I MUST GO

The seconds hand ticks
Each heartbeat.

Each heartbeat
A hope.

Each hope
A prayer.

Each prayer
A promise.

Each promise
A raindrop.

Each raindrop
A prism.

Each prism
The colors of my dreams.

Each dream
My smile.

Each smile
A knowledge.

That some day
It will all fall into place.

But for now
I must go.

RAPE

You were disbelieving, 

were you not?
In your innocence
You never imagined
Such things could happen

They weren't real.

Those near and dear to you

Were neither so near

Nor so dear.

Your screams echoed through empty skies

Birds flew away.

The wind blew hard

And branches swayed

Mother Earth smothered your terrified cries

Your body you realize

Is not a temple

Because there is no God.

Lowered to a commodity

Your body is not your own

One last thought remains

Mother, where are you?

The red rivulet

From your nostril

Declares

Nothing remains.

Glory

GLORY IN BUDDHA

Hey Buddha! How come there's light around you
Now, where exactly d'you hide the switch?
"Oh, that's the light of wisdom shining through
Comes of sitting still despite a twitch."

Hey Buddha! How come you sit cross legged for hours
It takes just minutes for me to get a cramp
"Oh, by the bestowing of celestial powers
I can sit like this despite the damp."

Hey Buddha! watcha doing here?
Your son needs his father to take him fishing
"Aw shucks! Aw Lord! Aw, of all that's dear!
To go back to him now you have me wishing!"

And so he got up and took off back home
Thinking all the way of his son and dear 'Yashudha'
Completely cured of his 'enlightenment syndrome'
And that's how Glory came to be living in the Buddha.

Glory

WITH YOU

 

He wove dreams with me and around me

I will take you to the river 

And make you a raft

You can lie there and float 

With the current

I'll lift you up by a rope to our own tree house

we will watch the blue moon together 

and hear the owl hoot

I will send you love letters on lotus leaves 

down the river

I will weave you flower garlands made of buttercups

There are open spaces in the forest 

where the bamboo bloomed and died

We will go to the stream where the wild animals drink. 

I will show you how the cheetah's eyes 

shine in the dark jungle

I will show you how to make baskets 

out of palm leaves

And I will make love to you 

among the flowers in the hillside 

where the birds sing

INNOCENT LOVE

Your heart 

ran out and met mine

though I knew then

and you did not

that it would never work.

I must forgive you

for not knowing

for reaching out

with an innocence

that I knew

would be gone one day -

and when it did

leave

in its place

a man, a stranger

who once stole my heart.

Love dies an early death.

I hope it was all worth it -

your wish to live well

and love well?

'cause something

must be worth

all this heartache.

He's An Ordinary Guy

Why accuse

That your heart he broke

Come on - wipe those Cupid’s drops

He’s a ordinary bloke.

Don’t give him colors and qualities

Even he would deny

Take off your rose-tinted glasses and see –

He’s an ordinary guy!

His dabbling in philosophy

His Sagacity doesn’t imply

Its just insatiable curiosity

He’s an ordinary guy.

His blunt comments and all about

Of Truthfulness is not a try

It’s just he’s shooting off his mouth

He’s an ordinary guy.

His correcting of your mistake

From Intelligence is a far cry

Its just his own are at stake

He’s an ordinary guy.

He brought you flowers -

That’s cute one can’t deny

With her though he spent his hours

He’s an ordinary guy.

His lips luscious, his nose is sharp

His ears perfect - and those big eyes!

Its just his lure, its just a trap

Oh! he’s an ordinary guy.

Glory

My Poetry Chain

I picked the ripple off the rivulet

The hope from birds’ eggs

The lush green off the forest firs

The speed off horses’ legs

The scent off the dewy rose

The blueness off the skies

The velvet off a puppy’s nose

The colors off butterflies

I picked the majesty off the mountain

The fire off the Sun

The wetness off the monsoon rain

The silver off the Moon

The warmth off a friendship

The core off a heart in love

The mother’s cloak of protection

The Saint’s reverence for God above

I picked the sweat off the workers’ brows

Those beads of daily gain

And strung them all into my verse

To make my poetry chain!

Glory Sasikala