The Poetry Marathon

Witnessing the Sunset with mixed emotions, theatrically sad

Watching Fireflies after a little Rain shower, enviously amazed at their magical glow

Mister Moon, a little too shy to come out but peeking still

And not to be outdone, a gang of Stars radiating their own twinklers albeit some Clouds

A Bat, flying low, nowhere to land

Formidable Trees in the dark, casting shadows eerily and magnificently alarming

Nocturnal Sounds abound, was that a lonely Cricket?

Or a shy Gecko? Or a lost Toad, perhaps?

Nature at its best! Failed muteness, silence undermined,

giving one’s sense to overreact

A lonely lamp post with flickering unnatural light

Not a help though

And a Soul, alone, traversing the Nature’s path

With quickened steps, goosebumped, cold sweat

Unmindful of the loveliness of the surrounding

Giving in to wild, spooky, very rich imaginations

Ominous…

Saying a little prayer “Guardian Angel, don’t sleep yet, be on guard!”

Or a little wish…

“Hurry up, Tomorrow!”

She was a human being and still is, so I’ve heard

Although she is a sorry personification, rest assured, She is one

She shuns politics, a non-conformist

A different peg to a whole

There’s no gray areas for her

It’s either black or white

She dresses as She pleases

From the mini skirt to the miniest

And the maxi to the maxiest

She’s not into pants but favored shorts

She wears socks of different colors

and when told of such, her usual reply

“I have another set of these colors.”

Make her mad, and ah…face damnation

Make her laugh, and She’s yours for good.

Friends She has aplenty

Foes so much more

She prays like a nun, but swear like no one

She’s made up of funny bones

But She’s a cry-baby too.

Her convictions strong as a rock

Steadfastness is one of her virtues,

But give her the most reasonable quip

Her resiliency is all over the place.

Yes, She could be you

Probably me

But for all intents and purposes

She’s a She.

If being a big girl constitute a height of less than 5″, I’m a big girl now

If standing up to my rights in any given situation, is a gauge, I’m a big girl now

If not answering calls, or texting back will not kill me, I’m a big girl now

If donning up mini skirts, body-hugging attires (evidently showing curves at the wrong places),

and shorts shorts, gives me confidence and “I don’t care” attitude, I’m a big girl now.

If I indulge in downing liquors and get intoxicated with no qualms about “chemical reaction”,

I’m a big girl now.

If I shrugged my shoulders to rumors, with eyebrows raised, I’m a big girl now.

If I pigged out on ice cream, pizzas, delicatessen, extra rice and sodas

and ignoring the scales, I’m a big girl now.

If going to bed without a stitch on gives me a sound sleep, to hell, I am a big girl now.

If I said no and it’s meant as a no, shucks, I’m a big girl now.

If I can make a memory to be just a memory, oh my, I’m a big girl now.

If I can dance and sing into a frenzy, out of tune and missing steps,

not mindful of stares, catcalls and smirks from the audience, absolutely, I’m a big girl now.

If I could turn my back to hurtful situations and licked my wounds in silence,

and not telling a soul, I’m really a big girl now.

Yeah, I’m a big girl now, despite and inspite of everything, bruises and scars

(emotional, physical, mental), humongous problems, irritants unwelcome PDAs

Truly and awesomely, not just a complete woman or lady for that matter,

but A Big Girl now.

Like a thundering clap of water-laden cumulu-nimbus

Like an angry howl of the raging wind

Slowly, very slowly

Gaining speed but real slow

Gathering dust and debris of horrendous proportion

Slowly, so slowly

Like a raging bull

Like a procrastinating raging bull.

Can you delay the inevitable? Or would you?

Do you have the strength to? The will to?

And the mind to hinder the dreaded storm?

Or do you have the guts to let the storm take its course?

The outcome, the result, the devastation,

do you have the heart to accept the aftermath?

The ruins, the shattered dreams, times spent and wasted, topsy-turvyness,

Do you?

How about the hurt, the sadness and the loneliness?

Ahhh…yes you could ignore the storm, the course it would take,

then the afterlife.

Yes, you could with resoluteness, with the strength of 30 ninjas,

with the charm of young geishas and the fear of hara kiri

Yes, only you could, of course you could

Yes you probably would…because it’s personal

…your Personal Storm A-Brewing.

MELANCHOLIC, YES

NOSTALGIC, YES

BUT ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, I’VE HAD HAPPY AND SAD MEMORIES OF YOU TO BE CHERISHED AND TO FOREGO ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

AN EDIFICE OF HURT, LONELINESS, GUT-WRENCHING PROBLEMS

BUT A CITADEL OF CAMARADERIE, SHARING, HUMANITY, COMPANIONSHIP, JOY, RESPECT, AND OF COURSE, LOVE.

A HAVEN FOR EVERY ONE, A REFUGE FOR SO MANY, A LOVE NEST TO SOME,

A FALL-BACK FOR ME.

BUILT, NURTURED BY THE GREAT DAME ( AND WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT SHE STILL ROAMS ITS NOOKS AND CRANNIES )

NOT TO BE OUTDONE THE HEIRESS-TO-THE-THRONE PURSUED AND TOOK THE CUDGELS FROM HER

FOR WHAT YOU ARE NOW, COMPLIMENTS TO THESE TWO NO-NONSENSE PERSONA.

