Seven Letters and Three Words

I was one who never thought of love
Except as a dream
Never allowed my heart to feel
Or listened to its words when it spoke
Just ignored it all and went through life
One day at a time, taking whatever came
Then one day, just as in a fairy tale
A prince came, not on a white horse
But into my quiet, controlled world
And with just one seven letter word
Made my entire life change
It was as though lightning had struck me
But it struck through to my heart and melted the ice
Melted the quiet reserve that had controlled me for so long
The power of just one seven letter word
I was amazed and overwhelmed
Speechless for the first time in my life
But my newly released heart spoke out
Screamed from deep inside me
And responded with three little words
Words I could not deny
Now those three little words are the most important
Words in my life
And only moments can go by without hearing them
From my prince
And that seven letter word means just as much now
As the first time
Keeping my heart alive and happy,
No longer frozen to love

Darling, I love you.

Rain

Early in the morning, clouds are spilling rain
Seeing the wetness reflecting on the leaves
And the petals of the roses bleeding tears
Inside my head, are the thoughts of you
A flood of feelings, like the rain I am seeing
To lift you up from the water
And feel your love on the waves
Look into my eyes and tell me how you feel
Do you miss me on a rainy morning ?
Does your heart need to be held ?
Reach out to me from the storm that is your life
Find calmness in my shelter
Relax in the sunshine of my love
Let it warm you and dry the rain's tears from your eyes
I open myself and let you come inside
Into the circle of emotions to surround you
And keep you, deeply embedded in my heart
You are mine

My Life's Journey

You may say no one on this earth is alone.
With the mountains, river, trees and birds, a part of us
True, they go on without stopping to take notice of one solitary soul.
So, thus, that one solitary soul can feel very much alone.
She watches the trees grow stronger each year,
Fresh green leaves in the spring
To change to wonderful colors in the autumn
And then fall to the ground, to replenish the soil.
Birds sing, make their nests and raise their young, and perhaps
Stop for a brief moment to give you a curious stare.
The flowers also follow their seasonal cycle,
Full bloom to winter sleeping.
I, too, am part of that cycle, although mine is not bound by seasons,
But life, my life. 
Days and days, months and months,
Turning into years.
In the middle of the forest, I stand, amid the nature around me,
The nature that symbolizes my life.
I, too, have grown, like the trees. And I have sung with the birds.
Bloomed with the flowers. Slept in the winter.
Now my time has come. The cycle has brought me to this place.
I look upward for what I am missing, to fill the void inside me.
The clouds look back at me, with no answers. But seem to smile.
I feel comforted, wrapped around me is God's creations.
But yet the heart beating inside me knows there is more, much more.
It is warm and full of love, full of emotions and feelings.
Wanting to share this love with more
Than just the nature around me.
Smiling, I close my eyes, and breathe deeply.
Filling my lungs with nature's energy.
And know that God has brought me this far,
He will continue my journey.

Journey of Emotions

Morning comes
Sunlight streams through the window
The lace of the curtains making it play in funny patterns
I wake up seeing the sky
Blue like my eyes
I am already torn
Caught in that moment
Between dreams and the morning
What is real?
What is a dream?
Where does one end and the other begin?
I close my eyes
Wanting to go back to that world of dreams
Love as a dream
Inside you, only appearing in dreams
Sweet, intoxicating minutes
Wishing to snatch it and bring it with me into the morning
But I hear it's playful laughter
As it runs from me, staying just out of my grasp
And I know it will not allow me to catch it
I watch it getting farther from me
As the sun moves into the room to claim me
Claim me from my dreams

Not wanting to be taken
I turn away from the window
Turning my back to the sun, the morning
I see you lying there
Hair over the pillow, breathing softly
Your face relaxed, lips slightly parted
I reach out and lightly push the hair from your forehead
My fingers gently trace the outline of your lips
Finding their way easily across your chest
Warm, smooth, feeling your heartbeat
I smile, wanting to see the light of your eyes
But not wanting to wake you
I snuggle my naked body against you
You move slightly in your sleep to hold me close to you
I realize this is my dream come real
This love is not a dream
It is my life
My life of loving you

Jewel of my heart

I wake up in heaven
Because you are in my dreams
Do you know what love is ?
Do you know how it feels ?
When there is someone in your heart
Someone from your dreams
Each night, you hold me
Tenderly in your arms
Kisses so gently placed
On my lips, on my face
Lighting the familiar fire inside me
I succumb to it's flames
Each touch is an emotion
Like a new warm breath of whispered love
The physical expression
Of a love, so deep, so perfect
No words can define the feeling
Only the everlasting stars can smile understanding
Shining on into infinity
My dreams have become reality
I open my eyes and you are there
My life has become my heaven
Its angelic wings softly fluttering inside me
As long as I have you and your soul to hold
In this whole vast universe, there is only one YOU
Jewel of my heart, I love you

Four Seasons

Silent secrets whisper within the darkness

Of a familiar desire kept alone and numb

Empty smiles echo in a face void of emotions

Tired eyes stare solemnly but do not see

Hands, heavy and idle, hungering for warmth

Reaching out for the longing of a heart

Seeking warmth from beams of pale light

For a love buried deep in time

Like naked limbs dressed in sunshine's golden rays

Stripped bare, without a summer's breeze

Hopeful eyes searching for colors in the snow

Scarlet passion reflected in her eyes of blue

Bringing spring's freshness after the rain

The heart blooms after its winter of sleeping

Like the rose buds sweet in morning dew

The season turns in nature's cycle of life, until

Summer brings delicious heat of desire

Watch her dance in the calm of the night

The tide caressing her as she moves

Singing love in the sensuous moonlight

Autumn slips in unnoticed, cooling her ardor

Her changing colors show her many emotions

Reflections of the gems she carries deep within

Memories shielding love against winter's cold

Clothed in only the soft whiteness of the snow

She lies dreaming of gardens and trees full of birds

Wishing on butterflies, frail existence of life

She snuggles into the earth for the warmth that it gives

A tear trickles from a closed eye, then two more

Becoming tiny icicles, stilled before finding their freedom

A soft sound emerges to break the frozen silence

A song with no words, a cry to the wind

Published: Literary Journal

ISSN: 1521-2319
Volume III Issue 2
June 23, 2000 -Sept. 30, 2000

The Angel's Song

Angel-voiced poets, spiritual gypsies
Words of infinite tongues chanting their desire
Everyone, everything, found contrary to reason
The laughter of saints finding worthless vessels

Perhaps writers have the magic of words to say
Your wisest did try his very best to describe
Soft, intimate love, with such feeling and passion
Seeming as voyeurs and philosophers of Isis

With pen in hand, ink still wet upon the page
How can one understand love that has never felt
Its fingers reaching deeply into a heart
Tying it to another with the tender threads of a soul
Watching each beam merge into a single ray of light

How can words portray each play in this life?
Act five, scene five, the actor's words are heard
The audience watches with cool anticipation, waiting
Listening for the angel's voice to sing her song
But will they know the words she sings?

Published:

From the Mountaintop, ISDN: 1-58235-140-6, Summer 2000

Nature's Echoes, ISBN: 1-58235-564-9, 15th Oct 2000

Colors of Enchantment

 When desire within a whispering echo
Where gentle sighs are only mine
Whose soundless flight shadows the sunset
As its brightness fades below the line

Where endless blue meets ocean deepest
Thoughts are turned to darkest night
To glide on the edges of its velvet cover
Waiting for dawn's bright rays of light

For until we dance with the shadows
And our feet learn the steps of our fate
We can only hear the music playing louder
Beckoning from beyond death's gate

The whispering echo seeks not darkness
But desires something more precious to meet
Red roses are blooming in the garden
Blossoms of soft love beneath our feet

Sweetness of dew and first light of morning
Sending hope to our hearts beating so true
The breezes whisper gentle caresses
Silently singing the words, "I love you"


Publsihed:
In-Between Days, ISBN: 1-58235-141-4, Summer 2000
Nature's Echoes, ISBN: 1-58235-564-9, 15th Oct 2000

How?

