Lava

#NaPoWriMo #GloPoWriMo Day 2

Image generated using Dream AI

Today, I wrap them up,
Tuck them away in a corner
The worry and weight I carried
I shove them aside
Now, I seek to return to words
That aspire to be heard

They tore out the letters
Wriggling on my lips –
These troublesome thoughts
They snuck into my space
Where the poetry should live
With the stories craving to be

I am ready to reclaim my peace
Banish the darkness
With whatever spell it takes,
To let the ink not run dry
And creativity to burst forth
Like molten sparks from my core.

Green shoots

#NaPoWriMo #GloPoWriMo Day 1

Neil Munro. Gilian the Dreamer, His Fancy, His Love and Adventure. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1899. Cover by Thomas Watson Ball
Book cover designed by Thomas Watson Ball for Gilian, the Dreamer, His Fancy, His Love and Adventure by Neil Munro.

The dried twig that lay still
At my doorstep is not dead yet
It has sprouted green wings;
The cracks in the sidewalk
May hide magical abodes
For I spied tendrils of a beanstalk.

Burdened by daily chores
It takes a moment to see
Hope arrives in the strangest ways
In a message bottle,
Washed ashore
Or in a heart,
Just weary of being sore.

Poetry inspired by the book cover designed by Thomas Watson Ball for Gilian, the Dreamer, His Fancy, His Love and Adventure by Neil Munro. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1899.

Unseeing Spring

A row of red and white Dahlia

I sat there on the iron bench
Amidst the large concrete pots
Overflowing with seasonal flowers
The evening sun shone
On my tired face; for a moment
I looked up from my phone
Pausing the search for a cab
And the frantic need to be home

All around me, I could see
Hunched shoulders, quick footfall
Towards the exit gate.
And what for?
To run away from the fatigue
Of a hectic day at work
Or to rush into another con call
With an unending to-do list

I sat there rooted in silence
Aware of the breathing
Of the weary and their worry
I wondered where all this leads;
Why we never stopped to see
The radiant blooms of Spring –
Wilting sooner than ever
In the heat of our distress

Magenta and white flower bed

Transitions

For @TopTweetTuesday, a poem on the power of transitions, inspired by the bright #Gulmohar trees that are now competing with the hot summer sun in India.

Wrapped in muslin
Gentle dreams lie so still
Spreading over eyelids
Like a subtle touch of lace
Vast longings, latent until
Caressed by time and destiny
Fresh buds unfold in glory
Of spring in bloom, and
All hopes glow crimson
As petals of the Gulmohar
Ablaze in the glare of summer!

Spring Equinox

Inhale the fragrance
Of spring in abundance
An extravaganza of blooms
Poppies, tulips, and lilies
Invading coarse sidewalks
Boughs are laden with
The promise of fruits
Casting spells of hope
On a talisman of petals
Gently pulsating with life