Wings

I saw a pretty, cute little girl
Her eyes had shine
Her words were pure
But how I wish
I saw a spark too
To fly up high
And a spark to dive
Like a carefree soul
Her eyes I wish
Had that spark too

I saw her tiny wings
That I wish could grow
Rather allowed to grow
I wish she was born
Among them who would
Let her laugh loud
Let jump high
Let her fly
Let her be free from fear
Let her have eyes to dream

I wish she was told
They are glad she's a girl
She can choose to be
Scientist or miss universe
Or whatever her like be
Alas she was but told
She is a girl
Should veil her wings
Should cut her dreams
Should 'know' she's a girl

And oh how ironic
The culture is
We appreciate the stories
Of sheroes and queens
That fought to be
What we love to see
And instead of letting
Our girls grow like 'em
We tell them their wings
Are but wings of a 'girl'

Words of Wisdom from a Tricenarian

I recently turned thirty. (You call a person in his thirties a Tricenarian, for your informaion).

Oh it hurts to realize that. Not only because there will now be more kids addressing me with the dreadful 'aunty', but also that I may soon have to hit the beauty shelves to pick some 'forever young' face creams to lift my mood, if not skin.

Above all, I'm afraid I will prey some innocent beings reading this piece with my Gyan that's overflowing the thirty year old warehouse parked in my head.

Without further ado let's plunge into the pool of exquisite wisdom. ( But promise me you will continue to read me even after this piece).

#1- You are nothing. Don't believe me? Ok let me put it the other way. You are one in 7.6 billion humans present on the earth(This doesn't include the animals, aliens and extra terrestrial lives). Not yet convinced? Mathematically you are 1/7600000000000, which is close to negligible.

So there's no point giving so much of importance to yourself.
You got offended with some comment and are crying your heart out? Pointless. It's a less than a century old tenure to be spent here in this nothingness. Post which you'll die alongwith your tender emotions. And no one knows what happens beyond this life. So be a good boy/girl, live and let live.

#2- Stop judging others for the nothingness's sake. Ok okay. I too have judged others and been judged too several times. But the truth remains. Everyone else is a sinner till our own sins are caught. It's an art not to be judgemental when we see someone talking or wearing or walking or writing 'weirdly' (read out of our deciphering capacities). We judge and become prejudiced. Doing so makes us dull and non creative as we limit our words and actions within the boundaries of our preconceived notion. So, don't judge and degrade yourself.

#3- Accept. Accept yourself and your situation (Know what's and what's not in your control). Just like I have accepted my age (sigh). Because acceptance makes you strong to confront what's coming.

#4- Take care of your physical and mental health. Not only for yourself but also for your family that's directly going to be affected by your poor health. Know that an unhealthy body is a liability, howsoever dear that may be. I have seen my family suffer to the core while I was once lying on the cold ICU bed, hapless.

#5- Thank the creator and the life driver for this thing called life. Not every alien gets it. Thank everyone possible for enduring the weirdo you are. You may thank them mentally, without hurting your 'self respect'( read ego), but thank them with all your heart and mean it. Because as it is, by being grateful you invite good vibes.

#6- Invest in impressing a human only when you want to woo them. If there is nothing they can give in return of your impressing performance, you are wasting your effort.

These are the top six take away from the years I have lived. There are many more, but let's keep it short for now.

If you are still reading, I thank you with all my heart for bearing with my preaching. And I am hoping for the positive vibes already!

The Wrist Watch

Financially independent but careful in spendings she was reticent for people who thought they knew her.

She had handful of friends with whom she could be seen laughing.

When alone, she would often hum some old classic. While passing by, she would give a soft halt, would wink and smile to the mirror.

She loved holidaying around the beaches. Sitting by the shores and losing herself to the horizon she would admire the free but disciplined waves.

The enchanting smell of rain would trigger the romantic best of her. Her soul would dance to the beats of rain.

She had of late been fancying wrist watch with big round dial and a colorful strap. For that was in vogue and she liked to keep herself up with the latest trend.

While she was browsing the shelves of a shop, her eyes stuck on the watch that matched the one on her mind.

Big dial with some quirky design, a red bold and feminine belt. This was it. She felt that had to be destined around her wrist. The bright light of the store was adding to its vibrant look. She made no haste to grab it against the swipe of her credit card.

Happily she stepped out of the store, wore it and moved with her chin up. This watch was all she had needed that evening for her soul to feel lifted.

She was suddenly feeling young and more energetic. She went straight to the coffee shop where she had a meeting planned with her friends.

She was all geared up to handle the compliments thrown at her for her flashy new thing. Friends came and greetings were exchanged.

Then a friend said, 'hey awesome watch! Nice choice!'

She was about to bloat further that another one asked, 'what's the time by the way?'

