my new blog address- www.apurvakj.wordpress.com

The Greatest Gift

Someone up there always has the last laugh....
Whether you choose to stay calm in misery, 
                   Or jump and scream and scoff....

Love is like a mother's embrace,

Warm and tender, sweet solace.

Friendship's like the safest bridge,

 stands like a rock, in a storm or a ridge.

Hope is like the beautiful rain,

cleanses the soul, nourishes the grain.

Happiness and Joy are the icing on the cake,

 make life pleasant, the more we partake.

Blessed are those who have them all-
Greatest gifts of God, after all!!!

Scoff: To speak with contempt

Solace: To alleviate, as grief; soothe

Ridge: crest of a wave or mountain

partake: To take or have a share 

Birthday musings

There's nothing like a birthday to remind yourself
 how old you really are....

As a ONE year old, 

You stare wide-eyed in wonder- slightly bemused, a little irritable,
with a thumb in your mouth, somewhere in a corner,

Wondering what the commotion's all about.....
as your parents go out of their way
to make your birthday memorable,
One that you can now barely remember!

By the time you turn FIVE,

Your parents have had enough of all the cakes, the balloons,

the noise, the tantrums and not to forget, the stains on the cushions!,

While for you, ..............

well, the FUN has only just begun!!

As you reach the age of TEN,

You find yourself pestering your parents,

to allow your very boisterous gang to party at home-

till late into the night!, 

while you give your poor parents a major headache,

And your neighbours, a massive fright!!

Then, you reach your TEENS,

You finally seem to grow out of kiddy parties.

But before your parents can heave a sigh of relief and have some rest- if any!, 

You declare your plans to throw a bash at a nearby restaurant!

Of course- with their hard earned money!!

It's only when you enter your TWENTIES,

that you eventually  figure out whom you truly wanna celebrate with,

Some choose friends, some family, some both;

while still others choose not to make such a big deal of it all!,

But most importantly, you look back and realize

that ultimately it doesn't really matter if you are 1,5,10, 15, 20 or above-

So long as you get to celebrate the moment with the ones you love!!

Bemused: confused, stupefied

Boisterous:  noisy; rowdy; unrestrained

Brat: an annoying, objectionable child

Maid of Honour

Some people are special,

Not because of their great looks or deeds,

But because they have a light-

A light that shines through their eyes,

A light that holds the power to ignite a thousand minds,

A light that mends every heart and makes it whole,

The light of their divine soul.....

She was a part of my family, long before I was born,

My parents trusted her completely, even with their newborn.

She never spoke much, nor did she ever raise her voice,

She was always punctual & worked diligently with poise.

She earned little, yet never clamoured for more,
Pride and self respect were filled in her to the core.

Tragedy struck when her husband lost his sight and subsequently his job,
But the doughty woman soldiered on- not a tear or a sob.

She had a family of more than ten,
five daughters, a son and many grandchildren.

Then, her eldest daughter died and so did another,
One died of burns and the other- by her lover.

Both left behind innocent children without a mother,
But she cared for them all- without a hint of bother.

However cruel her fate may have been, she held no rancour towards God,
She had the courage to forgive and forget- even the mighty Lord.

Having already lost two of her daughters,
one can only imagine the extent of her agony,
When her third daughter 
was diagnosed with liver cancer at the age of 30.

She sold all her gold jewellery, 
Did not ask us for a single rupee.
Gathered all the money she could, to make her daughter better,
Knowing very well, there was little chance she would indeed recover. 

After months of treatment, the doctors  gave up all hope,
asked her to take her daughter back home and hope against hope.

When my mother called to enquire about her daughter's condition,
She couldn't hold back her tears, her voice was choked with emotion.

All she managed to say is, "How many more of my children's death will He make me see?"
My mother had no answer, tears welled up in her eyes
 as she looked at me.

This is dedicated to you Ita Bai,
I salute your extraordinary spirit.
You were not just a house-maid for us.
You were a part of our family for 22 years
May God bless you

Doughty- Brave, valiant

Rancour- malice, spite, hatred, hostility

My teaching experience

They wait for me with bated breath,

as if I were a fairy,

Who comes down to earth to play with them,

and regale them with a story!

They welcome me with big, bright smiles,

their eyes all fresh and shiny,

Jumping with joy, they wish me good morn,

their voices- like euphony!

They are all a bunch of sweet little kids,

though some are slightly fussy,

Some so arrogant, some so diffident,

while some are just too bossy! 

Its hard to believe they are 12 year olds,

they all look oh so tiny!

They come to school on an empty stomach,

 carrying just some money.

They all come from stressful homes,

yet live insouciantly,

They make my troubles seem so small,

sometimes, even silly!

I don't know who's more fortuitous,

the kids or just me,

But I know they make my mornings fresh,

and my day, less dreary!

euphony- Pleasant-sounding combination or arrangement of words

diffident- shy and not confident of one's abilities

insouciantly- carefree, happy-go-lucky way

fortuitous- fortunate, lucky; happening by chance   

Sympathies with Mr. PM

Poor Mr. PM, he comes up with a speech

 so pertinent and perspicuous,

   Only to end up being termed 

an error so egregious!

On one hand, he has the opposition

 who claim his statements to be utterly factitious,

On the other, his own party

 is increasingly turning factious,

When will our politicos stop behaving like kids- 

so fractious!,

Oh God! If only all this drama 

were completely fictitious! 

pertinent:  to the point; fitting or appropriate

perspicuous:  lucid, clear, easily understood

egregious: conspicuously bad

factitious: false or artificial
factious: tending to promote internal dissent; forming groups within a group

fractious: unruly

fictitious: imaginary; invented

Letter to the Coal Minister

Dear honorable Coal Minister,  

we believe you when you say 

you gained next to nothing 

in the now famous coal block allocation,

that the CAG and others are arrant fools

 to accuse such a noble, pious man of subornation,

that you should in fact, be praised 

for saving everyone the trouble

 of witnessing a fair and competitive auction,

and of course be applauded 

for your impressive works of supererogation!

arrant: downright; notoriously bad

subornation: to bribe; to prepare, provide or achieve by stealthy means

supererogation: doing more than is required
super= above, erogare= pay out