All I want

Don't want to look at the dishes in the sink
Don't want to cook that chicken all raw and pink
Don't want to mop or vacuum the floor
Don't want to do the laundry or any more chores

Don't want to go to work every single day
Don't want to be stuck at my desk just for the pay
Don't want to battle the crowds to get on the train
Don't want this drudgery that addles the brain

Don't want to tussle with a surly teen
Don't want to put up with her being mean
Don't want to always prop up my better half
Don't want a morose partner who cannot laugh

Don't want to listen to others' tales of woe
Don't want them to tell me what I'd rather not know
Don't want to see the bills always pouring in
Don't want to deal with life, is that such a sin

What I want is solitude, to do what I love best
I'll be happy enough to roost in an empty nest
Just leave me alone with words to warm my soul
All I want to do is write, it's what makes me whole


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Cloudburst

Tears in my soul

Welling up 

like an ocean

At high tide

Engulfing my heart

In an avalanche

Of emotions

Submerging me

In a deluge 

Of feelings

Flooding my mind

Drowning all sense

But the dam

Of reason

Holds back 

the torrent

Till it bursts
in an

Outpouring

Of grief

Drenched, 

I let myself

Be swept away

By a raging

River in spate

Which spends itself

In a surge of rapids

Until I float

On the calm
Waters of peace


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

The Other Me

I have in me
another me
who talks to me
constantly

Her ceaseless patter
drives me mad
She won't even
let me be sad

'You're an idiot'
'Are you nuts'
'You never learn'
'you're all ifs and buts'

Pointing out my flaws
Is what she does best
She goes on and on
never needs a rest

I try not to listen
I close my ears
But she makes me face
all my worst fears

She's cruel
but she's kind
she has my welfare
on her mind

She says bitter things
that hurt me so
Though I don't want to hear
It's what I ought to know

She has the guts
to say what no one will
Her words are like
a bitter pill

She knows me best
How could she not?
She is the other me
And she's all I've got

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Travelling light

The big red suitcase

Lying open on the bed

Isn’t that the one 

We’ve taken 

on countless holidays

Packed it with

Love and laughter

Crammed it 

full of memories

Spilling out joyously

Wheeled it through 

Innumerable years

Of togetherness

Thrown it thoughtlessy

Infinite times

On the conveyer belt

Of life

Nicked and scratched

Dented and taped

And yet trundling

Through on rusty wheels

Now it is

full of clothes

Piled askew

Are we finally 

Going somewhere again

A surprise trip

Down a well-traversed road

To revisit happier times

But all I see

are shirts and trousers,

Coats and ties

Dress shoes, black socks

Not the usual

Shorts and tees

slippers and sunscreen

And there’s no space

For my things

Do you not mean

To take me along

I get my answer when
You shut it with

A resounding click

That rings in my ears

And wheel it out

Leaving me behind

like lost luggage

you don't want to find

Or excess baggage

you want to shed

Ilyanna Kreske

Aug 26, 2013

MODERATOR PICK on Poets of G+
I am selecting this poem for three reasons:
1) beautifully wrought metaphor
2) great storytelling
3) delightful use of language and vocabulary

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

In this time

In this time
time stops
so you and I
can find
eternity
in a moment
ecstasy in
an embrace
everlasting

In this time
hours fly
when I am
with you
lost in our world
oblivious
to the passing
of time

In this time
I count the minutes
We share
Not wanting
it to end
Trying to stretch
the time
to last forever

In this time
seconds tick by
telling me
that our time
will soon be
at an end
You will be gone
And I will relive
the time we spent
together

*Written to fit this brief: As I continue to seek to help us explore being mindful of the moment, I went back to using starting a poem with a specific phrase that, on the surface, may appear to be super easy but can be deceptively challenging.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that starts with the phrase "In this time..." Your poem can be about any topic, but must start with the exact phrase (not a paraphrase, or a play on the phrase).

Not starting your poem with that phrase will make your poem ineligible for competition.


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Kindness

A long hard day

Spent on my feet

Thought I’d get myself

A well-deserved treat

Piled my plate high

Queued up to pay

No money in my wallet

What was I to say

I’m sorry, I said

I can’t take the food

My empty stomach rumbled

As I suppose it should

The girl at the counter

Smiled and made my day

When she said, eat it 

And pay me another day

I sat at the table

A tear in my eye

Such a kind act

So hard to come by

*Written to fit this brief: Ok, your assignment this week, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem about personal kindness of the main character of your poem (could be you, could be fictional) personally performs or sees performed. The character can be the initiator or the recipient or see it happening in front of them. It must be personal and it must happening in the poem.

