VoicesNet.com Recent Poems of Sheela Chalapathi ramananda - Copyright for all poems displayed belong to author

OH! MY BANGALORE! by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

9/26/2009

She was once green,lovely and beautiful,
But now has grown ugly but resourceful.
Once upon a time my city was pensioners'paradise,
But now is the abode of people who vandalise!

As a little girl,I loved to walk to school,
Because her streets were quiet and peaceful!
But now,I am filled with dread for those poor souls
Who are forced to drive on her scary pot-holes.

There were colourful gardens with majestic trees,
But now,they are replaced by flyovers and factories!
My lungs would expand with joy to breathe the fresh air,
But now,I should keep them alive with an inhale[ai]r!

There were chirping sparrows on my window sill,
But now,their voices have become forever still!
Summer was always pleasant with a maximum of 30,
But now the mercury mercilessly soars to 40!

Oh! How I wish to go back to those happy days
When my dear Bangalore was the best place!

The Realization by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

8/9/2009

What is real for me,might be unreal for others,
What is truth for me,might be untruth for others,
In this maze of
the real and unreal,the truth and untruth
Lies hidden the meaning and mystery of Life.

What is good for me,might me be bad for others,
What is food for me,might be poison to others,
In this maze of
the good and bad,the food and poison,
Lies hidden the meaning and mystery of Life.

What is Happiness for me,might be unhappiness for others,
What is right for me,might be wrong for others,
In this maze of
happiness and unhappiness,the right and wrong,
Lies hidden the meaning and mystery of Life.

When"I"becomes"we"and "Iam"becomes"we are"
"Mine"becomes"ours","my world"becomes"our world"
"My enemy"becomes"my friend","fractions"become "whole"
The maze will clear,the mystery will unravel to reveal
The Great Truth.

THE PAINTING by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

8/29/2010

Oh!Whose handiwork is this?

Mixing the brown of all matter
With the white of the cascading water
Drawing intricate patterns on Earth's face
The invisible artist has a splash of green growing
As only He knows how to beautify and mystify everything.

Oh! What does it mean?

The white clouds on the infinite blue
Changing patterns without giving a clue.
The drops of rain bringing a smile to Earth's face.
The frothy white of the roaring,cascading waterfall
Stagnating beneath into a greenish,grey puddle.

If the gifts of life are not put to proper use
They will frizzle out and diffuse.

In Wedlock Forever by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

7/25/2009

Locked in the dizzy joys of wedlock
You and I had no time for the rest
of the world!

When the bundles of joys arrived
You and I shared joys and pains
of parenting!

Now the children have lives of their own.

Our wants may have changed,but
the companionship has strengthened
the journey together!

To My Father in Hospital by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

7/16/2009

Watching you lying
on the hospital bed,
tears roll down my cheeks
oh!my dear father!
The lines on your wrinkled face
tell many tales of bygone days!
When you open your eyes
I see a curdled sadness.
The roles have reversed
I am your parent and
you are my child.
Your face lit up with joy
when you brushed my teeth
why do you feel sad
when I brush your teeth?
Why feel uneasy when
I try to steady your
trembling hands?
These hands have fed
me and held me tight
when I cried.
When you make an attempt
to sit up,why look disturbed?
I know that you were happy
when I first sat up and fell back.
I remember the day
I took my first steps
tottering and falling!
You walked with me
and taught me how to walk.
Now,why feel depressed
that you cannot stand steadily,
I am here to teach you to walk again.
When I tried to talk
you enjoyed my baby talk
Why are you saddened
when your toothless mouth
lisps and stammers?
Looking at you I understand
that 'old age is second childhood'.

Scenes of Global Warming by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

6/28/2009

A beautiful,infinitely pleasant blue sheet
With white,ice-cold clouds pasted on it.
Inquisitive birds circuit the ice-mounds
Pecking them to see if there is rain in the clouds.
Tall,lanky coconut palms standing very still
With no winds blowing to turn their wind-mill.
The frowning Sun mercilessly glaring down
At the very sad,tired Earth ready to swoon.

The forever restless,sleepless,noisy city
Moving towards its doom with high velocity.
The rancid smelling,overcrowded buses
Filled with tensed people who hurtle curses
At the meaningless,worthless,busy life
Which they are forced to live with strife.
The pollutants are tearing the ozone layer
And this cannot be set right by any prayer.

The green grass growing in the snowy poles
Has sadly raised the penguin death tolls.
The alarmingly fast-melting mountain glaciers
Spell doom to the life-giving,sacred rivers.
The rumbling,growling,angry volcanoes,
Are warning man for breaking Nature's canons.
The first time snowfall in the hot desertland
Are these threats to make Earth a wasteland?

