KOUSALYA'S SON--A poem on Lord.Rama-By R.Natarajan

                                 KOUSALYA'S SON

An inimitable icon,
infallible idealist and

an endless source of

inexhaustible inspiration--
all in one
is none but you
Oh,Kousalya's
son.!

Oh  Ram!
graceful and gorgeous
like a fully bloomed
blue lotus,
You are....
magnanimous and munificent,
brave and benevolent,
forgiving and forbearing,
equanimous and endearing!  

Poets and sages
down the ages
have sung
paeans praising your
paternal loyalty in
forsaking the
crown sans
frown for your
father's sake.

Your holy name,
sweet,serene and pure
is a sure cure
for the
ills affecting the society
and
ailments afflicting the souls.
It takes grieving mortals
to heavenly portals!

The arrays of arrows that
arrived from your
artful bow
annihilated all the
demons of an
alien island. 
But,the devils of our own
"I" lands are
still at large,
stealthily seeking shelters
in our
selfish minds.

Oh,scion of the Sun clan,
destroy them and
deliver us from the
dreary and deluding
cycles of
dud births
and
dreadful deaths.!

    

PAVEMENT DWELLERS--A Poem by R.Natarajan

                                   PAVEMENT DWELLERS


                                The impoverished Ganesa in an
                                 improvised ramshackle abode
                                 presides over the
                                 proceedings of the
                                 pavement dwellers.

                                 The fluttering flags
                                 atop poles
                                 always show the direction
                                 of the political wind.

                                 Cloggy combs,broken mirrors
                                 constitute their
                                 make-up kits.

                                 Reed mats,rusty boxes,
                                 plastic pots are their
                                 petty belongings.

                                 Sharing their lot,
                                 stray dogs stay there,
                                 safe-guarding nothing.

                                 The sounds of speeding vehicles are
                                 sonorous lullabies to their
                                 slumbering children.

                                 Born in poverty-
                                 it is their only
                                 'Birth right'

                                 Yet.......
                                  a poster on the adjoining wall
                                  proudly proclaims
                                  "Indeed great is our Bharat !"
                               
                               
                                    

Lines written during night---(a la Wordsworth's "Lines written in march" ) By R.Natarajan

                         LINES WRITTEN DURING NIGHT

                                   The stars are gazing ;
                                   The moon's amazing ;
                                   The owl does hoot ;                       
                                   It sounds like toot.
                                   Darkness shrouds the world;
                                   Chill air is blowing;
                                   Small lamps are glowing;
                                   All folks are dancing;
                                   Their hearts rejoicing 
                                   In singing songs of the old!   


                                   The day is gone,
                                   Now revelry is on .
                                   It soothes the pain 
                                   Of Life's hard strain.
                                   Night is the time for rest.
                                   Tho' pleasure's inviting
                                   Our tasks keep waiting.
                                   Relax , don't weep;
                                   Have a nice sleep.
                                   And wake up in the morn with zest!   
                                            

LULLABY- A POEM BY R.Natarajan

                                       LULLABY
           For you,my dear,this lullaby I sing;
           Sweet slumber my soft music shall bring !
           Close your eyes to this mundane world-
           A realm of fantasy you'll behold!

                        Oh sleep! let your gentle arms embrace
                        This little flower of our garden with grace! 


          Heavenly music can't match your voice;
          To watch you toddle around is the greatest of joys!
          It is a delight to see you eat
          With food strewn over your dresses neat.

                      Oh sleep ! let your gentle arms embrace
                      This little flower of our garden with grace!


         Can ever worry steal away your mirth ,
         Making you miserable on this very earth ?
         Can anxious thoughts about  future life
         Hang above you like a Damocle's knife?

                      Oh sleep ! let your gentle arms embrace
                      This little flower of our garden with grace !


          Your wants are simple ,needs are few;
          You cry only when the milk is due.
          A broken toy can give you pleasure
          More than any other earthly treasure.

                     Oh sleep! let your gentle arms embrace
                     This little flower of our garden with grace !