Please, no poems about how great it is to be kind, that's a given. This Prompt is for writing a poem about personal kindness that is actually going on within the poem by the main character of your poem (you?) or someone around him/her.

Not meeting those two conditions will make your poem ineligible for competition.


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Stillness

Silver pinpricks
On the black silk
Of the sky
Starring a
Milky white moon
Slashing pearly light
Into the room
Casting an ethereal glow
on her, flitting
across the floor
In a gossamer gown
Gazing at her pale face
In the mirror
With a stranger's eyes
A peaceful countenance
hiding the turmoil within
Scarlet-tipped fingers
smear ruby red
on her lips
Pinch colour
Into her cheeks
Her azure glance
Pierces the door
That she knows
Nobody will knock on
Impatiently seeking
Her company
The splash of water
From the overflowing tub
Pattering on the
Tiled floor
Draws her gracefully
Into the depths
Rippling, her
Hair spreads
out darkly as
Bubbles pop
The surface
And then all is still


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

A Hard Life

Born into a family that didn’t care
Made to do more than her fair share

Overlooked because she was a girl
Watched her sad life unfurl

Worked to bring home the bread
Treated with contempt instead

It became harder each day to cope
And yet she did not lose hope

She just wanted her own home
And waited for that day to come

She married a man with two kids
She thought, of this house, I’ll be rid

Things though became more dire
She was little more than a maid for hire

Less a home, more a hell
Not a soul could she tell

Beaten, abused, when she did no wrong
But all through it her faith stayed strong

Then her tormenter died
Finally there was no need to hide

Brought up the kids as best she could
They never lacked for love or food

Then they grew up and were gone
And so her duty was done

All these years they never looked back
It’s their company she lacks

Her bones are tired, her spirit is spent
And she knows she's nearing her end

As her weary eyes look for respite
So begins her long day’s journey into night

*Written to fit this brief: I've always been a sucker for a good title. For me, the title sets the tone of the poem/book/movie and a good one will at least make me pause to dig deeper. That's why I endeavor to find the best title I can for my own poems as well. The first thing a prospective reader sees before anything else is the title. With that in mind, I choose as the title for this week's Prompt:
"Long Day's Journey Into Night"

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that MUST use this famous title as a phrase somewhere in your poem but CAN NOT be the title of your own poem.

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Mother

I was just three
A motherless little girl
when you came into my life
The first time you saw me
you opened your arms
I went straight into them
as though I knew
it was where I belonged 
That was just the start
of a lifetime of loving
you lavished on me 
It was not you
who brought me 
into this world 
yet you loved me 
as though you had 
Your selfless act 
of unending kindness 
changed my life
for the better 
I'm grateful for 
for all you gave me
and I'm proud
to call you my mother

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Bird

A flutter of wings
The bird swoops
lands on my balcony
one foot lifted
beak open wide
Unblinking eyes
stare at me
I freeze
not moving
a muscle
lest it flies scared
from my home
It takes a step
then another
seeking crumbs
to comfort its hunger
Bare as bones
the stone floor
is coldly unyielding
It pins me
with a fierce gaze
that notes my failure
Chastised I blink
and in a flurry
it flies
to a kinder space



© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Agony

Your smile
rips my heart,
A dagger slicing
through tender flesh

Your kind voice
sears my mind,
Scalding drops
Leaving deep scars

Your gentle touch
sets me on fire
marking me
with blisters

Your words
Choke the hope
out of my soul,
they are not
the ones
I want to hear

Your face
is etched
in indelible ink
of my tears
on the canvas
of my mind

My breath sticks
in my throat
Every heartbeat
is an ache
as I struggle
to imagine a life
without you

Perhaps it is pain I love
and suffering
For why else
would I inflict
Upon myself
the agony
of your company

I smile
I laugh
I talk
I pretend you mean
nothing to me
though you are
everything
I ever wanted,
can never have

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Reasons

In the radiance of the sun

As it rises to light up another day

In the sparkle of the water

As it laps the shore

In the whispering green 

Of the leaves on the trees

In the snow that shines white

On the tops of the mountains yonder

In the twinkle that glitters in

The eye of a naughty child

In the softness of the wizened

Skin of the aged

In the happy laughter 

Of carefree youth

In the wonder reflected

On the face of an infant

In all these things and more

You can see the joy of life

In all these miracles you can find

A reason for rejoicing

If only you stop to look.

Make a pact with yourself 

Take out the time

From rushing helter-skelter

From earning a living

From dealing with joys and sorrows

From bearing the burden of everyday worries

And marvel at how wonderful 

life can be

All you need is

To stop and look

And you will find 

More joy than sorrow

More happiness than grief

More ecstasy than anguish

More reasons for living


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Say something

Yes

No

OK

Isn’t there more
you can say?