The Bird's Day Out! by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

6/17/2009

Perched on a lone tree
is a lone bird.
All around are dark
overhanging clouds,
rumbling and thundering
they threaten the bird.
Fascinated by her difiance
the clouds send claps of
lightening to scare her.
But the bird stands her stance
indifferent and uncaring,
pruning her feathers,
as if getting ready
for an exciting shower of rain!
This small,'bird-brained' bird
knows a great truth!
When surrounded by adversities
dont run away,but braze yourself
with a 'fight or perish'attitude.

The Mother by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/9/2010

Remember my mother on Mother’s Day
The one who brought me into this world
Or the one who is the Mother of the world?

The first mother has given shape to me in her womb
And is the mother of this body till I lie in the tomb.
But the other mother is the eternal life giver
And is reputed as the eternal life sustainer.

She has in her folds infinite life schemes
Which constantly change to suit her whims.
From times immemorial everything is according to her tenet
And because of her will, life thrives on this great planet.

Her formulae of permutation and combination of life,
Have given an amazing plethora of awesome forms of life.
She is essentially and eternally the Spirit of Life.

Lost by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/9/2009

When in pain
I came to you,
wanting a soothing balm
instead found a pin-cushion.

When in distress
I ran to you,
wanting a shoulder to weep on
but banged my head against a stone.

When in need
I rushed to you,
thought you were a friend indeed.
But your back was turned on me.

When in joy
I floated to you,
only to find your jealousy
pricking the bubble of happiness.

Now,I am lost,
confused and lonesome
in a world of hypocrites
making a mockery of all
those glittering quotes
on Friendship!

The Global Machine by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/4/2009

It is a universal fair of sorts
bartering all kinds of products.
Multistoried and multifaceted structures
beckon smart,unsuspecting youngsters
with short-term gains and long-term pains.

The naive,curious onlookers
who peep into the long corridors
that have a strange,foreign air
are immediatly sucked in
by a blast of globalised air.

And then the churning and swirling
by the global machine, demanding
all their energy and attention,
leaving very little or nothing
for life and procreation.

Giving them thousands and lakhs
the machine breaks their backs
Crushing them with work pressure.
In the tight-rope balancing of work-life
it is only work,with little or no life.

Confused by exposure to an alien culture
the youngsters reject their own culture.
The pseudonyms and fictitious role plays
render them emotionally and socially crippled
with families weakened by work-pressure tripled

(this is the experience of many of my students who have taken up jobs in call centers.)

How can I be Creative? by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/15/2009

They say be creative!

How can I be creative
when God's Book of Nature
is devoured by mechanical culture?

How can I be creative
when the gurgling brook
is stifled by a money-making crook?

How can I be creative
when my brethren the trees
are fast replaced by factories?

They say be positive!

How can I be positive
when the birds that are singing
are scared away by the machines droning?

How can I be positive
when peace is made elusive
by forces divisive?

How can I be positive
when materialistic acquisition
is the mantra of the present generation?

How can I be positive
when there is no other motive
than being always competitive?

Will someone teach me to be creative
when 'my home' is destroyed by an explosive!

Will someone teach me to be positive
when I am attacked on the streets by a fugitive!

Will someone oh! someone!teach me to be humorous
when the very air I breathe in has become poisonous!

THE SPRING TREE by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/14/2010

I am bare and barren now
But wait till spring comes on tow
To touch me with his magic wand
And bind me with his loving band.

Fresh green sprouts designed by Nature
Splash on my body to give me a stature,
Interspersed with fragrant, beautiful flowers
My green leafy cloth gives joy, hope and life
To this world filled with strife

Pigeons in the Library by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/12/2009

An innocent,delicate-looking pigeon
squeezed through the window-prison
of the library's reference section
adding to the librarian's dudgeon.

Fluttering around and cooing
his friend flew in at his beckoning.
Flying from one shelf to another
the graceful duo did not bother

When the 'Silence Please'fell with a clatter
victim of their enthusiastic chatter.
The bookworms pouring over their books
looked up at them with forlorn looks.

Their graceful necks nodding
the pigeons flew around goading
the young scholars to stop awhile
and appreciate them with a smile!

Oh! Who will Weep for Them? by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/10/2009

Here, is a two-year old trying
to wake up his dead mother,
there, is a young girl weeping
uncontrollably for her brother.
Their only child gone missing
the man and woman have gone crazy.
Sitting in the corner of the holy building
the old man is shell-shocked by this frenzy.

Yusuf,a father of three had left home
hopefully, in search of work.
Ajoy,a newly wed was returning home
starry-eyed, from work.
Stephen,a talented singer
had come with dreams colourful.
Raghavan,an enterprising engineer
was here with ideas resouceful.

But faceless terrorism has them muffed
with their dreams shattered.
Compunctionless terrorists have rendered
their simple lives battered.
Everywhere innocuous-looking people
are planting gelatin sticks
which are easily available
for Rs.50/-like candy sticks.

