The world on my ship

Today the world turns its back on me

Leaves me alone refusing to accept my story

Which goes against societal norms

And judges me, and hurls stones at me

And I employing the strategy of the Law

Know that the day is not far when I will

Show the world glorious sights carrying

Them on my ship, sailing on smooth waters. 

Father

Father you have hurt me deep

By the stern judgments you wrongly speak;

Your not understanding that

A girl may have her own dreams

And your lack of education

And alcoholic ways, your disregard

For the words of women and 

Your foolish caustic words, 

The trampling on my dreams, 

The sarcastic laugh and harsh treatment

Even though to the world you

Appear to be a lamb, to me you are

Different, the father this life, 

Friend the next. 

arrogant sage

I once met an arrogant sage

Who was hardly sagacious

As he tried to put me down

And humiliate me, of a priestly

Class: he insulted and fumed

As was his class. 

scaling mountains

Yesterday I lay defeated

Blind to the suffering about me, 

Ungrateful for the gifts 

Life had laid out! 

I packed my bags in frustration

Off for a mountaineering expedition. 

I gathered all my forces, 

Looking for some adventure

And reached base camp:

A new beginning;

Truth is I wasn't well-prepared, 

I'd wasted my time lamenting my fate;

What a challenge it was

As I traversed the lush green slope, 

Bitten by snakes, aborted by gales

And trying to keep up hope. 

I met many on my journey, 

The kind who love the high chilled latitudes, 

They shared with me all they had, 

Without them there would have been no scope;

It took me all of 28 days of trekking

With little time for rest, and on the last day

At the crack of dawn I seamlessly 

Gave it my all, my best;

I stood atop this young mountain, 

Gazing down and all about, 

I soaked in the morning dew, 

Took in the fresh sunrise 

And vowed to scale all the gigantic

Mountains that come my way. 

Today, as I am back home, 

Lazing about, at ease and at peace, 

I only need another mountain before me

And I'll scale the peak with ease! 

you smother me

I feel angry and I feel sad, 

I feel chained to you;

I want to break free;

I wish you knew me, 

You don't, and yet

You feel you can

Smother me

Of your own

Insecurities. 

stifling me

As you try to hold me close to you

You are stifling me, crushing my dreams;

Why won't you let me fly away

Even though I've promised to return? 

Your fears are irrational, your worry

Is decadent, it feels like you have

Chained me and as the waves recede

I might just plunge into the ocean

For some fresh water-air underneath

The free sky, love means freedom, 

Have you not heard that one before? 

why are we unequal

Why are we unequal? 

Why do some have none

And some have all? 

Even though

My heart tells me

We are the same

Children of God? 

Why am I so

Privileged grown

So lazy basking

Under the Royal sun

When men toil

And labour all day

And bear brunts

Of discord? 

I am sure

There is a lesson

To be learnt

By all and

I wish to never

Trample upon

Another's freedom, 

I wish to be the

Kindest, most

Compassionate soul

And ease the suffering

Of one and all. 

eternally tranquil light

My wish for the world

Is that prosperity

And security

And good

Harmonious

Circumstances 

Follow all

And the Buddha

Nature of all

Beings, 

Sentient and

Insentient, 

Stays revealed

And we bask

In the land 

Of eternally

Tranquil 

Light 

Where

I have 

Been

A few times;

I wish

To take up 

A home there:

A land 

Which is

Always 

Prosperous

And secure

And carry

All beings

There with 

Me to feed 

There and abode. 

kindest

I wish to be the kindest, 

Kinder than you always

For there in lies my happiness

And my love for life;

I wish to amass love

The kind you don't express

And buy them with

My crooked smile

From those wasting

Away and most tested;

I wish to be the kindest, 

Most compassionate, 

Most loving, I don't know

For a selfish reason or not

For there in my joy multiplies

And I feel my heart is truly home;

For a Buddha is always secure, 

I wish to experience that

Kind of joy amid life's trials

I wish to always be deeply kind. 

acceptance

I've never felt so misunderstood

In my life, to be told by someone 

You grew up with that you are

A pseudointellectual or to be

Called arrogant by your father

And where your mother doesn't

Want to talk to you; I perceive 

It as everyone being quite

Broken and alone and happy

That way. I've complained enough;

Right from school to now

All my prayers have been answered 

And my dreams have been realised

But my father out of fear has

Never let me grasp those

Opportunities; today I wonder

Is it truly out of fear or disdain? 

