Stormy Nights

I lie in my lonely bed
listening 
as the torment within
is reflected without 
The sky weeps in torrents
for the tears I cannot shed
The thunder roars in rage
showing the anger I repress
The lightning is a silver streak 
illuminating the darkness in my mind 
The wind howls against the window
voicing the anguish that I hide
The fury spent, the storm abates
leaving me drained
I close my eyes and surrender 
to the soothing embrace of sleep
Tomorrow there will be blue skies
and the sun will shine on me


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Falling

In my mind
I walk on a ledge
just wide enough
for my narrow feet
I look down 
at the sheer drop
A plunge into murky depths
that fascinate and repel
Everything halts 
I freeze
Courage flees
Fear is a vice
I've come this way before
many times  
teetered at this spot            
stumbled, picked myself up
skated across the precipice
A seasoned performer on this tightrope
Why do I hesitate this time  
The promise of sanity 
across the ravine
rings hollow
More darkness awaits
at the end of the tunnel
The chasm tempts me more
New depths call to me 
Go ahead, says my mind
Just fall


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Love

I thought I knew love
It was my heart 
beating faster
As though I'd run 
a marathon of anticipation

I thought I knew love
It was the sheen of passion 
on heated skin
Entwined limbs 
in tangled sheets

Then I held you in my arms
For the very first time
Your tiny body flailing
Your red little face scrunching
Your lusty cry deafening

My world stopped, tilted
turned again, with you 
now at the centre 
of my universe
And it was then 
I learned 
what love really was


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

And So It Is Born

Sometimes it comes softly
wafting into the mind
on the spring breeze
waiting to flower into beauty
Exuding the warm glow
of the summer sun
it blossoms into fulfilment
Sometimes it begins on a stormy note
wrenched from your soul
A raging autumn tempest
ripping through your skin
dripping blood that stains
the winter snow
and falls as a poem


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Sink Or Swim

Cracks in the pavement

Slash at my feet

The sun blazes down

I wilt in the heat

The lonely road ahead

Is unforgiving and bleak

I long to stop and sit

My weary legs feel weak

I’ve walked a long way

But not gone very far

I’ve been bogged down

In misery’s sticky tar

I seek to rise above

Sadness and pain

I’ve got a lot to lose

And much more to gain

Sometimes I feel

I’ve conquered fear

I’ve risen above sorrow

And better times are here

I can feel a smile

Reach out to my lips

My heart starts to lift

And then the balance tips

As I spiral down I think

For a moment I was free

Then a blanket of despair

cast its shadow upon me

I feel happiness

Slip out of my hands

So difficult to cope

With all that life demands

It’s so easy to surrender

To the pull of the abyss

To drown in the darkness

Will that bring peace?

I’m tempted to give up

But I know I have to go on

I must keep up the struggle

Until the fight is won

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Clean Hands

He starts with nothing

just a poor man

who wants to be rich

He drives himself hard

and rises to the top 

it all goes without a hitch

But along the way

he hardens his heart

and tramples on his soul 

Stops at nothing 

to get what he wants

By fair means or foul  

Corrupted by power

he takes the lives

of those who oppose him

Cross his path

and chances of survival

are indeed very slim

In devious ways

swift and sure

he plots their demise

Stabbed shot strangled

no matter how it happens                                

everyone always dies

The police dog his heels

but try as they might

they never find any proof

They question, they threaten

and even beat him up 

he stays silent and aloof

They want nothing more

than to convict him

and clap on those steel bands

They know he’s dirty

but there’s little they can do
for he has squeaky clean hands

* Written to fit this brief (not submitted): Let's explore a concept this time. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that explores "clean hands". Your poem should be titled anyway you like but must have the words "clean hands" in it somewhere. Not having your poem have the words "clean hands" will make your poem ineligible for competition. Titling your poem "clean hands" does not count. What does "clean hands" conjure in your thinking and writing? How will you get that across?

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

With You

In the midnight of our days
Slumped in our careworn chairs
I look back at the dawn
of our first meeting
when we were not high enough
to reach the cookie jar on the counter top
Shared conspiracies began then
as we gorged on life’s gourmet spread
Childhood served up carefree days
garnished with cuts and scrapes 
and bruised knees 
unheeded in our headlong rush
to meet the next adventure
We added inches and years
and new escapades
You sat at the next table
in the classroom
A reassuring presence 
constantly by my side
I grappled with lessons
and watched you excel
as your intelligent mind soared 
on the drifts of brilliance
The world intruded on our idyll
but we still made time
to discover life’s pleasures
We celebrated love
healed bruised hearts
with wine and cookies
through sleepless nights
Every heartbreak mended
by friendship’s balm
Time flew, our paths diverged
I saw you rise and rise
You flew across the oceans
to make your mark on the world
I was lost in the morass of mediocrity
and yet, and yet
I tasted your success
exulted in your achievements
I scaled the pinnacle
riding on your triumphs
Perched on the peak
you never lost sight of me
As we carved different paths
to our destinies
The years sit lightly now
on our stooped shoulders
The cookie jar out of reach once more
but we’ve had our fill
Replete, I sit by your side
and there is no greater joy
than to be with you, my friend
and watch the setting sun
In the midnight of our days

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

A Little Bit About Me

A little bit mad, a little bit sad
Sometimes I wish I was a little bit bad

I’m just a regular sort of gal
The kind who makes a great pal

What you see is what you get
You’d agree if we ever met

No hidden depths to explore
But I hope you'll want to know more

Simple pleasures appeal to me
Oven-fresh bread and a cup of tea

While I do love my family
It’s with my friends I’d rather be

I'm not the best or the brightest, that's true
But I'll always be there for you

Most of the time I’m bright and sunny
Friends say I can even be funny

But I do have a melancholy streak
Then it’s my own company I seek

Spent my life doing the usual things
Dealt with all the ups and downs it brings

First a daughter, then wife and mother
I’ve always been one or the other

I now want to break the chains and fly
Do something worthwhile before I die

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Which Hand Do You Choose?

This is my hand
Its touch 
can say
so much more
than words
Can you feel 
the love
as it
ruffles your hair
caresses your cheek
strokes your arm
holds your hand
pats your back

This is my hand
that does so much 
for you
It
cooks your food
smoothes the sheets
irons your clothes
protects your life
holds you up

This is my hand
Yes, it loves
but it can also hate
It can
yank your hair
slap your cheek
pinch your arm
twist your hand
break your back

It can
poison your food
crumple the sheets
burn your clothes
cause your death
push you down

Yes, this is my hand
but which hand
you’re dealt
is entirely up to you

*Written to meet this brief: Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that begins with the exact phrase "This is my hand." Your poem can be about wherever that beginning takes you but must start with the  *exact phrase*  "This is my hand."

Not having your poem start with the exact phrase will make your poem ineligible for competition. Titling your poem "This is my hand" does not count.

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

It Takes Two

Eyes meet, glances swirl away
Twirl back to rest on faces
Look down on fingers
Drumming the table
Insistent signals of an ancient rhythm
Hands hover, move a step back
Poised to flee, wanting to stay
Reach out, withdraw
A tango without touch 
Lips part, unsaid words 
Tremble tremulously
Unspoken but understood
glide silently back
Into the shadows
Legs stretch, collide 
Jerk back in an electric shuffle
Desire waltzes through inflamed veins
Blood strums, hums with longing
Muted notes soar to a frenzied crescendo
Breath catches, rises and falls
A fiery salsa swelling
To a frantic finish 
Stillness transformed
Into hurried grace 
Bodies rise, meld together 
Clinging, melting, fusing 
Swaying in an eternal dance

© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Nothing To Lose

When you're gone
I won't shed a tear
They'll tell me to be brave
As I stand dry-eyed
by your grave

When you're gone
I'll have nothing to say
They'll ask me to speak
When I decline, they'll think
I'm consumed by grief

When you're gone
I won't feel any pain
My spirit will stay whole
For the sting of betrayal
has numbed my soul

When you're gone
I won't mourn you
We've long drifted apart
You broke my trust
and also my heart

When you're gone
I'll feel happy
I'll ask myself why
and that'll make me sad
Perhaps, then, I will cry


