A Missed Opportunity?

Late. Always late. 

Never intentionally. It is just fate. 

A missed opportunity to lament afresh,

Again with success could not mesh. 

Lost again a golden chance

To progress in life - this cruel dance. 

Time is a venture, invest well,

Plan it, so that your coffers swell. 

Play, if it gains you, something on a CV,

Sing if it wins you good publicity, 

Dance, act, earn a degree

Only to get 'a better life' - is the decree. 

'Better'- do we even know what that is? 

Is it just another false myth? 

In times past better was being naked, 

Coating oneself with mud and being sated. 

In times now it is the tribal, the 'outlaw', the 'weirdo',

Unless, of course, we to an exotic spa go. 

Better. Time. Life. Progress. 

Perhaps being late is NOT a mess?

Does it make one question the validity

Of a choice denied. Its very desirability? 

Perhaps being late is a gift not curse

That turn not taken, that road was worse? 

Celebrate. Enjoy. This mad sanity. 

Life is chaos, why impose structurality? 

Dance. Sing. Shout. Revel. 

Let happiness in you dwell. 

The no opportunity is a lost one,

It just wasn't the road on which to turn. 

- 28 November 2015

- Dunno why. But it has been haunting me, this delay with my PhD, my projects, my dealines, life in general. The number of times I have had to say NO. The incapability I feel to handle anymore. Perhaps this is my answer to myself. 

A Response

Walk alone in the dead of the night, 

But soldier know you are not alone in this fight,

Fury let out, tears let spill, 

Know that love forgives any ill.

The Wasteland is vast you say,

All the more reason to celebrate,

Renew, Replenish, recreate at will,

There is joy to be found still.

- Written on 22 November 2015
- in response to a friend's poem

Empty Roads

The almost empty roads shimmer, 

As the sun rays turn the black to silver. 

The sound of the auto's motor, 

Breaks through the silence, the langour. 

You get off the auto bemoaning noise's sacrilege,

You walk to enjoy the silent, empty road - a rare privilege. 

The sun warms you, but more the solitude,

Warm, open spaces, building one's fortitude.

A silence that allows thoughts to be heard, 

To rethink if you are just following the herd. 

You actually just want to sit, to explore,

Appreciate your surroundings, your inner core. 

So rare this opportunity in this city,

I so appreciate the aftermath of Diwali. 

- Written on 12 November 2015. 

- Diwali was on 11 Nov this year. And I had morning lectures. A pity I had to rush so. 

Happy Diwali 2015!

Diwali - the festival of lights.
The reminder - Good prevails in all fights.
The message - eradicate ignorance.
The joy - sharing one's abundance.
The harmony - one hears in another's laughter.
The beauty - one sees free of creed, caste, religion or border.
The ability - to improve, to find, to make something better.
The celebration - unity with one's neighbour.
The reflection - of what was past, of the (hopefully) learnt lesson.
The hope - a better world we will make happen.
The new year - of bliss, of peace, of prosperity.
Deepavali - may its essence be realised for and by all humanity.

Happy Diwali 2015! 

- Written on 9 Nov 2015 by moi :) 

And this is what make my attempt at rhyme worthwhile - Thank YOU Ramesh Ramanath - Your poem is what is awesome. 

The Counterpoint - 

What's in a light, that never fades
What's in a fight, in which u never fail
What's in a world, if you know it all
What's in a joy, if its not ever one's call
What's harmony, if the note isn't bent
What's in beauty, if one not from other different
What's that able, which enchanted cain
What's celebration, where we unite only to gain
What's in a mirror, that reflects no you
What's in a hope, that's without a hue
What's is in a year, which never sees tear
What's Diwali, without dark dusk near
                        ,smog that doesn't clear
                       ,not greeting a dear
                       ,riding without fear ;-)
  ,saving some darkness yet for next year

  :-D 

- Written by Ramesh Ramnath - on 11 Nov 2015 (at least that is when it was sent to me) AWESOMENESS :)