Dancing A Dream

To throw off the shackles 
dance in the street 
oblivious to staring eyes

To twirl around in a flurry 
of swishing skirt 
tapping heels 
uncaring of passers-by

In my dream 
it all comes true
So I make it 
my reality

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Eve

Ripped from me 
she became.
morning 
noon 
night. Call it not 
sin. I cleaved 
with her 
to become one. 
Again. 
To be ripped. 
From her. To
become. 
The man 
I know I can 
be.

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Free To Be

You will come to me 
the final shreds 
of your resistance 
melted by the passion 
I know we both feel 

Though there are days
I feel this longing
is mine alone

But I didn't dream
the gentle caress
of your hand
making my skin sing
You did look
deep in my eyes
I saw the need in yours

Then you pulled back
the moment was lost
Perhaps that was all
we were destined to have

And yet, there are more
depths to be plumbed
if we unshackle the bonds
holding us back

I know I won’t regret
plunging into the deep end
with you
So I wait for you to realise
you don’t have to let go
to be free
I will let you leave
once you tie yourself 
to me

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Information Overload

Immersed
in a deluge
of images and words
sweeping me away from the world
I knew

Sinking
in a flood of
data, I tread water
and when the battery runs out
I drown

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Full Of Stars

The sparkle in your eyes
dims the sun's shine 
I bask in the glow
of your bewitching words 
uncaring of the shadow 
they cast on my heart 
When you leave, 
taking the lustre 
of the day with you, 
the night shatters my dream 
My God, it's full of stars 

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Embrace Of The Night

The sun forces the day 
with relentless cheer 
into reluctant eyes 
heralding the start 
of frantic seconds
rushed minutes 
of cramming into them 
more than the hours 
can hold 

Chaotic streets 
blaring horns 
frenzied people 
on crowded trains
leaving nerves jangled

Squeezed in 
an invisible vise
of demands
Senses assailed
by a cascade 
of requests
Stress clamps
iron fists around
a beleaguered mind

longing to escape
into the unquestioning
embrace of the night

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Happiness

Are you happy, 
you ask 
the question drifts away 
on the breeze 
of your arms waving goodbye 
before I can answer

Long after you are gone
I ponder, what is happiness?
Is it what I feel when I glimpse 
a fluffy white wisp floating 
in the bright blue above
the dimple in a fat little cheek
lilting music of raindrops
pattering on leaves
aroma of baking
floating on the air

Was it how I felt
when my senses 
thrilled to your touch
or my heart sped up 
to meet your voice
When I could say I love you
knowing you would say it to me too

If you had paused to listen,
I would have said,
I’m not unhappy
Would you have taken it to mean
the same as being happy?

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Friendships - a Cinquain series

Friendships 
can be wrenching 
your heart from hands that vowed
to cherish a bond but clutched it 
too tight

Friendships 
can be lasting 
like sturdy oaks spreading 
their roots deep into soft soil of 
the earth

Friendships
can be prickly -
while reaching for the rose
heart unwittingly pierced by
a thorn

Friendships
can be scented
with trust's mellow fragrance
infusing a relationship
with love

Friendships
can be hating
the one who held you close
then walked away without saying
goodbye

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved

Mists of Time

Tall trees 
jealously guard 
their turf 
allowing only 
a faint glimmer 
of sunlight 
to strike the floor

The air 
hangs heavy 
redolent with
the scents 
of the forest, like

the mist, 
perfumed
from feelings 
now evaporated, 
settles like dew 
on my lashes 
to ink 
the reminiscence 
of our time 
together

© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved