Category: poetry

Her Story

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Hear ye, hear ye, everyone!
The tale of a fine woman.
She’s way more than what she appears,
One of the best amongst her peers.

She’s power, she’s desire.
When sparked, a raging fire,
With the might to purify you,
Or just as swiftly destroy you.

Brainy and smart as a whip,
Always ready with a quip.
Her mind makes connections,
In all ten dimensions.

She’s kind, gracious, zesty,
Sometimes a bit testy.
Her home is always open,
For a chat, party, or fun.

Charm, courage, curiosity,
Tolerance, tact, tenacity,
She’s blessed with these, and a lot more.
Challenge her, but think twice before.

And if you‘re a friend, family, or lover,
She’s even more wonderful, you’ll discover.
Protective, giving, gentle, warm,
For you, she’ll weather any storm.

She’s driven, self-made, works hard.
Mostly listens to her heart.
Has big plans and bigger dreams,
The world’s her oyster, it seems.

But it’s been a tough road.
No silver spoon bestowed.
Many battles she has fought,
Learnt harsh lessons that life taught.

Her heart still remembers,
Those smouldering embers,
Grief that remains buried,
Its pain, through life, carried.

So she indeed has her walls,
Dimly lit memory halls.
The walls, though, are easy to melt,
Just bring something warm, sweet, heartfelt.

But, she’s not one to show frailty,
Never wants anyone’s pity.
So she fights on with a brave face,
And lives life with a certain grace.

Yet there are times, even if rare,
When she also needs tender care.
She’ll hum when overwhelmed,
Just wanting to be held.

Behind that big bold persona, you see,
Is a wide-eyed girl wishing to be free.
Observe her closely for a minute,
And you’ll also see that girl’s spirit –

In the crescent lips with gleeful smile,
In the rare tears or the twinkles wild,
In the gestures of her hands,
Or the haste of her demands.

Her needs are very modest,
Just something calm and honest,
A place called home, some affection.
Throw in some respect and passion.

But she deserves so much more,
With a whole world to explore,
The best of everything in life,
Without any hardships or strife.

But words are all I can offer.
Small, yet my own way to honour,
This cute, adorable child,
May she forevermore smile!

– Ehsaas

A longer poem after quite sometime. Hope you have someone like this woman in your life too! Or maybe you are that woman! Dedicated to all such wonderful women who make our lives richer, more beautiful, and full of love!

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Now Is The Time

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Dreams of a lifetime,
Realised or ruptured, in a day.

Try all we might,
This time won’t stay,

So, just live, laugh, love,
This is the moment to play.

We won’t be us tomorrow,
Let’s not let life get away.

– Ehsaas

From the archives, dusted and refurbished.. 😅

Wrote this short poem some time ago, on a day when I was feeling particularly excited and full of energy. Regular readers of this blog would realize that’s not how most days go with me. I guess that’s why I never felt like sharing this one earlier. But today I was like, meh. I guess a writer is like an actor. We don’t necessarily have to be the person the words talk about. Words are an idea, a feeling that deserves to fly free. Why chain them down to be about one person, their limitations, and situations?

Anyway, hope you like it. Till next time.. 😊

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Poem by yours truly. Pic created with Canva.

Letting The Kid Go

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Even though I know,
I’m not that kid anymore,
It’s hard to let go.

– Ehsaas

Found this haiku in the archive of my unpublished drafts. It’s time for it to finally see the light of day. As they say, things happen, when they are supposed to happen.. 😅

Many of us have unpleasant memories or experiences from our childhood that still hurt us when we remember them.

And even though we have grown up now, in more ways than one, and are wiser and more mature to understand why we had to go through those experiences, sometimes, we may still find it difficult to process those emotions from our childhood.

And these childhood experiences may not even be that traumatic from an adult’s point of view. They may even be something very trivial. But to that young kid, they mattered! And they left a deep imprint.

What hurts the grown-up today is not so much the direct experience of those childhood incidents – time takes care of that. What hurts the grown-up today is the memory of being that kid who had to go through those experiences, who was helpless and perhaps alone, in being able to do anything about those events, at that time.

This is where healing comes into the picture. May anyone and everyone who can relate to this post one day reach a stage where they can embrace that kid, and yet not feel sad for them, where they can reassure that kid that despite those events, or perhaps even because of them, they will end up having a happy and content life.

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Haiku by yours truly. Pic created with Canva.

This Moment

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Silence there was, silence there will be,
But there’s space for a breath in-between,
I look at you, as you at me,
Wondering about the wonders that can be.

Clouds may sometimes hide your beauty,
But darkness, too, shows us much indeed.
In a world full of insanity,
Time with you always brings tranquility.

