Preparations

The basket for the road

warm stuffed bread

Eggs, oranges

Soda and water

Candies and sour bites

I make note

Relationships

setting out together

preparing as thoughtfully

would ensure

essential coverage

for the vagaries

of long distances

Unknown mood swings

Unexpected feverish reactions

Breakdowns and meltdowns

Pit Stops

The right timing

and location

Adventurous enough

yet safe and restful

The nook of your

Lovers arm

Pulls you in

Close enough

to feel the familiar

warmth

soak in the

strange perfume

A reminder

That this nook

Will always

be your pit stop

Speed Limits

Interstate and back roads

the racy zipping

experience

alternating with

the lazy meandering

routes

Laser focus

navigation map support

On one route

Compared to the

Singing along

anecdote telling partnership

on the other

Life’s rally seemed

to have spread out

In a similar pattern

Screeching halts needed

On certain milestones

Bracing for the shock

By holding tight

To each others arms

Swinging along

the rest of the way

Soaking it in

Letting those years ride

into your hearts

Deep and down

To be relived

Whenever and wherever

needed

after a rough patch

came along

Touristy

Waterfalls

Bridges

Fireworks

Purposeful visitors

Picture taking, moment happy

Vagabonding through life

Has been quite

Similarly enabled

Street walks and tourist tours

Dreams and Destinations

Layering themselves

through the years

Like that marble cake

at the bakery

in the back street

We were wet, hungry

and appreciative

Of the chai that came with it

Especially, in a strange city

Of homes along the way

Destinations or journeys

Or the emotions that you

discover when you find

yours have created

new homes along the way

This one was special

because it was of

Special people

And left us with

a melting within

the pit of our stomachs

Holding hands

we commenced our trip

again

But not until

we poured our eyes

out in love

and in thanks

Beacon lights

Following in darkness

and in shattering rain

Blinding black

the night

Seemed to have taken over

Compelled to drive

the world to where

it wanted

That road belonged to the night

You drove

Calm, composed and in control

following the beacon light

ahead of you

and the yellow lines

cruising below you

Sure and Sincere

in your effort

aware of His purpose

It reminded me

about how you

led us through

the darkest moments

of our life together

Unwavering

always sure

that the destination

will be ours

that the journey

is just a lesson

Road trip

5000 miles of

West to east

To lean into life

not escape from it

Staring out of the window

into the horizon

Two kites fluttering

I reach out

hold your hand

you are

my true north

sure yet again

that

my destination

is where you

choose to stand

Clouds

Dark, timeless, black diamond like

With tassels of white

dangling low

silver chandeliers

The city-scapes

rising, reaching up

Kissing hope

Clouds

Lacquer-like

layers of cement

Blue ice streaks

throw incandescent light

In brush strokes

Tree tops playing along

Seeking the serene

Clouds

Hugging close

like a caring lover

to the curves of

country bridges

Running an impromptu race

while the traffic

crawls along

Halting

to swipe identity

and existence proofs

The waves atop float

forward on and away

unhindered

unhinged

Clouds

Inspiring

before they

melt away

Pouring themselves

onto the barren

Consumed

with  passion

for what they witness

They pour forth

in non-violent

protest

 

It was indeed a great weekend

A diverse

New York neighborhood

A predictable

Saturday evening

Celebrating

Rest, togetherness, gaiety

A typical

Nondescript night

suddenly shaken

by falling shreds of glass

like confetti

spectacular explosions

heard across the river

not fireworks

Yet again

A fearless declaration

of dread

by the faceless

nameless

shameless

St. Cloud residents

at the Mall

going about their

coupon redemption

prosaic weekend

unexpectedly awakened

to religious brandishing

Satan

had come shopping too

and decided

to leave behind

some playful

cutting -edge

conceited reminders

about

all being equal

in the eyes

of the Shaitan

New Jersey

ready to sail

just barely eliminated

the chance of being

added to statistics

of this weekend’s

incident debrief

Meanwhile,

At the headquarters of Hell

Infernos were ablaze

luminous and celebratory

For what seemed to have been

A great weekend indeed!

Self-Introspection

or

Breaking into new boots

Quite the same process

Both

Take time

weathering

exposure

random exploration

Both hurt

really bad

sores that need

just letting be

Hobbling around

with both

is an arduous task

be it

a raw squashed ego

due to

self-introspection

or

a blistered toe

due to new boots

Both self-inflicted

The rewards

being

a sole that wraps

around the foot

like a lover’s hand

and

a soul that

recedes into the ego

like a healers balm

Both

leave scars

the early ulceration

on the toes

and the crushed grains

on the shoe uppers

the picking and probing

of the self,pride and assumptions

Injury marks

that define the

beauty of cracks

on

good old leather

and the casual

confident beauty

that comes from

a ripe sense

of self-assurance

The process needs

to be allowed

its time though

each pair of shoes

and each of us

has our own

threshold

of

how long

it may take

to be free

of the

agonizing pain

that is caused

when

breaking into

our own selves

 

 

“Advanced Planning Services for Funerals”

blinked the signboard

as if

apologizing for its own presence

the casket and the flowers- check

the obituary and a tombstone – check

the wine and the music – check

the prayers and the rabbi – check

a guestbook – maybe?

photographs – beyond budget!

I walked in

the ghostly white lady at the front desk

smiled up at me

Do you have a survivor’s guide?

Does it explain the process of saying the last goodbye?

Do you have a coaching class for someone

who has not been able to bid goodbye?

not in an authentic honest way

even yet, many years later

She looked back at me, and said “sorry”

I walked out

and back beyond the blinking lights

Is there even a need to say a goodbye?

Does the funeral code of conduct

or

the survivor’s checklist

get violated if one chooses not to?

Who cares anyways

I don’t think I ever will

because there are no goodbyes

When you love someone

it does not matter where they are

because it is “till we meet again”

 

To Jyoti, who literally and figuratively has been the light in my life

Because, if she had chosen not to bring me into the world

Or not held me to her breast when I was born

That stormy Christmas night

I would not have been!

Epitomizing that every life matters

She lit up for me, like a candle

Never let her flame dwindle

She wept but silently

Like the candle wax

forms into tears

dripping down its own body

The pain trickling

Sometimes puddling

Mostly staying in frozen shapes

On the candle stick;but

I only received her magical smells

and the rest, the relaxation, the illuminations

in the amber warmth of her light

To Priyadarshan, Maasi

Who is not only a role model

On how to be mother like

But also taught me

How a woman should

Always make an effort

To look your best

Yet, how easy it is

To present yourself with graceful appeal

To Manpreet, it is no secret

she has the special most of places

In my heart’s cubicle

A full rewards membership

with protective sinews and muscles

It is also no secret to me and to her

That there is more than this worldly

to our connection

I sleep well on the stormiest nights

knowing I have the guarantee of a symbiotic partnership

inspite of time, distance or others

To Shibana, the partner to her Shiv and the avatar of bringing an

Inner strength to life for herself but in the process, sharing

Caring and spreading it to and with many others

The wealth of gratitude is not one that comes easy

And I learn that from her

The sister who is also the seeker

To Reema, my sister from another mother

For teaching me what unconditional really means

Every day she loves me, loves her son, loves her brother

And all of us know, she gives us more than we give her

Yet, she nourishes and gives of herself;I understand that

Reema is supposed to also mean an Angel

To Sanah, the prayer in our lives

The gift that came into our laps

When we needed her messianic zeal the most

The baby holding her breath until she turned blue

Ironically, starved my self- pity

And forced me to take control

She made an impact, visible and clear

Even while she was still at my breast

And has since and ever has always

been teaching me the lessons

I never ever had thought I would experience

daily surprises and most special because they

are taught through the eyes of my own child

To Mansi, as says her name; became the woman

Who walked into the life of the man

Who has been my magician

As my first-born, he gave me special access

To him ; a mother stumbling along

Mansi, has already taught me

More equilibrium

Bringing to a relationship

Both the loving wisdom like Saraswati

And an inquisitive quality to love

To all those whose names I am not calling out

To the women who are not with me today

And those that have touched my life

And made it better

Always

Because you chose to do so

Nudge me, praise me, lift me

Stay silent with me

Wipe my tears

Acknowledge me

Work beside me

Take care of those

That mattered to me

Lean into the moments

That I cared most about

I realize too well

I could have abandoned

Myself

at some point

from birth through today

But each of you

cared and validated

what can be so easy to suppress

#mylifematters

You stepped into commitment

so what?

your wish is now your goal

and there is no convenient alternative anymore

commitment has no conditions that apply

You hold each other’s hands

fingers intertwined

with promise today

the marvel of that touch

will forever be

even when the fingers are no longer as lissome

and the creases on the palms feel deeper

that touch will always

feel like homecoming

the memories of these hands held together

will always bring

the most vivid fragrance of intimacy

You step ahead together, mostly in unison

but sometimes following the other

what matters is no longer who leads, what does matter is that your gait auto adjusts to match the other

You whisper directions, not google like where she says it is my way or the highway

but like the pole star

giving hope, through the clouds

You match and complement each other’s skills and attributes

as much as you fill the gaps in each other’s crevices and

find the cranky edginess in the nooks

The sum is better than the parts; infinitely beautiful

yet

you will always stay fiercely protective of each other

for the purity and differences

those very things that drew you to the other

You will never sacrifice conversation; it is always a work in progress.

and before you know

you will have a trademark style that uses special words

a simple touch or the rhythm of silence

You look into each other’s eyes;

and the teardrops will be witness

that you can see into the other’s eyes

and through them

commitment will tell its story

through the corrosion these falling tears leave on your cheeks

and the deposits that stay on your fingertips

You laugh together, and for each other and at each other

You can imagine life and forever as well as everafter

you cannot imagine anything but together

You will learn to be nimble to life;

together rearranging for balance

as you face that unknown turn

You will make choices;

some crystal clear and others not as intuitive

in each choice, your promise is to encounter each other with intent and deep trust

You may not know it today, but soon there will be nothing you do not want the other to know –

your deepest fears, your darkest secrets,

your silliest jokes, your unfathomable dreams,

your mind, body and heart

Moreover, through this journey;

at some unknown point between dawn and dusk;

when you are asleep in each other’s shadow

Your souls did decide that this is home

you can listen to them whenever you wish to

beyond the daily noise and flurry

souls that are soaring unconfined yet captive like never before

souls that hum away, gently but surely

the harmonic notes of freedom reverberating through their universe

souls that relish the aching for another

and watch the fireflies in the warm afterglow

You can watch them too, on days you feel sore

because there will be those days

Commitment is a reckless battle

but it’s sweet defeat will caress you both

and the breach you just opened in your hearts

will forever drain in for you the life essence

you need from the other

May You Both

forever hold the rings of commitment preciously close

and may you

forever choose defeat to and for each other

as your most celebrated victories!

the hills

closer  to the tips of the clouds

uplifting

daring me to be powerful

reaching out

and

letting go

in tandem

can be delightful

stars beyond the clouds

start to seek

me

as much as I

seek them

Formidable sometimes

every step

Yet fear playing

the game

and the pleasure

is in the try

each one

each step

each glance

each clasp

standing at the hilltop

making me say

Get on with it

soar you will

as that is the art

you know well

stand firm

stand ready

and the wind

will take care of the rest!

 

 

Work Is Worship

Sounds stranger than fiction in today’s world

Where everything is about the special purpose

About what is different

About the unique in you

About You

But, as I grew up watching my grandfather, and my father and my mother

I thought what I saw was a spark

That came through a simple dedication to the routine

A devotion that made the daily chores; the “work” seem sublime

Alternatively “Sexy” – to use a more prevalent expression!

Why was there more contentment?

Why was it that every task they accomplished; left them with pride

Almost a standing ovation to their own self?

Today, there so much energy spent on purpose

However, “The Work” is differentiated from “The Meaning”

Work is related to the economics

the necessary evil

And Then…

there is that special something

Yet needlessness abounds

So much self-doubt exists

Lives are defined by a well-written agenda

And yet drifting almost rudderless

There is purposeful branching out and exploration

Yet there is almost a maniacal need to attach to roots

The complex is being used to explain the simple

Navigating through meandering madness of the daily dose of information

Information, rules, techniques, and opinions

Watching the 20 Ted Talks on Happiness

Yet and because of that, experiencing a loss

A loss of the raw simplicity of youth

An entire generation humming about creative and personal purpose

Yet more than ever before there is breakdown at the very prime

Young suicides and middle age deaths

Should we check and adjust?

Or is it okay to let the path run it’s course?

Can we try to make it simple again?

Atleast least tell ourselves

That work is not about the material only

it is about people

it is about learning

it is about excellence

it is about human connection

it is about freedom

Mundane day to day “work”  has multiple layers of joy and is complementary to our urge for striving for self –actualization

Even mundane day-to-day work!

It is okay if you are not someone with a specially defined purpose

Political, creative, environmental, spiritual, or religious

These can well be integrated within whatever your “work” path is

The work path you are on could be one you intentionally chose to walk down

Therefore, is aligned to what you understand is your best purpose

On the other hand, could be a path you are walking along trying to find small moments of meaningful direction

And carving purpose along the way

Either way, it is okay

Life and purpose happens inside of work

Not outside of it

Find ways to unravel the daily magic at work

Remember it takes guts to plough through a”job”

And look for a Ted Talk that tells you

It is bloody meaningful to run a family

Work is worship