Unconditional Love

Happy birthday, my mother and friend,
 Since I was a child, you would always defend.
 Your love has always, been unconditional,
 Even when, my moods were transitional.
 I cannot forget, all the things you have done,
 Through actions and words, my esteem you have won.
 You taught me to live, with courage and passion,
 With the less fortunate, I learned your compassion.
 Today is your birthday, I hope you dance,
 This celebration, I’m sure you’ll enhance.
 From the depths of my heart, I just want to say,
 You are my mother, and my love I display.

To Muse, With Love

Being a kid, always on the move,

Might be as troublesome as it seems.

One does meet people, makes new friends,

But there would be one,

Who just stands out from the rest.

Coming to this city, from the one I loved,

It was something I was unprepared for,

Yet friends came through thick and thin, and things seemed to be alright again.

But it still felt dry, it was dull,

Something still was just not right.

Then you come along, with a spirit that lifts the foulest moods,

The one with revolutionary ideas and big goals,

With the determination to make it count.

A person so different than me,

Who seemed to live in a world of her own, far away from reality.

When we talked, it was mostly just arguments,

Be it music, politics or even places to visit..

But there among all the differences, was the one thing we could share.

The same passion for writing, the same love for the pen.

And it was this which brought us together,

A bond we will share forever.

I wrote for you, you said it sucked (:P)

It was then that I realized,

I had finally found my muse.

Then came the sad part, separating from you.

It was all back to square one again, to start all over again,

But through the darkness, came one shining ray of light,

The inspiration you left behind for me, became my way out.

And now that we are back to being best friends again,

Things are as bright as ever,

And as I put down this rhyme, I must let you know.

Through every word, I’m thinking about you.

You inspired me then and you inspire me now,

You give me the push that I can be better.

But for now, I just want to thank you,

My Muse J

Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

This is one of my all time favorite poems. The one here is the song version of the same, written by Steve Harris of Iron Maiden for their 1984 album, POWERSLAVE. In my opinion this song is a fitting tribute to one of the finest pieces of literature. Aptly supported by the powerful guitars Maiden has been famous for, the galloping bass and the thundering drums, combined with the powerful, operatic voice of Bruce Dickinson, this is a must hear song for everyone.

Hear the rime of the ancient mariner,

See his eye as he stops one of three 
Mesmerises one of the wedding guests 
Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea. 

And the music plays on, as the bride passes by 
Caught by his spell and the mariner tells his tale. 

Driven south to the land of the snow and ice 
To a place where nobody's been 
Through the snow fog flies on the albatross 
Hailed in god's name, hoping good luck it brings. 

And the ship sails on, back to the north 
Through the fog and ice and the albatross follows on. 

The mariner kills the bird of good omen 
His shipmates cry against what he's done 
But when the fog clears, they justify him 
And make themselves a part of the crime. 

Sailing on and on and north across the sea 
Sailing on and on and north 'til all is calm. 

The albatross begins with it's vengeance 
A terrible curse a thirst has begun 
His shipmates blame bad luck on the mariner 
About his neck, the dead bird is hung. 

And the curse goes on and on at sea 
And the curse goes on and on for them and me. 

'Day after day, day after day, 
we stuck nor breath nor motion 
As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean 
Water, water everywhere and 
all the boards did shrink 
Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink.' 

There calls the mariner 
There comes a ship over the line 
But how can she sail with no wind in her sails and no tide. 

See... onward she comes 
Onward she nears out of the sun 
See, she has no crew 
She has no life, wait but here's two. 

Death and she life in death, 
They throw their dice for the crew 
She wins the mariner and he belongs to her now. 
Then... crew one by one 
They drop down dead, two hundred men 
She... she, life in death. 
She lets him live, her chosen one. 

'One after one by the star dogged moon, 
Too quick for groan or sigh 
Each turned his facce with a ghastly pang 
And cursed me with his eye 
Four times fifty living men 
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan) 
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump, 
They dropped down one by one.' 

The curse it lives on in their eyes 
The mariner wished he'd die 
Along with the sea creatures 
But they lived on, so did he. 

And by the light of the moon 
He prays for their beauty not doom 
With heart he blesses them 
God's creatures all of them too. 

Then the spell starts to break 
The albatross falls from his neck 
Sinks down like lead into the sea 
Then down in falls comes the rain. 

Hear the groans of the long dead seamen 
See them stir and they start to rise 
Bodies lifted by good spirits 
None of them speak and they're lifelesss in their eyes 

And revenge is still sought, penance starts again 
Cast into a trance and the nightmare carries on. 

Now the curse is finally lifted 
And the mariner sights his home 
Spirits go fromhe long dead bodies 
Form their own light and the mariner's left alone. 

