30 Sept 2018

Been a While

It’s been a while since I cried
And let those tears roll down
Roll down naturally
Roll down effortlessly
Because tears just flow that way

It’s been a while since I swam
And let the waters surround me
Hold me afloat naturally
Hold me afloat effortlessly
Because my body floats that way

It’s been a while since I sang
And let my voice pick the tunes within
Sing out naturally
Sing out effortlessly
Because songs get sung that way

It’s been a while since I wrote a poem
And let words cascade in verse
Write them naturally
Write them effortlessly
Because words come to me that way






Divine Carriers


God came to me as a person
I smirked and rebuked her
“Oh you cannot be mortal
You are a cheat and imposter”

God came to me as an angel
I blinked my eyes in disbelief
“I must be imagining things
Let me close my eyes for relief”

God came to me as an animal
My heart opened up in love
“You overpower my rational brain
So I will shut you out now”

God came to me as Me
Making me melt in divine bliss
“But I have so much wrong with me
Let me create something amiss”

Then God came to me as Nature
Swishing the leaves on the trees
Drawing patterns in the clouds
And creating art with the breeze

Dropping the subtlest of clues
To bypass my mind’s barriers
And gently surrounding me
With infinite divine carriers

25 Aug 2018

Time, Mind and Life

Time did not exist before I was born
Time will not exist after I die
Time only exists in my mind
The mind that takes me low and high

Speed did not exist before I was born
Speed will not exist after I die
Speed is just a fantasy of the mind
A fantasy into which I buy

Measures did not exist before I was born
Measures will not exist after I die
Measures are just creations of my mind
To which my self esteem I tie

But Life existed before I was born
And life will exist after I die
In creatures of many shapes and forms
And bodies that crawl, swim and fly

This stream of Life is calling to me
To experience joy and bliss in the now
Beyond measurement, beyond time
Beyond what the mind will allow

I feel it in the expanse of the sky
I experience it in the dance of leaves
I sense it as a caress of the breeze
Beyond the movie my mind sees

And here is a facebook live video where I give some context about the writing of this poem: https://www.facebook.com/ramya.ranganathan.52/videos/2598404673510443/

20 Jul 2018

Here and Now

Last month I was underground
Yesterday I was a stream
Tomorrow I will be the ocean
I can see it in my dream

But today I’m just a drop
Who is choosing to flow
A tiny water globule
Moving ahead with what I know

Last year I wrote a book
Yesterday I taught a course
Tomorrow I will change lives
Backed by universal force

But today I’m just a heart
Pulsing with nature’s love
A tiny human being
With gratitude for angels above

14 May 2018

Is Now the Time?

There was a time...
When I was an achiever
I strived for medals
For certificates
Stamps of approval
Ranks and Trophies


There was a time...
I was a seeker
I searched for answers
Meaning and purpose
To understand life
To understand myself

There was a time...
I was an activist
I protested for change
For rights and equality
I lobbied, I fought
I advocated

There was a time...
I pledged service
To my fellow men
To the poor
I donated, I tithed
I fundraised

There was a time...
I was a devotee
I embraced religion
I learnt rituals
I surrendered myself
To God and Gurus

But where was the time
I was being myself
Truly listening
To the pulse of the Cosmos
And actually dancing
In rhythm with my heart

21 Mar 2018

Being a Parent

Had a very interesting discussion yesterday in my sons school PTA. His school has a very interesting format for PTA where we start the day with a circle time for the parents and teachers (no children), and we have a dialogue on a topic that is sent out earlier as 'home study'. Yesterday's topic was 'conditioning of the mind'. During our circle time I mentioned something about wanting to be a 'platform for my child', and another parent reacted 'I don't know what you mean by being a platform'. I tried to explain but I don't think I could find words that conveyed it clearly. I mumbled some jumbled words and made a quirky face and threw my hands up in the air, and just said, 'well I guess I mean - be a platform'!

While I definitely need to work on my face-to -face communication skills, fortunately nature has aided me with an alternate means of communication - Poetry! What fun it is to write a poem - you can express what you want and whoever gets it gets it and whoever does not, does not - and nobody gets offended or battles with you for making your point! You see thats why they call it 'poetic license'! :-).

Being a Parent

What if I were just a platform
A base to help my child to grow
A reliable stage that supports him
Gently and quietly from below

What if I were just the space
For my child to learn and play
A space that welcomes all of him
Whatever his mood, every day

What if I didn't have to tell
What if I didn’t have to show
What if I didn't have to lead
To impose upon him, what I know




What if he has his knowing too

What if he has his dreams too

What if his life is HIS adventure

Can I let his journey be fresh and new?

16 Jan 2018

The Thieves That Set Me Free

Something had been bothering me for the last two weeks and while glimpses of sunshine were coming and going, today finally a veil lifted and I saw that what had appeared to be a problem (or catastrophe) in one way had actually opened up a lot of more possibilities for me. And of course it had also done some timely slashing of my ever inflating ego (something that always hurts but then also makes us more free and less caught up in our own tightly concluded identities). I just wrote this poem in acknowledgement of that 'blessing in disguise'.


The Thieves that set me free

I walked on wearily
I walked on slowly
I walked diligently
Towards goals I had set for myself

I held on firmly
I grasped tightly
I carried responsibly
My important items and resources

I had worked hard
I had worked sincerely
I had worked tirelessly
To build my bundle of items

And then the thieves came.
They stole those items
They busted my ego
And they ran quickly away

For a while I cried
I lamented
I cursed God
I cursed myself

Then I played victim
I blamed the thieves
I blamed society
I pitied myself

Eventually I got bored
Of crying
Of blaming
Of self pity

I realized nobody was coming
To rescue me
To dole out justice
To babysit me

I looked around me and asked,
‘What else is possible now?’

As I started walking I realized
I could hold my head upright
My legs moved faster
My hands were free

Without the load of all those items
I could skip and run with ease
I could pluck fruits and flowers along the way
I could enjoy the pretty scenery

With my ego beaten and gone
I was not tied to the path anymore
The goal had no grasp on me
And I could wander as I chose

The thieves came back
Apologetic and ashamed
They gave my items back to me

I looked them in their eyes and said
Thank you, for gifting me
A chance to experience lightness
And a universe of possibilities to explore

I gave them back the items
I did not need them anymore
I had found a way of living
Way greater than before

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