CALM DOWN, RESPECT AND DON'T SHOUT

Do fairy tales truly exist?

I sometimes wonder about this.

It's not something logical to think about.

But thinking like a child is a bliss.

Though imagination flows incessantly,

I won't compare it with air or water.

To some extent, they both can be cooped up.

However, imagination has no stopper.

You may say," Mind is its container."

I ask, "Why imagination increases in quantity then?"

Well! Either mind is a unique container

Or there is something special about imagination.

When it seems improbable or impossible,

We give it a term called 'fantasy'.

Haha! If we don't get something straightway,

We don't consider it to be a reality.

Ohh! This sounds like some dumb debate.

But I do have a point to be noted here.

It's not about 'fairy tales','imagination' or 'fantasy'.

It's about respecting the vivid thoughts that people share.

So, fairy tales may or may not exist.

I think it's simply not to worry about.

To find meaning in everything is not always essential.

So, calm down, respect and don't shout.

-----------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(September 16,2018)

FAILURE HURTS

It is certainly some nightmare

That wants you to be aware

That you surely need to stop and stare

The small things of life layer by layer.

It's like getting a terrible electric shock.

You know you have something but unable to rock.

It's arduous to tread the new path block by block

When you feel that everyone is there to mock.

It is a pus that bestows an unbearable pain.

Day by day it simply becomes hard to regain

The sanity that is required to peacefully sustain

In this worldly realm and to have less strain.

It is as if some vehicle rashly runs into you.

And you are dead before you think to do

Something so that your life may continue.

Alas! There is hardly anyone at your rescue.

It is as if you are suffering from deep burns within.

You constantly feel that you have committed some sin.

You surrender yourself to your traumatic chagrin.

Gradually, this becomes your so-called daily routine.

I know the above comparisons seem eerie.

But truly failures fall on us like a catastrophe.

It never matters whether we are free or busy

To accept these failures in life's journey.

People may say," Failures are stepping stones to success."

But they will be the first ones to laugh at your helplessness.

And if perchance some day you progress,

They will again blow their fife of "Failures ...to success".

But listening such quotes hardly matters

When the courage within deeply shatters

And our reputation simply gets in tatters.

Failure makes us forget our manners.

I am not here to preach some thought

About failures, seclusion or becoming rot.

We all have our own failure to think about

And our own ways to remove the failure blot.

And those who have been lucky enough

That they never faced any failure so rough.

For them, I say," Salute to you but don't rebuff

Those failures who have experienced so tough.

Who knows one day you may need their advice?

You never know when life may give a surprise.

You have your own brain to self-analyse.

It's just that failure hurts and not all failures are unwise."

---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(August 23,2018)

THE TRAIN AND ME ( 1 )

That day was about the train and me.

My mind completely went awry.

I didn't think what would follow next.

I didn't know what would be the best.

"DREAMS". Oh! I had forgotten them.

Was it some sort of absenteeism?

Maybe I was right and maybe not.

I looked calm but my mind did shout.

It was compelling for exploring more.

But I was destined to land at platform number four.

What if I had chosen not to land there?

What if I had decided to move elsewhere?

It would have been a new adventure.

Maybe not with much pleasure or splendour.

At least I would have been free.

Away from what all expect from me.

Away from parameters of success and failure.

Away from faces that just seem familiar.

But plans shifted when I looked outside the window.

There was a peacock dancing as if saying "Hello".

It was surrounded with greenery and babies.

But the young ones were of some other species.

Any other peacock was not to be seen.

My senses were indulged in observing this scene.

The peacock was alone in a way yet comfortable.

Unlike my mind, it was absolutely stable.

It was cherishing the present moment and dancing

As if teaching me the art of self-romancing.

It's not bad to be unique or judged everywhere.

Neither it's bad to wish for a change of air.

Life's train will keep on moving with certain halts.

On our journey, we may face some jolts.

What matters the most is rejoicing like that peacock.

Even if we are unable to rock or suffering from a shock.

Haha! To fulfil our duties when we can't think any more,

It's sometimes better to land at platform number four.

---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(August 19,2018)

STRANGER TURNED CHAT FRIEND

I chatted with a stranger that day.

Was it a mistake that I did?

I don't know what came over me that day.

I still think I was completely stupid.

Earlier, I had some principles.

I broke them on my own.

Though they were my own rules

Yet they were simply blown.

It was absolutely strange for me

That I was doing something like that.

Some intellectuals will probably say,

"What's a big deal in having a normal chat?"

Well! When something is done for the first time,

Things are certainly different for the doer.

Moreover, he was totally unknown.

For me, he was just a stranger.

Now, don't look at me with contempt and scorn

For chatting with someone whom I never knew.

Even if for once in a lifetime, at that moment,

I wholeheartedly wanted to commit a mistake too.

Haha! My whole life has been a rule-dictionary.

I was surely a good rule-following girl.

I still don't know if it was the goodness in me

Or some obscure fear of a high level.

Fear was somewhat less.

It was respect for elders that I had.

For any dreary mistake of mine,

I didn't want them to get mad or sad.

So, I decided to restrain my playfulness

To avoid the company of bad children.

But somewhere deep inside my pure soul,

There was always a whimsical child hidden.

I devoted myself just to my studies

To stay away from futile distractions.

Anything else hardly mattered to me.

I was far away from fashion or shitty attractions.

Oh!When you get habitual of repeating something,

You tend to become what you practice.

My face and personality seemed sombre.

I turned into a good con artist, I guess.

Now, when I ponder upon those vague chats,

I don't see them as some horrible mistake.

But, always at the back of my mind,

The memories of past incessantly ache.