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Undying Love

In every crevice of your every word

I search for a sliver of love

In every glance you cast my way

I look for a sign that you care

It’s not a gentle warm love

That tiptoed into my life

It’s a raging monster
that stormed into my world

and devoured me whole

Starve it, drown it,
bury it, ignore it,
fight it, I've tried it all

Still it survives

flourishes, grows stronger
each passing day
Its deep roots
Sink into me
I lack the strength
to yank them out
Its sweet poison spreads
through my veins
But I'll never speak of it
and you'll never know
A sickness with no cure
It'll drive me to my death
And even then
there will be no peace
For it'll reside with me
in my grave


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Cleansing

You wash and scrub 
soap and rinse
but you’re still not satisfied
So you do it once again
rid your palms
of every speck of dust 
and you’re proud 
of your squeaky clean hands

But the filth of hatred
clogs your mind
The grime of prejudice
corrodes your heart
The venom of malice 
clouds your vision
I'll settle for dirty hands
If you show me a spotless soul



* Written to fit this brief: Let's explore a concept this time. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that explores "clean hands". Your poem should be titled anyway you like but must have the words "clean hands" in it somewhere. Not having your poem have the words "clean hands" will make your poem ineligible for competition. Titling your poem "clean hands" does not count. What does "clean hands" conjure in your thinking and writing? How will you get that across?


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Today is all you have

The inky black

of the sky

is flecked gold

by the shimmering rays 

of the rising sun

that heralds a new dawn

Wiped clean of

the blemishes 

of yesterday

by the moon’s soothing light

the day is a blank slate

waiting to be filled

a second chance

to get it right

Paint it
in bright colours of hope

coat it 

with the warmth of love

Give it 

the burnished glow

of friendship

and seal it 

with kindness
before time runs out

on today 

and it slips

through your fingers

forever


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Heartbreaker

No, she says,

in a silken tone

that cloaks the steel

in her sweet voice

Two letters, one word

with all the power

to break my heart

every time she says it

and that’s all the time

Do your homework

No

Clean your room

No

Stop looking at your phone

No

It could be worse

for sometimes she says

nothing at all

A blank gaze greets

my angry demands

looks through my

desperate pleas

Then she rolls her eyes

and halts my diatribe

in mid-stride

There was a time

when that annoying "no"
was triumphed by

by a bubbly “yes”

Did you eat your dinner

Yes
It

Yes

Have you put away your toys

Yes

Did I blink and miss the switch

From an eager to please
cheerful toddler

To a teenage solitude seeker

Inhabiting her own universe

where I am an alien

I ask permission
to enter her world
She says no
in a steely tone
with no hint of silk
to soften the blow


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Unkind Cuts

His thoughts
The first cut
Hurts the most
Keep it shallow
His eyes  

The second cut
A red streak
That stings
His face

The third cut
A twist of the knife   
Draws blood
His voice

The fourth cut
A fresh rip                            
Easier now                                         

Timeout to                                          
Savour the pain  
easing the ache
Of a hopeless love

Cover the 
Throbbing scars                               
With a smile
Go on living
while there's room
for more cuts
on the heart
for it still 
beats


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

This wondrous now

This wondrous 
now drenched in blood day
was a pristine perfect dawn
only moments ago 
A rose-tipped morning
held promise 
of a new beginning 
now splattered with crimson 
by hate-filled swords 
Sweet notes of birdsong 
scented the air 
now fouled by agonised cries 
of men cut down mercilessly
Wounded doves of peace
drop feebly from a clear sky 
now darkened by vultures
waiting to feast 
on the carcass 
of humanity

*Written to fit this brief: Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that starts with the phrase "This wondrous now..." Your poem can be about any topic, but must start with the exact phrase (not a paraphrase, or a play on the phrase).


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Many more miles to Memphis

I wandered for years
through the maze
of a restless mind
seeking a place
where I belonged
On the outside
was a strange world
I couldn't understand
Within me 
a fidgety soul
that craved 
the stillness of air
before a storm
the calm of a pool
before ripples
disturbed its peace
Weary from the search
for a serenity
that eluded me
I felt there was nowhere
left to go
It was then I found 
an enlightened world 
full of people
I'd never met
who welcomed me
with words that healed
my fractured heart
where thoughts I had hid
from myself for so long
could finally breathe and live
I've travelled many miles
Now I'm free
I'm where I want to be
This is my Memphis


* Written to fit the brief: Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a poem that is entitled "Many More Miles to Memphis" and have your poem reflect that title in your own unique way. And remember, there is more than one place called Memphis in the world so it does not have to be about Memphis, Tennessee. You are also free to make up your own "Memphis".


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Recipe for disaster

The smooth shell 

Defies me

But I must break the egg

to set free

The cake I want to bake

For you

A gentle tap

Creates a crack

Spreading on the surface

Hard to keep track

As the liquid mess

Leaks out

Like my heart

When it breaks

How your indifference

Makes it ache

To be whole

Once again

Now it is done

Yellow yolk

Like sunshine in a bowl

Waiting to soak

In the flour

I add

A cupful of sugar

Toss in

a handful of raisins

From the tin

Whisk it all into a 

Pale confusion

Will it rise

Golden brown

This gooey, sticky mix

Or sink down
into a failed attempt

Like our love

The hot oven

Is an angry red

Stray embers rising

From the dead

Debris of our

Relationship

No courage to face 

the heat

I pour a shot of whiskey

Drink it neat

Dump the dessert
End this farce

Moderator's pick on Poets of G+
+Maya Davis chose Breaking Up by +Uma Venkatraman. In her words, "One of the reasons I love poetry is the use of metaphor and imagery to set a tone or scene. This poem starts with the title and carries the theme of breaking up through the whole poem via the comparison of baking a cake. Beyond that, this poem had some great lines. Example: Whisk it all into a pale confusion. Even though poems on love can run toward trite, I enjoyed the use of the extended metaphor here, and liked how the poet carried the theme through to the end."


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Timeless tussle

Bitter voices hurl
bitter words
Flinging daggers
of accusation
that shear the soul
Old fights turned into
new ammunition
For verbal guns
to fire insults
in staccato bursts
puncturing the heart
Dim memories
of past conflicts
yield fresh kindling
for us to burn in
flames of angry
recriminations
Ripping apart
faded scars
Laying bare wounds
that never healed
Ancient grievances
rise up
Like ghosts
from the graves
of unresolved
differences
Spiralling out of control
we fight to the death
resting only when
our ashes mingle
in agreement,
we are
silent
at last


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Morning joy

Rushing for the train to work
stopped in my tracks
by the sound of joy
in a child’s chortle
A mop-haired imp
tumbles at my feet
a world of innocence
in her smile
I savour the sparkle
in her eyes
delight in the firm grasp
of her grubby fingers
leaving smudges 

on my immaculate trousers
as she totters to her feet
handing me the treasure
she clutches in her hand
I look at a little yellow flower
as bright as her face
Placing it in my
outstretched palm
She turns and scampers
Into the anxious arms
Of her harried mother
Who hugs her tight
kisses her curls
gently scolds her
for vanishing like
the sun behind the clouds
My eyes follow them
till they’re lost to sight
I pick up the threads
of my now luminous day
And weave the colour
into my life

Moderator's Pick on Poets of G+
+Maya Davis also chose an unnamed piece by +Uma Venkatraman. In her words, "I think life often gives us moments to help redirect us to important things. This poem is a brief snapshot into one of those moments, and some of the phrases are beautifully poetic. For example, "gently scolds her
for vanishing like
the sun behind the clouds" is such a great line. I really enjoyed reading this piece, and appreciated how she chose to end the poem by showing how she brought that moment into her life."


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Friend

We meet for tea
in pretty porcelain cups
and delicate sandwiches
in fragile flowery plates
I'm in my designer dress
carrying my branded bag
You wear your heart
on your threadbare sleeve
The shadows on your face
hide the sparkle
I knew so well
The pain dulls your eyes,
a knife without its edge
The veneer of calm
masks the torment
within you
Unsaid anguish
in your words
Hands reaching
across the table
seeking comfort
in a warm grip
But I sit back
and talk of the weather
how good life is
my plans to holiday in Europe
I turn away from your need
I ignore the cry of help
you never utter
Your crushed hopes shred
into crumbs on the plate
Your shoulders droop
your spirit falters
You walk away, your
steps weighed down
by defeat
You called me friend
yet I let you down
Regret courses
through my veins
blood curdled
by cowardice
Blush of shame
flames red on my cheek
Is there still time for me
to help
or am I too late
Forgive me, my friend
if you still call me one


© 2013 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved