the serenity of the scene
I hoped it would extend long,
Taking me to terrains unseen

But to my perplexity the path ended abrupt
Forcing me to take a different track
It seemed as if travelled by none
But I was determined not to turn my back

No living soul could be spotted anywhere around
The trees were wild and dull
The path, strewn with pricking thorns and stones
The place looked savage and morbidly still

With every step my feet winced in pain
But giving up half way was not my choice
Determined to reach the farther end
I dragged forward obeying my inner voice
May 2016 · 8.7k
A Dive into the Past
Valsa George May 2016
Unexpected…..
So unexpected was the meeting
It was in the dim candle light
of a city restaurant that I saw her
How time had etched its marks on her
The long dark curly hair
has turned all white
The even set of pearly teeth
now discolored with missing gaps.
A weeping willow with gnarled branches!

Did she recognize me?
Her searching eyes registered
a limp awareness
Soon I saw her cataract eyes shining
in unclouded recognition!

My memory like the arm of a crane
lowered to plough up the hard crust of the past
and rose with heaps of broken rubble
I nosedived into the past
to the little village
where, as children we ran round
the long necked shady trees
until our little heads went dizzy

Stealing behind the tall grass
how I would suddenly yell out;
‘The thief is in hide
Come and track me if you can’
forcing on her an arduous search,
all the while giggling at her vain efforts!

How we ran after the ripe mangoes
that fell in ones and twos
when the winds shook the fruit laden boughs
and how we quarreled over the yellow ones
like mongrels over a piece of bone

I remember once when the drizzle
suddenly strengthened into a heavy down pour
with thunder and lightning accompanying,
how we ran dripping and frightened
seeking shelter in the empty cow shed
at the backyard of a house,
clasping tight to each other!
She was then a little girl
with springing feet and dancing steps
naïve and naughty with all mouth and ears

But as time skipped by
she kept a safe distance
No more I saw the former ebullience in her
In its place, a quiet reserve settled in
The chatterbox no more opened her mouth
To my questions, her answers were mono syllables
My efforts to walk by her side
always ended in futility
either she would quicken her gait
or lag behind at snail’s pace
Seeing me somewhere
she would walk away with eyes down cast
But I always noticed a faint smile
lingering on her curved narrow lips

Around it, I built my dream castle
where she reigned as my dazzling queen!
I am not sure how it was with her
One day even without an abrupt goodbye
I had to leave my hometown to an alien soil.

For long, she came, sailing in my dreams!

After a couple of years when I returned
to the land of my childhood
the mute witness to my unuttered passion
I knew from a close friend
that she was forced into a marriage
much to her consternation!
She is reported to have confided to someone
that she hoped the ‘thief who stole her heart
would one day, come out of hiding’

We met again
We heard each other’s cracked voice
and stood unable to recollect all

Much water had flown down
under the bridge
And we floated in the rush of currents!
This poem has to be understood in the light of the highly orthodox milieu of an Indian village of the time between 1960's and 70's when no computer or internet facility was available. There was a lot of segregation between the sexes and no free mingling was allowed. So there was no open expression of love. In a society where arranged marriage was preferred, even falling in love before marriage was seen as a taboo !
May 2016 · 1.2k
Winter in the West
Valsa George May 2016
To escape the bite of frost at night
People slide their torso
into tightly made up beds
They wrap themselves
in several folds of wool
Form into cocoons
and lie down,
hibernating
To emerge,
like butterflies in spring !
May 2016 · 634
Summer in the East !
Valsa George May 2016
Summer has swooped down
in violent fury
The razor blades of heat
cut through the skin
I turn and toss in bed,
like a fish on an angler’s hook

After the tryst when I wake up,
my top sheet is twisted like a rope
And the bottom sheet resembles
a plate of scrambled eggs
May 2016 · 1.2k
My First Crush!
Valsa George May 2016
In the crowd I saw someone
All in a haze, so filmy
Nothing did I see clearly
But a pair of love lit eyes
Riveted on me
My heart skipped a beat
Did my face grow pale?
Or got colored by a blush?
I lowered my eyes
And looked away

But I saw him advancing
Coming straight to me

      My heart began to race
My breath got hitched
       My lips went dry and parched
       I didn’t hear what he asked
Words got stuck in my throat
When they came
They came out broken and raspy
I felt as if struck
By congenital paralysis
Unable to move my ****** muscles
Either to utter a word
Or curve my lips into a smile!

