She Walked the Lonely Road

She walked the lonely road
Brave, head held high.
The wind caressing her hair,
The sunlight twinkling in her eyes.

One foot forward
Followed by the next
In tandem they moved
Her sight fixed far ahead.

The birds circled high above
The clouds a dreamy blur
The wind whispering in her ears
Secrets she hadn’t heard before.

Her dream was lofty
Her vision very high
The horizon beckoned her forward
The past she left far behind.

The road she walked on she created
With every step she took.
None had tread this way before,
No doubt everyone gave her the look.

But nothing mattered no more
She was up and on her way
Her dream was all that mattered
Her life she’d begun to live.

Out on a discovery
On an expedition to find
All that she had heard about
All that her teacher had defined.

The treasure was hers if found
No one else could claim
It was rightfully hers
Provided she could bear the pain.

The search would take her far
Away from dear ones
Alone, by herself, she’d have to tackle
All the obstacles in her path.

Determination writ large on her face
Courage backing her stride
Her dream drawing her forward
Faith shielding her eyes.

Her gait remained ever steady
She neither faltered nor stalled
She tripped a few times over
But that’s about all.

Fall she did,
But didn’t stay down at all.
Picking herself up with grace
She continued on unflustered.

How many like her
Have only dreamt of journeys such
Of carving out their own niche
And creating unparalleled paths.

A strength for many to come forward
An inspiration for many to try
Proof that everything is possible
If only you dare to strive.

An Ache in the Heart

An ache in the heart
Tears streaming down the cheeks
Enveloped in loneliness, No one in sight
Do you ever feel what I feel?

No one to turn to
None to share what you feel
So many around
But not one within reach.

Friends & family, names to play with
Lovers & sweethearts sugary sweet
Many to share your joys with
Sorrow you’re left alone to deal with.

Words of solace,
A warm embrace
Can’t change your world
Or fill up empty space.

Harsh but true, these are lessons to learn
But alas! We’re stuck in a vicious circle
You aren’t there for others to turn to,
How do you expect them to be there for you?

Thus your pain is your pain alone
The gift of loneliness forever yours
The ache in the heart is here to stay
The tears will just not go away.

- Rukma

Crutches of Life

As we journey through life at every step we look for props, for support. Little do we realise that what we think are props are nothing but crutches. Though we are perfectly capable of walking all by ourself, we lean on these props and in time, due to sheer force of habit, the props turn into crutches and we become handicapped as we find ourself unable to even stand, leave alone walk, without support.

No doubt, as a baby we cannot function without external help but as time goes by, we should grow out of it. Unfortunately it isn’t so. as time passes by w not only not lose our old crutches but we add newer ones. From just parental dependency we move to siblings, cousins, friends, lovers, colleagues...the list goes on.

More appalling than the physical crutches are the emotional crutches. They leave us weak, dependent, morose, craving for love and attention like a parched earth begs for water. We end up, not givers of love but beggars of love; at the mercy of others, forever begging for a morsel of affection and attention…