A Select Few by Varsha Halabe (read my book .TXT) 📕

When the skies are gray with burdens of their own
And my heart heavy from being alone,
Several images float in mind
Several millions; each of a kind
That’s when the skies and my mind converge
Raindrops and tears on an upsurge.
Sheets of paper then fill with vehement words,
In poetry and essay form, and limericks absurd.
As sheets of rain pelt from the sky,
Emotions within me come alive and die
But that’s only when I’m abundant with negative thought,
Despite the rain, plants start to rot.
On other days, the skies are bright and blue
Then, my diary has not a negative clue
Then, my heart knows not writer’s block
Pages and pages race the clock
Every feeling, every emotion, every mood,
Whether in company or in solitude,
I try to capture in black and white
Be it wrong, be it right.
Sometimes, words flow freely
Sometimes, not as merrily
Putting pen to paper, however,
Is more than a lifesaver.
It gives me immense satisfaction
It is heuristic and there’s fun in experimentation.
Writing has been my close companion,
The journey has been sinuous, full of parting and union.
Through sorrow and joy, writing has been by my side
It has been my teacher, my philosopher and my interminable guide.

Mouth to ear and ear to mouth
The whispers
some audible, others not.
But the ringing continues,
even as ripples from a stone’s throw
fade away with Time.
Now, then, the ringing starts afresh
in pitches high and low
The pond slate-like,
clearer than a mirror.
Muscles twitch and bodies stiffen
only to hear the ringing
far and near, loud and clear
Yet again, and even now
ears strain to catch the cacophony
Mouths ache from sore harmony.
The pond now shudders from within
To create its own
ripples that grow and spread
to the end of Time
Till the end of Time

You are going
But within me the moments we shared
Will keep echoing
The day we became friends
And the steps of friendship
Did ascend!

Gradually time has passed by
Now the departing hour is nigh!
Though you shall be far away
I shall remember you everyday
Your fond memories will linger on
Even after you are gone

So with a smile on your lips
And a tear in my eye
To you, my friend, I bid good-bye!

My love for life
Helps me strive
To lead a good life
To help me survive
Through all calamity
That may befall
And answer life’s clarion call

Sometimes I fear breakdown
Then it is all dismay and frown
But every cloud has
A silver lining
And I see Lady Luck shining
And then I want to live again
To strive, to resist, and to reign!

I don’t remember writing anything like this before
A catastrophe so dumbfounding; in terrorizing score
My baby is sitting in front of me, smiling
Her eyes full of hope, ignorant of the disaster, the trauma appalling
Where do we go from here I wonder
As all the mirages of security and freedom run asunder
Hundreds of innocents buried in the rubble
Hundreds of “whys?” make the country’s blood bubble
It is more than New York’s skyline never being the same
Or the Pentagon not justifying its name
It’s agonizing, it’s traumatizing, this current state of affairs
“How could they? Who are they?” are the questions many minds bear
With spirits held high we have to hunt them down
These ‘acts of war’ have to be acted upon; keeping in mind the factors that surround
It was flabbergasting to see those airplanes crash in to the World Trade Center
How heinous an act – how inhuman – why has time brought us to this unfortunate juncture?
I salute those brave fire fighters and all those involved in the fathomless rescue effort
I cry for all those loved ones who lie nameless under the dirt
It is all about power, all about money, all about shattering the world’s integrity
Those responsible have indeed acted cowardly
But united we stand and we shall not bend
Our spirit will not falter and we shall conquer in the end.

There have always been more hours of contemplation than action
There has always been more turbulence than prudence
There have always been more dreams than reality
There have always been more sentiments than practicality
Here I stand with one-third my life gone
Caressing still my imprudence with proud care
When O when shall I upon myself dawn?
But the time will come I am sure
When people will stand and stare!

Loving is letting go
Loving is not letting know
Loving is living
And then slowly dying

Loving is knowing no bounds
Loving is living profound
Loving is fools’ galore
Loving is ridding pallor

Loving is defying destiny
Loving is seriously funny
Loving is giving
Loving is sharing

Loving is streaking a rainy day
With a ray of sunshine

Loving is not expecting
Loving is overlooking
Loving is a play of kinds
Loving is all in the mind

Loving is going all the way
Loving is not looking back
Loving is not thinking
Of things that are a lack

Loving is spontaneity
Loving is boundless gaiety
Loving is a gurgling brook
That ripples and cascades over heart’s every nook

Loving knows no discipline
Loving knows not one of its kin
Loving is loving and nothing less or more
Loving is living to the core

Text: Varsha Halabe
Images: Varsha Halabe
Editing: Varsha Halabe
Publication Date: 05-22-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
Dedicated to my special and very good friend Sucheta Karandikar who gives me invaluable advice (sometimes!), and inspires me in her own unassuming way!