A tiger in cage

A tiger in the cage
May be well trained
But be on guard
He may pounce again

Plead with him
But to no effect
Keep him in check
And maintain safe distance

When misfortune befalls
And the two are face to face
Where is the choice but to pray
That he is not hungry and walks away

No trainer can match
His ferocity and agility
Yet he befriends the tiger
Knowing that his life is at risk

If the tiger feels rattled
And attacks when unshackled
It is nothing but fatal
The trainer still courts danger

A tiger is no pet but a tiger
Why cage him and keep him in fetters
Let him roam free in the forests
And trouble him not for your whims and commerce!

Why feel small

Don't feel small, you can shine a lot
Whatever you do, be it with your heart
The best you see that too began small
Eyes couldn't see it however sharp

What you are best at, do it still better
Become like a tide that doesn't slacken
The heights that boast shall lie flattened
And the depths and valleys will rise together

Don't feel small, be bold and strong
The sky is full of planets and stars
You are the master of your fate
And shall outwit the wise and smart

Who considered you small and your works insignificant
They eat their own words at what has come to pass!

Mangalyaan

I have entered the orbit of Mars
The dreams of my country men have come to pass
I shall stay here lonely or a distant cousin I may spot
And perform with diligence each and every task

The sign of life and what all is in its belly
Another earth in the making as we wished or thought
Let me find out for sure as I circle the mars from close
And as a footstep I lay for the mankind so far away

Mangalyaan is my name and very long my voyage
I shall perform to the last and shall not break hearts
Who have shaped me expectantly and marvelously filled my heart
Time will tell whether I have fulfilled what all was envisaged

With eyebrows raised they watch me in awe
Who ignored us earlier but have now been proved wrong!

All is well

All is well but nothing to swell
One has to slog to earn his bread
Some go there where no one went
Their feet sore but their hearts swell

Thirst for gold remains ever unfulfilled
Thirst of thousands is quenched by a desert well
No treasure of pearls and gems shall ever satiate
As will fulfill the wage of blood and sweat

Those who dare don't look back
May it be hell where they land
Time is the witness as to what they endure
Like a rock they stand till all is well

Nothing ever remains the same as night turns into day
A seed breaks the ground when its shoot springs to meet the light of the day!

Vision

A hen that lays golden eggs
It's too made of blood and flesh
Do such works that outshine gold
And bare the best in your heart and soul

Test yourself extend yourself
Discover the truth all by yourself
Have a vision beyond yourself
Which you feel deeply within yourself

Nothing is small but one's vision
A master sees the invisible with his vision
Restrict not that which is illimitable
Expand your reach and enlarge your vision

Shed the extra baggage on your back that you don't need
And let your hands be always on the wheel as long as you breathe!

Gig-Zig

If one makes his work a gig
And plays with it to his heart's fill
He shall learn many a trick
A feather in his cap it may also bring

When honey one takes from a beehive
He smokes and punctures it outright
Many a bee are wounded and killed
But does a bee stop making honey still

What autumn and what spring
A conifer remains ever green
Weathering a storm too many
It stands tall majestically

Be it a zig or a maze complicated
Nothing shall overwhelm or make you sick
When like a new song you learn it and sing
Things fall in place and you win

Some wear a wig and some go bald headed
What matters is the field on which hair sit
Their roots touch not what gives meaning
To life riddles simmering deep therein

East sees sunrise while west sleeps
West wakes up when sun is below horizon still
Much warmth and light give such souls
Which burn and slog in service

So what if you fall
Learn from an ant that crawls
Does it ever give up
Though a hundred times it falls

Make life a gig
Shake a leg and twist
Keep going forward
When nothing in your favor swings!

You and I

I listen with my heart
You speak with your eyes
The mind wonders
What has gone bye

Two and two make four
It is the same logic as before
But when your eye meets mine
Are we the same as before

Time moves heartlessly
River flows incessantly
When we are together
Things happen differently

You are not you
And I am not I
We are but one
In heart and mind

How long will it last
Neither you know nor I
When the separation comes
We shall understand life

Like a river flows life
At times it goes wild
The mind wonders
What has gone bye!

Charity

Value charity by all means
Man hours count not in the least
Cost to the company makes no sense
Contribution to society is its essence

When brother helps brother
Does he demand wage
It is no business
But just human take

Do something for others
And see what joy it gives
Which money can't buy
In palace or street

Charity is for your own sake
If more you make
Give to charity first
And thereafter celebrate

Business is business
It makes the customer pay
Towards charity too
And claim credit for the same

Charity is good business
Good money it makes
Some grow with charity
And their sweep and stakes

Make charity and business separate
Let them not mingle come what may
Make money in business as you may
But charity is to give, eyes looking away!

Why are you so good

Why are you so good
That I am jealous of you
Even if I try as much
I come nowhere near you

I shout and I burn
Belittle you and rub
What are you made of
Like snow you shine much

Wherever you go, thorns I sow
And weeds too in the field that you plough
But you come out unscathed
Where do the weeds and thorns go

I spit out venom and nothing more
Deadly my sting and what I swear and vow
My friendship is among demons
And all goodness I abhor

What has become of me
That I hate myself to the core
Nothing good comes out of me
I reap what I sow

What use is to fret
And feel smaller too
My own frustration I spill out
And feel lowly too

I shall be me and my inspiration thee
The demons shall not come near me
Washing out poison they have filled in me
Goodness I shall cherish that is abundant in thee

My friend is so good
And I see goodness from close
As he watches my steps
I feel reassured!

The language of love

King of the jungle
And head of my pride
None can stand before me
Who knows no fear or fright

But years before I was a child
Caged and sold for a few pice
Neither could I raise my voice
Nor I could fight

My master took pity
Raising me like his own child
As I grew my nature showed off
Ferocious and wild

He let me loose
In a jungle thick and wild
To mingle among my own
And like a king to live my life

A lion is a lion
Who rules as per whims
I was no different
But something I missed

My master in my thoughts
With such a big heart
Who taught me to love
To a lion, my God!

One day on prowl
When I saw my master
My joy knew no bounds
I jumped and danced all about

A child I became
Whom he had so lovingly raised
And kissed him and licked him
In a warm embrace

An animal is an animal, no human
But he too feels and understands
The language of love is such
That each and every creature understands!

Stunned

First you stun us
With your long silence
And then again
When you speak

Are you the same
Whom we know
Or someone else
With name and fame

God we don't make of you
But if he were himself
To step on earth
Shall he not wonder why he is far up

Something is there in you
Or perhaps His hand works in you
You baffle us at each and every step
Doing things amazing and different

May He bless you time and again
And your works may dazzle without fail
Far from public gaze you remain
As you create magic day after day!

Lost and found

Lost and now found
Joy knows no bounds
Free as a hound
Our heart beats loud

Tell us all about
Go not underground
'Disturb me not' if you post
Then we shall wait out

Busy as hell could be
Disconnect that doorbell
Plug the ears full
And make the phones dead

The wait is now over
And the signal turned green
We hear the familiar whistle
And see him coming

Let's now rejoice
For the lost is found
We were on tenterhooks
Now our joy knows no bounds!