To the world I stand tough and unbreakable
The reins of the path well clinched in my hands
Treading difficult ways, as if I’ve traveled them before
The new ones I seek with much of enthusiasm
The eagerness to benefit something new of it
The charisma that is spread around
And the so many lives it keeps touching
Who look upon to me, as I see in their eyes
The reflection of my decisions
And the dreams they hold, all in harmonization
I see the rebel in me growing
Trying to extinguish the flames around
That keep showing the person I was a decade back
The emerging firmness to emphasize my mind talks
Sometimes creating a bridge between others and myself
So wide that it engulfed the close ones too
Aggressive I may seem, and bitterness may flow through
May be labeled cold, and unresponsive
The gates found locked always to people
Who think of entering into my essence
The smile held onto in all circumstances
The strength of dreaming a universe
A steady nosh of the intellect
Be the difference thought of
Leaving behind all the admonishes
Reflecting at each moment
I’m not afraid of that which can’t touch me
Nothing can create a fissure in my passion
I hold for the likes

Behind the veil, if someone dared to unveil
Would find a man vulnerable
To the ways of the world
The fear within of the unknown
The unspoken truth of the troubled eyes
Hurt almost intertwined with the body
A pot so full of such treasures
Nobody wants to listen
A life waiting to be discovered
Which fills the emptiness
A hand to clutch onto, so tight
Never loose whose grip
Which leads me to the roads, I alone cannot decide
Darkness I reside in to reclaim myself again
These wounds that don’t heal
Drowning them in the pool of storms
Shoveled in one corner of self
Accessible when I loose myself
I don’t want to talk about it,
Just want to wash down it all
Standing at the other side of consciousness
Crushing the inhibitions
I let go, before anybody can let go of me

Looking at her, I would adore her
Always dreamt of being her
Said I’d love to live her life
But never knew, I wouldn’t really wish to
Until I gained my conscious
I saw it happen before
Umpteen numbers of times
Never saw her scared, not one bit of fear in her eyes
She always tried ushering us inside
In that hurry I never understood
Her sweet voice always sang songs for us
But bled within her self
The scars that she hid from us
And never aggrieved even for a second
The man had no remorse, for what he did
Felt it was his right to be so
And that’s how he was manly enough
The raise of an arm, the blow of emotions
The wreck of faith, the shattering of truth
They were blessed to be reborn together for seven lives
This one life seemed no less than torment
She never tried to break free
Nor tried to douse the sour relation
For she had little ones to look for
Those that came from her
He saw this as a defeat, accepted from her end
To be beleaguered for every mistake
That wasn’t hers, yet was her destiny written in blue and black
She had a choice before her, she refused to take
For the traditions that instilled a bowl in her hand
That signified she held the key to the future
All by herself she needs to make a successful evolution
The man only triggers the growth of the being
For which he is so swollen with pride
He expediently remembers, the woman comes from his rib
And is supposed to live her life beneath his shadows
Under this mighty claim, he is mannish
And has the obligation to teach everyone what is right
And chastise when things went not as planned
She still has a choice to make about
But it’s been three decades together
And new things require stability in the not so perfect twosome
The little ones are heading towards a new life
The glory is all lost, yet they try to make a new story
But these are just words, which have no meaning to themselves
The drama has unfolded so many times
That it seems like a routine, with not much of surprise
The woman’s affliction increases in galore
The man can’t break the habit
She doesn’t have any choices to make any more
It’s been five decades together
The grave beckons each ones door
She rests in peace, wishing it was her seventh life that went by
The man has no remorse in his mind

[A poetry voiced to express the concerns for all the women, who are victims to Domestic Violence; with special context to Indian Women. What has surprised the society today is the Domestic Violence is not just what lower class women as in slums face; rather its a universal phenomena happening to women no matter which class. Wish people start respecting women more as they respect Godesses in temples and don't feel they are an easy way out to release pent up anger and frustation at!!]