YEARS PASSED, PEOPLE COME AND GO

THINGS MATERIALIZED, THINGS LOST

PETS LIVED AND PERISHED

PLANTS DIED, REROOTED, DIED AGAIN

YOU STOOD ALL THESE, STRONG AND UNYIELDING

PROVING TO ALL AND SUNDRY – A FORCE TO RECKON WITH.

AM I SAYING GOODBYE? THAT EASY? I WISH NOT

AN OCCUPANT OF A SOLITARY CELL

BEFITTING A QUEEN AND A TRAMP

CAN I AFFORD TO SAY GOODBYE?

A PACT WITH THE HEIRESS-TO-THE-THRONE –

NO TO LETTING GO.

YOU WERE THERE FOR ME, AND STILL IS

WELCOMED ME WITH YOUR CRACKS AND MILDEW

WITH YOUR COBWEBS AND DUST

WITH YOUR AGING BOARDS AND WALLS

BUT STILL THERE FOR ME.

THE STRONG FEELING OF ONENESS

THE URGE TO SING AND DANCE

OUR PERFECT HARMONY

NO, NOT A FAT CHANCE, BIG GUY

I’M NOT SAYING GOODBYE, WE ARE NOT SAYING GOODBYE

I AM SAYING HI AND HELLO, NOW, TOMORROW AND THE YEARS TO FOLLOW.

THAT I OWE YOU

YOU’LL BE SEEING ME, US, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR DON’T

AU REVOIR. .

Stop me, to tell you what’s inside my heart

Deter me, to let you know what you are to me

Hinder me, to let you be aware how much it’s costing me,

bottling this feeling inside of me

Prevent me, to think of you every minutest of a second

of my waking hours and subconsciousness

Block me, to say sweet-nothings that my mind conjured up

for my voice to replicate

Suppress me, to taste the bittersweet nectar of your lips

Let me, hold back to envelope you in my so-eager arms

Restrain me, to cavort to the fullest during those fleeting moments with you

Yes, please don’t, I beg of you

Just please don’t stop me.

Stillness…silence

Nary a soul stirring,

People still abed

Mum is the neighbor’s rooster

My favorite time of day.

A bat flapped his wings

A cricket whispered

A buzzing lone mosquito

Even the air is at rest.

The only soul awake

I welcome the solitariness, the solitude

At peace, blissfully at peace

My favorite time of day.

At a distance, a dog whining

Aware of the silence

Ears at its height doing its job

No, not a single sound

Not even an unwelcome snore.

Getting up, starting the day right

Waiting for the first glimpse of sunrise

Dawn a-breaking, surrounding a-stirring

Not the end, till my next

Favorite time of Day.

My Soul came

Made life worth living

My Soul came

Made the world a beautiful place to be in

My Soul came

Made the moon and stars shines more brilliantly

My Soul came

Made songs most meaningful and heartwarming

My Soul came, simply.

And, life was not the same

The world is just as empty as the seashells in the shore

Cloudy skies, bereft of moonbeams

Wailing tunes, unchartered beats

Heaviness and unexplained weariness.

My Soul materialized?

My Soul materialized!!!

My Soul did, didn’t He?

My Soul did,

For a while, for the longest while

My Soul did for two 3-minute songs and 2 unsung favorites

My Soul just did,

And that’s just it,

But My Soul did come

…and stayed…into My Heart.

• with my Thoughts (why? where would this lead? what matters most? who could it be so? how to undo what’s been done?)
• with my Memories (faded pics, inanimate objects, old posts, events, places)
• in a One’s wake (who’s that? that’s not possible…unchartered prayers, hi, hello, goodbye? do i know you?)
• on Halloween nights (creepy noises, creaking doors, dogs a-howling, flickering lights and candles, intermittent power supply, horror TV flicks)
• or for that matter… Special Occasions (Christmas eve, birthday eve, birthday itself, New Year’s eve)

But wait, you need to enjoy your own company sometimes

Yeah, yeah

I could laugh without being branded a mental case

I could discard nuisance things, old and new

I could attend wake at my own pace, like after the interment, probably?

I could ignore those unwarranted spine-tingling, hair-raising scenarios, switch channels or just turn the TV off?

I could, of course, I could

If talking to myself and arguing at that is a worse case of dreadfulness?

I could be left alone then…

Thank you, Friends and Enemies,

for the kind words and not-so-kind words

Thank you, Tear Ducts for the tear dam

Thank you Work, for making me the busiest ever

Thank you Kins and Relatives, for the realization

and pats not on the back but on the head

Thank you, 6-Hour Sleep, for coming back, welcome!

Thank you Rah Rah girls and boys, for crying with me,

for upliftment, for believing in me, for egging me on, prodding me

Thank you, Prayers, for being there for me,

for being my constant communicator,

for being my  instrument to talk to Him,

and, Thank You, most especially to You, for inculcating in me

that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel

and yeah, there is not just a light but BLAZING LIGHT!

thanks to You, all of you.