Barely There

On a snow clad mountain far far away
Cool breeze froze everything where
A little white polar bear with a lovely fur
Lived with its mommy there

    Together they would play
    And the mommy would tuck him in her cozy fur for good
    When he drifted asleep at night
    The mother would go out to fetch some food

One day the sun rays woke him up
But he couldn't find his mommy anywhere
Thinking that she might soon be bringing food
Like a good boy he waited there

    When hours passed by and she did not return
    For her search he decided to step out
    "Mommy, mommy, where are you?"
    From depth of his throat he gave a shout

He searched her in the caves, in valley and hills
And even dug some ice
With wandering eyes while looking for her
He was alerted by a strange voice

    It was a sleigh being ridden by a man
    Who suddenly stopped in front of him
    He was carrying a large weapon
    That the bear had never before seen

Hunter moved forward and the bear behind
Slowly he was reaching the ledge
The man threw the weapon on him
But he ducked and missed its edge

    In anger the man rode the sleigh on him
    But he quickly moved side way
    Sending the sleigh and hunter with it
    Down the deep valley and far far away

As that sleigh passed by him
His nose twitched with a familiar smell
His face brightened with joy
As it was his mommy's, he knew so well

    Following the tracks with his sniff
    At last he reached a hut there
    He slammed open the door to find her in
    And gave a tight hug to his mommy bear

"Mommy, where had you been?
I had been looking for you so long
A wicked hunter tried to harm me
But I wasn't afraid and was strong"

    "I went all over the snow mountains
    Calling for you aloud
    And even tricked the wicked hunter
    Like a brave boy don't I make you proud?"

Ecstasy was in his eyes
To have found his mom through thick and thin
But poor him didn't realize
That he was talking just to the skin



--- Watch out this short film on which the poem is based-
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5XIyKlLThs

Dont give up on me

What a lousy beginning of the day
I missed my alarm today
You greet me with a cup of tea
"Why didnt you wake me up?" I say

To make up for the lost time
I hurry everything
In an attempt of a quick breakfast
I spill the milk

Ranting there I go
To get something to clean
And came back to find that
You had done the needful in between

Had an audition for an important role
And had to look great
But there were sore eyes
And seemed I had put on some weight

I rushed out of the house
When you handed me the keys
As always you called me "beautiful"
And I took it as a tease

Audition was a disaster
I forgot all my lines
Got out of the studio grumpy
And missed some street signs

Officer was kind enough
To let me go
Had to think of my ride back home
As for driving he said no

As I waited at the bus stop
It started to pour
It was turning the worst day ever
I swore

While running to the shade
I see you coming to me
Holding an umbrella
You were running to me

You take me back home
And give me a cup of green
And listen to me with a soothing smile
How my day had been

The soreness seem to be fading away
I wonder how
Events of the day remain unchanged
But their effect was lowering somehow

In the middle of the dark night
When I see you fast asleep
My heart melts into feelings
That go down somewhere deep

On a thorny pathway
You are that soft touch
I cant thank you enough
For loving me so much

Thank you for being there always
And for being my punching bag
Thank you for not discarding me
Thank you for letting me nag

On a cold chilly day
Thank you for being that hot tea cup
But most of all and everything
Thank you for not giving up

Aaj Bhijle Me

रिमझिम बरसती धारा 
त्यात हा गार वारा 
मजवर आणती शहारा 
आज भिजले मी ... 

पानांवरती थेंब ओथंबलेले 
पक्षी सारे चिंब भिजलेले 
तरी या मोसमात रमलेले 
आज भिजले मी ... 

आभाळ आलेय भरुनी 
दिसे सूर्य कुठे न गगनी 
सर्वत्र हिरवळ पसरुनि 
आज भिजले मी ... 

मन माझे उडे सरा सरा 
जसा पाऊस पडे झरा झरा 
बंद डोळे नी बाहू पसारून 
आज भिजले मी ... 

हिरवळ - ती स्मृती लहानपणीची 
वारा - ओढिती चादर आठवणींची 
त्या आठवणींच्या पावसात 
आज भिजले मी ... 
आज भिजले मी ... 

Found this in my old stuff today. Well the diary is of 2003, so I must have written it some 14 years ago. Putting the same on blog so it remains for long enough like the memories...

Ungrateful Payback

She went on as far as it seemed miles
Falling down and getting up in the aisles

Journey to her home today seemed so much long
It was some food that she wanted to carry along

But hurt she was and was in much of pain
Yet each time she fell down she got up again

Her kids were waiting for her at home
She wished to see them once before she left them alone

Little birdie was she who was cruelly shot
The pain outgrew so much that she forgot

All she wanted now was to be alive
For just a little while till she reached her chive

A little strength was what she prayed for
To reach her nest that seemed so far

With drooping eyes she was finally there
The chicks were melodiously chirping where

Seeing their mom they started jumping with joy
Hungry they were and food was here, oh boy!

