In the Rain

Droplets of life

From a heavenly sprinkler

Alight on my cheeks,

Like butterflies on petals

Drops into drizzles,

Drizzles into showers,

Drenched in the torrents,

I dance, I laugh,

Fools they are who escape

Showers of elixir,

Scampering away, hiding,

Under inverted baskets.

Deprived, unaware,

Such pleasure they miss,

For they have never

Danced in the rain.

~Prajakta.

Hero

I.

Success looks bleak.

Frustration clouds

A long-cherished vision.

The tide of passion

Begins to recede.

The goal seems unworthy

Of a relentless pursuit.

Like Arjuna on the battlefield,

You surrender your weapons,

“I’m only human!”

An unanswered question lingers

“Success…what for?”

II.

Succeed you must,

For her sake who dreams

Of a nobler world,

Because you exist.

Succeed you must,

For if not,

It is her trust that crumbles,

Not you.

You can afford failure,

Just once,

She cannot afford the death

Of her belief in heroism, forever.

You can choose to relinquish your dream,

But hers will be snatched away

By your betrayal

Of her starry-eyed hope.

You must fight.

Rescue her faith in invincible heroes!

It is a crusade not for your lofty goals,

But for the sanctity of her innocent faith.

Revisit these lines,

Engrave them in memory.

The promise,

Of an enduring reason for striving.

You,

Are her hero.

~Prajakta.

Dubai Creek Ferry

Shimmering reflections of the city,

Recede like photographs in an album.

Bur Dubai looks tinier

We steer towards Deira.

The tower of a pretty mosque

Echoes the evening call for prayer.

The golden sky-line

Illuminates the horizon.

Another boat sails by

Dressed up in twinkling lights

For the nightly Arabian Fiesta

As if a bride for her groom.

Cool breeze

Soothes my bare skin

As I simply watch, and wish

That we never touch shore

Deira, we alight.

The ferry sails back,

A magical carpet floating away.

~Prajakta

Courage

25^th October 2003

Courage

If races were non-existent,

And religious differences, an illusion,

If only nationality

Was a mere formality,

And silent understanding,

The universal language,

If affection was a strength,

And not an exploitable weakness,

If the person as he is,

Was all that mattered,

Irrespective of who he belonged to,

As a son, as a brother, as a friend,

If all prejudices and doubts

Just melted away into friendship,

If only we would not bother

About reactions, and opinions,

We would find the courage to love,

And express it with innocence.