Talk to me

I need to know

How you’re feeling

I’m tired of guessing

What’s in your mind

Silence may be golden

But yours doesn’t glitter

With understanding

It shuts me out

An iron door

I can’t break down

Now

Sure

Bye

For God’s sake

Say something more

Don’t those words

on your tongue

jostle for space

Why won’t you
open your mouth

And let them all out

Of captivity

But

Why

If

You’re quite the

Master of the monosyllable

Times may be tough

But there’s no need to

Skimp on speech

So let's have a chat

Unlock your thoughts

Before they cease
to exist
Much

Like

Us


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Sections

Would that I could live
A neat ordered life
Like a bookshelf    
Arranged
In precise sections
I'd put happy memories
Together within reach        
Pull one out
And let it cast                                    
A gentle glow
Over my blue mood
All the bruises
Collected
From heartbreak
And hurt
I'd stash at the bottom
Where they'd gather dust
Neglected but still
Existing
I'd leave empty spaces
here and there
holes in the fabric
of my life
To remind me
of things left undone
And some vacant shelves
waiting to be filled up
with events yet to come
But life is not
a bookshelf
Its sections blend
into one another
Messy, cluttered, confused
But not sterile
Vibrant, colourful, alive
with promise
For what are we
but parts
put together
like a puzzle
section by section
till we merge
into a whole

*Written to fit this brief: Last week, we looked at titles and how important they are. Today, we will be looking at a single word and what it conjures in your poetic mind.
That word is section.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that explores your thoughts on that one particular word.

The title of your poem MUST be titled "Section" (but you are free to have sub title underneath).  Yes, this is a one word prompt for this week.

Not meeting those two conditions will make your poem ineligible for competition.


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Waiting

I wait in the corner

for you to

enter the room

A shrinking violet

in a sea of roses

Restless fingers

comb absent tangles
from unruly hair

brush my dress

for any unseen crumbs

still clinging

like a jealous lover

My eyes dart 

like a hovering

Hummingbird

flitting here and there

But there’s no sign of you

A waiter passes by

stops to see 

if I need a drink

I take a glass from

his laden tray

then another

I gulp it down

in one breath

not like the other women

who sip and nod

delicate as the

pearls around my neck

choking what little pleasure

there was in the evening
because you’re not here

My watch ticks on

I’m surprised to see

only an hour has gone by

It seems as though

I’ve been waiting for an eternity

The corner’s tired of me

Wanting some variety

I get to my feet to find

another quiet spot

One step then I freeze

my heart thumps louder

in tune to the music

rising to a crescendo

I sense you in the room

your fragrance fills the air

Time stops as I wait 

for you to come to me

I murmur the words

I will say to you

Drawing curious glances

But you’re drawn away

from me by the roses

blooming as you cast

your precious gaze on them

You stop, you laugh

you share a word and a smile

you nod and touch

Them with a gentle hand

Another lifetime passes by

before you look my way

I still stand in the corner

unmoving, unblinking

A smile grazes my face

and fades when I notice

you’re not looking at me at all

For all you see

is a shrinking violet 

wilted into nothingness

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Restless

There are times when I wonder

what it is about this life

that makes me go on living

It’s not with joy that I greet each new day

It’s not with hope that I watch the sun rise

I feel as though I’ve lost my way

The dreams that once lit up my eyes

do not excite me anymore

There’s no fun in the challenges 
that pushed me and made my spirits soar

Though it seems I’ve achieved

some of what I set out to do

travelled part of the way

on my destined path

why do I still feel restless?

Why does it feel that something
still eludes my grasp

Like quicksilver it slips from my hand

Like a mirage it disappears

just as I feel it is within reach

No matter what I do

all that remains

is an emptiness within

that refuses to be filled

No matter how much I hurry

or how fast I go

I feel I don’t really know

how to find happiness anymore



© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Regrets

I have loved, and I have cried

I have wept, and I have sighed

I've wondered about life passing me by

All the things I haven't begun

All the things I've left undone

I've wondered 

how it would've been 

had I tried

to put a meal in the mouths of the hungry

and clothes on the back of the cold

Do my bit for infants abandoned

and spared some moments for the old

Then would I have had the time

to mourn about what I couldn't get?

Would I have cried and sighed

and moaned and wept

about how life had passed me by?