      Felt butterflies in my stomach
A tremor took over my hands and legs
Beads of sweat appeared on my brow
My mind went blank
The world came to a sudden halt
Forgot where I was
I got frozen in time

Not knowing the futility of adolescent yearning
For long, I juggled with his unspoken words
“I    L….O….V…..E   you!
This poem  is already on HP. But  finding it well suited for the poetry contest organized by Jordan Rains, I am re posting it.
May 2016 · 983
My Wanderlust
Valsa George May 2016
At times I wander far….
Far away from all human habitats
Away from all prying eyes
Following the bent
Of my vagrant inclination;
Into Nature’s sylvan pockets
To places studded with trees
To the tranquil ***** of the woods
Or
Onto the heights of bald looking hills
Where shrubs struggle to strike root
From the cleft of rocks and ledges
Where in hollows, wild bushes grow in clusters

To watch the shreds of hovering mist
To gaze upon piles of sailing clouds
To shout loud and whistle long
And to listen to the hills
Mimicking my own sound

There I will hop and jump,
Like a sprightly forest fawn,
As I don’t fear
Either the silently gliding streams,
Or the clump of swaying trees,
The host of wild flowers,
Or the monstrous mossy rocks,
Either the birds or the beasts

Never will they watch my cranky pranks
And call me a loony
As here my own men might do!
May 2016 · 1.5k
Dragonflies Over my Pond
Valsa George May 2016
In my garden is a clean little pond
Fructified by tadpoles besides tiny fish
Where water lilies bloom by day
White and violet, a lovely sight

Over it hover pairs of dragonflies
They come in plenty on summer days
When the day is bright, soon after morn
To lay their eggs on lily pads
Like helicopters, they skim up and down
With their tiny propellers coming down
Sometimes like surfers over the aqua blue,
Perform rare feats, with brisk movements
Their filmy gossamer wings glistening in sunlight
And their bulging eyes reflecting iridescent shades

If ever we try to catch one…., sensing danger
They would rocket up, as fleeting flashes of light,
Into the air…. gliding and spiraling

Even in my sixties, whenever I spot a dragonfly
My mind catches up with those memories
When as children we chased them- ‘hush hush’
Trying to trap them while they perched on a fence or pole

How delighted we were holding them between our fingers
As they helplessly shivered thrumming their filmy wings!
Making them lift small stones double their weight
In their quivering thread like hands, a huge task for them,
Had been our greatest thrill then…!
Were we sadists……??
I still wonder!
May 2016 · 642
On That Dusky Eve
Valsa George May 2016
When rain had gone and dusk had fallen,
When birds had roosted and their chirping stilled,
When sky had cleared and the lone clouds trailed,
You held me close and whispered in my ear.

Your voice, like a tremulous rivulet gurgled,
With passion sweet, you did chant,
“In your eyes I see, the blue of the sky,
In your soul, you hold the depth of the seas,
Love swells, like tides on rise,
My life, I vow, by Jove, never to part,
On this dimpled cheek, a kiss I plant,
A gesture warm with abiding love.
Crisscross lain as warp and weft,
We together shall weave the garb of life”.

Words that served as balm to the soul!
Still they echo, gushing a flurry of thoughts,
But alas! To a far unknown land you fled,
‘From whose bourn, no traveller returns’,
To be wooed by a thousand glimmering dames,
Who peep down from Heaven’s insurmountable heights.


My life has mouldered and mildew grown,
Where my Love! Whither have you gone?
Who bid you slink into deaths secret hide?
Why left me to languish in Love’s solitary bower?

Seasons roll and years glide,
‘At my back I always hear,
Time’s winged chariot hurrying near’.
Youth has withered and memory fails,
But in my mind is etched deep,
That beautiful dusk, we rambled free,
When the rain had gone and dusk had fallen,
When the sky had cleared and lone clouds trailed.

Along the winding paths we roamed,
Two hearts musing a single lay.
Down the alleys, betwixt moss grown walls,
With hopes galore and dreams anew,
On we walked to the edge of the world,
A pair of dots merging in infinite space.

When rain is gone and sky gets clear,
When night turns deeper and silence creeps,
I transverse back to that dusky eve,
To retrieve those moments, I sadly cherish!
May 2016 · 525
Rip Van Winkle
Valsa George May 2016
How fleet, the time has fled
How months and years, merged into eons
How rivers have changed their courses
How forests into arid lands turned

How in place of shacks, sky scrapers stand
How the serene villages into bustling habitats made
How the frilled frocks into jeans and shirts changed
How old familiar faces have disappeared

Staring wistfully at a world so strange
In a remote and distant tract of time
With no grasp of the changes therein
Here I stand a Rip Van Winkle

From my prolonged slumber, just awake
With my memory, a blank sheet of paper
But with the blurred image of a Flagon of Ale
And a Ravine with Giant Eagles wheeling aloft
May 2016 · 870
Marriage in Three Stages
Valsa George May 2016
First stage

