The Poetry Marathon

HOPE

Hope emerges
Like a ray of light,
Like a guiding star,
At the end of a tunnel of despair.

Hope, whispers softly
To rise
To see beyond our tears
To see beyond our failure.

Hope gives us,
An anchor
A stability to rise
A will to fight.

Hope fuels us
With courage
To fight our demons
To rejoice and shine again.

BY
SHREYA SURAJ

A world not like this

In a world not like this, a wondrous dream,
A place where rainbows in the sky gleam,
The sun’s gentle warmth, a constant embrace,
Where raindrops fall, but not a single trace.

Trees adorned with fruits, branches bending low,
Shrubs with blossoms in a vibrant show,
Birds and bees dance in joyful harmony,
Streams flow gracefully, a soothing symphony.

Lion and deer, as friends, roam with grace,
Deer planting trees, in this harmonious space,
Monkeys share their fruits with mirth,
In this tranquil realm, a rare, serene birth.

Calmness fills the air, a peaceful scene,
No battles fought, no anger in between,
Love blossoms everywhere, hearts entwine,
Peaceful winds whisper, a world so divine.

By

Shreya Suraj

SOMETHING SMELLS NICE

Something smells nice
Ah it seems to be coming from the rectangular box
Hey what is this?
Something circular is inside a rectangular box
The smell is just mouth-watering,
Tomatoes, cheese, capsicums, olives seem to be beckoning me
I cannot control myself anymore.
I stretch my hand,
This is a mystery!
What’s this?
A triangular piece is in my hand?
It smells so heavenly,
My mouth automatically drools in the smell of cheese and oregano
I take a bite
My eyes automatically close relishing the flavour of the hot melting cheese
I cannot control myself from extending my hand for the second
Third
Fourth
Oops, I lost count till
My kids yelled,
“Mummy, where is the pizza?”
That’s when I realised
I had devoured the whole box
My stomach feels happy
Soul satisfied
I never bothered to share
A box of yummy pizza.

BY
SHREYA SURAJ

A SPOON A DAY
The colours of the rainbow
Can be found in our food,
How can anything in life
Ever taste so good?

So many cuisines in the world
The delicacy of each can never be verbally told
Food is made special by the cook,
This can never be taught in a book.

Food is sometimes spicy
And sometimes sweet
Some like it to be cooked with vegetables
And some like to be cooked with chicken and meat

The farmers toil day and night in the field
To provide us with crops which protect us like a shield
Never waste food, given to us by the Lord,
It is like cutting our own heads with a sword

BY SHREYA SURAJ

SELF LOVE
I am a woman
I am a mother, a sister, a daughter
I love myself, my family, and my friends.
I am passionate about many things
That is what makes me who I am today

I love the way I look in my new dress,
I love the simplicity on my face
I love the way I look in a photograph
Especially when my eyes are closed, and my smile is real.

I deserve unconditional love
I deserve the yummiest of food
I deserve my gold and diamonds
And Universe wants only my good

I am not perfect
I am not always right
But that does not mean
That others can hurt me with their nasty words and unnecessarily fight

Love your neighbour, love your spouse
Love your kids and even love your pet mouse
Most importantly, love yourself
Your health is your wealth
Your smile is worth millions
You are priceless.

POEM BY SHREYA SURAJ,

DO I NEED YOU?

I wrote your value on my hand,
But the soap washed it away.
I wrote your value on paper.
But the wind blew it away.
I protected you in my bank,
But my busy schedule kept you away.
I toiled day and night,
Just to save you for the future.
You are just a piece of paper,
Yet you are invaluable.
Who are you?
Why do people forget their morals and ethics for you?
Why can’t we live without you?
What is so special about you?
Why are you so famous?
Why do people call you with so many names?
Nobody can answer these questions.
You are nothing to nature,
Yet you are everything to us, human beings
You are the crux of our life,
Your name is MONEY!

POEM BY
SHREYA SURAJ

LET’S APPRECIATE BEAUTIFUL YET DIFFERENT CREATIONS OF GOD

In the hallways of your school,
You may see a child who seems different
She may be the girl who always sits alone
Or the boy who never talks to anyone
Or a child who just cannot stop laughing or crying

They look different from you-
They are a little bit different than you
They are just referred as Children with special needs

They are the ones who are never allowed to play
They are the ones who are never chosen first
They are the ones who are often stopped by a stranger in the street and asked
“What’s wrong with you?”
They are the ones who get told they are not normal and should stop disturbing others

They have parents who love them, but are constantly worried
About how their kids will survive after they grow old
These kids must deal with bullies at school
These kids must bear nasty words of some of their relatives

They go through so much of pain, but they still expect the best from all of us
They are quick to smile and slow to judge
They have no malice or politics to play against each other
You, special children are beautiful beings to teach us something new
Even if the world laughs at you and blind to your talents
You are often misunderstood, underestimated, and ridiculed
One day the world will realise, what they lost when they pushed you aside

BY

SHREYA SURAJ,

EDUCATION

Transfer of knowledge happens even in birds and bees
Mother bird teaches the child how to fly from the trees
The lion teaches the cub how to hunt
Even pigs teach their piglets how to grunt

Knowledge sharing is known as education
This happens from the previous generation to next generation
Education is needed to survive
Then only even the bee can build a hive

Man has made education happen only through schools
Acquiring only booking knowledge can make us look like a fool
Nature is our biggest teacher
That only guides our soul and every other creature

BY SHREYA SURAJ

FREEDOM
A few months ago, the thought never came,
That a new virus would come, and life would never be the same!
A few months ago, the thought never came,
That even going out of the house would never be the same.
A few months ago, the thought never came,
That travelling to another country would now never be the same.
A few months ago, the thought never came,
That there was no value for money, education or fame.
A few months back, nature was taken for granted,
But nature shackled our legs with fear and now only freedom is wanted.

BY SHREYA SURAJ

WOMAN
A woman is an angel on earth
Shamefully only a very few know her worth
Every woman is a combination of beauty and brains
She can bravely walk through any pain

Every woman is unique in her skills
And she can master any work if she wills
A woman can perfectly balance both office and home
At times she is even more knowledgeable than Google Chrome

A woman can even take up arms
If someone ever tries to harm
She is always trying to protect
Her kith and kin from every problem or insect.

A woman is more valuable than silver and gold,
She is priceless even if she is a century old
A woman is more colourful than a rainbow,
She can light up any house with her glow

BY
SHREYA SURAJ