To a true lady, My Archchi (Grandma)

The last of a monarch
You proudly lay
Withered leaves of a trunk 
That weathered many a rain
And yet with each spring 
Grew white flowers 
The color of your soul
That bloomed with each smile
That same color, white
Your blessings took
As it flowed from your withered hand 
To my bowed head 
Through that gentle touch
Your love I felt
I will never forget
And as I watch 
Tears drop unheeded
As petals to the ground 
You, the last of the elders
Of an era long gone
You lay, eyes closed
Draped in traditional sari
White flowers printed on white
You lay in your final sleep
As I kneel before you
My final salute 
Final gesture of worship
Forehead to floor
I lose a part of my soul
My Archchi, go in peace
As you enter
Through heaven’s door

Sounds heard on a Tuesday summer night

The world turns
Winds grow cold
Rains fall 
Darkness dawns
Yet in twilight I dance
Swaying gently
A question lingers
Whispered softly
Will you join me?

Bare feet tread
To the melody 
Wind in the trees
Crickets chirping 
Young frogs rejoicing
Each drop of rain
A drum roll on a leaf
I sway, white dress
Drenched in summer rain

Dark tresses curl
As dark eyes search
You, in the shadows
Listening in silence
To my footsteps in dance
Watching in silence
As my lips hum
To the sounds heard
On a Tuesday summer night

Change

The mountain moved
Or did I
For both resisted change
Resisted, rejected 
Hid in the darkness of our own shadows
Repulsed by what it brought
Change

“Go away”, I said
You are danger

“I am the king of the valley”, it said
And you are nothing

Barred away in narrow vision
And trumped up by vanity
We stood tall
With false ego and pride
That was our downfall

For change moved us
Moved it
Moved I
And one morning 
I woke to find
Not the king of the valley
And call of the eagle
But brisk salty winds
And call of the seagull

Change
The mountain had moved
And so had I
But as I look across the Cerulean waters
White sail calling my name

All I can say is
“Give me a star to steer her by”
Change 
I will
Resist you 
Never again

To love you is to love me

To love you
Is to step off a cliff
To fall to an unfathomable depth
To not know the future
But live every moment
Every day as if it were the best
You take me away
From control, safety
From rules and guidelines
I so carefully erected
All through my life
A vision I had
You made me question
The image of me
You torn apart
I crumbled at your touch
Stripped away the clothing of fear
You made me see
The woman I am
Beautiful, strong and secure
You made me feel
Alive, vibrant in colors
I didn't know I had within me
No, I knew they existed
But was afraid to let out
Afraid of norms and cruel taunts
Society that snubs the unexpected
Shames the different
And cages the mind
Making us believe
That this is we
Living free
Then you came along
You terrified me
Looking through glasses they gave me 
I painted you black
While all you saw in me was white
And now you are trying to set me free
And I feel fear holding me back
Scared of the plunge
My wings never flown
Would it hold me
But you undo me
Show me the strength
I never knew I had
You set my spirit free
You showed me
That to love you
is to love me...

Sometimes

Sometimes

Some days

Some ways

I am going to be different

Depressed

Strumming those Blues

Courting hurt and pain

I had thought long forgotten

Forgotten

Sometimes

Some days

Some ways

Baby, my smile won’t shine

As my body rocks to sobs

In tune to hurt and pain

I had thought long forgotten

Forgotten

Sometimes

Some days

Some ways

You will find me

All alone in the darkness

Slowly fighting from going insane

No pleasure just hurt and pain

I had thought long forgotten

Forgotten

Then

Most times

Most days

Most ways

I will smile again

Strengthened in thought and mind

Baby, I will make you smile

I will help you fight

Those times

Those days

Those ways

When you will be different

Depressed

Strumming those Blues

Courting hurt and pain

You had thought long forgotten

Forgotten

Break Free

When the sun comes to December
Will I wake again
From the ashes
Of all that remains
Of a soul once set aflame
Burnt then doused in cold, cold rain
Buried deep within the earth
Left in solitude
Confined in darkness
Forgiven but not forgotten
To await the sun that rises
Against December's cold frost
Like the phoenix, that bears hope
Will I rise, break forth
From frozen earth and hard rock
To unfurl in the golden rays
When the sun comes to December
Will I live again

From Father to me

My Father said to me
Be patient my child
Your prayer will be answered
As sure as the sun rise
And moonbeams dance
Upon your raven head
No more tears, will I let fall
Unless those that reflect joy
Your pain
I understand, I feel
Waves crashing on a heart
You try so hard to freeze
But I am the Lord of miracles
I aim to please
And to wipe that teardrop
From your face
For I am more than Lord, God or Divine
A Father I am
And child never forget
You are mine

Poetry Hangout :D My first time ever!

My first Poetry Hangout ever with an Awesome Host and equally talented Poets!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC5eVRqZWAw

Morning Reflections

I saw a doorway
In the clouds today
As I did everyday
Shinning white light
Outlined its sliver frame
Beckoning
Ever beckoning 
My soul to take flight
Reaching
Ever reaching
To touch my spirit
With its mystic truth
I feel its warm presence
At the threshold of my soul
As I stand on tiptoe
Head back
Arms wide
Exhilarated
The truth almost upon me
To taste
To feel
To touch
I reach
And …………….
Is pulled back
By reality’s doorbell
To answer another door
That only brings the world
And its problems
Across my threshold
I look back
To the calm before the storm
My five minutes of peace
Before work
Each morn

One with the earth

Her voice resounds
As it strums
The life strings of my soul
The wind echoes
Her melodic tones
Words so pure
Holy and wise
Language of the ancients
Bidding my soul
Peace and goodbye

I stop to watch
My soul listens 
And breathes between sunsets

An old memory
Almost forgotten
Nearly left behind
Stirs softly
In the recesses of my mind
A promise given
Never to let go
Tenderly cherished
By hands warm, strong
Holding mine
As a tear falls

I stop to remember
My soul sighs
And breathes between sunsets

The sands of time
Flow gently 
Like a dewdrop on a flower
From stem to petal
From petal to earth
As the winds storm
And tides turn
Seasons change
And I become one
One with the earth
As it breathes between sunsets

Copyright@ Tineeka

Time

I sit at my Ammi’s(mother’s) knee
As she winds her fingers through my hair
Encasing it in fragrant oil
An old radio, then new
Thrums out age old movie songs
So well-known that
My lips move in tune
And my fingers drum the beat
On the cold cement floor
Watching Achchi (grandma) cook
In the then stove less kitchen
Spices waft through the air
Out the doorway
A man is breaking coconuts
As Seeya (grandpa) supervises
And baby squirrels play tag
On the branches of mango trees
Whose leaves float to the ground 
On the wings of the evening breeze
And in the distance I hear
The sound of the metal gate
Unhinged, then close again
Thathi’s (Dad) come home, I smile
Getting up on my small feet, ready to run
Ammi tries to hold me back, my hair’s undone
 But the anticipation of the sweets
In his pockets too great to resist
And I break free and fly to his arms

Time moves……………. Too fast

Now I sit within my room
Penning these words
As tears threaten to fall
Through heated eyes
That still gazes through 
The windows of the past
I hear my mom cooking
In a kitchen full of appliances 
She hums a lone to music
She loves from the days of old
As I gaze outside the door 
To see, trees no more
But walls so high to hide from neighbors' sight
Dad’s paper floats down to the ground 
On the breeze created by mechanical wings
As he rests - I earn my own sweets now
Each of us trapped in thoughts of our own
We become civilized they say
So refined that we built boxes to trap our minds in
But the spirit remembers
What the souls yearn for 
A vibrant, loving and carefree past

Oh time! You simply moved too fast.

My Country, My home

Misty mountains and bone-chilled roads

Tropical beaches and salty seas

A mere hours ride apart

Makes up this place called home to me

On one hand an ancient building

That survived the ravages of war

On the other stands another temple

Like a beacon of hope for peace for all

To the north, ragged lands that no more thrives

Only palm trees riddled in bullet holes survives

Grand homes lie vacant covered in shrubbery

Even ghosts refuse to haunt, too many memories

To the east, the sun smiles down on

White sandy beaches that stretch endlessly

A man may walk in peace, among dunes

Decorated by the shells of the Indian sea

To the south, spreads shades of color

Emerald paddy fields and blue lakes meet

Where chanting monks in golden robes

Walk feet uncovered in the heat

To the west, stand towers tall

Endless traffic, mechanical voices roar

Life moves faster, growing harder 

People running back and forth

Cultures here are vibrant

In color and in speech

Food is made of spices

Desserts from honey trees

I turn down one road, a church I see

Down another a mosque stands free

Another turn confronts a Kovil you see

One more turn, a temple with a bo tree

Now I stand in the middle and breathe

The scents of spices and salty seas

Carried ironically on mountain breeze

For this is my country, my home you see

Dance

Dance

By the streetlight

Dance

In the shadowed night

Dance

To the heart's beat

Dance

In the moments heat

Dance

To the piper's tune

Dance

Among the sandy dunes

Dance

Before the sun does dawn

Dance

Till the time is born

For then comes calling

Truth's sweet song

For those who dance

from night to morn