Facebook Poems 2025

 

23rd January

Sparrows chirping

On my 7th floor balcony

Audible before they are visible

Joyful sight and sound!

26th January

82nd Anniversary

Are you together in the afterlife?

Or have you been reborn, separately or together?

So very young when you started

Your journey together

A journey full of joy and sorrow,

Big adventures and small

The humdrum, the mundane,

Sweetness, care, cherishing

Each other, squabbling often,

(Or so it seemed to us children).

Wherever you may be, you live on

In my memories.

7th February

This morning

A lazy sun rising.

clouds doodling

In the sky

A big mug of tea

In the balcony

For now, heaven

Gratitude

15th February

So ephemeral

These perfect days

Of spring in the NCR

Fleeting clouds

In a blue sky,

The sun still kind

A little protection required

From morning and evening chill,

No fans, no airconditioners,

No heaters, but geysers, still.

The air purifiers read well

Flowers abloom, birds singing

Joy in the air,

Jars of kanji, and the last

Of the winter pickles

Being made and consumed

Much gratitude.

22nd February

I hear you each morning

From the floor up above

A joy to see and hear you

As you sing an ode to love

Mr. & Mrs. Sparrow

Chirp on...

23rd February

Little hen sparrow

Perched on

Bougainvillea branch

Chirping away

A joy to see, and hear,

Through the kitchen door.

A fat pigeon strolls by,

Outside the railing.

She is silent until it passes,

Then starts chirping again.

Sukoon.

28th February

New tenants,

And rather noisy ones

In our front balcony.

After he removed the Diwali lights

The electrician left

the ceiling fitting loose,

untidy, just big enough

For this chirping pair

Looking to nest

In springtime

Their cheerful chirps

A benediction

They had visitors too,

This morning, a whole bunch

of sparrows, it sounded like,

Chirping away to glory.

Glory indeed,

Our very own sparrows!

2nd March

The utter sweetness of the song
of the bulbul on my balcony.

7th March

The spouse's phone needed

A battery change,

An hour or so was required.

The boy at our local mobile shop

promised to deliver it at home

I enter my number in his phone

And give myself a missed call.

To my utter delight, his name

pops up as 'Business Tycoon!'

10th March

This year I spot

Hollyhocks on the highway

That takes me home

(Only on the eastern side),

A few random stands of hollyhocks

Pale pinks, purples, whites,

Interspersed between the trees,

Slightly lost looking,

without a wall backing them,

Beautiful yet incongruous,

To my eyes, at least.

The central verges are a brilliant gold,

With trumpet trees and shrubs abloom.

Richly red, cascading bougainvillea

Adorn a western verge!

The magic of the Expressway

especially for the non-driver!

16th March

Dear little bulbul,

I heard your sweet song

and stepped out to look for you

At first glance, invisible.

And then I see you,

With your merry little hat

Perched on the parapet

Below the balcony railing

But then, alas, you flew away.

Next time I hear you I will be content

To simply listen to your sweet song.

22nd March

The sofa cushions

Standing on their points,

Their toes, perhaps,

Reflect my helper's aesthetic

(and that of the one in Kolkata

So many years ago).

I wait for her to leave

Each morning

Before I put them down

In the more relaxed position

That I prefer.

Some days I don't bother.

A tiny tolerance in a cruel world.

24th March

I wake up

to the clip-clop of horses

And I wonder where I am.

Our home faces the garden

Not the colony road

(which horses never enter)

and the bed is mine

I am not in Krakaw, or Vienna, or Prague,

With horse-drawn carriages

clipclopping on the road

in the touristy places

we saw last summer...

I surface from the depths of sleep

It's the group of elderly men

rhythmically clapping their hands

As they do each morning...

March 31st

Champa flowers

Snowflakes

on bare branches

Almost leafless...

It is springtime,

and flowers must bloom.

The leaves can take their own time.

5th April

Lunchtime

The long restaurant adjoins a garden

The garden adjoins a water body

A noisy toddler is taken out into the garden

And runs up and down the length of it,

Nonstop,

Exhausting, serially, three adults and a teenager, until it's time to eat.

8th April

I often wonder

If we travel

for the sheer joy

Of coming home?

Our holiday in the hills

Was wonderful indeed

And we had a good break

From the daily-ness of our lives

But, the morning air is still cool,

And the trees here are my friends

In that I know their names,

And I can introduce them to you!

The neem, the bearded palms,

the pilkhan, with its coppery new leaves,

The karanj leaves crunching

On our urban forest floor,

The blooming oleander bush,

The madhumalti flowers

Cascading down their vine,

The grey cat, the grubby tiles,

The bed that knows

the contours of my back,

(And, of course, my squishy pillow)

All tell me that I am home..

29th April

Gulmohar in Bloom

This summer

In this glorious red

I see the blood

of innocents

2nd May

Rainy morning, after a stormy night.

The bougainvillea pot tumbled over

A small syngonium fell out of its pot

The power kept tripping

Our yoga class got cancelled

I had my tea in the cool balcony

Where I sit now,

After settling the plants

I bring out my book,

As the newspaper pages

Flap around in the breeze

The clouds are still thundering

It's raining still

Joy, this lazy morning...

5th May

First swim

Of this summer

A glorious empty pool

A clear blue sky

A cool breeze

The shower feels cold

As does the first dip,

Soon comforting,

velvety water.

The waterfall gives

A wonderful, pounding massage

To neck and shoulders.

I swim a few lengths,

Slowly, mindfully

A joy indeed

Grateful

For this privilege

19th May

The Reality of Memory

A conversation about cycling,

last night, with my son

Reminded me of the time

In Lucknow, a lifetime ago

When I used to cycle for miles, sometimes across the main road to HAL colony,

at times till Gomti Nagar!

Perhaps not often, perhaps not regularly,

But cycle I did...

But did I? No one else

In my family seems to remember

These escapades of mine,

My early morning secret life!

Did the tree fall in the forest if no one heard it fall?

I feel like that tree!!!

27th May

Shiny blue black
dragonfly
Hovering above

A bonus backstroke joy!

3rd June

Here stood the neem tree

Tall and leafy,

bearing tiny bitter fruit

I remember my brother daring me

To eat one, on a walk in Lodhi Gardens

A lifetime ago.

I did.

The bitterness was unforgettable.

There are many neem trees

But I miss this one:

Tall and beautiful

Until Sunday afternoon

When it was felled by the storm

now existing only in memory,

As does my brother,

Who left us bereft

Many years ago.

4th June

Fifteen years today:

Memories of a smiling,

gentle visage, soft spoken

appreciative of Life:

literature, music, movies

theatre, food, especially

my mother's cooking,

Sarees: he bought exquisite ones for her when he toured the country.

Fruit, mangoes, melons, homemade pickles that he helped process,

The sharpest green chillies,

a challenge he shared!

Laughter, little me perched

On his strong shoulders,

Walking with him,

my small hand ensconced safely in his big warm palm.

The books we shared,

the places he travelled

The pleasure he took in Google searches, our final arbiter in any factual dispute we had...

The frailty of the last few years

His stoicism in the face of pain, helplessness,

Unbearable loss

His unconquerable spirit

Still bring tears to my eyes

You live on, Daddy, within me.

You always will...

13th June

There's a strong wind blowing

The clothes pegs do their utmost

To keep the clothes safe

I have triple-pegged the sheets

Against the powerful wind.

But the wind cannot blow away

The clouds of grief that encompass us

Mere witnesses of the tragedies that unfold

Every day, each seeming worse than the other

All our tragic losses, to our eyes at least,

Grieve us for a while, until we move on,

As we must, in order to survive

We pray for strength, for courage, for peace,

For all who face the vicissitudes of this life,

And to always find a sliver of hope, somewhere.

Is Someone listening?

18th June

ATM visit

I thought I had more money in my bank account

Than what I asked for at the ATM this morning

It said sorry, insufficient funds in your account.

I felt like apologising to it for the trouble,

As I withdrew a smaller amount!

27th June

How bitter is bitter?

Try a nimboli.

Unforgettable.

2nd July

Babbler on the bike

A babbler hops onto a motorcycle mirror

Peering, puzzled, pecking

At its own reflection

Then hops down onto the bike,

Peers up at the mirror, pecks at it,

Several times,

On the mirror, looking down, peck

On the bike, looking up, peck

Again and again...

Confused, until it gives up and flies away

This world is strange indeed!

4th July

Morning scene

Little fellow's bag

Almost as big as him!

School bags, timetables,

Uniforms, homework,

lunch boxes, water bottles

Long gone, for both me

And my children...

Time passes.

Thank goodness

That it does!

23rd July

Dark clouds all morning

We had our yoga class.

(Sir did not bunk, which he does

Once in a while, annoying when

You are ready for class

And he's a no-show,

Or he messages when I have

Already made our tea,

And woken up the spouse).

I go down for a walk,

enjoying the breeze

And the beautiful clouds

Dark with the promise of rain...

I walk for barely ten minutes

When it starts, a few mere drops

Which quickly turn into a downpour

I walk slowly home, savouring the rain,

No puddles to splash in,

but the benediction of water,

Cleansing and cooling,

With the happy knowledge

Of towels and dry clothes

Awaiting me at home.

27th July

This afternoon, post-siesta,

The spouse thought of watching

the cricket test match,

Only to discover that the TV

wasn't functioning.

It has been sent for repairs,

So this evening we are enjoying

Lovely random songs on Bose ji,

whatever the YouTube playlist contains

Songs long forgotten

And still so magical!

30th July

A plant with a mind of its own

The jade

Mostly cascades

To the ground

Some tries

To reach the sky

Why?

7th August

Beautiful sunshine

After several gloomy days

Bed linen drying

in the sunny breeze

The drier enjoying a break

It is usually just a comforting back up,

Rarely used, except when it rains.

I was missing the crisp smell

Of sun dried laundry.

Today's happiness!

26th August

This morning two gods played

Up in the sky, messing around

With shower taps and fan regulators

Vayu's fan remained on, at varying speeds

A strong wind, now a gentle breeze

The palm fronds danced,

the plants all swayed

And as I walked, I was sprayed

With the finest of fine droplets

Nanhi nanhi boondaniyan

As Saigal Sahib sang

Then fatter drops, I almost ran

home, but then the drops thinned out again

And this went on...

A walk witnessing divine play

A joyful start to yet another day.

8th September

A perfect sky

A sunny day

Cottony clouds

On my way

Transient

As all perfection is

I enjoy this little dose

of bliss

15th September

The milkman

One of the few who come

To our housing society

To deliver fresh milk from

Large cans affixed to their

motorcycles

Does not supply me

With milk, I buy packet milk

As and when required

And yet he provides me,

And many others like me

A daily dose of good cheer

With his warm and friendly

greeting of Radhey Radhey

to whomsoever

He encounters.

I respond with a cheerful smile,

and a Radhey Radhey, Bhaiyya

While conjuring up

a mythical mindscape

As I walk on

Of Vrindavan, with cows and cowherds,

Radha and Krishna, the gopis, the gwalas,

The butter stealing child Krishna

And his pranks,

And I am grateful.

19th September

Childhood memories

Evoked at the sight of these

Bristly plants that have

Sprung up in the hedge.

We would throw them at each other,

My sister and I,

They would stick to our clothes

And we would make bowls,

baskets, and bristly,

prickly bracelets

and wear them

Until our wrists itched.

28th September

We finally conceded defeat

To the five (damn) pigeons

For whom our bedroom balcony

Was their bedroom (the top of the a/c)

And playground: they would sweetly swing on the overhead laundry stand,

While pooping freely everywhere.

The balcony chairs were kept indoors

And our laundered clothes

Were endangered by these poop machines.

Have they found a new home, I wonder,

Feeling both smug and a little sad.

And then, in the drawing room balcony,

the sparrows cheeped and cheered me, while a vengeful pigeon

tugged at a bougainvillea leaf...

30th September

A sultry, sweltering September

comes to an end

with a strong, cool wind

blowing, blustering along

Followed by heavy rain.

Let's see what October brings!

4th October

October remains hot and humid

but the silk floss tells me

That the season has changed...

16th October

I cannot remember

When I last saw my mother

Wear this beautiful Kota saree

She's been gone these fifteen years

And for years before that

She mostly wore house coats

Easier to manage

while she took care of my father

With the utmost devotion.

I might have worn it a couple of times

But, much as I loved it, it wasn’t me.

A couple of months ago,

I offered it to my aunt,

My beloved Chachi,

One of my favourite people

In the whole wide world

Whom I would like to grow up to be

And she happily accepted it.

She lives very far away, but came over

Wearing, oh so gracefully,

My mother's saree, especially for me.

So very grateful to have her in my life...

28th October

The mysteries and magic of time

passing in so many different ways

The daily moments broken up into mundane tasks

Filling drinking water every morning, then watering the plants, walk, yoga, chai, meals, cooking, laundry, maid, press wala dhobi, courier guys, newspapers (only occasionally, now), the infrequent 'outings', the comfort of home and its daily-ness.

Weeks broken by weekends, when perhaps we see our children, guests, I try to go for the weekly Satsang, which I look forward to, but mostly find myself dozing off, and then die of guilt, lunch, naps, no time to read the Sunday newspaper, which I love to read, and hope to read another day...

Months are measured in monthly expenses, visits to the ATM, in our medicine boxes, which need to be re-loaded every month, an irritating task as the different medicines are a different number of pills per strip, much calculation required!

The years gallop along at supersonic speed, it seems. How, you may ask. In the kitchen shelves, in the unopened packets of rice noodles, of spices, of instant soups, sauces that you bought only yesterday, but apparently yesterday was six years ago, if not more! Overcome by guilt I resolve not to buy stuff unless I specifically need it in the near future, as I load a garbage bag with 'dead', expired edibles, and take it sneakily down to the basement garbage bin, not wanting to be associated with this criminal waste!

Thus pass my days, weeks, months and years, at varying paces, in varying measures...

31st October

I think it rained last night

The air feels cleaner,

(the air purifiers also show

unbelievably good readings)

And I feel a flicker of hope,

A hope for breathable air.

Ahead of me walks my favourite

golden retriever, his furry tail

a joyful, waving flag.

I walk behind him, enjoying moments

of happiness in a wagging tail.

15th November

Two small bathroom joys,

Laughable, perhaps, but happy- making nonetheless:

Refilling the handwash soap dispenser before it completely runs out

And remembering to put in a fresh cake of bath soap in the dish

Before you go in for a bath

( And, additionally, soaking the dried scum off the dish beforehand).

Successful adulting, for once!

18th November

On turning seventy

Four words come to mind

Shukrana, mehr, barkat, mohabbat...

Gratitude, blessings, abundance, love

What more can I ask for?

My heart is full.

It's been a wonderful week.

I am truly thankful to each one of my family and friends who thought of me on this occasion, and especially to those who came, some from across the globe and some from across the country. Special thanks to my husband and children whose efforts and planning made this milestone birthday truly memorable.

22nd November

Seasons change

Shrunken balloons sunken

in a dry swimming pool

A strange carpet

On a rare sunny day...

3rd December

This season,

Whenever I see a blue sky,

I assume that the AQI

Is good enough for me to walk.

We live mostly indoors,

Breathing electrically purified air

Which lets me dare

To be outdoors for a while

The Euphorbia makes me smile

Its pencil like limbs

A graceful silhouette

Against a beautiful blue sky.

5th December

The happiness of finding

the missing white dinner plate

that had not been used

for a family lunch

a couple of weeks ago

because one person couldn't come.

I had counted and re-counted

the plates, wondering where it had

simply vanished.

If it had broken, my trusty help

would have come running to tell me

The spouse insisted that it had

broken earlier, nothing to worry about.

I got caught up in my life

and forgot to ask my helper.

Taking out a rimmed platter

to serve snacks to my guests

last evening from my crockery cupboard

I find the white plate beaming beneath it,

presumably having missed its mates

and happy to be found!

( I can anthropomorphise anything).

A helpful guest, post that luncheon,

had kept it where she thought it belonged,

but it lives in a different sideboard entirely!

If it hadn't been lost,

I would not have known

the joy of unexpected discovery.

Such is the fun of living, losing, finding!

17th December

Alu methi

Made with new potatoes

Scrubbed clean, not peeled

Chopped, cooked with

a simple tempering

of heeng and jeera

In mustard oil

Covered in generous handfuls

Of chopped fenugreek leaves

And, just for fun,

a chopped fresh fat red chilli.

Salt, a little chilli powder,

A dash of turmeric powder,

Covered and cooked on a low flame

Unimaginably delicious,

With roti, a mixed dal, little red radishes

And fresh red chilli chutney.

How generous is this season,

Despite the sad air...

22nd December

22nd December

My oldest cousin would have been 88 today,

Had she lived a few weeks longer.

I last met her in the hospital, the day before

she left this mortal coil.

Valiant, stubborn, beautiful, generous, fun,

Reserved, quiet, inward looking, an indepedent spirit

She tackled life on her own terms

I miss our conversations

I miss sitting on the moodha

In the corner of her kitchen,

Chatting while she cooked

And then we ate fresh hot food

at the little folding table

that was brought in when required

Her pickles were legendary

As were her mithais

Her trips down memory lane

Memories of a warm and loving home

Of wise elders, of kindness,

Of a husband who cared for her beliefs

Even as he practiced his own

(An incredibly handsome man,

who could be a child with children)

Illness took a sad toll on him,

And her, as she dedicated herself

for several years to his care,

until he left this world.

A home always immaculate

Her grandchildren's artworks

Almost organically displayed

Her children's daily calls

An inviolable constant.

From being in awe of her as a child

To finding in her a dear companion

With whom anything could be discussed,

Someone who found video calls

A good substitute for the visits

She could no longer make,

I miss those calls, those conversations,

her humour, her anger against injustice,

her abiding faith, her courage, her consideration

for everyone, the devotion she inspired

among those who came in contact with her: the building staff, her part time help...

I dreamed of her alive,

although I knew she had gone...

Please know that you were deeply loved, and will always be missed.

Happy birthday, dear Behenji

27th December

Good morning, Owl

Loading the washing machine

My peripheral vision glimpsed an owl

Which my brain told me

Must be the backside of a pigeon

With its tail up against the netting

I look again, and see this beauty

The day feels blessed

I tell the owl, looking at me

Unblinkingly,

That it is beautiful.

Whether or not it listens,

Or even cares for beauty

I have to speak my truth to it...

How often will I get to say

Good morning, beautiful owl?