Needed, Some TLC

The sapling 
of friendship 
we planted 
watered with trust 
pruned with attention 
fertilised with affection 
grew tall and strong 
a sturdy tree 
enriching our lives 
with its gentle shade 
its oxygen 
keeping our bond alive 

But now 
the leaves are fading 
the bark is peeling 
the trunk is hollow 
the roots withered 

No longer 
nourished 
by love's sunshine 
it will die 
So help me, my friend 
Replenish the soil 
with love 
and rejoice 
as it flourishes 
once more 

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Scars

A whiplash of red
 on pale skin
Criss-crossed welts,
trophies of self-inflicted pain
not for proud display
but to conceal
under long sleeves
and find pleasure
in their hidden existence

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Heading Home

Trembling hands 
sort out belongings 
for a long awaited 
journey across the sea

Too long spent
in a foreign land
adding years
she did not want 
to live away from 
the place she called home

The light dims 
in tired eyes 
yet an eager heart 
urges patience 
for a little longer

When known scents 
waft in the air 
a familiar sun 
warms old bones 
feet feel the touch
of a loved land
her travels 
will be done 
Then it will be time
for eternal rest

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Without A Trace

Wispy white clouds
floating overhead
like my life
drifting by
One shaped
like the dog
I always wanted
but never had
who could have licked
the tears off my face
made me smile
I blink, it morphs
into the fluffy blanket
under which I hid
my sorrows
from the world
until it turned
into a grubby mess
My eyes search
the expanse above
Surely it was not
so ephemeral
an existence
memories
so transient
they float away
leaving no trace
of me


© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Song Of Silence

Remember

the tune 

that played

when you held me 

so close

there was 

just music 

between us

Now there is space

filled with words

that are just noise

Play our song again

Bring back 

the silence

that sang to us


© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Weary Eyes

These weary eyes

What can they show you

but despair 

and disillusionment

These weary eyes

have seen trust break

like a fragile glass

relationships crumble

in the face of betrayal

These weary eyes

see loss and sorrow

yet the well is dry

no tears soothe the pain

or wash the heart clean

These weary eyes

long to shut

the door to the world

and see no more


© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Black And White

Long have the virtues of white been extolled
The colour of purity, so we are told 

But just as pleasure is valued once you feel pain
And the sun shines brighter after the rain

There's more joy in meeting after being apart 
Love is most treasured by a broken heart 

So it is with the much maligned black
A strong colour that gets a lot of flak

But the dark enhances the beauty of light
And the day is precious after the night

Black lives with white on the piano keys 
Horrors of war stress the need for peace

Look at the moon oh so bright 
Its specks of black enhance the white

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Silence

Brittle as glass
I vibrate
as your absence
resonates

Highly strung
like strings
taut with tension
I wait

At one word
from you
I will shatter
Maybe that's why
you don't speak

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

The Game

It was a clever game 
you played
I can see that now
Reeling me in 
just enough 
to keep me hooked
But not so close 
That I struggled
You scattered 
just enough seeds 
so I was tempted
But not so many 
that my hunger abated
You said just enough 
to make me feel special
But not so much 
that I took it for granted
You were a puzzle 
I thought I had solved
But you were gone 
long before 
the final piece 
fell into place

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Colours Bleed Out

Tears suffused 
with the colour 
of sorrow 
wash out 
hues of joy 
you brought 
into my life 

Vivid shades 
of passion 
you aroused 
glistened on
heated skin 
I drench 
with the 
cold shower 
of reality 

Now you are gone 
I let myself sink 
into the 
colourless depths 
of my existence 
staining it red 
with my life 
one last burst 
spiralling 
into darkness

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Walk Free

Plagued by 
your thoughts
shackled by 
my need 
for your attention 
I waited for you 
to release me

But you didn't 
have the keys
I was in a prison
of my own making
The walls
my unrequited love
The chains 
my unattainable desire

Desperate 
to escape 
I shut my ears 
to the pleas
of my heart
I let my mind 
wield the axe of logic 
to break 
the restraints
and walk free

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

A Love So Great

Sleep softens your face
Long lashes cast 
a gentle shadow
on the smooth cheek
I long to kiss
I dare not disturb 
your sweet repose
I want to watch 
a little longer
recalling the time
you clung to me
even in slumber
when I rocked you 
to sleep 
in my arms
Love swells 
Like a crescendo
filling my heart
flooding my soul
In that instant
I know I could 
never love anyone 
the way I love you, 
my darling daughter

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Warrior Heart

What I thought was love
was something less
I stretched out a hand
for it looked like
you were offering more
The look in your eyes
suggested desire
as did the way
you stroked my arm
Maybe I'm behind the times
seeking grand emotions
in small gestures
We had a good time, you said
Now I must
pick up the pieces
glue my heart
back together

This battered instrument
broken so many times
yet it soldiers on
even when it swells
with a grief so intense
I feel it will burst
The battle and the war
are both lost
yet the resilient warrior
lives to fight
another day

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

No Appetite For Love

Life is laid out 
before me 
a sumptuous buffet 
of experiences 
I pile my plate high 
with your promises 
of love 
laughter 
happiness
Eager for a taste 
of wholesome flavours 
I scoop up 
a generous mouthful 
the rich repast 
ruined by 
worms of betrayal 
Your sickly sweet vows 
leave a bitter taste 
I lose my appetite for love


© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Jangled Nerves

Discordant notes thrill me, an
Inveterate seeker of chaos 
Sing me your fractured tunes, for 
Soothing songs leave me cold 
Oh, give me ruptured rhythms, black angels
Not musical melodies. I swing to
Anthems of anarchy heralding a
New harmony born out of bedlam. I
Clamour for cacophony
Everlasting

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Oblivion

Night's falling curtain
draws a veil 
over imperfections 
that hurt the eyes 
A soothing black 
obscures flaws 
bathed in brilliant colours

So too the eyelids 
drop on consciousness 
for a few hours 
Oblivion is a balm 
calming roiling thoughts
smoothed over 
misery so acute 
it pierces the heart 

Sleep a welcome escape 
from turmoil 
without resolution 
but only until daylight 
melts the dark shroud 
and ignites 
smouldering aches 
into roaring flames


© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Words

Some words

seeded deep

within the heart

watered with love

nurtured with hope

coloured with desire

never to bloom

see the sunshine

feel the wind

They live

and die

unseen

unheard

unspoken

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

A Miracle

Dark clouds 
unleash millions 
of transparent
drops of water 
transforming
an ashen earth 
into a kaleidoscope 
of vivid colours
Blooming
Glowing
Alive 

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

The Colour of Water

A dip in the
holy Ganges
washes away
your sins
they say
leaving you
pure

What colour 
are your 
transgressions
the waves 
swept away

Do the waters turn
red
with your rage
yellow
with your cowardice
green
with your envy
black
with your oppression
grey
with your fear

The flowing river
absorbs all the ills
but is not
stained by them
The waters run
transparent
the colour
of truth
and honesty

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Pain in the ***

It's again that time of the year
The time that I usually most fear

The most dreaded word looms 
I will choke in its toxic fumes 

Writing it in curly letters 
Doesn't make it look any better

I make many every time
They're not worth a dime 

I start out on the right note
Then lose track of what I wrote

Lofty ideas about working out
Pretty soon come to nought 

Not to be taken for granted
Never happens the way I want it

I plan to spend less and save more
That's a pipe dream for sure 

If not love, I should strive for peace
But life is often such a tease

I don't know when I'll learn
It's no use making resolutions

Perhaps I should have just one
And that is simply to have none

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

New Year Haiku

A pristine new year
poised on the threshold of 
possibilities

Fill each day with love,
laughter and happiness.
Seal it with friendship

Leave no words unsaid. 
Let no tears of regret blot
the bright sun of dreams 

Bring the words in your 
heart to your lips. Say them loud
and lighten your load

Create beautiful
memories that will light up
your life in dark times

It's also a chance
to screw it all up again
spectacularly

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved