The purple orchid
Which came into my house
As a gift

Has been teaching me
A few things

When I take good care
It thrives

And when I keep busy
Doing other chores

Forgetting to put that
Ice cube in the ***
So that it keeps moist

The orchid becomes sad
And it's leaves wither

I have to constantly
Read it to know
How it is keeping.

And that is what
Happens all around me
With all those
Whom I care for!

Finally the hollyhocks
Bloomed in my garden!
Very auspicious, very joyful,
Very pink!

We are aboard the ride
To settling down, very soon.
May life, bloom out.

Son is on his way
To graduation.
May we see him in full bloom...

"May a hundred flowers bloom"
May this earth,
Become a happy garden!

It is a nice day
In winter
It has snowed
And there is sunlight
Shining on it
My home is
Looking bright
And cosy
And I am feeling
Proud of it
Am chatting
With my son
Who is at college
And with my hubby
Who is out at work
And I am thinking
Of my love
A full day
A full life
God's grace.

So many things
Have been happening
These last few days...
I have kept busy.

Busy with day to day errands
And pursuits
Day to day misfortunes
And pieces of happy!

Went to Walmart
And went to a Jazz festival!
Fell down from my bike
And Gus treated me to almond milk cold coffee!

It has been
This whole bundle of
Contrary things
Which have made up
My moments
Of these recent days...

I am happy
Because every grey cloud
Has shown me
A silver lining!
Did you find yours?

We have moved
To a new home
And I am so happy!

There is more space
And my son
Is revelling in it!

There is more sunlight
And my husband
Is soaking it in!

And me?
I am just planning
To bring in
A lot of

Green indoor plants
Water them
Put them on the
Patio
And in my
Living room

And make them
Thrive!

Touch, is such a
Fascinating thing.

I always cherish
Bear hugs.

When friends and dear ones
Hug me

They make me
So happy!

The bare trees
Are springing leaves

The plants
Blooming flowers

The sun is shining
All over the place

Men are
Rebuilding towers

Hope springs eternal
'Cause God is good
And he has all the power.

We are a
******* now
Living together
After ages.

Me,my son
And my partner.

How can I describe
The joy
When I
Pack sandwiches
And strawberries
For the two of them
Together!

Days are
Bright and hot
The nights
Cool and breezy.
Conducive
To dreams...

City is
Witness to
Helplessness and poverty
Prone to
Gun violence and craziness
Conducive
To action

Let us live the world
Embracing both.
Make it wholesome.

Sadness rises
From the preceding moment
The preceding day, the night before
And goes on till
The next moment this day
It spreads like a cloud
Over all activities
And it rains from your eyes
Till the people
Who had gone out on work
Come in, smile, and hand you the tissue.

When grave things
Get me wondering
When sad things
Get me down
I know it is better
To smile them off
Than it is to frown

Coz I find a way out
When I smile
When I hold back tears
They can't make me drown

So let us keep smiling
Let the sunshine shine on
Cheering up
The whole town!

Had Lindt chocolate the other day
And pistachio ice cream the day before
With my family.

The little children
At the impoverished crèche  in Kolkata
For which we chip in
Were too far off
For me to share it with them too...

They would have loved it!

So I resolved
To treat them to chocolate
When I visit them in winter...

But how do I get them Lindt?

Moonshine
Sunshine
Star shine

Diamond shine
Gold shine
Silver shine

All illuminating
My life right now!

Back and forth
Between two nations

Both great
Both beautiful

Cannot choose
Between one or the other
So will keep
Going on
Back and forth

Till I slow down...

Having coffee
Listening to the birds chirping
Outside
Running over
The day's agenda
In my mind
Gus has gone to work
My son is at college
Working hard...
That is what my world
Looks like now
Peaceful, serene.

But then, sudden jolts come
And it seems as if
The world will come to an end.

People scurrying all over the place
Trying to catch the wrong doers.

And we get closer to God.

Do they not ever feel the need
To stop and support peace
To call upon God,
They, who wreak havoc
Upon this earth?
Do they not, ever, cry?

My rooms
Are now
Full of sunshine
And sunflowers!
I am as happy
As happy can be.

We are planning
To go to the beach one day
And go for a picnic
Soon after, possibly.

The people
All around me
Make everything
Materialize
Very pleasantly...

I am happy
Because they are there
I am happy
Because I am me...

I am learning
How to ride a bike
And am spinning
A lot of dreams...

With the
Coasting and stops
As practice
During the initial lessons

I am coasting
The beaches and the woods
On my bike
With Gus and son
Following close by...

My splendid bike
Can be folded and kept aside
As I do
With my dreams each night
And go to sleep

Wake up every morning
Looking forward to
Another practice session
Of
Rushing and stopping...

Domes and imposing buildings
Canals and fairytale brasseries
Magic Christmas markets
          Crepes and hot juice
Lights and colors
Cobbled streets and
Quaint countryside houses

Majestic mountains
Murmuring rivers

People who speak
Hesitant and lovely,
loving English...

Europe in winter
Is too much!

We are very busy
Preparing for reno
Of our old new house
And I am loving it!

Then comes the vacation-
We will see new countries
In Europe
And I am immensely excited!

Then we go to India
Meet relatives, friends
Exchange news...
It is that warm feeling...

Then we come back
And move into
Our new home
And be with you all
Once again...

Can life
Be better than this?

What are your rainbows?

Spring is here
This time we are witnessing
Blossoms from our windows
Shops are the same
But we are ordering online
No full parking lots
No crowded aisles
No rushing to your offices
No rushing cars on the
Three lanes of highways

Only places crowded
Are the hospitals
And the mortuaries
God has painted a very bleak
Very heart wrenching picture of planet Earth

Still, mankind is clapping
And singing, and jiving
In homes, cheering on life
‘Cause life still exists
And God is watching how
We are still keeping our lamps lighted!

The sky is overcast
It is raining
But it is raining love...

For the flowers are coming out
With the falling rain...

All seasons
Are acts of love-
God pouring love
On his creation-
This earth...

And he wants his creation-
Man
To savor all his acts of love...

So sing on
It is raining!

My son now
Stone facade houses
and buildings
In a forest
House my son now
and tell him their story
in whispers.
He listens, as he always does!

Last week for us
Was movie week.

Travelled the galaxies
And travelled the world.
Star Trek and Jason Bourne.
We were transported.

Gus went to work
This weekend
So we were home bound, doing chores.

We always have to
Strike a balance
Between reality and feeling
Between love and the outcome

We have to accomplish
And be on watch
Peril beckons
We have to outlast.

Dream on
Act on...

It is this tug -of -war
Which goes on
In this world...

Sometimes it is love
Sometimes self interest
Sometimes prayers
Sometimes cries...

Have seen life
From very close quarters-
It is not always
Designed by you.

There are forces
Which might overcome
At a weak moment...

There are forces
Which are strangers
Yet lend you support
To find support
In return...

And there are powers
Without which
You cannot survive...

Life is a medley
Of pleasant
And unpleasant
Make the most of it!

Blue skies
Pink skies
Grey skies
Red skies

All overlooking

Our destinies
Our actions

Our sorrows
Our resilience

Our joys
Our sharing.

Bangladesh
Is a tiny little country.
Our neighbor.
People got killed.

Because?
They were brave?

It is one of those days
When I am done with my chores early

I am relaxing
Writing
And listening to music,
Sipping iced tea...

In the evening, though,
I know that when
I would switch on the TV
There would be
A lot of noise.
Regarding the Presidential race...

But also, some
Very appealing entertainment.
A little loud,sometimes
But nice...

So my day rolls on
While I recover
From my biking wound,at home
With some noise
And some idyllic nuances...

I am lucky.
Do you count your stars?

Today,
The worlds came together
When I met
My far flung friends.

We laughed
And had lunch together
And it seemed as if
The whole world was vibrating
To the same wavelength.

All of us who inhabit
This planet
Are such friends.
And when we laugh
It resonates
With God's laughter!

Our annual
Puja- worship days are here!

We worship a goddess
Who kills an evil demon
And spreads prosperity.

In India
This worship goes on
For ten days
With drumbeats
And sweetmeats.

In America
Indians congregate
And pray to the goddess
For several days...

May the goddess
Spread joy
Throughout the world

May she **** the demon
And once again
Let humans prosper!

It's been a hard winter
And now it's spring
There have been storms
And snow
And now the bare trees
Are bearing new leaves
There were forebodings
Stay indoors they said
And now everyone's stepping out.
Hope springs eternal
And now God is
Rewarding the human soul!

When we look
At life
Which is beyond
The everyday
Struggles

It is
Beautiful and vast
And unified

It is
One with God
As the earth
Is one with
The sky
In the horizon

Take a
Few moments
Each day
To feel it
And to
Touch the feeling.

It will
Surely
Make you
Happy!

Days are sweet
With an interplay
Of sun and clouds...

Nights are beautiful
With the super moon
And moonlight...

TV is disturbing
But music is soothing.
Listen to more music.

Winter is approaching
But there is Christmas
At its wake!
So stay cheerful!

We have travels in front of us...
Feeling excited about it
But will miss home
And all of you...

But I will only be gone for a month.
So let us rock on!

When I wake up
Every day
And I wake up late
The day is
Full of promises
The sunshine
Pours in
And I carry out
My routine
Happy, assured

Dusk arrives
I am done with
My chores
And I sit down
To watch television

Why is it that
The end to the day
Is so
Disheartening?

