WAS IT LOVE OR HATE?

Away from the shackles of the caste system, they eloped.

Since childhood together they had coped

With the varied hardships that life had offered to them.

Most people they knew were willing to condemn

Love of any sort between two different castes.

None knew that both of them were love enthusiasts.

She was a Shudra and he was a pure Brahmin.

People said," There is nothing between them so common."

Together they moved to a distant big city.

This action of theirs could be said quite gritty.

To them, none of their relatives showed any pity.

With them, the two were no more in great propinquity.

Both got married and started living happily.

Six months passed quite peacefully.

Life was nothing but a bed of roses and fantasy.

One afternoon she saw a handsome man.

She merely glanced at him without any devilish plan.

That day got over and came yet another day.

But something about herself was not quite okay.

She prepared the breakfast and left early for work.

She was in office when her waist muscle gave a sudden jerk.

Her boss offered her to take leave.

When she saw his face, she couldn't believe

That he was the same man whom she had seen a day back.
 In a car near the old racetrack.

Wait! He exchanged an eye contact with her.

Was something going on that was truly bitter?

Some colleagues believed that she used to meet him daily.

This meeting used to be really private and hence done secretly.

One day, the husband invited the boss at home.

They became friends with relations as fertile as loam.

"I love you", said this new man to her.

She retorted," Me too but I just cannot deter

The love that I share with my husband.

Let's forget whatever between us has happened."

However, she couldn't resist her lusty self again.

A gush of adrenaline ran through her body's terrain.

Oh! The poor husband discovered what was kept arcane.

Now, on her body and self who would reign?

The hubby said nothing but suffered a deep pain.

He pushed the other man out of his house in the heavy rain.

Out of her nervousness, on the floor she feigned.

When she woke up, she found herself to be internally stained.

Deep inside her heart and body, the other man's name was ingrained.

She was guilty of her activities so unrestrained

But still wanted to continue the new relationship that was unexplained.

She asked her husband to leave her on her own.

However, the husband couldn't condone

Her sudden urge to be with someone else.

His love for her had turned into something more intense.

He persuaded his wife for a few weeks more

To stay with him and let the love to soar.

To his utter dismay, the wife remained adamant.

He became more aggressive in his bafflement.

One day he said," I shouldn't have married you.

What have you done to me? Do you have any clue?"

The wife smiled and said," You were far away from me.

Since we left our town, you never let me free.

If you will call it love and concern, I won't agree.

I needed the long-forgotten love, not the filigree.

When you came back two months later, I got an opportunity.

You started trusting your friend more than me.

Through him, I channelised my way to be free.

You treated me like some material in your possession.

Step into my shoes and tell what you would have done?

Don't beat about the bush. Give some better suggestion."

He replied,

"Dear wife lets conclude that we both were beguiled.

From our lives, true love was exiled.

What's already lost from both sides, cannot be reconciled.

But, dear, I am sorry I cannot remain mild

On seeing that you are giving birth to someone else's child.

I will never let my love for you go futile.

It shall be eternal and worthwhile.

It was my mistake to let you run wild.

But I will punish myself in a way that is restyled.

I will devoid myself of my beloved.

Without you, my life will be vague and vapid.

I am now enough reviled.

Goodbye, my problem child."

The whole room turned into flesh and blood.

I don't think I need to tell the gory aftermath.

Cremation ground, jail, innocent death or unrequited love,

What won and rose above?

The participants met their destined fate.

But a question remained intact.

'WAS IT LOVE OR HATE?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June29,2018)

ADMITTING THE REALITY

"Hey! Bald Man. Funny Bald Man", said the roadside urchin

With innocence on his face and a slight grin.

The bald man just passed a smile.

The urchin pondered," Is it some new style?"

However, the bald man was there not alone.

Along with him was his belligerent son.

The son said,"Hey you urchin change your tone

Or else I will make you moan."

The urchin mocked and showed his tongue

In return of the scolding so young.

"Why don't you chide that moron?",said the son.

The bald man retorted," Just wait! My little one."

Meanwhile, the errant urchin ran away.

The son stood there in utter dismay.

The bald man said,"Son, look at me.

Now, tell me clearly what do you see?"

"I see my father; the man who makes me glee.

What else should be your identity for me?",

replied the son being a little bit annoyed.

For a while, his words created a void.

"Oh! I inquire of you the reality.

Not what for you is my identity.

I am not asking what you think of me.

Just tell me clearly what do you see?",

Exhorted the bald man.

Soon thereafter the son's answer began.

"Father, I see your head is bald.",

said the son in a tone so appalled.

The father said,"Son, I am proud of the urchin who spoke so true.

Now, I am even proud of you.

Though the reality may sound bitter

Yet you will have to accept that.

Life may not always bestow gold and glitter.

I wanted you to learn this fact.

That's why I didn't commit the act

Of rebuking that roadside urchin.

You may call it my secret tact

To save you from any future lurching.

For a peaceful co-existence in the society

Nothing can be better than 'ADMITTING THE REALITY'."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June27,2018)

DEAR RADHIKA, YOU ARE NO ONE TO DECIDE YOUR MORTALITY

It was the second last exam day.

I had written something wrong in the essay.

I didn't cheat for I don't believe in foul play.

I felt myself far away from a heyday.

For me, that exam was not a child's play.

My mind said," Why are you on this planet anyway?

There are no chances of an 'action replay'.

Kill yourself. End your day.

It will be better for you than to slowly decay.

What if you fail?

Surrender yourself to my assail."

Amidst a howling gale,

I stood silent, all pale.

All engrossed in self-plight,

I moved five steps towards my right.

"Bang! Boom!", I heard a noise.

I turned, looked back and left my poise.

I just couldn't believe my sight.

All my nerves turned so tight.

My eyes stared at the brutally fallen tree.

A minute ago it could have overpowered me.

Death was just a few inches away.

I could have been the easiest prey.

For me, death was making its way.

It wanted to gift me the final getaway.

After all, we all are under it's sway.

Then why it's plan for me was in disarray?

What it actually wanted to convey?

Did it want to show it's presence to me?

Maybe it was showing it's pride in being a good listener.

Maybe it was just mocking at my stupidity
As if saying to me,
" DEAR RADHIKA, YOU ARE NO ONE TO DECIDE YOUR MORTALITY".

---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June25,2018)

MY GRANDMA (I dearly used to call her " Mumma")

We used to go for evening walks.

We used to have lots of talks.

She made me learn maths tables so hard.

She gave me the freedom to think unbarred.

We used to munch on golgappas-our dearest street food.

Each time we ate, we felt renewed

We used to listen and sing

Various poems, songs and hymns.

The random tunes always added some zing.

With her I felt, I could achieve anything.

She was my rescuer. Oh! My Guardian Angel.

She stood like a wall between me and anything baneful.

She always healed me with her touch so gentle.

She was happy-go-lucky and simple.

Although she was one of the most jovial persons I ever saw

Yet when frozen with anger, it might take months for her to thaw. 

Whatever as a child, I might have heard and viewed,

I can never forget her fortitude.

My father had her as his single parent.

However, she was not some errant.

Even at an old age, her vim and vigour were quite apparent.

Her personality was charming and coherent.

Her smile was surely vivacious.

Not even an ounce of her was treacherous.

Her eyes had a sunshine effect.

With hair like grapevine curls, she seemed intact.

It's still bemusing for me how her body turned out to be so baleful

That within the blink of an eye she became a person so dull.

My parents just couldn't figure out what had happened to her.

One morning when I woke up, I saw her head resting on a hospital bolster.

The doctors told that the cause of her suffering was a latent kidney disorder.

Oh! She was dependent on others even for water.

