Divide

 "Mine." One declares, putting a mark, 

While they looked away, another took a part, 

And just like that, land became scarce, 

It was divided, yours and theirs;

"Mine." Unknown voices lost, 

Those thousands knew the deadly cost. 

They lost their homes, you had your stand, 

"Refugees", they were, in a known land.

~ Suranya

Protest

 On the sunset of tolerance, 

In the bleak hope of light, 

Speak up your opinion, 

Thrive in harshness. 

To survive. 

If you keep mum today, 

Agree in fear of tyranny, 

The future will not forgive you 

For causing the beginning of such a felony.

~ Suranya

Reflection

 "Who is there for me to rely on?

To understand my sorrows, 

Every time I feel there's no tomorrow?

Who is there to bring peace to the turbulent heart?

Music to the lyrics, long lost perhaps?"

I ask You in accusation.

You smile at me as though I am a fool 

Remind me of things they don't teach in school.

"Look," You said, "at the waters of the fountain, 

The pond, lakes, and waterfalls in the mountains, 

And you will find the one you seek, 

Ask them to consider your desperate plea." 

So I walked up a small hill, then a mountain, 

Down by the stream, and a fountain, 

I searched and searched, but all I found was me, 

Agitated, animated, I told You 

"Reflection is all I see."

"Exactly" You calmly stare at me.

~ Suranya

Freedom

 Here I am Alone at last, 

Fluttering my wings, hearing them flap. 

Leaving behind a cocoon of suffocation, 

Of attachments and limitations, 

I fly above, leaving them all behind, 

Worldly beings, unjust minds 

This Fakira flies closer to You, 

Reaching out to your warmth 

In a happy pursuit. 

And here it comes, a gust of wind. 

Sweeping away the bodily being: 

Struggling to stay alive, tired, I let go, 

Blending into the Universe in afterglow; 

Becoming One in a dance of Souls, 

You and I, I and You, never getting old. 

The broken wings reminding them all, 

"She was once beautiful and bold."

~ Suranya

Ifs, Buts and Maybes

Gravely ill or mostly isolated in a room, fairly bored, thinking of possibilities and fearing the inevitable doom, we often reflect back on the journey already travelled, the options explored, and paths not chosen. What ifs shroud our minds, and we often think of the choices we never made. What if we went that way? Would our story be any different? What if we never loved the people we loved? Never regretted our choices? Never understood right from wrongs? Would we still be the person we are? Maybe not.

But would it all decrease the pain we felt in life? Maybe so. If we never felt pain, how would we understand it? Funny how every time we feel pain, physical or otherwise, we tend to think we have never felt so much before. We have never been hurt this way. But is there truly a parameter to measure the different pains under different circumstances? I guess not. Therein lies the beauty of life. If we never had doubts, never wondered what ifs, then perhaps we wouldn't be hurt so much.

Then what about the physical pain we suffer? Why do we suffer? Why do we blame God for every bad day? Why do we assume pain is caused by our sins? Why can't pain be a boon? Perhaps a reason to realise the worth of everything you have. Put a value on the life you live, even in utter disappointments. Still breathing. You are alive. Feel blessed for the breath. Not many are as lucky. You see the colours. Smell the spring. Taste the delicious food. Count your blessings.

What if in a parallel universe, you are just a character in someone's book?, They have already decided your role, your story, people you meet, people you love, people who care and who don't; it's all written somewhere or being told to someone. Live the journey to the inevitable destination, grateful for your pains that make you value your pleasures.

~ Suranya