I AM EARTH

I Am Earth!

'I am earth', I do believe this, without any doubt,

From her very bosom, I spring forth and sprout.

I thrive on air, water and nutrients just like her,

I too need love, care, as well as to be looked after.

I am ever dependent on her for my own survival,

Just as  she relies on me for her constant revival.

To be useful, I am capable of going to any length,

'Sharing and Caring' is our core, common strength.

Yet, I need to acquire her 'art of giving so selflessly',

And learn lessons of 'suffering in silence' endlessly.

Time for me to 'respect and restore'  our mother earth',

And thank her for having nurtured me, right from birth.

Let 'bygones be bygones' and let us all 'arise and awake'',

To help revive the earth for our future generations' sake.

Let us all wow to take steps to save our dear mother earth,
So that, of her useful resources, there never is any dearth.

A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT SOUL

As millions of people,the world over,are busy paying their tribute to you,
I see you in a totally different light and present a different point of view.

People are saying ,over and over again, that 'may your soul rest in peace',
I would say that your mind and soul were always 'at peace' and 'at ease'.

And it's this state of mind that helped you achieve so much in your lifetime,
Even though for fame,money and position, you never really cared a dime.

You had a fiery  passion for life with which you wanted to ignite young minds,
You just believed in giving nothing but your very best to situations of all kinds.

Your love for youth and seeing a bright future in them,you never ever disguised,
Hence you did not leave a single opportunity to be with them and be their guide.

Your desire to realize your dreams never let you sleep,your dreams were selfless,
And inspired millions not only to dream but fulfill dreams through efforts endless.

As for your pristine love for your motherland ,it was so exemplary and evident,
To millions you have taught the true spirit of following religion by being prudent.

Above all you were a human being par excellence and so very down to earth,
Even though of talent, true spirit and a techno savvy mind you had no dearth.

All those who wish to offer you an ode today should realize that the only way,
It can be done is to imbibe the values you believed and practiced night and day.

The deep underlying message conveyed through these words, dedicated to a noble soul,
Is not to write about him for effect only today but to make his dreams for India, your goal!

The beautiful lessons of life

Life brings forth so many beautiful lessons our way,

Which,if we recognize,help us grow more each day.

They do keep us grounded,never letting us go astray,

Restoring and reinstating our faith,urging us to pray!

As we undergo suffering and pain,we bitterly complain,

Failing to recognize what the pain would help us gain.

We do not remember that sunshine is followed by rain,

And good and bad times repeat over and over again.

We learn more valuable lessons from failure than from success,

And also when we do not have enough,than having in excess.

Great learning often comes from that of struggle and distress,

We only need to face the challenges squarely and overcome stress.

Maybe these facts would  just sound like a cliche to a few,

Or some others would simply have a totally different view,

But friends,I say this from experience that it is so very true,

The lessons we learn in life, help us sail smoothly through. 

So next time you face a problem,put on your best smile,

And think about finding a solution by going an extra mile.

Do not get boggled by the hardships that just tend to pile,

Instead look for the beautiful lessons you learn all the while!

we all go through suffering!

Strange things and incidents can  happen only in  others people's lives, is often our belief and perception, 
But this is so far away from the truth, as we are very much a part of the sea of humanity and no exception.
We often have the illusion or belief that everything is so perfect in the lives of all others around us,
'The grass is always green on the other side', we so often feel and it does invariably appear to be thus.
But the fact of the matter is, that we all go through our own share of moments of sufferings and sorrows,
When all seems so terribly black and bleak, and we are left with very little hope for all our tomorrows.

When others are struck with a tragedy or calamity, we either love talking big and sounding really very wise,
Or we  become so insensitive that we indulge in gory gossip and add fuel to the rumours and blatant lies.
We also shower pity on those who have been victimized and do a bit of charity and feel good about ourselves,
But so very ironically and conveniently, we soon forget everything and get engrossed in our routines and lives.
That the lives of a few men and their families would never ever be the same thereafter, does not touch our heart,
It does not really make any difference to us or make us more God fearing and  humane, is indeed the saddest part.

Let us not forget that there is no soul born who does not have to go through some kind of suffering and pain,
Also defeat is followed by victory, sorrow is followed by happiness, night is followed by day and sunshine by rain.
We are all together in this eternal cycle of the highs and lows of life, life comes full circle again and again,
We all need to go through the trials and tribulations of life and understand that 'without pain there is no gain!'
Let us not always feel we are the ones who would be spared and it is others who shall face the stress and strain,
Let us accept all of life's challenges, as and when they  come and also be more empathetic and a bit  more humane,





 

SIMPLICITY

Simplicity is a virtue that is so rare to find in this era and time,
It is almost as if being a simpleton today is actually a big crime.

