Zenith

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

Blue as the vast sky

He sat taller than the mountain

Standing beside him in pristine white

Soothed by the gentle aura

Of the Lord who ruled the Universe

Earthy hills bowed at his feet

Resembling the animal kingdom

Proud to have their teammate

Adorn his majestic shoulders for eternity

The sun paused midway

Waiting to a side

Marveling at the Lord’s ease

At confining the darkest poison in his throat

And enclosing the gutsy Ganga in his dreadlocks

This was the moment- Zenith;

When the Universe held in its hands

The gift of infinite power & peace

With the blessing of wisdom;  

To use them all with care;

To trust the Lord and his ways

To care for those who belonged to Him

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Note: I wanted to end the series with a positive and hopeful poem. What can be better than Lord Shiva deep in meditation? 

Thank you for all your lovely comments. (I know we'll have to share another closing post, but still...)

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I don't usually share videos but this poem reminded me of the below scene (which is my absolute favorite because of the song and the picturization). Enjoy!

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand

For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Yearning for Freedom

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

A random raindrop slips

Sparkling in the early morning light

To disappear into the tiny puddle

At the feet of the old tree

Hidden in the heavy dark clouds

The diamond drops break free

To glide and slide over the leaves

Only to lose the glitter

In the blink of an eye

And vanish again

For how long, the raindrop wondered

When dripping from the clouds

To earn the for the freedom it yearned

To shine and shimmer alone

Without merging 
Into a shapeless water body

Little did the raindrop know

Its beauty and elegance lay

In its ability to unite

And give life to this world 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Xenophile

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

Land away from hers

With structures so old

Centuries of tales

Of love, betrayal, and possession

Dwelling inside the walls

Call her heart

To reach out and listen

To pry open the secrets hidden

In the dark passages

That took lives and saved them

At the whim of men

Who liked to conquer

A strange allure the land had

While others around her

Laughed, smirked, and ridiculed

Deciding she fall for the glitter

When it was the dark past

That mesmerized her inquisitive soul

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

With this Brush

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

In its tiny feet

The sparrow held a paintbrush

To paint its future

Intent on the thought

It flew over the vast sky

Enthralling the world

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Note: The poem is a pair of Haiku- 5-7-5 syllables in each line. 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Vanished Forever

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

Village

Empty houses

Lifeless trees, vacant sky

They left it to ruin years ago

That night

Oh, why?

No one to speak;

Shh! Listen to the cries

Echoing in the haunting wind;

Help us!

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Note: The poem is a pair of Cinquains- 2-4-6-8-2 syllables in each line. 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Under the Barren Tree

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

In an old tee and track that smelled of mothballs

She sat under the barren tree

When scattered thoughts refused to obey

She sat under the barren tree

Questions bizarre flooded her mind

She sat under the barren tree

Beside the puddle, reflecting their sad life

She sat under the barren tree

Musing if it was the season of late rains or early autumn

She sat under the barren tree

Wondering if the old tree would live through

She sat under the barren tree

Thinking if the shade would be missed or the fragrance

She sat under the barren tree

Pondering if the distant blur was indeed purple

She sat under the barren tree

As the colors of Nature watched her mood

She sat under the barren tree

Her heart whispering aloud the pent up agony

She sat under the barren tree

Was it really a curse to be barren; no one seemed to answer

She sat under the barren tree

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Note: The poem is written in Chant style, a favorite of mine. 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

To Walk Through the Snow

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju 

Together they were a team

A man and his faithful furry friend

Alone yet never lonely

They lived, laughed, and lazed

In a small hut across the snow

Twice a day they ventured

To step into the world that wasn’t theirs

Side by side, they strolled

As the snow piled high

Bringing the Alps to this unknown city

The dog barked, greeting the bare trees

The man smiled, wishing them new leaves

The icy wind blew gentler

Waiting for them to walk back home

The happy team took their time

Humming a melody that was a favorite

And the narrator paused writing

Wondering what it was

To walk through the snow.

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Silver Land

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

A land beyond the land we know

Far far away, deep in the galaxies

A mirage, an alluring reflection

Of what could have been

Should have been

Would have been

If this world remained pure 
As the crystal water

Silver Land, it was christened

By the angels that dipped

In the sparkling lake

Their laughter echoing

In the rippling waterfalls

Shimmering down the diamond hills

The land was lush-

Come summer or winter

The trees burgeoned

Their fresh leaves spread around

Competing with the silvery aura

That encompassed the land

No human dared to dream

A land so pristine

Where darkness perished

Blinded by the lustrous light

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Restored to Glory

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

In full bloom again

The majestic tree stood tall

Green leaves shimmering

Nature flourished; splendorous

Humans stepped back to bow down

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Note: The poem is written in Tanka style- 5-7-5-7-7. There is something about Japanese forms and Nature that blend so well. 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Quietude

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju 

Surrounded by the palest of blues

Or was it the result of a divine conjoinment

Tinged with the serene aura

Of the man who sat in the middle of it

With hair knotted into a top bun

An old shawl draped around

The shoulders in relaxed grace

The man stayed deep in meditation

Was this peace, the breeze wondered

Was this acceptance, the waves pondered

Was this life, the sky mused

As they awaited, inquisitive for an answer

Years blended into decades

The world raced ahead, trying to take over time

While Nature took a long break

And melted into the man

Who remained among them or time immemorial

Was there anything as soothing

When even Mother Nature bowed

To the tranquility in the man

That one could rarely achieve

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Purple Feather

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju 

A feather

A single feather

In a strange purple color

Soft and gentle, light and fragile

It danced and twirled in the wind

Landing on my outstretched palm

Out of nowhere, it curled around my fingers

Soothing my racing heart with a tender caress;

How strange was the sight of a wayward feather

Fluttering in my trembling hand

Smiling at me with assurance

That we were somehow meant to be-

Two directionless, lonely creatures

Drifting along with none to call our own

Meeting on a nameless land

To become 
Mates forever.

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Note: The shape was supposed to resemble a feather. It's called 'I tried'. 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Oranges of Autumn

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju 

One chilly morning

Sunrays illuminated

The divinity

In the graceful death of leaves

Cherishing autumn’s love-gift. 

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Note: The poem is written in Tanka style with 5-7-5-7-7 syllables in each line respectively. 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

Nomadic Life

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

He paddled to a side

On the wet, slippery road

Drenched with rain

In the month of winter

The old shabby coat

The battered hat

The worn-out shoes

And the even older cycle-

None he owned

Yet to him they belonged

Just as he belonged

To the path that never ended

The ride wouldn’t wait

The journey wouldn’t stop

The man wouldn’t pause;

Not unless

The path decided his fate

And put him to rest; in peace. 

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.

My Favorite Window

Credit: Ratna Pochiraju

How I wait

For the night to darken

For the moon to shine

For the silver rays to illuminate

The lone creeper

Curled around the rusty iron rod

Tonight, I gasp

Watching in delight

As a single white flower blooms

Winking at my surprise

Pleased with the attention I lavish

Contrasting the inky night

The creeper flourishes

Promising to give me more flowers

As the moon waxes & wanes

While the seasons glide by

Every night I stand

My fingers resting on the window

My eyes staring into the dark

As the breeze tickles my hair

And the creeper whispers secrets

With no door to close

The window lies open

Gifting me light, rain, and wind

Dried leaves and torn flowers

Laughter, cries, and shrieks

Of the world outside

That never accepted me

As one of their own.

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For more poems, check out Violets in Hand
For a dose of horror, check out the latest book onboard Route 13: Highway to Hell. The book is free on KU.

Read the other poems here. 

*****

Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. To know more details, click here.