Waiting for my daughter in a college campus
I had in hand three hours to kill
With a novel in my hand I proceeded
To find a comfortable place to sit.

Far away I saw few people waiting.
One particular lady is what my eye did catch
Nothing special yet intermittently I kept watching her
While reading the novel in my hand

Shifting places to avoid the sun's rays
I found one to seat myself comfortably
Within few minutes she came near me
And left her bags in my possession

Mumbling something she went away
And soon I saw her strolling around.
Wondering what it was she did
I drove my attention to the book again.

A little later she came to sit beside me
And soon opened a conversation
But what surprised me was the act
Of the security directing two puppies to her

She opened a packet of biscuit
And offered them to the puppies
She does it frequently she said
When she saw an amazed look in my face

She was here waiting for her daughter
And decided to put the time to best use
Feeding stray animals and helping them
Is what she does during her free time

Pathetic she said were the lives of stray animals
All they receive are physical abuse from human kind.
Her selfless act impressed me a lot
And instantly I was drawn to her.

How many of us would do I pondered
One man can start anything she said
You don’t need to find an NGO to start
You start then the NGO gets formed.

It is not just feeding or helping animals
Any act of kindness makes a difference to all
Her words deep in my heart now
I intend to feed at least one per day.

Litter Free Zone

Walking along the roads of our city

What greets us is the garbage strewn

It is not the garbage that strikes our mind

But the attitude of the people around.

We accuse the government of its failure

When they are unable to create a beautiful city

Who is to blame, if we really wonder?

It is we, devoid of basic cleanliness.

We have garbage bins at all nooks and corners

But we use it better to play, aim and throw

Miserably we lose in the game we play

Thereby spilling the garbage around.

Neatly written on wooden boards we find

Words that say "Litter Free Zone"

What we seem to understand by the phrase

"Here's a place where litter can freely be thrown."

Travelling on his two wheeler

He happened to come across a temple

But too hasty was he to reach his destination

To stop and pray he failed to find time.

A hand on the accelerator,

And a leg on the brake

Head turning 180 degrees

He offered a salute to the almighty.

While performing this hasty task

oblivious was he of the traffic ahead

For fast approaching towards him

Was the tanker he failed to see.

End result we are left with nothing

Life presents us to such beautiful things
In form of love, care, concern and kind too.
But greedy and craving, we often are
We leave these and search for something new.

So desperate are we in this search
Life’s gift to us, we tend to ignore
Off we proceed to obtain those things
Aware not, it is the mirage we adore.

Best things in life remain lost to us
Realization strikes us way too late
For what we left behind has vanished
Making it impossible to even locate .

End result we are left with nothing.

rat's feast - my son's shoes

Could you please ma, pleaded my son
Buy a new pair of shoes for me
The ones I have are tattered and torn
Of no use now can they be.

I looked at his pleading eyes
And knew I just could not refuse
But still asked him what had happened
To the special ones bought for his use.

Yes ma, my son replied innocently
A new pair that no longer does exist
For what could I do if the rats felt hungry
And in my shoes they were treated to a feast.

Few minutes at the window sill

Savoring each second as I stand still

The window acts as my reposeful space

When my heart some sadness doth face.

All I need is something to soothe
What better than idyllic nature so smooth
Helping me regain my composure
To greet the lovely day with pleasure.

And so I stand by my kitchen window
And feel the fresh breeze blow
My eyes treated to lush greenery
Oh Mother Nature, I truly love thee.

Biased justice

Human beings always act in haze
Biased are they in many a ways
Every act of theirs does amuse
To extremes range their views.

A mistake that causes dejection
The wrongdoer, immediately they chasten
Not listening to the excuse, penalty given is severe
Making the wrongdoer feel pierced with a spear.

The same committed by someone dear
Their thoughts becomes so unclear
And so forgiveness is what they feel
Is the very best way to heal.

Heal from what I often wonder
Their thoughts filling me with anger
We are left with no other option
But be deeply hurt by their actions.

A smile for me

There are hundred of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.

Her face and heart did not seem to have seen much of laughter. Her lips hardly seemed to curve to give a smile. Neighbors said it is very rare to see her smile. She did not pose the figure of being friendly to her neighbors. She stays all alone in her flat.

I saw her when I went to pay my electricity bill. She was standing ahead of me in the long queue. Standing for long under the heat made her sit down. As her turn came, she handed over the EB card and some cash to the counter lady. When her card, receipt and balance were returned to her, we saw our lady standing without any response as if in a trance. All efforts to call her seemed to fall into deaf ears. An elderly lady sought my help in making her sit down. The EB employee offered a bottle of water, which, I gave to this lady. She just took a sip and handed it back to me. I collected her card, receipt and the balance and helped her keep them in her bag. I offered to take her home which she refused. A few minutes after sitting down, she picked herself up and started to walk. I came to know then from my friend that this lady stayed in the apartments where we stayed.

I still neither know her name nor do I have any other information about her. I had not done much for her that day and I wish I could have done more. But I was rewarded beautifully for this simple gesture of mine.

And the reward is this:

Whenever she sees me, her lips curve to give me a beautiful smile.

Each Morning

As I try to wake up each morning
My mind is all set for a fighting
It splits itself into two
Both trying, the other to outdo.

One insists on sending me out of bed
To freshen and start the day ahead
The other is ready to claim its right
And says lazing also does excite.

Between the two, raging a war so ferocious
In their views they have lot of clearness
Active one says, have time for yourself and so arise
Doing nothing, is time for self, the lazy replies.

Enough of their stupid fight I decide
No more can I let them be vied
The active one is welcome on weekdays
While the lazy one gets the holidays.

Oblivious is he of the pomp and show
His life clock now ticked down to zero
Lying down on this specially made bed
To the other world he seemed to have fled.

Crackers burst and flowers strewn
What use is of this love not shown
When alive we seemed to ignore
Now dead, we seem to adore.

In a few minutes all that would remain
Are the ashes, which we may retain
Later to immerse in some river
And may be forget him forever.