This stranger seems a good friend now.

I hope this friendship never changes.

I don't expect anything else from him.

I hope he respects friendship's ranges.

God forbid if he fails in keeping this friendship,

I will consider it to be my first jolly mistake.

I know I will be dejected and forlorn for a while.

At least I will be content for not being fake.

I won't be meeting this stranger ever in my life

For it was one of my conditions to be his friend.

I genuinely don't wish for any chaos anymore.

I am happy being just a "STRANGER TURNED CHAT FRIEND".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(August 5,2018)

CYCLING THAT MORNING

Cycling that morning

Made me feel complete.

Its pleasure was much more than

Living in some lavish suite.

It seemed as if my nerves

Were dancing from within.

The road was all empty

And I felt like its queen.

It made me recall everything

That was but merely past.

Both sweet and sour memories

Struck my mind really fast.

But it also made me cherish

The moment I was living in.

The poor past began to fade away.

As I began feeling the joy of being pristine.

There were certain tunes in my mind

That elated my heart's beating.

But they were absolutely futile

In comparison to the birds' twittering.

No horns or cars were there.

Everything seemed serene.

No shouting, scolding or arguing.

The world appeared green and clean.

I had heard once that

Green is the colour of jealousy.

Haha! Now, I laugh at this thought.

For me, green proved to be a remedy.

Maybe it's just about perceptions

That engross our mind from time to time.

Depending on the path we choose,

The same thing can be either sullen or sublime.

It was an exhilaration for me.

I don't want to leave it again.

Devoting some time to cycling

Made me forget all pain.

It was lime and salt

For my rusted personality.

Maybe this is what is

Cycling's speciality

 ---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June26,2018)

MISS MINA

Miss Mina lost her most lovely temper

When scolded by a family member.

The relative called her clumsy.

She said," No one loves me."

Then, she heard the words of her father.

"My daughter looks ugly.

She looks stout and clumsy.

But, she has a heart of gold.

She is truly brave and bold.

Her simplicity is her beauty.

When no one stood by me,

Her faith in me was plenty.

She understood things beyond her age.

She never made any money wastage

Unlike those who spend frivolously.

She works hard constantly

Avoiding any bad company.

Is it easy to control teenage emotions?

But she shuns any stupid affections.

I am proud of her audacity.

When sometimes I watch her studying,

I am completely left just wondering

If I had also done the same labour.

But, even I never tried to seize the hour.

Her willpower is simply mesmerizing.

Many a time when she felt hungry,

She either didn't eat or ate homemade curry.

When her friends ate delicious street foods,

She dominated her taste moods.

I don't remember her enjoying any luxury.

She is clumsy by her choice

For she doesn't wish to raise her voice

In front of fools whom she respects.

The harshness in you she easily detects.

But she never makes any noise.

Oh! Constant hitting can cut any rock.

For me, her sudden outburst isn't a shock.

There is a limit of meaningless scolding.

After a point, mean things start to sting.

She is a human, not a still wall clock.

If you still have some self-respect,

Then your words, you should wisely select.

Don't  you dare to mock her again

Or else my anger I won't restrain.

The beauty within her is just perfect."

Miss Mina's eyes were filled with tears.

She had not been given any praises for years.

She said," Thank You, dear father.

Your words have made me stronger.

Hearing such words is a boon for my ears.

I am lucky enough to have you.

Under your guidance, I grew.

But today, in a way I let you down.

I failed in handling their frown.

I am just insane in my view."

I was standing at a distance and saw this scene.
I felt as if it has become people's daily routine
To judge others by their appearances.
Is it what we mean by coexistence?
Are these our etiquettes and discipline?

They say,"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder."

In reality, for external beauty, their souls smoulder. 

Maybe they are just another bunch of hypocrites

Who believe people like Miss Mina to be misfits.
 Perhaps we all are merely turning into living monsters.

---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June24,2018)

THEY ARE JUST UNKNOWNS

It's easier to talk to someone unknown.

Maybe some people feel just too alone

When relations are completely blown

And the heart is turned into a mere stone.

Well! Some people may also talk for fun.

They may wish to know the other person.

For some, it's time pass before time's gone.

There may be simply no other reason.

Then there are thinkers and writers

Who may even wish to hear whispers.

For them, life is stories on new matters.

They secretly wish for unique adventures.

There are also those who disguise and talk.

Talking to them may not be a cakewalk.

They may be a grey shaded "Sherlock".

Their true identity may leave us in a shock.

Finally, there are those who don't want to meet.

In real life, you don't wish to give them a greet.

But talking to them feels simply sweet.

There is no involvement of any personal benefit.

You never share much personal information.

You never tell about your house's location.

Away from any so-called temptation,

With an unknown, builds a nameless relation.

You both forever remain incognito.

There is no involvement of the ego.

Basically, you both don't know

If the other one's a crow or psycho.

Haha! The other one may be a fierce Dracula

Who may be living in a ruin crowned by a cupola.

What if it's a conspiracy under some big umbrella?

What if the other one has a pretended aura?

Oh! Just never urge to meet the other.

Even if you urge, then don't just bother.

Stay like an undercovered agent forever.

Then you won't need to fret or become sombre.

Unknowns don't have a preconception about us.

So, we feel that they won't be creating any fuss.

To some extent, the sweetness may be harmless.

But, an excess of sweets may harm our fitness.

It's better to save our lives that is more precious.

Technology may have gifted us alluring unknowns.

Most of us have them on laptops or smartphones.

Talking to them may be easy or convenient.

Talking may also be a source of entertainment.

However, at the end of the day when you feel they are knowns,

Don't forget that they are just unknowns.

---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June21,2018)