a flutter in my heart and mind
a tremor in my limbs
a need to go somewhere, someplace
stumbling drowning in a dark confusion
a disorientation so deep
there is no escape
No Escape
Tag Archives: Random Poetry
Not So Familiar
Lost in the streets I’ve known like the back of my hand
Surprising what a few years away can do.
My mind has reset. Everything looks new.
Scars, memories erased
Do I want to go back?
Yes, or maybe no.
Relationships Sometimes
Eternal Quest
And then I want to walk down this path
That goes on and on
From my town to the next
Across cities and states
And countries
Oceans and seas
Continents
I want to see faces different from mine
Speak languages I haven’t heard
I want to feel
I want to know
Ennui
Sometimes
I want to get out
I want to meet people
I want to talk
Employ my voice
Then the moment passes
Mommy Dearest!
When I look at myself
through your eyes
the disasters and pitfalls
seem inconsequential
the fragrance of childhood still lingers strong
in your arms
life looks almost bearable
thank you for being the only constant in my life, Mommy dearest.
with lots of love and kisses!
Your only daughter,
Simi
Roam to your Heart’s Content- Street Joy (Spain)
Along ancient streets
and by-lanes
alien sounds ebb and flow
With familiar inflections
passions don’t simmer
they explode
Stirring smiles
on drab countenances
The air vibrates with soul
Inspired by the ancient streets of Cordoba, Toledo, Seville, Granada, in Spain. Walk on! More poems in my soon to be released book ‘Under the Shade of the Banyan Tree’.
White Room
The Self Portraits of William Utermohlen
I lie on the bed
They sit around me
These strangers with familiar voices
In the white room
I think we are waiting for something
Or someone
These strangers, they look at me
They mutter words I don’t understand
A man wearing a white coat walks in
He stands next to my bed
He speaks not to me
But to these strangers
They are talking about me I know
But what I don’t understand
Irritated, I kick off the covers
Mother! They chide me and pull them back
About the poem: This is a poem about dementia, the hallmark of the disease being loss of memory. I write about a scene I came across during my rounds in the hospital–an elderly lady in the advanced stages of dementia is lying on the bed surrounded by her caring relatives.
About the image: These are a series of self portraits that William Utermohlen, an American artist embarked on after learning he had Alzheimer’s disease.
Musafir : Darwaze
Gateway to the Taj Mahal
A corridor in Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri
Balcony, Humayun’s Tomb,Delhi
Smiles
Darwaze, khidkiyaan, jharokhe, verandey
Kitni khoobsurat
Hain ye imaartein
Inhe dekho
Suno
Samjho
Socho
Jano
Kuch keh rahi hain ye
Tumse
Rough translation: (Doors, windows, details, so beautiful, are these buildings, look at them, listen, understand, think, learn, they are speaking to you)
What can I say, but I’m fascinated and inspired by buildings, and people around buildings. That’s why I’m a musafir. Kindly excuse me for my very poor Urdu and Hindi poetry skills.
Glossary:
Darwaza: Urdu for door; Khidki: Hindi for window; Jharokha: An overhanging enclosed balcony used in Rajasthani architecture; Khoobsurat: Urdu for beautiful; Imaarat: Urdu for building; Dekho: Hindi for look; Suno: Hindi for listen; Socho: Hindi for think; Jano: Hindi for learn
Silent Scream
Yang Shaobin Untitled (Portrait #15)
Expanding inside me like a mushroom cloud
Pouring out of my mouth, my ears, my eyes, my flesh.
I scream
Let me speak