Out of a perception may be that

A woman should know her 

Position and maintain the

Status quo between genders;

Well, we talk about women's

Emancipation and freedom

But judging by my reality we

Are a long mark off it, that's

At least in my reality;

My self esteem is gone

I feel so lowly and not worthy

Of dreaming anymore 

Even though like I said

All my dreams have been

Realised except that

Dad doesn't like seeing

Me sitting on cloud 9.

That's my karma, that's my reality

And I accept it: does that make me

A loser? Well, I've rebelled enough

And seems like there's no other way out;

Because you can walk out on

Your husband and boyfriend

But you have to accept your dad

And your brother who hates you

And beats you up. 

I'll always assume your karma

I feel so lost and broken

Being hurt I've hurt you

Along the way, more

Than heal my heart today

I'd rather hold the lamp

For you to brighten your way. 

I know we suffered

Immensely but alas! 

You misunderstand, 

But change is not

For you, you need my hand

I'll hold it out, I'll change

My every approach

Because truth is

I need you even now;

Life gave me you in a way

That there's no escaping

You so allow me to be

The one to change

And heal two hearts

As my own; I know

I caused you angst

And you find me

Despicable not worthy

To be proud of, but

Like I said before

Just take my hand 

While with the other

I illuminate the path. 

My strengths I will

Conceal, my weaknesses

I will surmount because

Honey, I wish nothing 

More than to heal

Two hearts as my own. 

So as I assume your karma, 

I warn you there will be

Gales and storms, 

But at the end when 

We reach heaven

I promise you it 

Will be soft and warm. 

My father's deficient dreams

When I read of stories

Of fathers standing 

Up for their daughters 

Or fuelling their dreams

Because she is no less 

Than a man I am reminded

That life gave me a dad

Though loving and all

Who is just the opposite. 

My dad is the kind

Who will be compassionate

And loving to all

But not seeing merit 

In women will deny

His daughter education

In her dream college, 

Stop her from getting

Her dream job;

Force her to go into

A room with a strange

Man where she could 

Be molested but where

He would rather she 

Get the strange man's 

Blessings because she

Is deficient according 

To the strange man;

His keeping quiet

Accepting love and

Giving love will

Trample on her successes

When she happily shares

Them by saying: "Who do

You think you've become"

Or when she idly expresses

Herself he calls her foul

By calling her arrogant;

Well, my dad though

Loved by all doesn't 

See much in me;

I have learnt over the

Years to not begrudge

Life and be grateful 

For small blessings

And that life isn't perfect

For anybody: Just wish

I had a dad who though

A great guy didn't burden

His daughter's heart so

And make her feel deficient

With his deficient dreams. 

My first sight of my baby brother

When I was all of three

My dad took me out

On a midnight spree, 

And there in a hospital

In a room of green

He said: "See that's 

Your baby brother."

That moment I 

Remember clear. 

Sometime later, 

When mom was

Back from labour

Dad clicked a picture

With me and my baby brother. 

That was the first time 

I held him in my arms

My sweet sweet brother

And there my affair did start. 

He was rosy as a punch 

And very sharp and

Naughty too, everybody's

Favourite: mine too! 

Till this day my little brother

Is everybody's wish;

He has grown up to be 

Really handsome and what

A man he is! 

what I learnt in 2020

In the year 2020 I learnt kindness 

And resilience from my father 

How to love despite hating

From my little brother

And sincerity of purpose 

From my mum mum mother. 

Apart from this the guy on the street

Taught me a lot; how to care, share

And give even if you have none;

The gurdwara taught me that all

Are welcome in God's abode

And it pays to be kind

You never know who might need it. 

My homeopath taught me to

Never judge; my parents taught me

Life is for giving; what I learnt in return

Was simply this that I'm a tiny

Miniscule speck, but worth 

Someone's kind words and deeds;

I learnt the important thing is forgiveness 

And gratitude as I was medicated

To a headless chicken, not able to move;

2020 taught me that my path is mine

But in the process of owning it

I must give, listen and be kind;

I battle health challenges and 

Am feeling miserable; but I hope

To be kinder and more forgiving still;

I read books that taught me to

Have a vision, a goal when all

About me crashed and I was giving up hope;

I wish to embrace all life in 2021;

My only wish is to leave my Mark on the world. 

#thankyoufamily

#gratefulformysupportsystem

#hopetocultivateapositiveattitude

#blessedtohaveburoinmylife

#learningnottocompareandmakemyselfmiserable

#iloveyoumaandpa

#iloveyoubuo

#HAPPY2021