A Healthy array

A Healthy array

Slithered almonds to seduce and shriveled grapes to cry sour;
Frittered cheese to fatten and flavored yogurt to stay fit.
Battered broccoli to bite into and brined apples to chew onto.
Crispy onions to neutralize  and cold edamame to whet it all.

An array to confuse, befuddle and weaken my mind -
Again, served for me with choices that no one will mind.

A “seasonal anomaly”

Crisp is the air with fallen leaves dried up and ready to ruffle;
Brisk birds are begirding the town as daylight breaks the sky.
Rare is the day with warmth bound to reflect of the quay;
Brats, Cubs, Boys and Girls are planning an outdoor gambol.

Autumn is the season, yet the rise in Mercury stirs up souls;
The sailors are ready to undock their boats in brief.
Sunny is the call, the weatherman made not just for shoals;
The bikers are unchaining their helmets to go on the reef.

Green is still the color, the grass withering the season;
The greenskeepers and growers are out to rake and mulch.
Frigid is the ground, the frost affecting the vegetation;
The runners and skaters are drying up their sweaty drench.

Change is the order, what the day brings with it;
Confounded and Elated, All welcoming it.
To each is his own, their love for the Sun;
A "seasonal anomaly", sure, every now and then.

Perilous Questions

Was it 1 after midnight or 2:43? Were they 6 or 23? 

Was it his wife or a domestic help? Was he a courier who tried to yelp?

Is it a villa or a mansion? Is there a satellite dish or a television?

Is that a fictitious city or a real one? Is there a military training academy to train how it’s done?

Did they eat turkey wraps and cold shrimp? Did they watch one of the choppers crash and limp?

Did they get their coffee and soda to keep awake all night? Did they know if what they were doing was wrong or right?

Did he use marijuana to get high? Did he pray seven times to the sky?

Did he have cash stitched to his shirt? Did he think he could get away unhurt?

Was there a choice not to take him down? Was there a choice to hug him over his frown?

Was it revenge or was it hatred? Was there a need to bring closure to this ugly bloodshed?

An addictive war…(The story of a city)

An addictive war…(The story of a city)

Cadets and Commandos, descended on the barren land -

Cartridges and Cannonballs, detailed for the enemy territory.

Armed men and Alluringly armed women, deemed to win -

Artilleries loaded, seldom demure of their potential reach.

They strode in their tanks – Blink less as only bulbs could be,

They turn right and then left, just like they should be.

All the way to New York, where it branches off to Luxor and Venice,

All the soldiers now in an endless path, taking them to Caesar’s palace.

Through the gates of Lion’s Den, Through the doors of 54th Studio,

They spot their enemies around the tables with coins stacked like a volcano.

The soldiers take their positions as the clinging noises of their ammunition echo,

They now are ready to roll the die and win some dough at the MGM Grand Casino.

The world in which you exist (Nuvvu vunna prapancham)

This poem was written in Telugu by a friend of mine (Srini Thonta). The theme of this poem is Love. Srini is the kind of guy, who could make up great poetic couplets in Telugu on the spur of the moment. Such is his grip of the language and such is his imagination…Wish he could write more often.

When multiple friends who couldn’t read Telugu requested him to do a translation, he tasked me if I would be interested in helping out and sent me a loose translation of the words used in the poem. Then I sat together with my wife and tried my best to understand the nuances of the poem in Telugu and surprisingly, I could make out the meaning of about 90% of the words without any help. There were a few words that I needed help with. Since I used to write poems in Thamizh, I could relate to & understand the poetic imagination that comes with the territory. Also the similarities between Thamizh and Telugu poems are quite high in terms of the planes of imagination & similes used.

So here I go presenting the original Telugu version first (written by Srini Thonta).

Nuvvu vunna prapancham - By Srini Thonta

And here is my attempt to translate it into English and give it a poetic feel, without damaging the essence of Srini’s imagination as much as possible.

The world in which you exist

Beyond the stretches of time -
Love yearns for all dreams to be fulfilled.

The winds of love blow everywhere;
The whispers of hearts are heard everywhere.

Even silence carries many shades of meanings with it -
As quiescent hearts from centuries ago become visible.

The entire nature symbolizes a garden of flowers;
And each flower presents itself as a red rose.

Birds of Imagination fly in the sky -
As they explore the paths towards the confluence of love.

With each dawn, the waking hearts of them, the lovers;
Long to seek their amorous calling.

Fluttering hearts occlude their vision in an ecstasy of love -
In dreams they hope, those moments could be relived.

Dreamy eyes, they labor assiduously now;
For they hanker to build the “Kingdoms of Dreams!”

You may read a few of my other English poems in this blog by clicking on this link, while I still wait for the day when I can surprise myself, by publishing my collection (most of which are not on this blog yet).

A Sanguine Hue

A Sanguine Hue

The gargling truck trolls through;

On a morning filled with dew.

Blinded birds, braving to woo;

Limped chirps, yet, deafening as they flew.

–

Cauldrons of coffee on the brew;

Sunrises – to make them feel anew.

Soggy blades of grass – grand as they grew;

Cackling geese are fresh but few.

–

A wandering mind steadies to stay true;

As a pretentious world gets ready to imbrue,

The Innocence of dawn, it has to eschew.

Another span, Another strut – A Sanguine Hue.

Lost in my Mind

[Note: This poem was written about 8 years ago]

Lost in my Mind…

A blissful alley of emotions–incognizant of human virtues,
A dark winter day images–indulgent thoughts;
In want of an irreplaceable eternity;
In quest of an infinite indemnity.

A life full of perishable values and irrelevant audacity,
A voyage with an indefinite destination;
I am at a loss for not knowing my goal–as an inept marching soldier,
I am at a gloomy height–being an ignoramus soul.

Meandering through my oblivious Mind are my salvage prayers,
Mystifying my inner soul is my salvation seeking;
I desire not to desire on earthly material–
I decry my pleasure for flesh and pound;
I constantly urge to steam out from these miseries–
I wish I knew how.
Amidst all, I am disoriented and am lost in my Mind.