Winter

the sun is
truant again
cold hearts
frozen hands

look for
love mittens
buried deep
in a corner
of memory closets !

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punctuation
grammar
spellings

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GAMES

the simple joy
of cracking open
peanuts on her own

a cardboard box
becoming a bus
for paper friends

My little God
and her new games !!

A Winter Evening

The sun has poured
all its orange experience
into the open palms
of the evening

the dusk
is straightening
its sooty blanket
for the night

the stars
waiting in the wings
the clouds getting
the shades right

A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR GOD

I usually refrain from writing about God on this blog no because I am an atheist but because I am not religious.This time the inspiration comes from an unusual quarter- OH MY GOD ,the film.


Isn't it strange that over the years most of us lose the distinction between God and religion.We pray and worship,do the rituals,participate in the festivities ,basically are our religious best most of the times but we never really come close to God,we ask and apologize but never just talk or just listen.

I happened to be born into a Hindu home,had a christian missionary and convent education and am lucky to have friends from various cultures and backgrounds.So with due respect to all religions,the ones that I directly know and the ones I don't here are my set of queries for Mr.God :

• Do we need loud blaring bhajans set to filmy tunes and glaring lights to show devotion?
• Does God bother if a few human beings get inconvenienced by his over-enthusiastic devotees stalling traffic or being plain rowdy?
• What would Jesus prefer, a cathedral full of candles or a quiet candle lit dinner in a needy home?
• What would Krishna want more,a chapan bhog(56 course meal) alone in a temple or a handful of chanas shared with a Sudama?
• What makes a Gurudwara grand,its highest or shiniest dome or its open doors for all?
• Did Allah or Lord Rama actually permit violence in their names?

My list is very long but for now....a few answers would suffice.

Diwali

The smoke had a
burnt pungent smell
the noise was deafening

shouts could be heard 
from afar,too distant
to know happy or sad

the lights were
hazed out
in the smog

dead souls
celebrating a victory
almost meaningless

which world war was this?

DIWALI

Oblivious to the
dust rising from
the busy road

and all the
other real and imaginary malice
that kids inside the cars
are made to be scared of

she dips her small muddy fingers
in the rice pot
to quickly push
the cold lump
down her throat

she'll have to sell
a lot of earthen lamps
to make the next meal happen

its Diwali
in a few days.

The Moon

the moon
the moon is
is the moon

the moon looks lonely
the moon looks lovely

worshiped
poemised

the moon was
is,will be
the moon.