So, let’s savor this gift from divinity,
An insignificant tick on time’s wheel,
This moment, this feeling, of purity,
Wish it could last as long as eternity.

There are moments that are sacred. They may be nothing out of the ordinary as such. But the way you feel in those moments is what makes them special. A short poem reflecting on one such moment. Can you guess what moment inspired this? 😊

If you liked this poem, and want to read more, you can find them here.

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Image created with canva.com

Chemical Reactions & Business Transactions

A Wondering Wanderer1 Comment

Sometimes, in the daily grind of human life,
We forget what it means to be alive,

Which is to see the beauty, to find peace,
In the swaying of trees, in the cool breeze.

To wonder how, to ponder why.
To imagine all the worlds in the sky.

To really live a life,
free of the cycle of distractions.

To be more than just…

Chemical reactions
and
business transactions.

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Image created with canva.com

Our Children’s Home

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Hey all! Been a while since I last wrote a poem. Well, finished one, to be more precise.😁 But finally, the jinx is broken, and here goes my latest one:

Woke up from my sleep,
So peaceful and deep,
At dawn, just after four,
By loud banging at the door.
Startled, I opened the gate,
Found an angry mob of eight,
Abusing, calling me names,
Raising some unfounded claims –

Claims on our home,
Our children’s home.

Out walked my kids and wife,
To check on all the strife.
But these vile thugs, full of hate,
Were in no mood to debate.
Small men, with bruised egos,
They started raining blows,
With reason in a tailspin,
Viciously shoved their way in –

Into our home,
Our children’s home.

They ravaged the place,
At light’ning fast pace,
Of a simple family,
That used to live happily.
Tears, screams, a profound gash,
Memories turned to ash,
As our world came undone,
I asked my wife to run –

Run from our home,
Our children’s home.

A crowd gathered outside,
Offering to provide,
Food, shelter to my people,
A safe haven from evil.
Well… at least they will live.
Though with zilch left to give,
As an asylum bestowed,
Is no match for one’s abode.

Not for our home,
Our children’s home.

Friends, neighbors – all I implore.
They condemn, but nothing more,
Just looking on at the scene,
Not daring to intervene,
With families to protect,
Afraid and averse to act,
To do what’s right,
And join the fight –

The fight in our home,
Our children’s home.

At dusk, a blood moon rises,
Thirsty for sacrifices.
Of course, it will get its fill.
It will, indeed, test my will.
And they will regret the day,
When they chose to come this way.
I’ll do what must be done.
I won’t stop till I’ve won –

Won back our home,
Our children’s home.

This choice was forced on me,
To give in, die, or flee,
All choices come with a toll,
And I’ll pay mine with my soul.
But before my tale ends,
Answer me this, my friends:
What do you think you will do,
When, next, they come for you –

For your home,
Our children’s home.

Hope you liked it. If you’d like to read more, you can find my previous poems here.

Coming back to this one: I’m sure you guys understand what it is about. What’s happening right now in Ukraine is a massive tragedy. And this is coming on the back of the last couple of years, where the world, Ukraine included, has already suffered so much due to Covid. 

I don’t think words can do justice to what those poor souls would be going through right now. Can you imagine just waking up in the middle of the night to flee your home, your country, with a handful of belongings? Even more importantly, can you imagine parting with your loved ones – either because they were brutally killed by a stray bullet, or random bombing, or because they have to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend their country, their loved ones? Horrific choices and experiences that nobody should have to face.

Despite all the hardships, the Ukrainian people have shown remarkable resilience and determination to defend their values, their freedom to make their own choices. No words of appreciation can be enough for them. I’ll just say this: I’d be proud of myself if I had half, or even quarter, as much courage and heart as them! 

Also, let’s not confuse this as “Russia” vs “Ukraine”. “Russia” is not at war with Ukraine, because one man doesn’t define what “Russia” is or wants. I wrote some time back about the “concept of a country” which illustrates the same point – when it comes to war, we need to be careful whom we attribute it to. I’ve been seeing reports in the media of Russian people all over the world facing hardships and boycotts because of the actions of certain individuals in power. I hope we can temper our reactions to be directed towards the specific individuals responsible for these atrocities, and not take out our justifiable anger on innocents, who had no say or interest in this war at all. Hatred always begets more hatred. Let’s not fall victim to the same malady that the perpetrators of these crimes have fallen to.

War is the ultimate killer. It either kills you directly, or it leaves you alive, and it’s difficult to say which one is worse.

Let’s just pray and hope that the current conflict ends soon, and doesn’t escalate into anything bigger.

Let’s try and build a better world for ourselves, in our own little ways, doing whatever we can. I strongly believe in the saying, “Do what you can, when you can, where you can.”

Hope to see you in a better tomorrow.

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash

Homesick

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Tumbling through a house empty,
Trudging along a life lonely,
I know now what it feels like,
To miss your home terribly.

In the rush of the rat race,
Far away, in this new place,
With so much on my mind,
I miss that safe, secure space.

Miss that life with family,
As carefree as it could be,
Sheltered away from the world –
From all the insanity.

Miss my room, my armchair, my desk –
Witnesses to words left unsaid,
To the few that were written,
And the many that were read.

Miss that comfort and that sleep,
So very restful and deep.
Miss waking up in my bed,
To that morning alarm beep.

I miss every nook and cranny,
Finding my way, at night, at three,
Knowing the place inside out,
I miss my home, with the old tree.

And I miss more than just the abode,
Even the turns and bumps in the road.
Those familiar neighborhood faces –
Miss listening to their anecdotes.

* * *

Wish I didn’t have to leave,
But needed to, I believe,
To learn, grow and evolve –
So many goals to achieve.

Time to face the world alone,
To fall and rise on my own,
See the different shades of life,
Some new, and some known.

But…

Isn’t it a little sad?
Takes living like a nomad,
Losing something essential,
To truly know what you had.

The entire world, you may roam,
Buy all the pleasures you can own,
Live in fancy hotels and villas –
Won’t find the peace of a home.

You may return to the nest,
For a couple of days’ rest,
Smoothly back into the groove,
Like you never even left.

* * *

One of the lucky few,
I wish every kid knew,
A place to call their own,
Before their time was through.

Those moments and laughter,
May pass by in a blur,
But will leave deep imprints,
Cherished forever after.

More than just bricks and concrete,
A shield from the cold and heat,
Home is the bedrock of life.
Your strength. Where you feel complete.

And,

It takes magic to turn stone,
Into the haven called home.
So, more than anything else,
I miss you the most, Mom.

I’ve been wanting to get back to writing poems for so long now. Finally, I’m able to share one with you all! I was still writing, but only the first drafts. It’s much easier to start one, but it takes effort to finish it, at least for me. Hope I get better at it over time. There are so many drafts yet to see the light of day! 😀

I don’t know if you can tell, but my poems are usually metaphorical. But not this one. It’s just about being homesick. And I was actually, literally, homesick! I was missing home so much one day, I had to take the day off from work, and just recover! Hope that’s not weird.. 😛

If you’ve been a regular follower of the blog, you’ll know that I had to move to a new city for work last year. Have been living independently since then, and there are days when I really miss my old life, my home. One such day was the inspiration behind this.

I’m sure many of you have had to face a similar situation, and hope you’ll connect with the sentiment behind this. And if you do like it, please share and spread the word! It will motivate me even more to keep writing! 🙂

Till next time…

Photo by Christopher Harris on Unsplash

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Dear Diary…

A Wondering Wanderer3 Comments

Hey there, dear diary!
Nice to meet you again.
But, after years on this road,
Time’s up on our journey.

We rarely realize,
That word after word,
Our journal fills itself,
N’ how swiftly time flies.

But, what a wonderful gift
You turned out to be.
An anchor for choppy seas,
Saved me from being adrift.

Oh, the accidents it took…
For us to come together.
For this story of mine,
To find a place in your book.

Hopes n’ dreams, anger n’ screams,
Stained your pages with ‘em all.
Yet you somehow held together,
Dangling between the extremes.

Many did I share before –
Memories too important.
Some best forgotten, but
Many still left to explore.

So, it is hard to let go.
Stitching, sketching, stretching,
What will be the last story,
That you’ll ever get to know.

But it’s a good reminder:
No one knows or controls,
The stories and pages,
They are left in the binder.

With nary a chance,
Too many end too soon.
I know I am lucky,
To get one more dance.

But here approacheth the end,
And even though,
There may be more,
None can take your place.
So, in this last little space,
Let me just say:
Thank you, and goodbye, dear friend!

If you have been following this blog, you might notice that sometime back, I wrote a post about some parting thoughts on reaching the end of a journey. When I had had those initial thoughts, I knew there was potential for a poem there. But writing one takes time and effort (lots of it!) for me, and so, at that time, I thought I’ll just go with the flow and put my thoughts into the simple words that came readily.

But since then, the idea of expressing those feelings through a poem had been on my mind. And so, here you go! It’s done, finally!! 🙂

It’s definitely not my finest work, which, so far, (shameless self promotion warning!) I consider to be this, for a variety of reasons. But even though I knew this wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, I just had to get this one out of the system! Still, howsoever the poem is, I hope you’ll at least get a glimpse of that bittersweet feeling (if I haven’t done too bad a job of messing that up), and maybe, of even the larger picture… 😉

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Photo Credit: Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash

A Stranger

A Wondering Wanderer4 Comments

A poem about a chance meeting with a “stranger”:

In a cool autumn breeze,
Walking down an old street,
I came across a stranger,
And it made me lose my ease.

Memories, I tried to plow.
But my mind wouldn’t allow.
I knew I knew the man.
Just didn’t know how.

He was old and wrinkled.
But his eyes still twinkled.
“Hey there! Remember me?”
My heart, his voice tingled.

He smiled at me, bit amused.
I stared at him, lot confused.
“Sorry, but how do I know you?”
Said I to the man perused.

To which he said:

“I’m the wolf that wasn’t fed,
Surprised, I ain’t already dead.
Missing, marooned memories –
I’m what time hasn’t yet shred.”

Thinking him mad, I began to leave.
My quandary, he seemed to perceive,
For he spat, “Time, when one gifts,
Be humble, and their wisdom, receive.”

He went on:

“Friends were we; grew up together.
Our bond was to be our tether.
Keeping us safe, sane, spirited –
Storms, it would’ve helped us weather.”

The fog lifted at this mention.
I realized our deep connection.
Shocked, surprised, I almost cried,
At this ghost’s resurrection.

I inquired where he had gone.
Why return this beautiful dawn?
Why couldn’t I see him before?
Why did it have to take so long?

He answered with:

“Too busy to look or listen;
In a rush, you missed all the fun.
I was always ’round the corner;
You just… never made the turn.

But, for a breath, you stopped today.
So, here I am, plain as day.
Fate often looked you in the eye,
Only, this time, you didn’t look away.”

***

We meandered through a park.
Enthralled by the song of the lark,
I gaped at the colors of fall,
Wondering where had gone this spark.

As the old leaves fell,
I felt my heart swell –
A lightness long forgotten,
The lifting of a dark spell.

Finally, I understood this:
That feeling of something amiss,
Was just me not able to see,
A life blessed with beauty’s kiss.

So, at long last, I said to him:

“All your words are indeed true.
I’ve missed this place, this view,
Missed the laughter, the light,
Missed so much about you.

Last we talked, I was a child.
Living in a world less wild.
With a heart full of wonder,
Worried far less, much I smiled.

But somehow I lost that zen.
God only knows way back when.
Times changed, and so did I.
Never been the same again.

I so wish I could’ve seen,
The futures that could’ve been.
Life, blessed with your charisma,
Would be so much more serene.

I lost you once, and was lost.
But, thank God, our paths, at last, crossed.
Don’t leave my side till I close my eyes.
Not again can I suffer that cost.”

***

And so continues our story.
I just pray I never again see,
That deep, dark, death of a night when
That “stranger” is, once more, a stranger to me.

So, finally, I’ve managed to finish this poem! Although the idea for it came is swiftly and unexpectedly as ideas are wont to do, fleshing it out into the poem you see above has taken up a considerable part of my attention over the last two months. I know it’s not great, but it’s definitely the longest poem I’ve done in my short career as a poet, and given how much time and effort it took, and the subject, it’s quite close to me (although, as an artist, everything I write is close to me!). Hope you guys like it too!

P.S.: The inspiration for this poem came when reading the poem: “The Crooked Man” by Elrow Swift on hellopoetry.com. As I was reading about the “crooked man” in the linked poem, an idea suddenly popped into my head about what it would be like to meet the “stranger” from my poem.

Photo Credit: Nathália Bariani on Unsplash

Friend Request

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Of all the messages,
In all the bottles out at sea,
I’m glad, this one
Found its way to me.

Bonds of blood,
May be a bane or a boon.
Bonds of money n’ comfort,
May break too soon.

But bonds of love,
For the written, unspoken word,
Are whispers from the cosmos,
That lonely spirits heard.

We don’t know each other.
Just strangers in the crowd.
Few take that first step.
So, thanks for reaching out.

If it’s meant to be,
We’ll meet some day.
Maybe we already have.
Who can really say.

Even if we never did, never do,
Let’s not become a lost memory.
I hope, you’ll keep sharing,
Your beautiful gift with me.

I do have some friends,
But not many have what you do.
You’ve already helped more than some
To give credit where it’s due.

So I’ve made my decision.
This is what I say to you:
I see your friend request, and,
I’d like to be your friend too.

I first got the inspiration to write something like the above when thinking of a reply to another poem. But then I realized that it could be taken further to a more generic version talking about “friend requests” in general.

Hope you enjoy it! Feedback is always welcome too!

Photo Credit: Everton Vila