'Oh! Who will Weep for Them?'
cries sadly a newspaper caption.
Millions of voiceless people are with them
shedding tears and voicing concern.
Enemy nations are shamelessly
pointing fingers at each other,
and politicians deliver speeches pompously,
but do not really bother.

SILENCE THE VIOLENCE by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

5/1/2010

How to silence the violence in you and me?
Replace distrust with trust, and hatred with love.
Transform the ugly frown into a beautiful smile,
And direct the hand that rises to kill, to embrace.

How to silence the violence in you and me?
Find yourself in others and your happiness in others.
Share joys and grief and wipe a tear here and there
Convert the destructive anger into the constructive peace.

How to silence the violence in you and me?
Hatred begets hatred but love comes back multiplied
The bestial qualities can be channeled into humane assets
To make a heaven out of the hell.

The Death of a Mammoth by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

4/9/2009

He strayed into their territory
without premission.
All that he wanted
was some food.
The cowards came together
to scare him!
Surrounded by Red Anger
screaming for his blood,
he was scared and cofused.
Outnumbered by scheming selfishness
he ran helter skelter.
Death was waiting for him
as a gunshot.
The bullet punctured his heart
The mammoth fell shrivelled
like a leaf.
His pierced heart fluttered
at this cruelty.
And then...he lay senseless
punished for tresspassing.
The head that rolled
for another head
punished for guarding,
chopped by the trisul
of the angry Siva,
now lay bleeding on the dust.
It is the same yet
not the same face
of the elephant-god.
Timeless , uncanny!
And then ,the people came
offering flowers and burning camphor.
Dead body sprinkled
with red and yellow dust.
Hunger drawing life out of him!
They begged him to forgive,
what hypocrisy!
His spirit hovered around.
Did he ever question them
when they occupied his territory
destroying his home
in order to build their home?

Where is God Hiding? by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

4/9/2009

"Where is God hiding?
I cant find Him anywhere,"
cried Inexperience,
"I have looked for Him
in my mother and father
I have wept for Him
in the darkness of the night
and asked dawn to show Him.
I have searched for Him
in the sky and the earth.
I have tried in vain
to find Him in the flowers
and in the hoar trees.
I have run with the streams
and the rivers to locate Him
I have climbed up the mountains
and peeped into the dark caves.
I have scaled up the cliff
and crawled down the crevice.
I have waited with abated breath
on the shores of the roaring sea
and tried to feel Him in the rain.
Oh!where can I find Him?"

Wisdom smiled and patted his back,
"You have already found Him
Oh! my foolish child!
He is in the love of your mother
and the discipline of your father.
He is in the comfort of sleep at night
and the ruddiness of the dawn.
He is in the infinite blueness of the sky
and the fertility of the earth.
He is in the fragrance of the flowers
and the shade of the trees.
He is in the azure water of the river
and the loftiness of the mountains.
He is in the strength of the the body
and the adventure of the spirit.
He is in the treasure of the sea
and the purity of the drops of rain."

Timeless Time by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

4/4/2009

The footprints of time
are sadly lost
in the futile search
for contentment.
The wings of Time
flutter without a rhyme
and the rhythm of Life
is hopelessly buried
in the sands of Time.
The timeless seed of Love
planted in human hearts
is crushed by the
race against Time.
The goal set by a stopclock
precision,is made hazy
by a delusion of non-stop
competition in a world
staggeringfor a foothold.
Sinking in the quicksand
of Time are unfufilled dreams
making an attempt
to jump on to firm reality.

My Mother and I by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

4/25/2009

I am my parents' future lying
snugly in my mother's womb.
I am very special to my mother,
so she has bound me by cords to
give shape to my body and mind.
From conception to delivery
from the cosmic to the physical
I am my mother's special gift
to the world and humankind.

Day by day I grow in form
feeding on nutrients and love
supplied continuosly by her.
I remind her of my presence
by kicking and buffeting her
with my little limbs and head.
And I make her look ludicrous
with an overblown tummy.
But I know she does not mind
as she is next only to God Almighty
in the sacred task of creating LIFE.

Apprehensions of a Bird by Sheela Chalapathi ramananda

4/24/2009

Sitting in the rack
of a busy classroom
the lonesome pigeon
hides its neck in its breast.
Blinking between naps
stretching its graceful neck,
fluttering its wings
like outstretched limbs
it peeps curiously
into the students' books.
Fascinated by the diagram of a bird
drawn meticulously in the books,
the pigeon admires man's creativity.
But,is sad that he has lost himself
in theory and does not 'see'
the bird in life and blood-
a live example of the marvels
of Evolution of Life.
And flies away immediately
scared by the thought
that one day,it might also
become extinct'dead as a dudo'
another victim of 'man's progression'!