Man and wife are equally blind
Not a single blemish comes to their sight
Like Cyclopes they are one eyed,
Each feels a love like theirs is hard to find
Every now and then they chant the litany of love
They are on an exciting expedition
Explorers rather than fellow travelers
And thrilled at every new discovery,
They stick together as two magnets,
Moving in a high powered circuit

Second Stage

They begin to taste life’s bitter juice
Between them grows a stale familiarity
Which on their face they carry like an ugly wart
Now they become Argus eyed
Nothing escapes their notice
Distance creeps into them
Tastes differ, arguments prop up
Sometimes they holler at each other
Even minor differences of opinion
Can end up as a high voltage drama

Third Stage

Both grow equally frail and infirm
Differences are ironed out
Their talk always verge on their ailments
Constipation and insomnia often surface up
In looks, they grow more and more alike
As though the long years
Have made their features blend and bleed
Even they smell similar
A mixed odor of dried cuticle
And the smell of some balm or ointment
That they liberally apply
On their aching back and stiff joints
While walking, they support each other
Careful not to slip and fall

Has the lost love come back?
Or is it all just a survival mechanism!
May 2016 · 449
Limerick- 3- Caution!
Valsa George May 2016
Now that you are old and spent
Look in the mirror, I recommend
Before stepping out
Lest somebody may shout
Sir, please! Your pant’s buttons, attend!
May 2016 · 903
Silent Sleep the Dead
Valsa George May 2016
Though the sun had begun bleeding in the West
With an explorer’s gait, I walked jumping over gutters
My track, flanked with knee high grass and nettles
Also wild bushes of all kinds that grew in clusters

I saw dragon flies whirring around in circles
Their wings catching glints of the evening light
As they buzzed from one blade of grass to the other
Giving a solitary soul benign company and sure delight

Strange enough, my track ended in an open space
Enclosed by cracked walls, now a forlorn territory
There are raised mounds, overgrown with weeds
I can easily make out, it is an ancient cemetery

Hush… hush is the place, here no bird sings
There is a mournful silence that deepens
Through the **** grown path, no traveler walks
The place, some morbid warning portends

Vacancy alone greets my pensive eyes
Here the wind sighs in silent pain
There is a muffled horror all around the place
Even the leaves chant a sad refrain

In these ancient graves sleep the silent dead
Their toil and trouble ended with life
They must have been perhaps heroes of the land
No more are they part of world’s victory or strife

Nor its sad commemorations or triumphant jubilees
Though released from the shackles of oppression
Each dear presence has now become an absence
Here they lie anonymous, without a single possession

Some graves are marked by crosses and head stones
But most of them are nameless, worn out by time
We do not know how or when came their end
Did they die in old age or die in their prime

Or perish in a battle or struck by some pestilence
However their names are blotted out from life’s tome
They have become inseparably one with the elements
And they lie here motionless exuding a strange calm

Generations pass and their progeny comes
Unmindful of who lived before them
Neither thankful of the legacy left behind
Nor thinking, all the comforts, from their toil stem

I stand with a heavy heart by these moss grown wrecks
Thinking I too shall lie here once, devoid of all opulence
Leaving all my hard earned possessions behind
Without a name, thoroughly forgotten by the populace

Oh Death! You are the mighty leveler of lives
With your indiscriminate hands when you strike
All differences are ironed out, all distinctions erased
Devoid of any rank, here sleep the king and the slave alike
May 2016 · 1.5k
In Sleep's Chamber
Valsa George May 2016
Far away, over the monstrous gray summits
As dusking shadows crept stealthily on,
When night had turned stygian
And glow worms had begun throwing flickers of light
Like sequins stitched onto a flowing velvet gown,

When night sky had thus turned
Into a rare configuration of light and shade
When in the west was burning a solitary star
And like a one man army, it valiantly blocked
The advance of infiltrating clouds,

When fledglings cuddled for warmth
Under their mother’s flayed wings
When cicadas were chanting their litany in shrill monotone,
When the breeze whispered sweet nothings in my ear
And autumn leaves in strong gale
Flew about and nosedived into their ebony bed,

When my conscious thoughts evaporated
And I was left to linger in a semi stupor,
I knew a familiar spirit visiting me unsought
With the passion of a lover eager to subdue;
Morpheus with the scent of poppy leaves all about him
      To lure my soul to bliss and chill the heat of weary toil
      By the indulgent grip of his masculine hands

He took me on his wings to uncharted oceans and fairy isles
And finally to his secret chamber for a date
Making me swoon in secreted ecstasy!
May 2016 · 2.2k
A Rag Picker
Valsa George May 2016
Sometime after mid night, it had rained
Putting out summer’s sultry heat
The sky had its face washed clean
And wiped the grime off Earth’s soiled feet

The dawn is quietly breaking
Night lights still glimmer here and there
The blue firmament remains cloudless
And cool is the mild blowing air

The sleeping town is slowly waking up
And at this transitional point
I look out into the street
To see a sight that shall never disappoint

Along the road moves one, ragged and withered
His discolored white hair left unkempt
With hunch back and drooping shoulders
The marks Time has left of the hard years spent

Though age has drained his life sap away
He has a firm resolve never to beg
His frail body supported on a stick
Serves as a veritable third leg

With his staff, he perseveringly stirs
Every heap of abandoned *******
Indiscriminately piled on either side of the road
Hunting for trinkets lying hidden in the trash

A rag picker with a sack on his back
Picking up today’s treasure
From yesterday’s discarded trash
Things, for him ‘priceless’ beyond measure

With complaints none
He faces life and its trials
Never losing the glitter in his eyes
Though a loner in life’s dark isles

I ask myself, why every day
I routinely look for this man who limps along
And I get a quick answer
‘He helps you turn your sobs into a song’
This was a ritual the old man religiously followed every morning..... making me reminded of the leech gatherer in Wordsworth's Resolution and Independence. He was a great inspiration for me!
May 2016 · 897
Posted With no Address
Valsa George May 2016
Bitten by love bug,
My heart swells with edema
My love, like a gnawing anxiety,
Burdens me
Like a knotty noose,
Stifles me
Like a watch dog,
Follows me


Like an inalienable shadow,
Always with me!
When I turn around,
It is right behind!
It lingers in me
Like a lovely metaphor
Like the intoxicating smell  
Of  the first summer rain

In my world there are only two of us;
You and I
Where ever I go,
The world wears your face.
A face I have never seen!

      I don’t know where you are
In which alien shore you dwell

Yet I write this message,
In secret code
Pouring out my longings,
      My unuttered love,
My invisible desires,
Into this scroll of paper
In cursive, indelible ink
I seal it in a bottle
With no address on
And let it drift over the currents

It is meant for the one
Who finds it
And thinks it is for him

If you feel, it is not for you,
Please don’t throw it as garbage;
Kindly put it back,
And let my love vessel float,
Over eddies and currents
Because my soul is encased within!

Just know this much;
It is from a lovely lass!
May 2016 · 1.4k
To the Singing Lark
Valsa George May 2016
Oh! How like you, I long to be a singing lark
Who among the fleecy clouds like a tiny speck
Remains hidden, drowning the air with music sweet
Rising higher and darting up with movements slick

In our ears, falls your song like peals of chiming bells
In clear, crystalline notes on this radiant day so bright
Why do you stay unseen in the far fringes of heaven?
Oh! Come out from the veils that cover you from our sight!

 Are you warbling of love in inextricable lays
Or chanting hymns to the God of greater heights
Diving up and down like a mysterious sprite
Are you trilling of the charms of enchanting sights

Soaring and swaying like a flitting dot of light
You ascend higher and higher to dizzier heights
I guess your wings brush against the sailing clouds
As you reel round and round in ecstatic flights

Have you bade farewell to the verdant groves beneath
Have you flown for good from your woody nest?
Why do you dwell in the heights, solitary and alone?
Have you made the firmament your haven of rest?

Hovering over unseen, you pour out melodies sweet
That fills our gloomy hearts with euphoric delight
Sweeping away from weary heads all sullen thoughts
And flaming our souls as ever blazing beacons of light!
May 2016 · 7.5k
A Stream in the Woods
Valsa George May 2016
Like a toddler taking maiden steps
The narrow stream moves through the woods
Tripping and falling over pebbles and boulders
Chiming its silver anklets

Forcing itself in irrepressible flow
It thrusts and shoves its way down
Through thickets and a line of ferns
And the tangle of creepers and thorny brambles

Drowning the whisper of bamboo leaves
Its sweet murmur falls in my ears
As an eternal living melody
The cosmic song heard over eons

As the water sluices down the rocks
It becomes a frothing braided torrent
Producing a harsh grating roar
Like the crescendo of a tribal symphony

There it forms into a small pool
With its waves gently rippling
Where birds merrily come to take a dip
And sunning their feathers, fly back refreshed

Sometimes travelling unseen
It suddenly emerges into the open
Cutting its way through cracks and fissures
Never willing to surrender before hurdles

With a bearing immaculate in grace
It sends out waves of pure delight
What joy it is to watch the dilly dally
Of this sedate pilgrim moving to its destination
May 2016 · 812
Limerick-1- Pristine Wisdom
Valsa George May 2016
A well meaning father advised his son
“Be ahead always like the rising sun”
The child heeded
And he inquired
“Did God make the snail and hare only to run”?
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