Yesterday's Valentine

When I opened my Windows the other day,

 I saw a dewy red rose waiting for me

One that never was gifted to me, never

Then I saw it was yesterday’s valentine.

I searched old frames of memories long gone by

Dusted a few snaps of love, friendship and tears

For  sure I saw your frame ,fresh as morning dew

But I never knew I had this snap with me.

I never knew I had your face with me, no never!

Tucked away in the far recesses of my disobedient mind

I can see you saw it better than me, all the time

Today I see the yellow roses paving  our way.

The Miracle

The Miracle

The ochre robe moves on, the blessed ones in bliss

Leaving in its wake holy ashes, watches, silver and gold

I watch mesmerized, is it God, Man or Godman?

But Stephen Hawking says there is no God!

One misty morning I spot the humble Tulsi plant

Sprouting from the tiniest crevice of the ugly concrete floor

The one which usurped the worn granite of yore

Which surround our puny little Krishna shrine

I look around to spot the Tulsi’s  genesis ,see none

None that I can see up the bush which grows defiantly

Down the dusty road that winds up the village

Not another shoot of Tulsi seen, is this a miracle?

The breeze that caresses me could have brought it

The water that rain sprinkled would have grown it

Just an accident of nature -rational and logical

Or do I see the shepherd smile through his flute?

 June sees the rain kiss our shores and cure its summer

Coconuts hold their holy water hidden, sweet and somber

Sunrays bless the leaf, Leaves power  our lives,

Rivulets reach the stream, the ocean and then the clouds

Miracles all of them but Hawking says there is no God!

The ochre robe moves on leaving gasps, tears and bliss

I see miracles everywhere, in earth, water, air, space and fire

For I don’t wait for the saffron robe to show me one

The prayer, the care –all human, None that I claim as mine,

I give, I help and expect the ingratitude, the scorn

I am the prayer, the contemplation, the God, selfless

And then Hawking says there is no God! He is a liar!

10^th July 2011

Santhosh Rajagopal

The Unsung Lullaby

Life’s train hurtles, shakes and moves along

I hold on to the rails for dear life and breath

Surely I heard her whispering in my ear

“Be careful when it brakes, you might fall”

She combed my hair even in unkempt teenage

Said she didn't like lice from my pretty girl friends

I had none, but still I said “Amma, You are right”

I loved the feeling of her hand on my forehead

She never failed to say “be careful”

Fed me by hand even as a six footer

Her recipes were divine- friends testified

But nothing tasted better than her fingers in your mouth

And then her mind sank to depths of darkness unseen

She talked about death as if it were a friend

The winter morning came, she went unseen

But not before ordering milk for the evening sweet

The milk grew cold on the lifeless stove

The house grew crowds-loved and unloved

Fire avenged the divine gift at dusk

Under cold waves the ashes dispersed

But today I hear yesterday’s melodies

The ones that put us brats to sleep

Life’s train hurtles, shakes and moves along

And I wait for the lullabies unsung.

Monsoon Hopes

The clouds gather as they do every year

The silence breaks, heaven descends

Parched land overflows with joy

Cracks turn rivulets, green shoots up crevices

Tiled roofs cry out in joy , earth freshens the air

Windows sprinkle the rooms, little hearts kick up dirt

All that you forgot rewinds, why no one knows

Rain does not wash away memories!

I hear your smile,I see your song and the long silences

Moments stolen from alert eyes, those fleeting caresses

The songs that we shared, unknown to the watchful crowd

The tears we shared, as our lives crowded out our love

The clouds have gathered, the parched earth waits

But silence descends, only sadness breaks my silence

My mind overflows with hope and prayer

Will this monsoon bring me spring at last?

Santhosh Rajagopal

18th May 2011