The mountains, majestic waterfall

Beautiful blue sky above

Enjoying the surrounding nature

Warm sun caressing my skin

As much a part of the beauty

As the ferns and laurels around me

Enjoy the feelings and emotions

On top of the world, close to the clouds

The spray from the water and warm sun

Both sensations at the same time

Arousing deeper feelings inside us both

Smoothness of skin, firmness, softness

All the contrasts that make the body enjoyable

Feeling the nature

And the passion between us

Until we do not know where nature ends

...And we begin

I know that once I look into your eyes

I look into a deeper part of you

To me, that is more powerful than touching you

That silent exchange of energy

Is what I imagine with you now

No greater exchange of energy than the one a man and woman can create

To feel your skin, to feel your body against mine

Feels wonderful for that moment, but...
When over, craves that feeling from the body

But when you look into the eyes

And love at that level

That feeling is better and stays longer

Because you know it runs deeper than physical touch

Touching the soul! I want to touch your soul!

See and touch the person deep within you

That has to be love in its purest form

Teach me more

Angels for Sandy

Angels, with their fluttering wings

Half of winter, half of spring
For a small space in time

The ocean, with it's mouth open wide
Have you ever stood in the sand
And felt its waves cover you ?

Mountains, with the patience of a cat
Silence wearing its sneakers

They are the clouds and  the stars
Hear their sacred singing

They are the lost golden key
That opens the door to the heavens

Precious gems, our sweet angels

From Saeed, in Pakistan...

For Simran: 

It's night, midnight, outside my window

Dark, long and cold, nights are dim due to fog

Inside my room, there are books of poetry on the table.

On the other corner of the table is a cup of hot tea.

I am watching Celine Dion's song, "My Heart."

Your letters are in my hands.

I see your picture in the flame of burning wood.

I am trying to see into your blue eyes,

Deep inside to discover a new world.

Then I see the empty chair and bed.

I open the window and a cold wave of wind enters,

You are not there.

Suddenly I feel myself tired and isolated.

I miss you very much.
Where are you?


It's raining on the roof, and I can see your dreams.
Snow is falling on the hills, and I see your dreams.
Birds are signing in the trees, and I see your dreams.
Leaves in the garden are shining, and I see your dreams.
This is love! Otherwise, why everywhere I see your dreams?


Lonliness, oh my heart, no one is at the door.
There will be a passenger, who will go away.
Night is gone,  the galaxy of stars has been shattered.
The candle's light is about to finish.
Every road sleeps after a long wait.
Wind has erased the marks of footsteps in the dust.
Turn off the lights, bring a glass and a bottle of wine.
Look at the dreamless doors, because no one will come here now.
No, no one will come here now.
....by Saeed

Friends without faces, from Cheryl

from Cheryl.... ....in Tennessee Interrupted Work (1891) .....by Adolphe William Bouguerea We sit and we type, and we stare at our screens We all have to wonder, what this possibly means. With our mouse we roam, through the rooms in a maze Looking for something or someone, as we sit in a daze. We chat with each other, we type all our woes Small groups we do form, and gang up on our foes. We wait for somebody, to type out our name We want recognition, but it is always the same. We give kisses and hugs, and sometimes flirt In PMs we chat deeply, and reveal why we hurt. We do form friendships - but - why we don't know But some of these friendships, will flourish and grow. Why is it on screen, we can be so bold Telling our secrets, that have never been told. Why is it we share, the thoughts in our mind With those we can't see, as though we were blind. The answer is simple, it is as clear as a bell. We all have our problems, and need someone to tell. We can't tell real people, but tell someone we must So we turn to the 'puter, and to those we can trust. Even though it is crazy, the truth still remains They are Friends Without Faces, and odd little names.