Complexity and chaos has become the order of the day today,

It is sad indeed that we rarely enjoy a relaxed, stress free day.

The style quotient today is boasting of a  busy and hectic pace,

Everybody seems to be part of a huge marathon or a mad race.

Affluence today means more and more possessions and wealth,

Everyone seems to lack ‘peace of mind’ and a very good health.

Cosy houses have given way to cramped flats with no fresh air,

Simple traditional clothes have been replaced by western wear.

Healthy and wholesome food has given way to fast and junk food,

Polite language has been replaced by one that is rude and crude.

As I recall my childhood in a small town where I lived years back,

I realize life was simple yet beautiful, which today we sadly lack.

The play time adventures, so many festivities and celebrations,

The sharing and caring, many a secret longings and infatuations.

Not having a TV was such a boon, it gave us time to be outdoors,

Weaving and listening to interesting tales by the dozens and scores.

Not having computers and mobiles actually helped us come closer,

Nagging and nudging friends ,forever ragging and bullying each other.

We have paid a price, over the years, converting our towns into cities,

We have made the simplicities of life turn gradually into complexities .

How I wish life could be simple and sweet today like in the era gone by,

When we would nurture all relations and had simple moments to enjoy!

Poetic Confession for 4th Graders

I was invited to address the Grade 4 kids in my school, about creative writing and  I sadly forgot about it ,as I was busy with Examination.I penned down this poem for them as a compensation! Needless to say, we loved interacting with each other during the 45 minute session,sharing two of my poems for creative writing here...

Creative Writing

       

                                                                                              

Dear students, thank you for your kind invitation,

And sorry for having missed your creative session,

                                         Due to few other commitments and time limitation,

So here I am to make this very poetic confession!

It’s nice to know that you all worked hard as a team,

To put up the book exhibition which was your dream.

At such a young age you have been able to achieve,

This great milestone, that makes you proudly beam.

Now you need to continue with your love for writing,

Whether it is prose, poetry or any thing interesting.

I am sure you found the whole experience inspiring,

And full of opportunities for several kinds of learning.

Be sure to keep enhancing your vocabulary regularly,

And for that you have to keep reading very religiously.

Writing is a creative art, it has to be developed slowly,

So keep on working upon your language continuously.

This first attempt in creating a book of your very own,

Can be nurtured to make you an author widely known.

Please maintain the enthusiasm that you have shown,

And create in the world of writing, your own special zone.

                                                                                 

   

Thank you all, for giving me this wonderful opportunity,

To come and speak to PYP-4 about  “writing & creativity”.

Creativity of translating thoughts into poems and rhymes,

Sharing experiences  with others, of the good and bad times,

Creative writing is indeed a special and wonderful tool,

That can be very well developed and enhanced in school,

So start using this interesting and beautiful technique,

And create poems that are simply "aesthetic and unique”.

With  Love,

Shubha Ma'am

Beware...insecurities can drive you crazy!

Insecurities can drive you completely crazy, please beware of this malady,

Try and get rid of some, if not all of them and add to your life some melody.

Insecurities mar your progress and personality, and that is a huge tragedy,

 Learn to overcome your insecurities, and turn your life into a real rhapsody.

Insecurities make you behave in ways that are strange even to your own self,

Gradually creeping and crawling into your psyche and destroying your true self.

Insecurities make you indulge in ways that are, often way beyond your real self,

Eventually shaping and sizing your persona, ensnaring you from your inner self.

The lengths to which a person can go due to an insecure self is very frightening,

Damaging and destroying the faith and hope of many a youthful souls aspiring,

The evil ways a person adopts in insecurity, end up in self and all else ruining,

Conquering and converting the conscience into one that is cunning and conniving,

Insecurities make us go crazy and instigate us to do insane things many a time,

Making us lesser and lesser empathetic, till we care neither a dozen nor a dime.

Insecurities also push us unconsciously on the course of conspiracy and crime,

Making us more and more unreasonable with others for no real reason or rhyme.

Let’s stop comparing and contrasting ourselves and our lives with that of others,

As that is the root cause of developing insecurity, hence our confidence withers.

Let’s start competing and challenging our own selves for all the rough weathers,

As that would stop us from being unfair to our own selves and to all the others.