The Poetry Marathon

Stardust, come hold my hand
Sprinkle your magic into my life
Just holding you, feels like peeping into the soul of a star
Her silvery tendrils, Intersperse with my veins
And lo and behold! I am stardust!

I have no form or destination
My invisible wings will take me
Where my heart rejoices
Miracles happen and my entire body does glow
Yes,spread all over me, is, Stardust!

The city that will never sleep/
That will either awe you or make you weep/

Where the rich rub shoulders with the poor/
Where impossible opposites meet/
And in this, lies its grandeur/
She’s Mumbai; arms outstretched, always cheerful and upbeat

The morning sees her buzzing busy, embracing all kinds
Her invisible vein of love, in an unbreakable bond, all and sundry, it binds

Her lifelines; zanzy cars and the BEST and the local
Our Mumbaiyya lives ‘bindaas’, is always vocal

But then, Mumbai isn’t at all times, rosy
Accepts all but not always cosy.

But when calamity befalls, bombs blast or rains fall,
In unison do the mumbaikars rise
And beware the forces that threaten the metropolis!

There is tenderness in her breasts
As her just born suckles; elixir of life
The two pink lines had completely unsettled her, then
She had not been sure at all
They had assured her it would be all right
She looked with wonder at the little bundle
That was with sure-shot precision and right,
Claiming her body and her heart
Her gurgling sounds felt like a lullaby
A strange calm made home in her
A warmth pilfered in, tenderness filled her every pore
And suddenly, she was never so sure!!

The little boy lay as still
As the mountain air surrounding him
His eyes closed, he heard muffled cries
And knew he wouldn’t see tomorrow
A constriction in his heart,
He smelt the familiar, fragrant almond blossom
“Be with me…”
And he drifted away…
Then the blossom wilted…

The watchtower had stood the test of time
Kingdoms had disappeared, resolves had crumbled
But the tower stood, tall and proud
Looking its nose down upon time itself
The old man screwed up his eyes, sheilding them
From the sun that shone like a ripe red fruit
He smiled and with a tight resolve, he took the path to the mountains
The pathway was now coarse, with overgrown brambles and rock-strewn
His rheumatic knee hobbled along painfully
Hie eyes watered as sharp-edged rocks rammed into his shoes
And tore his flesh but he bravely marched on, smiling
Even when the wind slapped across his face
At last he was on top of the mountain; the watchtower suddenly in front of him
Eyes smarting with emotion, ignoring the incumbent pain in his limbs,
He limped towards it, touching the structure with reverence
Kissing the high walls that had been blessed with the blood of the martyred soldies, eons ago
His father had been one of them; he had resolved to come here one day
It had taken very long but he had kept his word
“Babuji, Vande Mataram!” And the hills echoed his voice mingled with theirs
Heaving a contented sigh, he lay down on the ground and closed his eyes…

He was a magnificent creature, the son of Typhon and Echidna
His mammoth heads inspired awe and fear alike
He was the dreaded monster, known as the Lernean Hydra
His abode was the seas, he ruled with great elan
And ravaged the inhabitants and livestock of Lerna
And, when they tried to retaliate and him behead,
Out sprouted from his wounds, two more heads, even more terrible, even more vicious
His boon of one immortal head, only further fanned his ego and arrogance
But the two heroes, Heracles and Iolaus orchestrated his doom
And buried his immortal head under a heavy rock
It still lies there, a testimony to how the mighty fall
The gigantic monster could have been ruling the worlds,
If only he had discerned; power is synonymous with responsibility…

When after tireless months of constant wailing
And diaper changes and anxiety over every burp, every gurgle, every hiccup,
Your baby’s large eyes, one day, display a bout of recognition
And that darling face widens in to a smile for the first time,
It is a moment of joy, frozen into factals of time…

Life seems purposeless
Like a rudderless ship,
I am pushed around in this vast ocean of life
I feel like a masochist, self-inflicting pain
I seem to have been caught
In a never-ending cycle of pain and misery
When I can end it all in one stroke, liberate myself
Set myself free forever
Why then should I live?

Hear one, hear all, listen to my tale of woe
I’m a vivacious 12-year old, with a wolf’s appetite
But alas! I have lactose intolerance
All my favourite things that I lust after
Are not meant for me, I eat them only in my dreams
O! For chocolate boats loaded with M n M’s and delectable chocolates
Bobbing along a river of thick viscous chocolate
I wish to dunk in, swish-swoosh, the river bathes me
In its chocolaty essence
The melted chocolates play a dance of sin on my tongue
I close my eyes and open my mouth, the rainbow above
Empties into my mouth, milkshakes of every colour, every flavour
This is bliss; I wish this never ends
Duh! It was only a dream
And without complaining, I cheerfully gobble up my oats milk and granola
This is the real deal, afterall, eh?!

Originating from the Southern belt of India,
This is the tale of pungappa Chetty
A young, astute businessman
Who loved his wife to death
And vowed they would always stay together
She too loved him with an unrivalled passion
Every evening, when he returned home tired
After the day’s toil, served him tasty treats
One day, a peddler with a magical voice and funny eyes
Coaxed her to buy a truckload of fresh delectable dates
When he returned that eve, she greeted him with a hug pot of dates
Her eyes shone with anticipation
He opened the lid but O horror!
Out jumped a battalion of smartly dressed soldiers, instead of the dates
Beat him up black and blue, discarded him to the ground and disappeared
Seething with indignant anger, Pungappa Chetty threw her out, accusing her of black magic
Cursing her fate, how everything changed in one night,
Dragged herself to become a light- bearer in marriage functions
Fate had other plans; a pining and slightly regretful Chetty
Met her in a friend’s function but to him was unrecognizable
As she gave him light, the darkness fled, he felt warm
” Who are you?” He whispered
And she in a sing-song voice narrated her story of woe
Chetty sprang up, touching her feet, begging for apology
Embracing her, he declared his undying love
Promised never to be irascible and irrational ever again
She smiled through her tears, shyly basking in his warmth
And thus ends this tale that silently shares the secret of conjugal bliss;
Trust, togetherness and accepting you were wrong!