          Sleep on little one ,this is the time !
          When age advances you'll reach your prime.
          Duties will increase and worries will creep--
          Even cosy beds can't make you sleep.

                    Oh sleep ! let your gentle arms embrace
                    This little flower of our garden with grace !!!

                 
   

ILLUSIONS-A POEM BY R.Natarajan

                                     ILLUSIONS

       Strands of peacock feathers
       secretly kept
       inside my
       school note-book
       never multiplied.

                     The flirtatious glances
                     of my
                     college girlfriend
                     failed to
                     materialize into
                     matrimony.

     The accounting skills
     acquired by studiousness
     and perfected by my
     post graduate degree
     did not in anyway
     prevent the
     dissipation of all my
     properties.

                  Now,
                  reduced to
                  medicines,injections and
                  bedpan, when I am
                  waiting for the "final call'
                  wallowing in
                  worldly grief-
                  He in His own
                  whimsical way
                  is not
                  willing to oblige.  

     

A CHRONICLE OF A'' CARRIER''--A poem by R.Natarajan

 A CHRONICLE OF A ''CARRIER''


 As a little girl
she carried her
baby brother;
then
pots of water
from distant wells
to quench
dry throats
dehydrated by the 
hot Indian summer


As a maiden
she carried
hopes in her
heart and
dreams in her
dreary eyes.


The matchmaking
that followed
made her
carry the
seeds of progeny
and the
millstones of
maternal routines.


In the evening of life
she bears the
burden of her
own self
and the task of
providing a bright future
for her
beloved grandchildren


She carries and
she carries--but
who cares?
When she
stops---
It's time for others to carry
her.

THOUGHTS ON A DIWALI DAY----A poem by R.Natarajan

THOUGHTS ON A DIWALI DAY !


Arise ye brethren ! Here comes the festival of lights !
Harbinger of prosperity ! Destroyer of all our plights !
The roar of crackers sound like thunder.
The sparklers flash out radiance yonder!
Today,we hail the Lord's triumph over the devil-
But lo ! Have we overcome all our evils--
Lust,Greed,Anger,Hatred and the like?
Let's on this festive occasion strike 
At the roots of these and bask in fame!
Come along ! Let's rekindle and rejuvenate the flame
Of Love and Affection,
Peace and Joy and
The spirit of Universal Brotherhood! 

A LIVING LESSON---A poem by R Natarajan

                                           A LIVING LESSON

Life's charming,full of meaning;
No more mourning-no complaining.
Problems many may daily come
Confront them-You will overcome!


Contentment is the best treasure.
Avarice makes you poor in measure.
Let not wealth be the only goal-
Peace of mind has a greater role!

Think before you speak at all
Uttered words will hold  you in thrall
By harshness only hatred is sown
And all the noble deeds are blown

The dizzy heights of power and glory
Make you forget your old story
Remember well your lowly start
Lest ego swells the heart!

Before a fall,goes your pride
Don't ever move along its stride!
An honest,humble and dutiful person
Is on earth a "living lesson"

CHILDHOOD MEMOIRS

                                        CHILDHOOD MEMOIRS


The vistas of bygone childhood years
Pleasant and sweet,will bring forth tears.
How I wish to go back to those days
When innocence and joy ruled my ways.

In the dim and hazy moonlit night
Gentle breeze blew from garden straight.
The melody of my mother's song
Softly lulled me to sleep before long.

During the fiery heat of April and May
From my house I used to stray.
It was the months of summer vacation
Which filled my heart with great elation.

I loitered in the meadows green and lush;
Ate many a stolen mango behind the bush;
Swam like a fish in the village pond
And enjoyed the life of a vagabond!

With nostalgic memories when on my bed I lie,
I could visualize the events in my mind's eye.
Today,in this life of stress and strain,
I yearn for those years once again.

Oh, golden days of the past!
Won't you come back at any cost?
Won't you come back at any cost?
And fill my heart with peace to last!