Brutalities
Are what I am
Able to
Carry to my
Bed
At night

O God
Make the nights
Beautiful again...!

Do not allow treason.
It is deceiving of faith
It is harm, inflicted.
It is jeering.
We know it might go on
For some more time
Despite our disapproval.
But do not ever forget
That you disapprove.
And make your voice heard.
Do not ever forget
That if you remain silent
The jeering increases in proportion...
And then come home and drink your wine!

For some days
I did not write.

The happiness,
Has already
Been put into
Words

The sadness
Has been felt

So I was waiting

And then
Someone urged me
To put down
Into words

The celebration
Of living life
Daily...

Waiting for Gus
To return from work.
Zillions of thoughts
Flitting through my mind
Now, at dusk...

Some good, cheerful
Some bad, saddening.

My son comes home for the weekend,
Tomorrow
My mom-in-law's birthday
Is today,
I sometimes miss her...

The goodness of people
Crosses my mind
And also the hurt,
Which was inflicted...

Had it been all hurt
And no love,
The all erasing, all encompassing love,
Would I have existed
To tell my stories?

Where are your stories?

Our life
Made beautiful by travels
The thrill
Down our spine
When visions unfold
In lands unknown
Made known
By discoveries.
We thank God
That such treasures
Still exist.

I play classical Indian music on my speaker
At dusk when I am
Done with my chores
And am taking some rest...

That spreads harmony
Throughout the house.

Likewise, listening to chantings
And the story of God
At the weekends
When you are done with work
Spreads harmony in your soul...

Promote harmony.

Life has been
This roller coaster lately...

Frenemies sharpening their knives
And friends lending their shoulders.

One night it is this
Grand dinner with ground turkey
The next night
It is with bitter gourd...

Getting boundless love
From all quarters
And then getting hurt
From some corner...

Always remember
That this is enriching,
A process of never ending growing up,
Of evolving...

Embrace love
Embrace hate, as well.
Every time you do so
You grow into
More of a human being!

Our tickets have been bought
For a Europe tour.
I am dreaming and imagining
Imagining and dreaming!
I am that excited.

But then
Paris and Nice and Munich
Come to remind me
That I have to carry the flag
To urge.

No more ruthlessness
No more unmercifulness.

Would people notice and read
My flag?

Would our tickets
Lead us on into the
Kingdom of light, one day?

The sun did come up bright today
After the dark election
And we did go grocery shopping...

Though it rained
The immediate day
Next to the announcement
Of the results...
God was sad too...

The baton has been passed on
And let us see
How well he runs...

Be alert
And keep smiling
The world is not
Coming to an end...

Be ready to voice your opinions
On whatever happens
Now onwards...
Do not cry.

God is listening
And everything
Will gradually
Turn okay.

I chat
With my cleaning lady...
Her victories
Her glories
Her sorrows...

She is a brave lady
And a joy
To interact with

Her kids are her pride
She is a model mother
Working very hard
For her children.

May she, and her like
Always thrive...

Balloons fly into the air
Kites swirl in the cloud
Spirits soar high above the world

When friends come in
And the glasses ******
Clear and loud.

They make you happy
They declare you are fair
They make you feel as beautiful
As a red rose in black hair...

Today mom is in pain
It feels like my own.

I cry and fret
But she is far away...

When I talk to her
She is happy for my advancements
And prays for
Her grandson's wellbeing...

I yearn
To run to her
Alleviate

And want her to lean
On me again...

With spring, have come in
Many welcome changes

New beginnings
Chapters closing
Doors opening
On creaky hinges...

I am happy
As happy can be!

Friends cheering us on,
Dropping in.

Birds singing
Flowers blooming...

Happiness happening
In little twinges!

God, do bless us...

The land of kings
Still holds its head high
The treasures still
Tell tales
The people are still happy
With their
Pink and blue cities
And those who visit
Following the trails
Discover joy!

Stone facade houses
And buildings
In a forest
House my son now
And tell him their story
In whispers.
He listens, as he always does!

The leaves
Tremble on trees
Like when
Dew drops fall on them

The bees
Hum and hover
Like when
Flowers arrive on a stem

When I go and pray
With a flock of people
And God says he is happy
He says I shall stay...

Life goes on
With its pressures
Its frights
Its helplessness
Its threats
And discomforts

But your faith in goodness
Shows its true colors too
And at the brink of
Getting destroyed once again
You get to grab
The extended hand
Which
Hauls you up from the crevice

Promising to nudge you on to
Wide roads
Once again ,make you trudge on the lane to your destination!

Heart singing
Winning accolades!
Sun shining
Unforgettable days!

Friends getting together
Rainbow anticipated...
Cheerfulness overflowing
Breath bated...