As she fed those tiny grains in their beaks
Tears rolled out of her eyes on her cheeks

Careful she was to not soil their cozy bed
Her blood should not mess up the nest she so lovingly made

Time was running and she only had a few breaths left
She spoke to her little ones in soft words lest

    "My babies, today when I was hopping from tree to tree
    In search of your favorite food like a soul that was free
 
    Suddenly I felt a gush of pain
    Didn't know the arrow struck me when

    Humans can be so ungrateful sometimes
    This is how they paid back for my morning chimes

    But I didn't want you to feel I abandoned you
    And I made it all the way here so you knew

    This is the last I feed you my dear ones
    From here on you are on your own and only ones

    How I wished I could have seen you fly
    But here I am now saying you good bye

    Be the birds whose songs greet the morning dew
    Always remember you had a mother that loved you"

Down she fell from up above high
Left her soul with a last sigh

With an open beak and wings that were spread
Stretched on her back there she lied dead

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of my core childhood memories is that of my Mom explaining me

a Marathi poem by "Baalkavi" titled "Kevdhe He Krourya"

I would ask her to do that over and over again 

And every time she explained, I would cry

With "Ungrateful Payback", I have just tried to translate those feelings in English

Here is the original Marathi one- 

http://www.marathi-unlimited.in/2011/11/kewadhe-he-kraurya/ 

Monsoon

Someone waits for you dearly
So precious are those cold drops
They touch and revive hearts
While life you give to the crops

I know you since I was little
You created a world for me to play
I would splash in the puddle, sail a paper boat
And dig my hands in the clay

When your droplets caress my face
I just like to close my eyes
Through the cold you warm my heart
Where my deepest feeling lies

You bring with you romance in the air
Every year for you I wait
Your arrival brings in butterflies to me
As if on a first date

I dont know whats between you and me
But you are one special indeed
You have known me for all these years
With my inner feelings you never impede

Sometimes when the cold drops touch my face
I just close my eyes
And let my tears roll with your
Without having me to disguise

Thanks for covering me up
Through thin, thick, stars and moon
Thanks for letting me be myself
Oh dear Monsoon!

Aai

आठवते मला तुझे ते वरण भातात तूप कालवणे 
कुठेही न मिळणारी प्रेमाची ती चव छोट्याशा मला भरवणे 
आपल्या इवल्याशा विश्वात आपण किती मज्जा करायचे 
मला परत त्या लहानपणाच्या काळात जायचे

गहिवरून आणण्याऱ्या तू सांगितलेल्या कविता त्या बालकवींच्या 
छोट्या छोट्या गोष्टींतून पाठ शिकवलास आयुष्याचा 
त्या सगळ्या आठवणी मला हृदयात साठवून ठेवायचेय
माझ्या मुलांनाही त्या सर्व गोष्टी मग सांगायचेय 

नकळत केव्हां मी लहानाचे झाले मोठे 
तुझ्यासाठी कदाचित मी अजूनही होते छोटे 
लहानपणा एवढीच काळजी अजूनही तू घ्यायचे 
मला परत जाऊन थोडी का होईना तुला मदत करायचेय 

स्वतःच्या पायावर जेव्हा उभे मी झाले 
दाटलेल्या कंठाने दूर मला तू सोडायला आले 
आशीर्वाद देतांना चेहऱ्यावर मात्र नेहमी स्मित असायचे 
तुला घट्ट मिठी मारून मला पुन्हा एकदा रडायचेय 

आई काय असते हे खरे मला कळले जेव्हा झाले स्वतः मी आई 
तशाच भावना, तसेच वात्सल्य, आईसारखे खरंच दुसरे कुणी नाही 
देतच राहिली आयुष्यभर मला, आता मलाही तुला काही द्यायचेय 
आई मलाही तुझ्यासारखीच आई व्हायचेय 

Happy Mother's Day

My first poem was on my Aai
Written at the age of 13

Unsung Song

She had lovely sparkling eyes
And the most beautiful smile
Her soothing touch would make anyone
Forget their pain for a while

Every evening for her I would wait
When in deep sleep the world would drift
I kept silently watching her
For she was a nurse at the night shift

Her kind words were medicine
For her patients that she cared for
Before the dawn she would leave
Back to her home so far

I would follow her every night
Like a shadow in the dark
I fell in love with her
Within me she had ignited a spark

I walked behind her
Her just being would spread an essence
Sometimes she would slow down
As if she sensed my presence

My friend saw me everyday
How I was spending my night over night
He couldn't understand what was going on
And knew something was not quite right

He broke his silence at last
Some answer to his questions was his demand
"My friend I'm amazed at what I'm seeing
And you have to help me understand"

"You are spending your eternity
On a seemingly crazy drive
She is a woman of heart, mind and soul
While you are not even alive!"

"She is someone who can never be yours
Yet the love for her you still persist
How can your feelings be so strong
When you don't even exist?"

I smiled at my fellow ghost friend
For some answers were even out of bounds of time
All I know is that this woman
Makes me feel like living another lifetime

There never was anything in this afterlife
No joy, ecstasy, not even pain or sorrow
But now I long for those few hours at night
Just to see her I wait everyday for a tomorrow

I know to me she could never belong
My love will just remain an unsung song
I would never be able to touch her
Her mere acknowledgement is a dream so long

But all that really doesn't matter
Its okay if she cannot be mine
Her just being there
Makes my eternal afterlife so fine

Love is not voluntary
It cannot be ignited nor can it be ceased
Its only by feeling it
Will leave me at peace

A Moment For Goodbye

On way back from school
I always stopped by the stream
To admire the setting sun that left its colors behind
For me to paint my dreams

I would take out my coloring book
To paint a new dream every day
Though I lived up the hill and had no friends
The thoughts of loneliness were always at bay

The stream would talk to me
And sun play hide and seek
My colors were my feelings
And books my pals through thin and thick

A day came that was special
At the stream like always as I stopped by
A nomad girl came from somewhere
With a friendly smile waved me a "Hi"

She admired my colored dreams
For once I had someone to share them with in words
Amidst the sound of flowing stream
And that of the chirping birds

We would color the drawings in half
A part of hers and a part of mine
It was so good to see different colors for the same dream
Though different were the expressions, there was no line

Her caravan had camped at some distance
And she would come to the stream everyday
We would always color our half of the dream
Come what may

One day when I went to the stream
I took out the coloring book and waited for her
She didn't turn up for a long time
So I started coloring without her

It was the first time that I took back home
A half colored dream
Next day I waited again
With a half colored drawing at the stream

There were several half colored drawings in my book now
And I started losing the hope
I always knew that the nomads would move on some day
Yet I was finding it difficult to cope

For the first time I felt lonely
And told myself it was okay to cry
In the end life is all about letting go
But what hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye


                                  Due credits to Yann Martel for this phrase from "Life of Pi"
                                 “I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, 
                                  but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.”

Mala Neshil Ka

निळ्याभोर  गगनात  दिसणारे  पांढुरके  ते  ढग 
डोळे  भरून  पाहता  डोळे  दिपतील  ते  बघ 
स्वच्छंद  वारा  वाही  अशा  त्या  ठिकाणी 
सांग  मला  तू  नेशील  का ?

वाऱ्याने  झुळझुळणारे  हिरवे  पिवळे  ते  शेत 
मित्रांसोबत  अबोध  ढोरंही  जेथे  देती  भेट 
तुझ्या  बालपणाच्या  त्या  खास  ठिकाणी 
सांग  मला  तू  नेशील  का ?

थकलेल्या  गाड्यांसंगे  वाटेत  घ्यावा  थोडा  विसावा 
डाळीत  बाट्यांच्या  न्याहारीत  साधेपणाचा  गोडवा  असावा 
निसर्गाच्या  सानिध्यात  त्या  प्रेमळ  ठिकाणी 
सांग  मला  तू  नेशील  का ?

काळ्या  कुट्ट  काळोखात  घरी परतीच्या  वेळी 
काजव्यांचे  दिवे  दाखविती  वाट  जणू  दिवाळी 
परिकथेतील  वाटावे   अशा  त्या  ठिकाणी 
सांग  मला  तू  नेशील  का ?

राबलेल्या  शरीराचे  शीण  थोडे  काढावे 
बैलाच्या  जोडी  शेजारी  जरा  निजावे 
रम्य  आठवणी  असलेल्या  तुझ्या  त्या  गावी 
सांग  मला  तू  नेशील  का ?

Little Steps

I remember the day
When those little hands held me for the first time
And the funny sounds you made
While singing your first rhyme

I remember your first day to school
More than you I struggled to keep my cool

How I would dress you up in your favorite clothes
And put those colorful beads to your curly hair
You were my shining little angel
With twinkling eyes and chubby cheeks that were fair

How I would put you to sleep with a lullaby
And stories of fairies and stars in the sky
Never realized how time flew by
The baby steps then, now started running by

When I was trying to keep up with the world
You learnt to eat on your own
And doing your own hair which were now grown

Books replaced the bedtime stories I told
My time was divided into multiple folds

Your once tiny fingers are now long enough to write to me
Being in the same house you ask "Mom, when will you come to me"

I wish I could live that one day again
To put you to sleep on my lap and caress your mane

I wish to feed those little bites of your favorite food
And make you ready like a princess to lift up your mood

I wish to steal time to do all that again
Coz' once grown up you will never be little again

City Palace

Old but steady I stand here
With pride on my royal being
The royal time is long gone
Now there are tourists here sight-seeing

I carry with me stories of grandeur,
Of loyalty and of betrayal
Some written, some painted, some carved
And some lost without any portrayal

I have seen the splendour of His highness
At the time when he was crowned
And also witnessed the grand celebrations
Where the dancers swayed in rounds

My walls once sparkled like glitters
When the lake reflected sunlight
When royal horses marched around me
My chest swelled with pride

There also was a soft corner
Where women would sing and dance
Their elegance took my breath away
When I would steal a glance

Gone is the opulence and the glory
Stories are what now remain
I wish for someone to bring back
That golden era again

The lake is still the same
But sunlight doesn't reflect anymore
With hundreds of people around
Strolling and walking on the shore

Those curious come to see me for my valour
In their eyes I find my solace
There I stand dignified and magnificent
I am the glorious City Palace

--Written for the City Palace in Udaipur, India