When her clothes had a vomit smear,

On her own, she couldn't even wear

The sarees and suits that once to her were so dear.

It seemed that from within she began to sear.

I won't talk about my parents and their incessant tears.

However, my grandma had the valour of a fighter.

My parents never gave up on her even when situations were tighter.

When local hospital doctors couldn't cure her,

She was shifted to a bigger one and kept on a ventilator.

Even here all hopes did shatter.

A chain of shifting her from hospital to hospital was made

Just to make sure that her condition should be better.

Sometimes I wonder if she was subjected to nothing

But some nasty hospital swindle

That made her almost dwindle.

Her bones became fragile and brittle.

Her body turned pale and shrivelled.

All I could remember were holes in her body

Due to the so-called injections and their thimble

That was inserted into her almost every hour.

I hate the devils in the garb of doctors

Who made my Grandma look like a monster.
Her whole body was just filled with blisters.

I still think the whole hospital service was a bloody swindle.

Relatives and their ornate support is yet another riddle.

Alas! All this was futile now 

For my fairy(my grandma) was no more there to enkindle

My sweet small world.

I didn't even hear her last fizzle.

But don't you worry Mumma,

The love that we shared will always be transcendental.

---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June23,2018)

JUNE 21

This is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.

It's a time to wake up and cheer.

A time to enjoy the nature so austere

By performing Yoga and making our souls clear.

Surrender yourselves to the ecstasy of the atmosphere.

For our body, let us be sincere.

If you are a fatty like me, you should persevere.

Let us start our body's gear.

It's another beautiful day in the Northern Hemisphere.

Like me all those who fear,

For whom Yoga is something severe,

Just close your eyes and nature's voice you should hear.

For nature and its true soulmates never jeer.

I don't know whether I am worthy enough to preach to you, dear.

I surely don't like to interfere.

However, I can vouch for the fact crystal clear

That Yoga shouldn't be celebrated just today;

We should rejoice its benefits throughout the year.

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

OUR LOST HUMANITY(It's not just she. It's even he....)

It's not just she.

It's even he

When we talk of people assaulted savagely.

His life was also carefree,

He was just like his friends, so gutsy.

But, who knows when life may go awry?

Who knows when life may show it's brutality?

They dragged him cruelly and sodomised him.

The whole scenario was too grim.

They stole away his youthful vim.

All left was a boy so dim.

Are we incarnations of some demon?

Who else would have fun in defiling someone?

At least the ancient demons had some self-respect.

Alas! I don't think our souls contain even that.

Don't you think it's failure of humanity?

Isn't it defeat of the so-called shibboleths

That we talk of so defiantly?

We say,"Saving girl child is sanity."

I say," To save our morality should be the reality."

We need to save ourselves from the shitty salacity.

For it's not just she.

It's not just he.

Right now, all I am adverting to is 'OUR LOST HUMANITY'.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June18,2018)

MY FATHER

He taught me how to walk.

He taught me how to learn.

When I act like a gawk,

He guides me to stand firm.

He asks me to be a fierce hawk,

When I fear the storm may come.

He asks me to talk,

When my mind thrums like a drum.

He entertains me

To keep me away from life's humdrum.

He tries to give me the best,

Even on less income.

He boosts up my energy,

When I feel glum.

He never loses faith in me,

When for the world, I am a mere pond-scum.

He says," Just do the right and believe in yourself.

Your fears you will surely overcome."

For my entire self on this Earth till now,

This has been like a 'rule of thumb'.

He always stands by me,

When I so easily succumb

To the dreary forces and despair.

However, he also says he won't be always there,

To make me aware

Of what's true and fair.

So, I will have to be beware.

On my own, I will have to compare,

Make my choices and share,

So that I may not fall prey to some snare.

Oh! I am sorry it's none of you, dear friends.

It's only my father for me who transcends

All the people who were, are or will be in my life.

Respect for him within be always rife.

For it is because of him who I am 

And who I will be.

Even my thousand thanks to him

Will always be scanty.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June16,2018)

THE TIME

Strange is what I am feeling right now.

Probably there isn't any heeling right now.

Words are getting futile, I believe.

How can I ever retrieve,

The time that just passed and I saw?

I am bombarded with feelings I cannot withdraw.

The memories that I could have made.

The time when I could have freely played.

The time when I could have made stronger bonds.

The time when I could have acted like vagabonds.

The time when I could have made stupid sounds.

The time when there were no bounds.

Alas! That time is gone.

But to forget it is a sine qua non,

For dwelling in the past is never too right.

It will just turn me more contrite

Towards myself whom I had hurt the most.

Now, I will look after myself utmost.

The time always confounds.

Who exactly knows when there may be turnarounds?

---------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June13,2018)

DON'T LET THE ADORABLE RELATIONS FADE AWAY

This is the twenty-first century, dear friends,

Where there are emerging trends,

To demean a person's existence.

You can call people lazy,

You can call them fool.

You can ridicule people anytime,

Like beating a child with a ferule.

Well! That's not just a single tool

To break relational ties and look so cool.

Try ignoring relatives. Don't even give a call.

Block the number and freely roam in the mall.

Oh! Does that sound really harsh?

Then boast about your buildings and cars.

Look upon your relative with contempt and scorn,

Until from within, he is permanently torn.

I assure you he won't talk to you,

Accruing to your so-called brag.

If he still talks to you, then prove him

That for you he is nothing but a rag.

Nevertheless, you can always surreptitiously

Talk behind his back.

However, your tirade should never lack,

Bestial words wrapped in a silent smack.

Ha! That's what happens when relations are slack.

When meeting on certain occasions is imperative,

Just pass supercilious smirks.

Your relative will accept your attitude

As one of your little quirks.

Further, you can mock at his dressing style,

Adhering to your standard guile.

Be perpetual in doing this for a while.

At least you won't need to revile.

When he eats a morsel,

Pretend as if he has eaten a buffet.

Make him feel direful,

That's another trick to make your relations slowly decay.

When new relations can be made and broken

Within a few seconds play,

Then what's the harm in breaking those old ones?

Does it really matter anyway?

Be it maternal or paternal relations,

It hardly matters.

When relations are built upon a shaky base,

Each participant surely shatters.

I don't know what the twenty-second century

Has stored in for us.

Is it a boon or a curse?

Maybe it's just worse.

Perhaps killing will be lawful.

What can one say?

It's surely going to be awful.

To live happily forever,

"DON'T LET THE ADORABLE RELATIONS FADE AWAY".

---------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June11,2018)

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

"Boys will be boys", said one of the two ladies standing at the Chiranjeev Vihar Bus Stop in a rasping voice. She was a rotund brunette with a towering height. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun and her overall look seemed to be of an office working woman. She was married as it could be easily identified by looking at the long streak of "red sindoor" that embraced the area above her temple. Also, she must be in the thirties or forties as was evident from the vertical wrinkles on her face not very nicely concealed by her makeup. The other one too resembled her except for the fact that she was petite with black cropped hair.

The bus for Vaishali Metro Station was going to be an hour late accruing to the dense fog that had encumbered the entire Delhi-NCR Region. Thus, what all I could do was to wait just like the other daily commuters. While waiting, I happened to hear a few excerpts from the conversation between the two ladies.

Petite-      Got a complaint from Ravi's school yesterday.

Brunette-  That's not something new for you.

Petite-      This time it's something serious Tanya. He could have murdered someone.

Brunette-  Oh! Come on Rupa. He was just driving a car. He is in 11th and boys tend to do silly mistakes at his age.

Petite-      He ran into the old school watchman who is right now injured. Don't you know the consequence if...