Butterfly

"Butterfly"

In its fight to live, to breathe, to fly

Break forth to freedom, such as feelings

Beauty and color for all to see

Butterflies across the evening sky

Into the world of dreams

Awake to the morning's sun

Joy of living, spread their wings

To fly, light and free
To bring your love to me

My love returns to you as with the dew

A subtle kiss from the clouds

Soft, gentle, just a whisper of touch

Silent sound that penetrates deeply

To warmly enclose your heart in emotions

A love that began light as a butterfly

Kal ki yaadein aaj ka pyaar hain

Aaj ke pyaar kal ke sapnain hain....

....kal ke sapne meri zindagi hain

meri jaan

From Joyti

...from my JC...

Anamika, for you:

my life, an abandoned lane
those dirt filled stretches, that summer of June
at the same place, frozen in time,
waiting for the traveller
who probably has vowed not to come
what was that date, what was that time;
when moon was promised; never to be given
waiting which crossed the limits of patience
eyes which got fixed in expectation
the leaf of time, which never turned,
as if trying to unwind the past
and then you came,as if
a leaf moved;
not a dry yellow summer leaf
but a green new leaf of spring.

your friend, JC 

"The Proposal" (1872)
Adolphe William Bouguerea

...moment by moment
you stay near my heart
life is a sweet desire,
is what you say;
yesterday, I saw you,
in my courtyard
as if telling me,
to hold you in my arms;
things pertaining to people
who are mad in love,
is known by those people only;
the pleasure in burning
is known by parwane only;
you keep on calling me
by coming always
in my thoughts....

The First Kiss

Sometimes I think about the first time I realized that I love you... It was as if my eyes took a picture of that moment and stored it in my heart. Sometimes I think about how much my life has changed because of you. I think about you... and your happiness about us... and our life together. and I realize that you are as much a part of me now as the air that I breathe and the dreams I nurture. But from time to time, I still like to remember the first time I looked into your eyes and saw my future there.

 "The First Kiss" (1875)Adolphe William Bouguerea

Do you love me?

You ask me if I love you
and I ask myself
how do I begin to share with you
the feelings in my heart.
You inspire in me a love so deep
words cannot describe it
so powerful that it
overwhelms my every thought...
You ask me if I love you,
and I wish there were a way
you could just see inside my soul
and find the depth of
passion, tenderness and love
that holds you closer to my heart
than anyone or anything else.
You ask me if I love you,
and I look into the magic of your eyes
and promise, "Yes, I love you...
I always will."

Naan unnai kathalikeran, en anbe.

From Ram

To My Honey:
These are the feelings from my heart for you...

I have never seen your face,
Nor heard words from your lips.
I do not know your sounds of laughter,
Or the softness of your sigh.

I do know that you are kind and sweet,
You are a thoughtful and caring soul.
You think of others before yourself,
These things I know about you,
Even though we have never met.
I have learned this by coming to our special place
Each day and finding you there.

You are not here in body and soul,
But as a lighted rectangle.
You come to me every day as
A message on my screen,
A message that I can rely on
To cheer me up and make my day.
Through a keyboard we share
Our ups and downs.

I have opened my inner self to you,
And you have to me as well.
We have traded secrets and laughs,
As well as sorrows and pain.
I have never met you, but feel as if
I have known you most of my life.
To most this might sound silly,
But I assure ... it is not.

Even though we have never met,
I feel a bond between us.
A bond that should have taken years to build,
Yet was built in a month or two.
A bond that lifelong friends should have,
Although most never do.
A bond that I am glad to share with you...
My Friend And Confidant.

Take care,
Ram


Photo: "Romeo and Juliet" by Sir Frank Dicksee

From Raji

Bee, you buzz in my soul, drunk with honey,
and your flight winds in a slow spiral of mist.
Last hawser, in you creaks my last longing.
In my barren land, you are the final flower.
You have deep eyes in which the night falls.
Cool arms of soft moss and a lap of rose.
Here in the solitude from which you are absent.
It is raining. The sea wind is hunting gulls.
The water walks barefoot in the wet streets.
From the tree, the leaves complain.
Bee, even when you are gone 
You buzz in my soul.
You live again in time, slender and silent.

