Occasion solemn,
The music tiresome;
Assembly sodden,
A spooky cooee.
A man, young, desi,
With covered breast says:
Am dead can you see?
My soul is soaring!
None hear him speaking;
Some chatter, cry, talk.
Many go mocking
The life he had led.
Abound accounts fed
To damage might his.
They’re tales that now tread
Amid yarns spun well.
But what’s heard most well:
Unholy sad knell.
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A seagull he was then,
Soaring up in the clear sky.
His mates frolicking with him,
Looked at two ships nigh.
The Sun was shining when
To those ships he said buh-bye.
He saw them part their ways;
And just let out a sigh.
Passed away minutes ten,
Things went high and dry.
Water was all around though;
Sheer emptiness came by.
Clouds gathered again,
The Sun kept shining high.
Men went missing soon;
No idea how and why.
The ships now without men
Seemed eerie and awry.
The seagull soon heard a wren,
A wren that let out a cry.
A warrior who practised Zen,
Knew a tale hangs thereby.
So he took some coloured pens,
Drew this image after a try.
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Right here where tough deodars burgeoned for years
With blooming flower beds and brazened beasts,
I now behold concrete blocks with my peers
And swirls of dust rising upon tarred streets;
Devouring canned foods, wolfing salted beets,
We think about the time that has flown by
During which woods that proffered meaty sweets
Have got replaced by stores that sell baked pies.
The green carpet that graced our eyes back then
Is gone to a place I might not know of;
All we gaze upon is large crowds of men
That go about felling trembling trees off.
The grazing cattle are grazed, their skin’s doffed;
My soul yearns to inhale the air I’d known.
But frenzied fumes surround me, polluting the troughs
That back then abounded on each land mown.
Oh, yesterdays astounded, made our days
While the now makes us ponder bygone times.
I wish we’d soon discover brand new ways
To get back and live lives lived betimes.
Who I in truth esteemed thou asked me then;
Except my God revered none I did say.
Soon dolesome grew thou like a pig in pen;
What self did was lose not just night but day.
When spluttered thou hard did not self take heed?
Remember this self calmed thy nerves quite soon.
In thy book you thought this self had no need;
But love suppressed made self a wholesome goon.
Thou still stand pat, beseeching self to go;
Am fogy say thou hither and yon now?
In God I trust, so His foe is my foe.
But He dotes on all, so may down I bow?
Idea fogy thou might think God is.
Might I make known He is my only bliss?
Like the Sun that shines, radiating bright light,
A guru disseminates thoughts lofty and nice.
Using his power, directness, and mystical might,
Pulls you out of every single and dangerous vice.
Get closer to your guru, feel the spiritual highs,
Elevations that could get you to the worlds beyond.
But if you utter untruths or say blatant lies,
A guru will not deride you, nor will he break the bond.
If your thoughts dovetail with his, it will be a worthy sight,
And if he makes you his mate, you shall create new ties.
Oh! Only he can raise you to what is called the spiritual site,
And tell you how to survive without maize, wheat, or rice!
Sages and seers in India have always had this piece of advice:
Revere your guru, pay heed to him, with him correspond.
But if you still have feelings that cause you to entice,
A guru will not deride you, nor will he break the bond.
Take refuge in your guru, do what is rightfully right;
And shun each object referred to as fool’s device.
Become calm, unnoticeable, omnipresent, and light,
Chewing over the fact that everyone, including you, dies.
Your guru will also ensure that you get rid of bad ties,
To your queries he will be more than elated to respond.
But if you still cast aspersions or willfully fail to arise,
A guru will not deride you, nor will he break the bond.
Ask your guru if a world exists over those vast blue skies;
You will soon be turned into a contented spiritual vagabond.
But if you still make it a point to distrust and criticise,
A guru will not deride you, nor will he break the bond.