Saw this girl the first day
And didn’t pay much attention like the rest
Wonder how she felt then
There wasn’t much perceptible in the diminutive figure
But the moment she set her foot on stage
Set a fire far and wide
Making a loud statement
That she belongs here and will one day
Own all the paths leading to it
In our memories and her promising potentials
She grew incredibly tall in the months that followed
And nothing seemed stopping her
Not even the five feet that she was
Crossed all roads and jumped all terrains
To reach for the horizon she seeks
Met people, minds across
Waded through murky jungles of condemnation
Being reduced to ashes on numerous occasions
Yet rising and growing each time
Despite soiled knees and grazed elbows
If not for the world, but for herself
Making the stronger her shield from the languishes
Time had in store for the weak and unscrupulous
The thousands of times her ideas were questioned
For the dominance that was shown
In doing things right, the first time
The moments she took hold of
And did it her ways
The blames and the scuffles  
And emerging of the phoenix
Undeterred and un-wavered
Today when I look back
I see a girl with toothy smile, clutching a bouquet of roses
With a promising life ahead
Carrying along with her all the good faith she shaped
Among many of us
Some still hidden to be discovered
But the blessings and the words of heartfelt beliefs
Entrusted upon her, waiting to be taken all along
A girl once written off
Proved she doesn’t require to be tall than what she is
Coz she already is unconventionally
With all the confidence oozing in her
And the magic she has within herself
That makes me adore her
For her being the ‘small wonder’ I have a high regard for

[In my MBA days, the 2 years I've seen this girl doing the rounds of the coll to get everything extracurricular done in the right order, from managing fests single-handedly to getting placed as one the first one's , to overlooking seminars, to handling acads in good ways...yet each time she grew and strived to do something that challenges her potential; it was sad to c that among us professionals - the so called MBA brigade; there were so many of them to always pull her down, or condemn her for her actions. A little piece of appreciation from my end, to this girl Aishwarya Omprakash...got a long way to go gal, perhaps as a brilliant Marketing personnel]

You give wings to me
But think the flight isn't safe
You show me the world beyond the nest
But the sky high is only a dream
You make me realise the importance of a worm
But I ought to mark your taste
You talk about the greenery around
And the gladness that should grow within
But the heart is dying and I am bleeding
I desired to take the flight
And explore the new grounds
Bring back new glories and tales of opportunities conquered
I thought nothing could stop me hovering over the cliff
And feeling the spirit to soar higher
Being knocked by the wind and the currents, be rejuvenated each time I dodged them
But my feathers are getting dull
I fear I may shed them prematurely
For I sit on the nest waiting to be directed next
Watching flocks alike pick their path
The flutter of the wings big and small
The initial stumbles and the glide to infinity
You look at them in awe and full of joy
I beat my fluff up and rouse myself ready for the start
But before I take a step higher
You tell me about the dangers below
And the predators above
I rebel for the name of experience I would gain
To become wise like you and pass on the genes to my offsprings
But you think the flight isn't safe
And restrain me by the name of your astuteness
I already feel like a flightless bird
Wish were in a cage, for I would have known its not my destiny
But here I am in the open, wishing it were not my destiny

Apne swayam mein jhaak ke dekha
Khoon behta mehsoos hua
Wo narmi aur wo garmi sa ehsaas
Wo duub jaane ka mann jo machla

Ek andhere ke beech, thoda sa ujaala dekha
Dil ki gehrai se jo roshani barsa raha tha
Apne astitva ki kahani bata raha tha
Ek marham lagaane ki prayas mein
Unn zakhmo ko jo baar-baar nishaane pe the
Unn teero se jo zamaane chodd rahe the
Yeh soch ke, ki meri gati ko madham kare
Meri himmat ko todd, mujhe shunya paristhiti mein pahuchade

Lekin abhi mera swayam tut ke bikharne ko tayyar nahin hain
Aage aur bhi jahaan hain
Taare aur bhi hain todne
Manzile aur bhi hain paani
Harz kya agar meri manzil hain alag dusro se
Raaste hain juda chalne waale
Abhi imtihaan aur bhi hain aage

Meri ruh bandagi nahin maanti
Main akela hi sahin, meri khuddari baykhatar meri rehber
Wo naya seher, jiski justajoo mein main nikla
Liye saath apne karam
Na kisi ko doshi mana, na kisi se baer rakha

Mera swayam kahin apne gehraiyo mein chupaake sabse dur
Jiske paas main unn har palon mein waapis aa saku,
Jab ilzaam lagaye gaye ho mujhpe anginit
Abhi imtihaan aur bhi hain aage
Taare aur bhi hain todne

Ek naye savere ki ore
Main chala khaderte huen unn jazbaato ko
Jo rukawat bann mere saamne khadi
Aage aur bhi jahaan hain
Manzile aur bhi hain paani

There is this hour
I sit by the window
Watching water droplets kiss the grass
I watch gazingly ahead
Thinking of the day gone by
I cried my heart out and my eyes went dry
This hour the God"s cry, with no hint of their eyes drying
There I see this hapless humming bird flying by my window
As though on a lookout for something
Some more flapping of wings and the Gods show no mercy
I again dwelve into my sadness
The time flies, but it seems the Gods are more in number
The humming bird catches my attention once again
It is the nest that is soaked on my window sil adjoining tree branch
And the humming bird hovering over it
I stand upright to inspect
There be the reason, why the Gods seem to be crying endlessly
The humming birds chicks have knocked the heavens door
This being the welcome song
Suddenly my sadness and sorrow belittles the mood
For my sorrow I cry
And the humming birds sorrow, the Gods cry
For my sorrow, I spend endless nights toiling hard to sleep
And the humming bird sleeps away her sorrow, for the new morning tomorrow
For my sorrow, I remember the harsh words that hurt me
And the humming bird forgets the harsh weather that doomed her chicks
For my sorrow, I wished I could hold on to someone forever
And the humming bird has God to hold on to
For my sorrow, I will die one day too old and suddenly evoked by the pangs stabbing my heart
And the humming bird will be resting in her grave�
[One of my first poems, when I started writing and felt there"s much more to poetry than rhyming; though there"s some part of it still in this one ;)]

I am criticized for my initiative
I have a road, that allows me to bow down
Sigh and give up
I have another road, that promises me the horizon
Infinite I can rise
My conscious says I pick up the road
To which my conscience agrees

The eyes stared back at me
While I was enjoying the breeze
That was hitting my face
And the rains came
Along with thundering storms
Painting the sky purple and black hues
I jumped with the first drop on my hand
And after a little reluctance
Joined the people dancing in the rains
I danced till the cold hit my spine
Till my feet ached with numbness
And I shivered with want of getting warmth
Everything started reacting slower and anesthetized
But the mind was functioning like a machine
Seeming never to stop thinking and believing

I never liked rains
As it made my mood somber
But i needed to wash some guilt off me
And I needed to wince in happiness
Of releasing the pain
I needed to live a new life
All by starting over again
And doing things I feared or disliked
Little moments of enjoying myself
Little moments of celebrating myself
I smiled a bit and let the eyes stare back at me
Wishing tomorrow rains do come
And I soak myself inside out
As have imagined
From the day I lost a friend

I saw this woman enter the door
Among several others, she looked effervescent
They walked their usual roads
She broke from the crowd and headed straight

I gave her this glance
Which said, you do stand out from others
She wished another woman
Who was equally pleased
Seeing someone approaching her way
Atleast her grin reflected my thoughts

I came across this woman
More of times that followed
Wondered how she managed to stand out
Each time I saw her, managed a smile cheek to cheek

One such day saw the extraordinariness in her
Felt sad seeing she was differently abled
But it would disgrace her, if I referred her that ways

Yet she had the power
To control the happiness of those several
Who worked around her
And it made me appreciate her more

For she was the blessed one
Picked up by a special God
Who thought there are ways to tell people
Things can be done extraordinarily
Even with the simplicity at work
Greater heights can be achieved
Even with the restrictive forces pulling one down

There's just that energy that she contains
Which fights back all that pulls down
A woman of sheer enthusiasm
With an attitude that says, she'll grow
And she'll keep others happy and cared for.

[An HR Senior Executive at a firm where I did my internship.
She didn't have fully formed fingers/or they were amputated am not sure off,
But she has 2 fingers on one hand n 3 on other, normal than the rest]