From Parag

"Young Priestess" (1873) Adolphe William Bouguerea

To my Dear,
If I were to light a candle
for every reason I love you,
the brightness and warmth
would fill a room,
the way thoughts of you
fill my world..
There would be candles
for your eyes
as they sparkle with delight,
and another for each
of your interests
and the pleasure I get
as you share them with me.
There'd be candles
for the way you talk,
the way you look,
and the way I feel
when I'm with you...
If I were to light a candle
for every reason I love you,
there would be more
than you could count,
and the light they'd give
would be lovelier
than anything I know.

I love you.
from Parag.

One more...

From Court:

5-17-98 

this is for you, my love.... 

Two hearts inexorably entwined;
Reminds me of two others,
Whose love is of the same kind..
Why can’t I let go of you ?
You pervade my every dream..
It is your generous, loving demeanor,
That enthralls my consciousness stream !

I try to dissolve your power…
But my heart says: “It’s not to be…”
You are just a lovely spirit…
Whose life I know so well;
My darling, my lovely,
In whom my consciousness dwells!

Another one from Court...

...written while on a hunting trip with a couple of his friends:

This is for you, Goldie! High in the mountains, Over the pass, Down in the lush valley, Filled with tall grass..... East River ranch, The meadow unfolds... Mountains on both sides, We tremble with cold. Up on the hillside, We view the bald peaks; High above timberline, It's elk that we seek.... The beauty is breath taking The sky is turning gray.... We three hunters stand waiting, "Scoping" their prey. In rolls the snowstory.. Down the meadow, from the West, The hunters all shudder, And zip up their vests... Wind and snow, hail and sleet, We trudge back to the cabin... To warm frozen feet. My thoughts turn to spirits; And those that are by my side... I'm warmed by the feelings, That there YOU abide! The incredible beauty, Of all I survey... Reminds me of your spirit, Just a heartbeat away! I'm sad and I'm happy; Beguiled by the bliss... Of spiritual proximity, In moments like this... Two spirits enraptured; Two spirits entwined; Two destinies unfolding; ... a feeling sublime! Affectionately, C.

From Court, my kindred spirit, in San Antonio, Texas

"The Shepherdess" by Adolphe William Bouguerea

"The Shepherdess" by Adolphe William Bouguerea

this is for you:
I took a trip through cyber space, ...
and found a kindred spirit; ...
She told me of her life and times, ...
Of courage without limit
My heart was touched, my soul enlarged ...
with thoughts and admiration;
Her brightness shone, like stars above; ...
my mind filled with adulation;
So, K. my dear, ...
one thought is clear; ...
as our spirits mix together:
Were it not for chance and happenstance, ...
we might have missed forever...
But, happily, you came along, ...
within my spirits reach!
And now we commune, ...
in time and space;
Forever affecting each.....

Song for a Princess

Many years ago, I wrote poems for my friend's birthdays as my personal gift to them.  Then it was put as part of a webpage, also personalized, for them to share with their friends.  This particular poem was requested and written for the daughter (shown on the left, Kakku) of one such friend, and after being shared (or found), became quite popular for many fathers to give to their own daughters.   It has been been translated into other languages, engraved into wood, written on parchment and framed, and many other things I am probably not aware of.  I wanted to include it here, so it doesn't get "lost" and is still available for someone else to share with their daughter.

Dark haired beauty in blue silk

With a world of possibilities.
Is she a butterfly?
With beautiful wings spread,
Waiting to fly?
Or a nightingale?
With voice of lovely song,
Waiting to sing?
Or a rose of blue,
Petals soft and covered with dew,
Waiting to bloom? 
Is she the sun? 
Bright and warm,
Waiting to shine? 
Or the moon,
With her mystery in darkness,
Waiting to unfold?

But she is not just one of these things,
She is all of them, and much more.
Truly a princess.
The butterflies bow at her feet,
And the nightingales sing chorus to her pureness.
Roses climb in through the window
To bloom in her glowing presence.
The sun and moon shine for her,
Lighting the way for her to smile.
Sweet princess of the morning.
Dear princess of the night.
Your song...
It echoes through the ages
A constant reminder
for those who love you.

May all your days be as happy as a birthday for you Kakku.