I would have used the time

for things that really mattered

And I wouldn't have frittered 

a lifetime away

I would have looked back 

with a heart content

At least I could have said I tried


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Hope

When you're feeling low

When the skies seem dark

and the clouds gather overhead

to douse your hopes

Remember there's always

a silver lining

When you're feeling blue

When there's a load

on your heart

It's tough to get through the day

and you want to give it all up

Remember, it won't always

be this way

When life seems a burden

When you don't have the strength

to carry it on your shoulders

When you feel like 

leaving it all behind

Remember, there will be a helping hand

if you need it

Ups and downs

Highs and lows

are all part of life

There's fun and there's joy

and a little bit of strife

Just don't stop dreaming

and don't stop hoping

Better times are round the corner

when the sun will shine

the skies will be blue

and life will again be bright and new


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Forever

There was a time

When time stood still

It was when you

Looked into my eyes

And said you loved me so

How was I to know

It wouldn’t last

Now it’s all in the past

There was a day 

When all my dreams came true

It was when you held my hand

And said, Will you marry me?

My heart danced with glee

How was I to know

The flowers which bloomed that day

Were destined to wither away

There were those years

when we made the most of each day

Lived it to the fullest

As if there was no tomorrow

How was I to know

That we used up all our todays

And now we can only look back on yesterday

And now’s the time

When I look at you

And wonder where 

Is all that joy and fun

Where all those years have gone

How was I to know

However wise we may be, or clever

In the end, nothing lasts forever


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Mother Daughter dialogue

Mom, I need 100 bucks today

But I gave you some just yesterday

I spent it all, I don’t know how

Well, I can’t give you any more just now

Mom, you always say you don’t have any

I’ve told you before it’s hard to earn money

What’s my teacher going to say?

You’ll just have to wait till pay day

Mom, my teacher will be very annoyed

Maybe you can try hard to cry

Should I just ask for some from dad

You never talk to him, he’s going to be mad

Mom, I’ve got to go, I’m getting late

I’ll give it to you at a later date

I don’t think my teacher’s going to wait

Can you ask him for a rebate?

Mom, I also need a new iPad

What’s the matter with the one you had?

It’s become very old and slow

You think it's a bit like me, I know

God, Mom, you’re impossible

I know you think I’m horrible

Well, you said that, not me

Bye, and I love you too, honey


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Love's Demise

What shall I do
with this love of mine
unwanted
unnoticed by you
it overruns
my wild heart
Like a weed
left to grow unheeded

The creeping tendrils
Of my passion
Twine their green fingers
Around my mind
Choking all sense
                           
Fantasies bloom
in the fertile soil
Of my imagination      
Where happy endings
blossom
Between you and me

A wave of longing
Ripples through my body
That sways
like a verdant field of flowers
In the summer breeze

In your arms
I want to soar
Like the towering trees                      
And lie replete
in the soothing
Shadow you cast on me

But the burning sun
Of reality
Scorches my dreams
I writhe in their
Parched remains
As my love leeches
Into the cracked earth
That withers like my hopes


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Guilt

Do I stay or do I go?

This is the question

that nags me so

Out there is a world

waiting to be conquered

And I know

I'm capable of doing so

I find so much joy

in a job well done

And I do enjoy

my moments in the sun

But as I step out the door

And you tug at my hand

And look at me

with those tear-filled eyes

My step falters

And my new-found joy dies

I'm trapped by the longing

to be there for you

My heart says, stay

But my mind

urges me to go

How can I explain to you, little one

Though I have to leave you each day

You are always in my thoughts

and I'm just a phone call away

You may not understand now

because you are so young

but I hope that as you start to grow

Deep in your heart, you will know

Though you are dear to me

and always will be

There are new things for me to do

And new worlds to see

As you grow, 

watching me juggle

these two worlds

you will understand

that it can be fun

and you will learn

that it can be done

There's no need to choose

between one and the other

You can do both

and still be a wonderful mother


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

The End

You lie next to me, yet a world away

We grow apart each passing day

So many times I've wanted to say

We've reached the end

The words take shape in my head

What passion there was is now dead

Why can't I say what needs to be said

We've reached the end

Still I hold back in unknown fear

I let pain slide down in a tear

I can no longer bear to have you near

We've reached the end

The flames once strong have now died

The gap between us growing ever wide

We walked side by side, now I see

We've reached the end

There was love now there is none

We've had our moments in the sun

It was fun, now I want to run

We've reached the end

The wound so deep it doesn't heal

Hurt stamped with a burning seal

Trust is dead, and I strongly feel

We've reached the end.

I don't love you any more

I just want to walk out the door
My eyes are dry, my heart is sore
We've reached the end

Don't hold me back, let me go
Don't hold me close, don't say no
I do believe, though you may not know
We've reached the end

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved