Anxiety

 Day-21 NaPoWriMo-2023

                                                                    pic credit: sunita

Sharp,

Tongue,

Causes pain.

Silently,

Burn the

Bridges.

Ignore,

The toxic,

Forces.

"Susegad"

Mind,

In focus!

* Susegad =relaxed

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023

A Drop of Water

 Day-20 NaPoWriMo-2023

                                                                          image: internet

In the parched lands of the leeways

Broken-hearted humanity

With camouflaged hunger

Longs for the almighty’s grace.

With scorching orbs

 Measures the copious earth.

Lamenting their fate

Cavernous bellies growl.

A dried-up mother

Looks at the thirsty faces

With a cracked-up body

Masking her craving woes.

With embossed thirst

In want of rainfall

To feed a million mouths

Awaits the broken humanity.

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023

The Haunted Well

 Day-19 NaPoWriMo-2023

Prompt: Spooky poem.

                                                                      pic credit: sunita

An archaic image

Covered with moss

Stares starkly

At the village crossroads

Sharp-edged corners

Chipped by time

Green slimy water

In its bowels

Tells a history

Of ancient lore.

Once upon a time

The water was edible

But now,

Creatures, crawlies

Have made it their home,

Spider webs 

Entwined through the wines

Tree stumps like ghostly figures

Enlarged and wounded around the pillars

An eerie wind blows from the depth

There are some serpentine crawlies 

Entangled in the watery maze

Imagine going near it

When elders admonished

For even peeping in.

Adventurous kids

Always were in awe

Of this mysterious

Age-old big hole.

There is a deep fear

Hidden in its womb

The folks in the village

Whisper in the air

How an old woman 

Who had dementia

Made it her deathbed

When it gets pitch dark

Her ghost weeps

When the clock strikes midnight twelve.

Villagers have also encountered

A huge cobra, coiled

At the pulley

Guarding maybe

Some ancient god!

Nobody dares to go 

Near the haunted well.

But, I see it everyday,

From my bedroom window!

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023

How Green is my Valley?

 Day-18 NaPoWriMo-2023

Prompt: write an abecedarian poem. A to Z poem.

                                                                      pic credit: sunita

Another day

Blows through the green canopy

Catching whatever remains on its wings

Dancing birds, buzzing bees sucking honey, butterflies

Eagerly mating in between

Forecasting a tragedy.

Global warming is a reality

How long one can live?

In a world infested with greed

Just imagine, animals losing shelters

Kingmakers, the land mafia encroaching,

Lustily grabbing, eating away ecology

Making money, giving birth to more poverty

Nothing matters, as long as they make their moolah.

Owners of destruction and monopoly

Plunders, capitalists, sucking blood

Quietly, the lawmakers get their share

Regaling in power, they turn deaf and the

Screaming hungry mouths cannot defend themselves.

To fight is to lose and to lose is to die.

Under any circumstance, a downtrodden cannot

Voice any displeasure of being ruled

With a blind eye.

Xenophobia has taken over

Yielding hatred, fighting wars, while,

Zillions of peace lovers are mute spectators.

Participating in :  NaPoWriMo-2023

Laddu

 Day 17- Napowrimo 2023

Today, my little boy turns 10.

                                                              Laddu- my little imp!

The birthday boy

Has weird tastes. 

His tongue cannot tolerate 

Anything made of chocolate.

His favorite is sour and white 

He cannot sleep 

Without the taste of yogurt. 

But, he is a born sage

He prefers the greens

Give him a bunch 

Of basil leaves 

He happily munches on

Till his tummy is content!

Participating in: Napowrimo 2023

She Plays many Roles

 Day-16     NaNoWriMo 2023

                                                                 pic credit sneha

She is not a hustler

She is a juggler

Following age-old patterns

She accepts her destiny

Like a soldier at the front line.

She cannot wear whatever she wants

She cannot go wherever she wants

She cannot say whatever she wants

She cannot eat whatever she wants

She knows leftovers are not good for the health

But, She doesn't listen to the reasons

Wastage is not in her vocabulary

And the food ends up in her tummy.

Sleeping early is healthy

But, she won't listen

She finishes all her chores,

Puts the kids to sleep,

And then, the conjugal rights

Take over, though she is tired

She cannot say no.

The mornings are a busy time

Catering to everyone's needs

The clock runs on a speed dial

She has no time for a breather

Dashing from room to room

She becomes invisible, while 

Making others happy

In these merry-go-around hours

She has forgotten 

How to smell the flowers!.

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023

In Full Circle

 Day-15 NaPoWriMo-2023

                                                                          pic credit: friend

The trees were,

Too tall for her

Yet, nothing could stop

The itchy feet to hop.

Summers were her playground

She was nowhere to be found

Sometimes, she was lost in bushes

Munching wild berries

Sometimes, in the village river

Splashing with her impish buddies

She chased time in her innocent ways

A carefree, bohemian she was!

Then,

Time took a leap

Her steps stalled

A free spirit got tied

In a maze of normed life.

Now,

She wants to break free,

Find herself again,

In the milieu of selfish hearts

She is searching for ways to be reborn.

Participating: NaPoWriMo-2023

I could stop if needed

 Day-14 NaPoWriMo-2023

Prompt: A Parody. 

My take: Emily Dickenson's "Because I Could not stop for Death"

                                                               pic credit: sneha

If only, I could ignore him-

He would not stop following-

The carriage had no place for both-

He can chase till eternity-

Silently- we chased each other

Without much effort

I pretended to be nice,

He managed a sweaty smile.

We passed a very dark building

The occupants- slept on the benches

Trotting the drought-ridden fields-

We passed the menacing sun-

Rather- we followed each other-

The heat was hot and humid

Couldn't bear the stinking air-

My dress wrinkled up-

We paused infront of a scary place

With banners and signposts-

The roof had no shape-

Half of it kissed the ground-

We will play -cat and mouse

Till death do us apart

The carriage and horses are still mine

Chasing is his destiny-

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023

Heat On

 Day-13 NaPoWriMo-2023

                                                                            pic credit: sunita

A blazing day-

Only roses bloom

While the sun

Is on full mode.

Sultry, sweaty

A stinky situation.

Desiring,

Tempting,

Sensuously dripping

A cold shower

Alas! A few droplets

A soapy face!

An empty water tank

Powercut to boot!

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023

Me Time

 Day-12 NaPoWriMo-2023

                                                                           pic credit: sunita

Similes and metaphors

Rhyme and rhythm

Do not  belong 

In the legacy of daily struggles.

The existence goes through

A Damocles sword.

The raw tenderness,

The trapped emotions

The shattered dreams

The aching wounds 

The everyday drudgery

Pushes the boundaries.

It is then, words buried deep,

Surface, when the flowers bloom,

When the evenings glow 

Like a vulnerable bride,

When the sweet melody of a Koel

Heals an endless solitude.

Words are an escape route

A catharsis to cleanse the soul

An unspoken bond,

A friendship for life...

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023

Heartburn

 Day-11 NaPoWriMo-2023

                                                                    pic credit: sunita

earthy petrichor

charging from the southwest shores

end of hot summers

Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2O23