As if a pin was pricked to the fantasy balloon around her, she realized her watch wasn't yet set. In the awe of its grandeur she had completely forgotten to turn its crown and set the time.

She had fallen from an imaginary cloud and her friends knew.

'Silly me', she thought and smiled while turning off the light and going off to sleep that night.

Bright Dark

Hate smelled brutally attractive

His devil smile his savage look 

Did a black magic to her mind 

He with his friends 

Anger Disgust and Dismay 

Sat in dark shades with a tilted hat 

With a colorful hookah in center

 

That smokey night also had 

Another group sitting quiet - 

Calm Sense and Hope 

Shouldering their friend Love 

Whom she had just ditched 

Only to be lost to Hate - 

Sitting in the other group 

Waiting to show her 

The bright darkness 

Of their world

Wrong Vs Right

How does Right get a crown of 'Right' and Wrong a robe of 'Wrong'? Who decides?

How do I know the path I took was Right and the one I left was Wrong? Or that what I could be today would be a Righter version of what I am!

Does Right fit in to my present or it is the Wrong that is quietly leading my way!

Is my eating a non-vegetable to fulfill my wild crave a deed of Wrong, or I am just Right to be following the nature's law. Is my belief in a benevolent power and in worship Right, or my turning a blind eye to any evil Superpower Wrong. Is my priority of things dispositioned the Right way or this order of mine a downright Wrong.

There is a question a little beyond too – Is doing the Right right or the Wrong wrong? May be a careful and protected living is what looks Right whereas a crazy, careless and free living is the Right behind a mist of Wrong. May be shaking hands with Wrong is what is Right! You know what I mean.

Right and Wrong walk together, with tall stature. Both play their best to convince us. One succeeds and smirks at the other. The other mentally says, next is I.

People say, “This is the way it should be”. Really? May be it is the other way that they failed to explore or may be explored the incorrect way. Or never cared to explore at all.

Fact is, nothing matters anyway. The sun will rise and the stars and moon will show, whenever they have to. The Right and the Wrong will keep displaying their might – few of us will get distracted with our eyes trained on what looks Right and few will enjoy trailing the Wrong.

May be following our heart with a touch of sensibility is the only answer in the face of the two players enjoying their turns of win!

Of Hanging Placards

There are so many people around talking. All buzzing. My ear catches none specific as their words are so much muffled, or may be I don’t want to zoom in to them. Here and there I hear the digital taps on the keyboards. While I write this, my keys talk to me the most.  Conditioned air passes through my hair, my finger gaps and past each of my breath, leaving me colder at my workplace.

It is a big work area filled with humans who buried their emotions in air before they entered the door. Only droid-heads are visible from where I’m sitting. Some plunging deep into their screen with their pupils expanding, some explaining a business scenario on their desk phone and some sitting easy and chatting with the equally free humans around.

The buzz is accompanied by some short beeps now and then. Everything looks digitized and in place. I look at the wide white ceiling with patterns of AC vents. There is a CCTV camera etched in the middle with a glass dome surrounding it. A little away from the center, just above the isle there is a placard hanging from the ceiling, pegged through two strings to the surface. It says FIRE EXIT with image of a man running towards the arrow pointing the door. There are tiny equi-spaced light bulbs with motion sensors that turn them off when no one’s around or may be when someone falls asleep in the middle of an on-call meeting. I check out every nook of the space around. Sitting on my seat I visit every other seat but mine.

What if the hanging placards had emotions? What if the desks, the screens, the chairs, the desk phones – all spoke to each other about these human activities? Don’t they get bored of the same chores each day? 

They are not humans. They are not supposed to be in discipline. They can think beyond what they have been taught to think. But they have limitations. Humans don’t. Still humans limit themselves. They behave like the hanging placards that have been tied at ends. Like they can flutter but can’t fly. 

Such is the misery of humans trapped in the cold workplaces. Hinged to order. Perhaps that’s what pays them. But the placards are watching. Probably they just sent a telepathic wave around. A fire alarm broke shrieking through the cold, meh waves. The doors have been quickly opened and fixed so that they don’t retract back by the hydraulic lock. Whistles of guards fill the air. Everyone stands and rushes out. The workspace is suddenly filled with life. I’m supposed to plunge into the swarm of humans that just turned interesting and move towards the open door. 

But this alarm is only for a mock drill I guess, there's no real fire. But who cares. The placards got what they wanted – a little warmth back in the cold air.

Come What May

There is a constant silence in the room. It is a little later than midnight. Everyone's asleep. I lay flat on my bed, looking straight to the ceiling or may be beyond. Everything is so still, as if the world has come to a halt. I almost hear my heartbeat muffled by a little louder sound of the wall clock that hangs somewhere in the room. 

Tick - tick - tick. The hands of the clock steadily move.

The world may seem to have stopped, but the ultimate driver - Time - is still on, as if saying - Come what may, breathe in breath out and move on!