MYSTERIES

Tell me of secrets and mysteries untold,
of untraveled roads and turning lead to gold;
unravel the unseen before my eyes,
tell me the truth in the language of lies.

 Take me on a journey into lands unknown,
where mermaids have walked and dodos have flown;
guide me through rivers of magical dust
that dawdle delicately from dawn to dusk.

Lead me over a bridge that crosses an abyss,
down an invisible path that is impossible to miss;
across a mountain that touches the sky,
into a cave where honest treasures lie.

Let me revel in revelations of things remarkable and rare,
bring to light dark tales that do not frighten or scare;
on the candid canvas of silence, perceptively portray,
with the brush of wisdom, the imperceptible truths even the wise cannot say.

Artwork “Forest – The End of Marmara” © DarkSilverFlame (Deviantart)

JUST ANOTHER FACE IN THE CROWD

He is pushed aside by a crowd
running to catch a glimpse of a movie star;
as he gets to his feet,
he promises himself that, one day, he too will go far;
he thinks of that day, when,
by his achievements, they will all be wowed,
a day when he is no longer
just another face in the crowd.

The star gets out of his black limousine,
he looks jaded and weak;
a hundred people surround him
and scream his name out loud,
they want to touch him,
get close to him, hear him speak,
but he would rather be someplace else,
somewhere, where he is just another face in the crowd.

© Sharan Rao 2011
Artwork by smashmethod, deviantart.com

EVERYTHING YOU’VE WANTED

When you let go,
when your mind is free,
when your ego is subdued
and there is no ‘me’;

you find
that everything
you really ever sought,
that shaped every desire
and every thought,
that convinced you to buy
everything you ever bought,
was an exercise in futility
and worth naught;

for everything that you’ve wanted deep down inside,
has always been there, just there,
deep down inside.

Artwork by TrollGirl @ deviantART
http://trollgirl.deviantart.com/

BY THE RIVERSIDE

You can almost feel the time stop,
it’s so peaceful by the riverside;
you can hear the whisper of every drop
that rides on every tide.

The waves speak a language
that has not a word,
yet, is more beautiful
than anything you’ve heard;
for when the magical music of silence does play,
you wonder why you ever speak, anyway.

Slowly, the evening,
in the night’s shadow
does hide,
its long, languid race
is run,
but the magic
by the riverside
has only just begun.

-2011

Image : NightRiver by Latyrx @ Deviantart

http://latyrx.deviantart.com/art/Night-River-213378806

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

Wait, my friend! Slow down, don’t run so fast;
Can’t you see that the quickest ones are coming in last?
Sit down awhile, keep your worries aside,
And come with me on this merry ride.

Watch them, moving about as though in a trance,
Treading the same circular path again and again,
What comes their way by design or chance,
Is more often than not treated with disdain.

A businessman just kicked away a diamond that lay
In his way, he was too busy screaming on his phone;
An angry boy picked it up and flung it miles away,
Thinking it to be just another ordinary stone.

A scholar passed this way sometime back,
Looking for something he’d already found,
“If only I could remember where”, he said,
As he frantically searched the ground.

See that young woman, sitting there dejected,
In the middle of that little river of tears?
A young man is standing nearby with a lifeboat,
If only she would open her eyes and ears.

That man, must catch a bus to get on a train to board a plane;
No wonder then that he seems to be going a little insane.
A thief has just managed to nick a pretty looking purse,
But the cops have seen him at it; his day’s only going to get worse.

For this is the circle of life, my friend,
A bittersweet journey with no start or end;
It cannot be explained by the mind’s logic or the intuition of the heart,
For the faster you move, the faster you’ll come back to the start.

But this mystery has to be lived to be understood,
So get back on your saddle and put on your hood,
And I’m sure you’ll enjoy this novel ride;
Just, once in awhile, leave the circle and step outside.