Brunette- LOOK.Ravi's driving could've killed the watchman but it didn't. There are varied possibilities of things that could've happened. It doesn't mean that we have to worry about such things. And no matter what may happen, boys will be boys. You just can't restrict them.

The entire conversation above mattered to me not just because I had never heard of a similar incident earlier but also because of something that I usually hear,i.e., the common saying,
"BOYS WILL BE BOYS."
The aforementioned saying is a universal fact but with a little bit change. I say,
"HUMANS WILL BE HUMANS."
Haha! Of course, they won't be rabbits.
Apart from the poor joke above, a major point to note is that our society tries to cover each and every sin under the garb of some stupid saying. For instance, if a boy passes cheap comments on a girl, people say,"It happens. What can we do? It will remain the same."
And for that matter even if a girl says something ill, people say,"Girls these days have become bitter. It's in fashion. What can we do?"

Before I continue further, I just wanna say that I am not a staunch feminist or male supporter. Rather, I am an egalitarian. The question I am putting up here is only about the ability to sift right from wrong and take a suitable action. Though, it cannot be ignored that in India, this unbiased favour is given more to the males than the females. Peradventure, we can say that there is a three to two ratio for males to females in this regard.

Maybe this is the reason why crime committing rate of males is much more than the females. Maybe that's why we had witnessed an escalation of robbery, dowry and rape cases to name a few in the recent past.
We have often heard,"What we sow, so shall we reap." However, we never fail to have a tendency of forgetting it. Therefore, to put forth my viewpoint, I have written a few verses as follows:

A newborn child is the purest soul.

Then what makes the devil crawl

into his small heart and mind?

How is the canny plot designed

to make him behave like a goon?

Why he is not immune

to all the satanic charms?

Oh! It's his mother's arms

that screen her child like an armour.

There is no doubt, for a mother her child is a charmer.

Being intoxicated by her blind love for the child,

she becomes too meek and mild

to forgive all his errors.

Oh! She never knows they will become terrors

if left ignored and unhandled.

Ultimately, all lives will be dismantled.

When she will scold,

that child who is now a man so bold,

it would be too late to realise.

Now her voice will be just another noise.

And all left will be a mere stupid saying,

"BOYS WILL BE BOYS."

---------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June8,2018)

DON'T MAKE NATURE BURN

Sometimes I wonder of nature's enigma.
It's obscurity and the incessant stigma
That our humanity thrusts upon it,
Making it more unfit.
Its woeful yearning blows in my ears like an alarm.
Is something hindering the magic of its charm?
Oh! Certainly, I know not of this.
However, I do vouch for the eternal bliss
That it bestows upon our race,
Without even witnessing any penitence on our face
For what we have done to it.
Oh! What is this shit,
Where one sucks the other dry anon,
The latter succumbs itself to former's fun,
And there is surely none to shun
The ruthlessness of everyone?
Oh !Much is yet undone.
But, such time is soon to come
When nature's retaliation will make us run.
Oh, Goons! It's not a pun.
Don't make the nature burn.

-------------------©Radhika Gupta(June5,2018)

TALES(Fantasy,Adventure)(Story 1, Part (a))

Kush's Diary

As I opened my eyes, I could only see the calm azure above. My cheeks could only feel some slightly rounded particles clashing against them but to my shock, I couldn't feel those particles anywhere else. The only voice which could be heard was of the slight wind blowing in the vicinity. This was strange and stranger was the fact that I wasn't able to move. I felt as if my whole body was under the influence of some strong invisible force that was holding me to the ground.

Suddenly, I saw a big orange of yellow colour kept on two thin sticks. Some of its peels looked like big wings. This round and plump looking figure seemed to be mouthwatering. The thought of it's sour and sweet taste gave me some kind of relaxation. What all I wanted was just to have it but on a closer look, I saw that it had two large eyes staring at me. Indeed, it was not an orange but some kind of a strange living creature of the vicinity. Being in complete dismay, I started howling just in order to get saved.

This unknown figure than came next to my ears and said,"Azura releaso." No sooner did the words strike my ears than I began to feel free. It seemed as if all that had locked me earlier was now gone. This figure helped me to get up and now I could find some gentleness in the eyes of my adversary. He held my right hand and placed a stone on it which looked much like Lapiz-lazuli. Also, he tried to explain me something in his native language but all in vain. It was only after he muttered a few magical words when things became clearer to me.

In a purling voice, he said,"My name is Azure and I am the pharaoh of the Blue Kingdom. I have kidnapped you for you can only save my kingdom by solving an equation scroll stolen by the demon, Yora." His introduction seemed quite ironical for in spite of being the king of the Blue Kingdom he was all yellow but on further introspection, I came to know that this was his disguise so that none of Yora's people could catch him. I never wanted to trust this strange looking Azure who was all yellow but I had no choice. Therefore, I continued my journey with him. Now, even the surroundings were much clear. This Azure, I must say was talented for within a few seconds he turned a barren piece of land into a forest.

This forest was mystical. The birds were grunting in the marshy mud whereas the large hogs with big wings were twittering on the trees. These trees were also dipped in a blue paint. Moreover, there were squeaking bears, humming apes, quacking elephants and what not. The world here was completely topsy-turvy and I was suffering from hunger pangs. So, Mr. Azure who till now had been a good companion of mine gave me some black mangoes and white grapes to eat. After filling myself completely, I asked him about the powers of the stone. Then he said,"The stone will reveal it's powers to you only when you will need it the most. Just remember the power of Goddess Azura."

Having passed the jungle, we reached the dreary kingdom of Yora where we were welcomed by the honey-bee warriors with a sting like a shovel in their hands. The huge walls and gates of the palace looked infected with jaundice. Even the round stones looked like lemons. The sky was all gold and the demon's subjects were yellow Alphonso mangoes. Mr. Azure wished me luck and bid adieu to me before I entered the castle.

I stepped into the main hall only to find a huge grasshopper of yellow colour with a tongue like a frog. His eyes appeared like potato wafers that could be easily crushed and wings like that of a ladybird. This weird thing was holding a scroll in its hand which was indeed the equation and guess who was the creature? Undoubtedly, he was Yora, the stupid demon. I couldn't help but started laughing. Suddenly, everything came to a halt as Yora held me with his tongue. To be true, he was a villain. Defeating him was not that easy. I tried to crush his wafery eyes and munch on them for that seemed to be his weakest organ but even after this nothing could bring down his zeal for fighting. Thinking of nothing else, I took the stone out of my pocket and started remembering Goddess Azura.

Out of a sudden, there appeared a bright white light and a fairy in a blue-white gown of pearls landed on the head of Yora. Her hair looked like curly locks of blue-pearl and eyes like shining crystal. Her wings were too beautiful to imagine with different blue-colour patterns. She even carried a scepter in her right hand but was she 'Thumbelina' or 'Alice in Wonderland'? Oh! she was truly too short of stature to be termed as a Goddess but her valour was probably the largest that I had ever seen. With her courage, she helped me to defeat Yora.

Now, came the most crucial time of solving the equation. The mighty Goddess gave me the scroll. As I opened the scroll, I found an equation which was not of Maths or Science but of moral values.
The equation was:


"What is it people don't find?
Why do they become so blind?
Here and there, their mind revolves
And hardly anyone solves
The different problems that they face.
Why do they indulge in a rat-race?"

After a lot of discussion and contemplation with the Goddess, I finally said,

"It is peace what people don't find.
It is due to the game of the mind.
For a peaceful mind vouches for a peaceful soul.
This is my answer. That's all."

"Bang", I heard a noise,"It's time to go back."
Within the blink of an eye, I found myself resting on the green grass of my estate and the birds chirping in the usual way. Gathering all my strength, I stood up only to find a stone under my feet. As I bent to pick it up, I found that the stone resembled Lapis-lazuli. I laughed and kept it with me. Afterall, it had been an unforgettable dream.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June3,2018)

COURAGE WITHIN IS STILL RIFE

Seldom do we realise the enormous power of our grey cells. Rarely we admire our success and mostly we succumb to our failures. Oh! I surely know that sounds really cliche but no matter how much I try to shun these lines to accumulate in my tiny brain, they again hit me with a supersonic sound, harder and clearer.

Not before 7 P.M. yesterday, I did see a video on Whatsapp where a brown coloured dog was trying to climb off a gate(long one). Although it tried thrice and failed yet it had the courage enough to try for the fourth time."WOW! It succeeded", I said looking at its consistency and sheer grit and courage. 

Many of you may say,"What kind of courage it is?".However, in my candid opinion courage is not something that accrues to dour looking people. It is a special feeling that makes you strive to achieve what you desire rather than quitting. Courage is in deciding what to do and then incorporating true incessant efforts to achieve our goal even when the clouds of ambiguity surround the result.

When no one stands by you, the conditions seem unfavourable and your life is mere shards of emotions, it's only courage that acts like an elixir to make sure that you walk with your head held high. Nevertheless, who said that courage ensures success. Peradventure, it makes us escape the feeling,

"Oh God!Why didn't I do it?"

or

"Maybe if I had not been coward......."

or

"What have I done to myself?"

to name a few.

Most people quote bravado soldiers and army while talking about courage but I say it's within each one of us. It may be latent or for that matter dormant but it is in our core. In fact, it's pervasive. The more we try to escape from it, the more it will make us feel guilty and remorseful for what we didn't do accruing to our perpetual hesitation in performing the task.

This reminds me of something that I had written nearly one week back. It goes as follows:

Your parents, your creators were courageous for it was their call to give you birth.
Other than their conscious efforts, who else would have bought you on this earth?

Didn't you show your audacity, when you learned how to walk?

Weren't you tenacious enough to cram the countings round the clock?

You were not even third in frog race yet you submitted your name for the next one.
Your declamation speech was ineffective yet never did your temerity shun.

Although you were in a malaise thinking of results of the weekly test
Yet you never extinguished the fire within to have a face-off with another quest.

Your teenage was frivolous and vulnerable yet you mastered the art of self-control.
Burning the midnight oil, you reached your thirties.
Afterall, who said success is a stroll?

Wasn't it a bold step to convince your beloved that you loved her with all your heart?
Ha! Wasn't it arduous to eat the burnt offering by her of the apple tart?

You witnessed your prowess and guts when you banished your decadent child
For whom you swam against the tide to bulwark his radiant smile.

Now, when solitude is all in the end, why are you refraining yourself from courage?
Nevertheless, Shakespeare said,"All the world's a stage."

So why don't you praise yourself for the role you played?
For showing courage during ups and downs  even when you were betrayed,
Admire yourself, love your life.

Don't forget: "COURAGE WITHIN IS STILL RIFE"

-------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June2,2018)

BELIEVE

Can anyone tell the secret of this life?

Can anyone shun the incessant strife?

Oh!That which is within me.

It always makes me awry.

Is there any fairy?

The one who can tell me clearly.

Can anyone let me be who I am?

Can anyone remove the internal dam

Of feelings that tell I am callow?

Trust me,I am not so shallow.

Can anyone explain my obscurity?

Can anyone solve my enigma,my mystery?

Away from the shibboleths so dreary.

In a world that is not so scary.

Can anyone console my drenching soul?

Can anyone say"Everything's alright?"That's all.

It's me,Oh! It's me........

However high the tide maybe,

I am strong enough to see...

And make myself glee.....

Just like the Phoebus in June.

Like the glare of midnight full moon.

Just like a sapling in its fresh verdure.

Like attaining some old cure.

I believe,I believe....................in me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------©Radhika Gupta(June1,2018)