And then a boat came sailing towards him 
It was a joy he could not believe 
The pilot's boat, his son and the hermit, 
Penance of life will fall onto him. 

And the ship sinks like lead into the sea 
And the hermit shrieves the mariner of his sins. 

The mariner's bound to tell of his story 
To tell this tale wherever he goes 
To teach god's word by his own example 
That we must love all things that God made. 

And the wedding guest's a sad and wiser man 
And the tale goes on and on and on.

What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of the quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle’s flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then god combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so,

He called it… Dad.

Happy birthday dad. :)

The Rise Of The Indian Phoenix

We are at the threshold of a mighty change. The whispering that has been there ever since the glorious day of 15th August, 1947 is now becoming a might roar.  Gone are the days where we used to suffer in silence. We are no longer meek, we are ready to fight fire with fire if necessary. Gone are the days when we used to obey without questioning and now that we have started questioning everything, we are at a fork, one which goes back to how things were before, and one where we the change we all desperately need. The future of the nation depends on us, the Gen X. We have the youth and the boundless energy within us, roaring to get in action. All we need is a beacon, to point us the right way and then sit back as you see the country becoming the mighty, unstoppable force it is. We are the future, we are the cells of the mighty, dormant Phoenix called India. A phoenix  because can rise up from the ashes, rise when all hope seems to be lost. 

The time for a change is upon us, all that remains is what we make of it. Do we rise up to it? Or do we just shrug it way? That's the choice we have to make.To quote the great Italian poet Dante Alighieri,

"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."

We all have our own dreams, our own visions about the future of the country. Some may be optimistic, some may not be so bright. An individual may not make a great change, but collectively we can move mountains. 

There is another quote I read in on the cover of a Classmate notebook:

"The world needs dreamers.

 The world needs doers.

 But most importantly, the world needs dreamers who do."

The future is what we make of it, so lets RISE UP and Touch the sky.

The Will To Win

If you want a thing bad enough
To go out and fight for it,
Work day and night for it,
Give up your time and your peace and
your sleep for it

If only desire of it
Makes you quite mad enough
Never to tire of it,
Makes you hold all other things tawdry
and cheap for it

If life seems all empty and useless without it
And all that you scheme and you dream is about it,

If gladly you'll sweat for it,
Fret for it, Plan for it,
Lose all your terror of God or man for it,

If you'll simply go after that thing that you want.
With all your capacity,
Strength and sagacity,
Faith, hope and confidence, stern pertinacity,

If neither cold poverty, famished and gaunt,
Nor sickness nor pain
Of body or brain
Can turn you away from the thing that you want,

If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it,
You'll get it!

The Ballad Of Painful Peace

Lived a man, not ages past;

Had one love – the sea…

But sadly when he breathed his last,

His beloved he couldn’t see…

The last of all that he beheld,

Was neither sea nor all;

All he saw was misery,

And all the trees were felled…

The rain came down in all around,

And yet the flames did spur…

Coaxed on and on to burn and burn,

Just fuelled on but incurred…

For the fates now rest and wait;

The soul can’t get the gate

And all the flames, devoured; tall

And menacing were they…

Irony! O Irony! Though hand is what I see!

That a man of all the sea

Must sleep on a bed of fire…

Irony! O Irony! Though hand is what I see!

No harmony, nor fondling,

No last touch of the seas

Lord above! O Lord above!

Cannot thou pity he –

He who loved the temptress blue,

The Daughter of Thy Power…

Wished to be interred by her,

His last wish too denied,

Rested he now on a bed,

Of coal and of fire….

Time alone is the last

Anomaly; Wait, see !

The rising ghost, the kindred spirit,

Like the smoke grey-white!

Hovers over the bed of coals,

Like the hissing soot…

And the spectre, rising, shot –

Over the heads into thee…

O Goddess-Change! O Queen of Rage!

This spectre is now you’re heir!

The melancholy whistling wind,

Now calls forth this avenger

Of his rage; and no less sage,

Avenged he did his all !

Now all see the hood – His rise!

The serpent now strikes its fangs!

All this for love and not of hate,

Succeeded at last, he did!

Now he rests in all his peace,

Knowingly or otherwise…

The price of this unsteady fall...

Rests he now innocently,

While guilt is on and on of all

Those who did rift the lovers…

But the thirst of his now quenched,

No revenge he desires,

All he wants is to sleep and lie

In those cooling waters….

There Is No Peace

The night falls gentle upon the earth

but hard within the heart of a terror-filled child.

There is no peace this night

but a sentry-like awareness of

every noise, every movement

within the house.

A silent prayer is taken upon the wings

of the mourning dove

who waters the ground below with its tears

watching puddles form where each drop lands

forming a new ocean of sorrow.

There is no peace this night.

The tender child draws itself

into a tiny ball as if to disappear

... footsteps are heard in the hall

"please no" is whispered, "please go" is prayed

as the doorknob quietly turns.

There is no peace this night.

The dove soars higher, shaking sobs within its breast

penetrating clouds, gliding on wind

seeking its source

looking for the Light

knowing there will be no peace this night.

The shadow falls across

clenched fists, tousled curls,

drawn up limbs, eyes squeezed shut

against the scene about to unfold

scarcely breathing, knowing

there is no peace this night.

Feverishly winging toward

the rainbow of light and celestial destination,

the dove contracts and gasps with the pain

of its little charges' spirit

and delivers the message

To the being of Light & Beauty

who swoops down to grasp the hand of the child

and deliver its pain to another dimension

to be stored until the child is stronger

and able to face the reality of evil on the earth.

The angel cradles her charge,

gently rocking, while tears stream down her face...

mixing with the silent tears of the child.

The dove quietly sings its grievous song of mourning

for the lost innocence of this precious tot.

There is no peace this night.

For Whom The Bell Tolls (Metallica)

These are the lyrics to, in my opinion, one of the finest pieces of music. 

It's not just the kickass intro but also the powerful lyrics that makes this a shining gem in Metallica's 30 year old career. Here goes:

Make his fight 

On the hill in the early day 
Constant chill deep inside 
Shouting gun 
On they run 
Through the endless grey 
On they fight 
For they right 
Yes, but who's to say? 
For a hill men would kill 
Why? They do not know 
Stiffened wounds test their pride 
Men of five 
Still alive through the raging glow 
Gone insane 
From the pain that they surely know 
For whom the bell tolls 
Time marches on 
For whom the bell tolls
 
Take a look 
To the sky 
Just before you die 
It's the last time he will 
Blackened roar 
Massive roar fills the crumbling sky 
Shattered goal 
Fills his soul with a ruthless cry 
Stranger now 
Are his eyes to this mystery 
He hears the silence so loud 
Crack of dawn 
All is gone 
Except the will to be 
Now they see what will be 
Blinded eyes to see 
For whom the bell tolls 
Time marches on 
For whom the bell tolls...

A Tribute To School Life

First day of school, I still remember
Not wanting to go,
Holding tight to my mother.

Unwilling to leave,
But tears in vain
Somehow they managed to push me in

A long time has passed since that day
As i reckon it now that how much has changed

In days back then
I found it difficult to fit in
A room with tables and benches to sit in

Faces all new,
And staying away from my mother
Learning stuff,
About which i really didn’t bother

School itself seemed like a jail to me
Waiting for the bell to ring
So that I could again be free

The irritating alarms
That woke me up at 5
And those yellow school buses
Which always left fore i arrived ..!

But as time went by
School became much better
The laughs the lessons are
Moments that’ll last forever

The bags all packed
With books on all the subjects..
Have changed to a single one
With all the notes and all the projects !

The habit of bringing
A pen pencil and a ruler
Has changed to
Begging for even a single sheet of paper!

Crying over silly things
Has turned into giggles
Seriously, school life is a memory
That will never flicker!

From "may i come in"
To bunking of classes!
From topping in exams
To failing in FA.s!

From learning everything
And making sure nothings left
To learning a few
And "eh who cares about the rest"!!

Things have changed a lot
And so have I
For better or for worse
That’s for the future to decide!

The tears that were once
For not going to school..!
Will soon turn into tears
To go back to school..!!

Being Human

Being Human

Drafted by young men,

Crafted by brilliant minds, 

Extracted by us, the humans.

These values which came from within are now lost;

These values which made a human sacrifice for another;

Have now disappeared.

"Being Human", this slogan;

No longer exists, in this materialistic world.

Care, love and affection, are these so called words, alive today?

How can a human burn another?

How can a child kill someone's father?

How??

Sentiments, feelings, emotions, are all resting in peace today,

These are of no worth today;

Money is buying everything, even humanity;

Everyone of us is a mere animal today;

Bothered about one's own self.

Me, my, myself are the only words,

Which first approach us.

Seeing a blind woman crossing the road;

No helping hand clutches her fingers.

Our staring eyes, just go on staring the lady with a stick.

Now if this is humanity,

Aren't animals way better?

Urging to be human;

There it exists, 

Where each one of us can see through the vision.

It's our heart,

The same heart, which cried when it hurt another,

The heart which just circulates blood now.

That heart which wants to awaken,

The human inside each one of us.

Give love, take love.

Give Respect, take respect,

Respect human values and be,

A HUMAN once again!