Road not taken

Road not taken

As I grow old and sit on my verandah
Everyday pops up a new memory
Of days gone by, of evenings spent
Moments that I cherish, years that I regret.

I close my eyes and see myself
Standing at a crossroad or was it a fork
I wonder why I took  a road
Opted for one and left the one

What would have happened if
I had travelled on the road not taken
Where would I have been if
I had opted for that not this.

Would Destiny still have led me here
To this family, to this armchair
To this wrinkle, to this white hair
To the same heart and same hearth?

The road not taken is so unknown
I can only see where it begins
There is no algorithm for a path not travelled
Nothing to say how it would have unraveled.

 But how many times have we shaken our heads
And those dark thoughts crept on to us
If only I had done this or done that.
Just remember the  road not taken
 was not meant to be.

A road less travelled or a road travelled well
Both have their rewards and Karma coins
Just be true to values and humanity
Just do everything with integrity.

Priceless

Priceless

The priceless are ours for the taking
No wallet to be opened,no card to be swiped
A hand in ours
A smile of gratitude
A heart bubbling with joy
The first dada gurgled
The first step taken
An old parent's shaking blessings
A laughter that resonates
On the grass with faces upturned
A sky full of stars
Waves that crash at our feet
Despair turned to hope
Eyes that glow at your sight
A picnic basket
A hop,skip and jump
A tumble in the mud.

The price for priceless things is but
Forsake the rat race,
Slowdown.,shed the mask.

Tiny wonder

A tiny flower I may be
Among the bed of green
But I still raise my head
And  don’t go unseen.

 15th June 2020

Memories of summer past

There are some memories which I do not
Look into often
Some which lie deep down in my heart
No one knows I have those memories
Of moments that did not last
Of summers past
Of sunny afternoons and sultry evenings
When I looked up to find your gaze upon me
And I held that gaze and kept it in my heart
When I felt the cool breeze of a sigh
I  made that a memory too
A helping hand outstretched
Yet loathe to touch me
I have kept that feel without the touch
And whenever summer comes
And some times become unbearable
I peep into memories
Of the summers past
And get the cool breeze, the helping hand,

the loving gaze
To see me through.