Dying Fields, Dying We

Money may grow from trees,
But they don't really help trees grow
We keep telling the government
But, our needs, they ignore

Yes, subsidies and waivers help
They make the cross lighter
But the burden is still too heavy to bear
What with our pockets getting lighter

No water for our crops to grow
No water for us too
No water for a sustenance
The money won't bring water true

The fields are greener
On the other side. That's true.
The fields that have machines and fertilisers
The villages that have electricity too

The middle keeps growing
I mean, the men in the middle
They take away our harvest for a pittance
Are we just playing second fiddle?

Working dawn to dusk, we are
Burning our backs in the sweltering heat
Our families pushing themselves to their limits
Three meals, sometimes, is a great treat.

We can't promise our children a better fate than us
They must work with us in the field
We can't afford to send them to school
Until our farmlands truly bring yield

Even those who want and can give their children an education
The future doesn't hold much
A classroom barely lit, a room that's rubble
Is 1st standard a qualification as such?

We've protested, we've rallied, unions we formed
We've screamed ourselves hoarse, we've whispered our plea
Our fields are dying, can anyone hear us?
Our fields are dying and so are we...

Whirlwind

A whirlwind
in chaos and mayhem
looking for a bit a peace and quiet
they found each other

Now they are lost in their whirlwind

Hands

Her hands were delicate, slender
She created words with them
Words that travelled countries in the span of seconds
She brought colour to life
Charcoal, under her hand, dashed across the paper
Seamless on easels
Just like the black and white keys
That bent to her touch
They seemed to understand the beauty of submission
They were, after all, a means towards an end
An end that left listeners astounded.
Her hands were delicate, slender...

Miners

Miners
Wonder what they were looking for
Gold? Money?
Or love?

He needed to prove
that he could care for his wife-to-be

Mining
He put his life at risk for the life he loved

Shells

Wrinkles or ridges

Radiating

Natural beauty

Protecting preciousness

Floating on undulating waters

Seeking new shores

Shells

or her mother?

Soft toys

As she glanced at the soft toys

She was reminded of a childhood gone by

Soft. Toy.

Why had he handled her so?

Courage

There was a lump stuck in her throat

While her heart beat thunderously inside her chest

Dare she say what was on her mind?

Should she take the plunge?

The answer could change her life

For better or for worse

She took a deep breath and began….

Life changed.

A Friend or a Foe

An ally, a friend, a lover, a foe

Which one would help you, do you really know?

When the tides turn and circumstances change

And priorities begin to rearrange

You might learn a lesson that’s hard to forget

When a foe fought the world for you with no regret

A Strange World

What a strange world it seems to me

The world where others yearn to be

To be the alpha, the omega, the King of all

To do the things that can make your stomach crawl

Why must you do the things you dislike?

I ask myself the same at the turn of a spike

To do what one wants more than what one needs

To satisfy our wants and our greeds

That we turn into another version of ourselves

The real us, hidden so far beneath the shelves

What a strange world it seems to me

The world that doesn’t ask me to be me

Expectations

Disappointment

Expectations and reality

Whose fault is it really?

We build it up inside our head

The perfect gift, the perfect life, the perfect scenario, the perfect people

But

What is perfect?

Life isn’t!

When the world we built inside our mind comes crashing down on us

The heartbreak seems impossible to cure

How? Why? Why me?

Reality seems tough

The bubble seemed beautiful

And we long to go back

But living in the bubble doesn’t bode well

For anyone

Let’s break the bubble

Let’s build the bridge

Between our expectations and reality

Let’s make our dreams come true

Let’s let our hearts break

And mend and maybe break again

Why hide it in a closet and not give it a chance at all?

Reality may not always be kind to us

But

Let’s give life a chance

Grey

Sometimes words are hard to find

Even when there’s so much on your mind

Which words are right? Which ones are wrong?

Do I still have to sound strong?

To put on a brave face and smile through

When the skies are grey and you’re feeling blue

When the waves crash over and drip down your cheeks

And you wipe them away before someone sneaks a peak

Things don’t make sense, yet you try to push on

Coz somewhere, someday there’ll be a new dawn

Though your world seems to be caving in today

Maybe that ‘someday’ isn’t too far away

Some days are duller than others, just wait for the sun to shine through

The turmoil inside will be laid to rest and soon you’ll be brand new