The world today 2021 June

Wave after wave the virus hit home,

On the empty streets, schools, offices and parks, doubt and fear roam.

People are at home, under lockdown and all alone,

But always hooked on to insta, netflix or whatsapp on the phone.

Economy in the family is just not the same,

For some savings increase as incomes remain.

For some, there is no way to earn,

lockdown implies, starvation, crash and burn.

Cities gasped in April and May, as hospitals ran out of oxygen,

towns and villages followed, there was no place which could avoid the contagion.

Politicians blamed and shamed each other for the onslaught,

Pyres burned silently as people hurt caregivers and fought.

People began to get vaccinated though,

when the virus will be stopped no one knows,

Unrest in the world continues to grow,

economic hardship, polarized media adds to the woe.

 

Will crypto make it big?

Will OTT shows take over the movie and TV gig?

Will natural calamities increase exponentially?

How safe can anyone really be?

 

People are sequestered and alone,

mental health deteriorates as people mourn.

but there is hope as always,

if science and good governance embrace.

 

the new normal continues to change,

the world is now online and offline, all different and strange.

Freedom takes a new meaning now.

freedom to step out, freedom to object, freedom to differently love.

New Customs might replace the old,

Or the ancient ones might surface again, after all, old is gold.

The stage is set for 5G, AI, ML and big tech to boom,

AI even tries to find you a bride or a groom.

Reality aims to be virtual or augmented too,

kids can switch on computes faster than wearing a shoe.

People continue to age,

they rant anonymously online, filled with outrage.

but with their near and dear they do not much engage.

All are trapped in a growing fad,

of being outspoken, opinionated, socially blissful but actually sad.

Will China take over the world tomorrow?

Will the environment suffer with irreversible pollution and sorrow?

Can we eat popcorn in a movie hall, happy and care free again?

Are global populations on a wane?

Will we colonize space or will we in earth remain?

So many questions remain,

the world is different but people are the same.

Lets choose love, happiness, sustainability and hope.

Lets get through this crazy, earthly covid kaleidoscope .

Strength

 Waking up to a gray new dawn,

with all hopes of happiness and rest long gone,

The body aches without any duress,

it prefers endless sleep, the mind does confess.

 

The are mouths to feed, the mind continues to say,

your children need a mother, some food and study, the heart makes the mind and the body obey.

She goes masked and tired to make a meal,

she picks the milk and the veggies from the shop, hating the feel.

Of curious eyes boring into hers,

wondering if today they are hiding tears.

Tears for loved ones snatched away suddenly.

 How relentless the day can be.

She forces a smile on her face,

as her children jump into her loving embrace.

I can do this, she thinks.

Living on a prayer and the day goes in a blink.

Do you need support, some kind relatives ask,

No, I can manage she says, her face behind the mask.

Time flows and this too shall pass by,

one day she will be free to frown and ponder and laugh and cry.

Until then, office, cooking, cleaning and homework await,

keeping away thoughts of life, pain, destiny and fate.

She thinks - I will live my life holding my head high,

I will rally on until the day I die.

But that wont happen anytime soon,

that's a promise I make every-time I see the sun and the moon.

I have important things I know I should do,

This house, this city, this state, this country depends on me to renew myself anew.

 

And so it goes in the country as of today,

Seems like the deadly virus  is here to stay.

Like her we must find a way,

to keep the grayness away.

Only discipline and hope can save the day.

Nature's Deadly Virus

In history and across geographies,
crossing over high mountains, rocky plateaus and deep seas,
Nature's wrath knows no boundaries,
It sweeps across age, species and countries.

It can be as big as an earthquake or a volcano,
or microscopic as a virus that can travel and grow.
It catches people unaware,
It cause panic and it can scare.

It can be deadly or it can silently disappear,
It can be far or it can be near.
Like all of natures mysteries, its origin can be unknown
But it has potential to make humanity suffer and moan.

But one must never fear but be cautious,
it lurks in silent spaces, in its arrival it is not obnoxious.
One must always believe that they are protected by a higher power.
and if humanity lives sustainably, it can exist forever.

It is the time to be united and wise,
it is the time to not spread fear and lies.
It is the time to be healthy and strong.
It is the time to hope and pray that nothing can go wrong.

Coronas will come and go,
we must put on our best show.
and try to find a cure,
so humanity can endure. 

Of Queens and Goddesses

The divine mother, beauty incarnate, was worshiped night and day,
The goddess of creation, wisdom and change she was,
always symbolizing a good cause.
Temples were built in her honor,
every house had her image in a corner.

Every business, marriage or event started with a whisper for her blessing,
She would be bathed, decorated and adorned with beautiful jewellery and dressing..
Across the ages, her spirit lived and strived,
in the minds and hearts of the builder, the weaver and the scribe.

A woman was considered an embodiment of her and treated with respect,
she made mankind flourish and spent her life making her family content,
but slowly an eclipse mars the golden rays of her presence..

An evil time draws near and now she is neither worshiped nor free.
Nor respected and revered by all corners of the society.
A few unlucky souls who are overcome by the eclipse,
beat her up, treat her badly and bind her spirit,
they burn the beauty and bury the erudition,
with abuse, harassment and rape,
and then at the rage which follows, they silently gape.

All parts of society are under the same fire now,
things have become bad and consequences of venturing outside are dire now,
the common man has become a beast and a liar now.

The goddess implores for consideration and kindness silently,
she can make the land prosper only if we set her free,
otherwise she will withdraw into a shell and become angry and explode,
and spread havoc and confusion across the country, state city and court.

When a man hurts the gentler spirit and body of a woman, he invokes,
a spark, a splinter, a fire, a flood which might ignite and wipe out the beauty of Prithvi lok.
be warned she says, as she is suffering silently,
her fury grows stronger as women weep helplessly...