The Persian Market

Tourists come and go to the persian market
Taking in the sights, sounds and aromas

The various merchants try to interest them in their wares
"Look at these jucy dates" says one, "smell this lovely scent" says another

"Listen to the melodius tunes from this flute" says another
"Feel the softnesss of these persian rugs" says another

And yet there comes the lover yearning for the beloved
Burnt in the fires of seperation he thirsts for nectar

The wares interest him not and the merchants realize
That this is no ordinary tourist and can never be sober

Amidst all the clamor of the busy market street
The lover catches a whiff of the beloved from afar

He ignores the merchants and runs towards the shrine
Where those who are lovestruck wait for the beloved with bated breath

Having burnt in the furnace of seperation with a shudder he knocks at the door
The door opens and the lover becomes the beloved by forgetting himself

Sleep

Every time the cruel world gave me the cold shoulder
You were there to soothe me into deep rest

Every time I ended up getting hurt with an injury
You were there to numb my pain away

How many times have I cried myself hoarse
Until my mother's caressing arms took me to your doorstep

The rich or the poor are not to be distinguished
By your all encompassing power their worries are extinguished

They say the ones you love can hurt you the most
By their mere words and looking the other way

These are wounds that are most difficult to heal
Although this cross everyone needs to bear

When I am most hurt and seek your help
Why do you elude me and go away

I am a prisoner in the clutches of a cruel task master
One who took the heart I offered and stomped all over it!

Let me for a moment leave my burden by the roadside
And lying under the neem tree with the fakir's feet as my pillows

Let me dream the dreams of Universal love
Under the starry gaze of my loving Fakir

The world oh fakir has crushed my dreams and broken my heart
You and you alone can mend this and give me eternal rest

Fakir, I seek nothing but your company now
Let me sleep peacefully at your lotus feet.

Paradise from afar

What seemed to be lush and green from afar
Turned out to be bleak and dull from near by

What seemed soothing and warm from a distance
Turned out to be cruel and cold from near by

Dullard that I am I left the shelter of the fakir and parents
To seek greener pastures in your heartless city

I built a massive palace in my heart to make it our home
You broke my heart and made it the final resting place of love

I gave you my time, love and life, hoping to be loved
All I got was insults, curses and humiliations

The fakir had made me a king and lord of my dominion
You made me a pauper begging for love at your doorstep

I came to your city full of businessmen seeking your loving embrace
All I got in return was kicks, heart breaks and disgrace

I turn towards the fakir and ask him why did you let this happen
The fakir just smiles, asks me to forget all this and return to his feet

What seemed Paradise from afar
Turned out to be hell from near!

Your time is up, my time is now!

I was a wrestling fan ever since I was kid. There! I have admitted it! No shame in admitting what you like and living life the way you see fit! Although I rarely watch it now, there are times when for nostalgia's sake I play the game on my xbox or watch old videos. For those who watched wrestling in the last decade, every wrestle mania main event was highlighted by a wrestler who goes by the name of John Cena. And each year brought in more innovative entrance of Cena into the ring. And every time he came to the ring, one would hear his catchy rap song which went "Your time is up, my time is now! You can't see me! My time is now!"

This article isn't about wrestling.It's about time! Time! That all elusive, mysterious, all consuming entity. People have gone insane trying to unearth it's secrets. Few have lived to tell the tale. The one's who utilized it well have etched their name in people's memories for all time. Time management is a difficult topic, a difficult topic for those who do not respect time. And I am by no means an authority when it comes to time management. I have never had the hurried fervor of the Greek heroes of antiquity who wanted to immortalize their names. I am not even like the ascetic who shamed Alexander the great and asked him to sit still and just be! I am just the common man, with lots of desires, ambitions. I love to go on long drives! I want to take a bike and ride all over the world. I want to become the very best at what I do! And yet I am lazy as hell. When confronted with some free time, I would rather lie on my bed and read some detective novel or play video games. But you know what they say, people who have suffered defeats can become excellent coaches, because they know very well what can bring you down. I am one such ambitious man who has been way led by his own disrespect for his time.

I have noticed time and again, that when you do not respect your priorities, nobody respects them for you. People get so accustomed to having you slave over them that they forget that you too have a life. Your life is one of compromises everywhere. Then all you will ever be will be the average Joe, whom no one remembers. I was stunned at how easily I give up my own work and time just to please others. Be it at the office or at home. Then what is left of my life. Is it always one of doing what others want you to do? Is there no end to this slavery? Is one to be bound and humiliated for all eternity?

I would get angry at people when they disrespected my time. But I would find that they are doing this because subliminally they are getting the message that I do not respect my time. I easily give in to their demands. So why bother. Tell this loser at the last minute that I want him to drive me around town and do my bidding. And when I rebel and ask why am I treated this way, the people in turn growl back at me like a rabid dog! I guess I cannot blame them. I have created this situation for myself. So I am now going to go about trying new strategies to respect my time and to let people know that they cannot walk all over me. Friends, if you are like me, if you are that nice guy who wants to win a Nobel peace prize..Forget it! Nice guys do not get Nobel Peace prize all the time. If you do not believe me, look at the list of all the Nobel Peace Prize winners.

So friends, remember this..Time is important. And tell that average Joe inside you who tries to make everyone happy "Your time is up! My time is now!" . Become better than what you were yesterday. Compete against yourself. Do not blame the world for treating you like trash. Make them take notice and win accolades!

Why Swerve from rituals?

 I passed through a boiling cauldron of negativity and anger

until the fakir asked me to remember you

And then forgotten was the pain and suffering
Forgotten was 'I'


For all that remained was you my beloved

The world asks this dervesh why swerve from rituals and behave uncouth
Why roam the streets like one intoxicated

Why lose self respect and dance near the shrine
I tell them it is they who are intoxicated in profit and loss

I am lost to this Bazaar of swindlers
For I fly above the filthy waters of trade

And I soar in the heavenly wind towards my beloved! 

Pariah

Is it my fault that every day is followed by night?
Or is it my fault that darkness follows light

Is it my fault that those that are born ought to die
Or is it my fault that few are truthful and everyone else lie

Is it my fault that there is pain and suffering
Or maybe it is because of me that people have opinions differing

Is it my fault that the earth sometimes rumbles and swallows people whole?
Or maybe it is my fault the tsunamis leave destruction in their wake

Is it my fault that all of life is struggling
Or maybe it is my fault that the whole world is suffering

Looks like to you of all that is wrong in the universe I am the cause
Or maybe you see only trouble and depression in my presence

Walk  like me in the thorny path uphill barefoot
And you will see what it feels like to be a pariah!

Cosmic Symphony

The mellow sun smiled down upon the green earth
The cool breeze pleased the trees to no end

They swayed and nodded as though dancing in tune
To the silent beautiful music that played out

As I walked in the pathway that resembled a green carpet
Eager to share this cosmic symphony with the beloved

The birds chirped in glee at the onset of this beautiful evening
The cat looked at them with hungry eyes, but then remained immobile

The squirrel ran up the tree to cuddle his mate
The ears on the hares were erect as they looked everywhere in rapt attention

For everyone was spell bound by the beauty of the evening
The smell of earth was all around wafting through the air

It was then that I beheld you in all your glory
Walking towards me, It felt like bliss had descended on me in torrents

My hurried steps tried to match yours as we ran towards each other
Like two oceans merging into one we walked into each other's arms

The rest of the world was forgotten in your heavenly clasp
As day metamorphosed into night the two of us merged into one!

Freedom!

There is this story that is oft referred to, when speaking about someone who's trying to break the shackles that bind him. I think it is from Charles Dickens' 'A tale of two cities', or is it 'Great expectations' I cannot recollect. The story is about a man who has been in solitary confinement since his youth. As an old man, he is released from the dark and dreary cell that has held him all his life. His first reaction when he steps into the sunlight is one of fear and revulsion. The man cannot stand the warm sunlight and the bright colors all around. While the old man's story seems extra ordinary at first sight, isn't this the story of all our lives. Aren't we all, in some way bound in shackles. Afraid! Fear of freedom. Fear of going beyond our comfort zone. Strangely enough many of us continue living life as though all is fine and sundry. A hawk can enlighten the sea gull on the wonders of flying at dizzying heights. Or like the traveler who entertains us with the wondrous sights he has set his eyes upon. Until we meet this traveler, we do not realize that we are struck in an island, separated from so many wonderful things in the universe by that imposing ocean of fear.

I can say that I have met such a celestial traveler, who has chosen to be my best friend and companion for life. It is this angel who showed me there is a vast and wide world out there beyond the confines of the cell in which I have been imprisoned. In a year she patiently showed me the map of the entire prison where I am confined. She showed me the chains of fear and anxiety that are tied around my feet. I beheld the still image of my body, petrified like a sculpture unable to move anywhere but within the innards of the giant beast which is my own little world. But once you get a taste of freedom, once you know how it feels to live fearlessly and within God's embrace, would you still choose the prison of fear and illogical love? I think not.

I can only say that I am eternally grateful to the Lord God, for bestowing me with such a wonderful soul mate. I can see the shores of freedom from my raft, which I have set adrift in this ocean of fear. I can see the fair wind of my beloved's love pulling me towards greatness. Independence, here I come!