Here, now and how

 Waking up to the whistle of the Malabar thrush

After being lulled to sleep by the river gurgle

Spending some time alone mulling

what's wrong with this world

Looking at those pretty little birds,

the early ones

Seems they prefer nectar to worms

Plonking down on my easy chair

Doing nothing, a loser in this world

Giving up all those comforts of success

To be a recluse, living in nature

Madness, you may say

All we have is just one day

The time is here and now

When you waste it all doing what you love

I'm sure it will never be a waste at all

Taking up the hoe, instead of the pen

Working on the land, the fruits are sweet

Making sure everything is right

And letting nature pave its own path

There's joy at the end of the day

A quiet satisfaction, tired as I lay

Contemplating on a tomorrow that will be fine

Even after I'm gone, this will stay

MVJ Simon

Sense and Nonsense

what we understand is sense
what we do not is nonsense

what we like is sense
what we do not is nonsense

what we accept is sense
what we do not is nonsense

what we preach is sense
what others do is nonsense

the way we live is sense
the way others do is nonsense

what we perceive is sense
what others imagine is nonsense

the weapons we wield is sense
the bombs they shell is nonsense

the way we dress is sense
what they wear is nonsense

the wars we make is sense
the peace they dream about is nonsense

the hunger we feel is sense
people dying of hunger, nonsense

our life gets better is sense
the world gets worse is nonsense

A poem by MVJ Simon (All rights reserved)

Dreams Come True

When you dream 
And believe in your dreams

Dreams come true

When you wake up
And wish fervently that it must

Dreams come true

Just when you are about to give up
And give in to harsh reality

Dreams come true

When you know it will
And scorn every iota of doubt

Dreams come true

In its own time
When you least expect it

Dreams come true

Catching you unawares
Leaving you at a loss for words

Dreams come true

Making you believe
Reaffirming your faith

A Poem by MVJ Simon (Copyright 2007)

A drop of golden sunshine

Girl, you walked right in

Throwing wide open

Doors of my heavy heart

Lightening it with your laugh



Girl, you walked right in

Without an invite

No ringing bells

You barged in straight



Girl, like the golden sunshine

Passing through the sheer white curtain

Waking me up from deep slumber

Squinting my eyes with brightness



Girl, you breeze through life

With a naughty delight

Savouring all that’s nice

And spreading joy around



Girl, don’t grow up please

It’s a choice you can make

Just be the way you are

Not letting life break you



Girl, even when you pout and sulk

And throw nasty tantrums

I stifle my smile, look serious

You may never know why



Girl, you’re a dear little friend

Queen of drama

Princess of hearts

When you feel sad, so do I



Girl, just be the drop

Of golden sunshine

Just breeze through life

Spreading a warm glow around

The Old Bungalow

An octagonal verandah
Wide steps below
Polished red oxide floor
Shining with a glow

A large leather settee set
A round table in the midst
With tiger claws at it’s feet
Clasping a globe

Brown wood all around
Smells really good
Framing French windows
With clear panels of glass


Etched in my memory
Looming the house stood
Once it was my home
Now it’s on my mind

In its place stands a tower
Glass and steel and chrome
Looks cold and menacing to me
Just doesn’t have the charm

Gone is the grass-covered lawn
And the roses that surround
In its place is a car park
Space well utilized

They tell me it’s progress
Maybe I do agree
But somewhere in my heart's corner
Looms the old Bungalow

Picture Perfect

Somewhere you lead me

Some place I can’t recall

Sometimes I remember

The nightfall and the song

Some place you took me

Lead me on and on

I remember the wildflowers

Trampled under your feet

Sometimes when I remember

The silence and the stillness

When our eyes stayed locked unblinking

Time stood still in wait

Sometimes I think of you

And those moments that stood so still

Frozen in my mind

Your youth captured unfading

Just one time you’ve beaten destiny

And time and space and the world itself

Lingering on youthful and unchanging

In times faded, wrinkled, and aging.

Mirror

Life is a mirror so clear
When you look at and smile
it smiles back at you

Life is a mirror so faithful
When you are sad
It tells you it isn’t so bad

Life is a mirror so harsh
When you believe you’re fairest of all
It shows you those pimples

Life is a mirror so passive
When you watch it pass by
You remain where you are

Life is a mirror so cruel
When you hurl disgust
It breaks you down

Life is a mirror so jovial
When you laugh at it
It laughs back at you

Life is a mirror so fragile
Handle it gently
Never, ever let it drop

Life is mirror so beautiful
When you look at it
See how unique and precious you are

Thoda Adjust Karo

My momma told me I was five
While I was really six

The school had some funny rules
That put her in a fix

Thoda Adjust Karo

When I reached my teenage
I faced my first big exam

My closest friend who hated maths
Scored a centum, while I had a just pass

Thoda Adjust Karo

I went to a local college
while he became a Doc

Life's stories changed
With a bag full of cash

Thoda Adjust Karo

His father, moneybags
Took it all back

When he sold his son
To the highest bidder

Thoda Adjust Karo

Now he's got a wife
A car and a bungalow

While I sit and write
Alone in a basti

Thoda Adjust Karo

Living the slow life

Living slow,

Living life,

the old, old way.

Gently swaying along at a pace so slow,

From the pane-less window, I view.

History alive in faded signboards,

And stately mansions stand tall and proud.

 

Withered and worn with stories to tell,

Battered and weary, but eloquent with tales.

Of a time of glory and abundant riches,

Music and laughter of generations gone.

Hoping someday, will glory return.

 

A single ring of an age-old bell,

A crank of the brass lever on tram-chalo’s left,

A creak and shudder, as brakes come on,

Someone leaves and the next arrives.

 

Experiencing life the way it can be,

Slow and steady with views stunning.

Unhurried, at times even still,

As an errant cow decides to stay on track.

Life goes on anyway, though slow.

 

A crank on the lever,

The ring of an age-old bell.

And the tram with a shudder and a creak,

Gently rolls on, on, and on.

 

©MVJ Simon 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A World Without Borders

 

Isn’t it true that our imagination is boundless?

And love, which can transcend all races and cultures?

 

Isn’t it true that in

the age of the Internet,

We are all connected, 

wherever we may be?

Isn’t it true that if 

We look beyond all barricades,

And borders man-made,

Aren’t we all the same within?

 

In our hopes and dreams, 

fears and insecurities, death and life,

Isn’t it true that deep down within, 

we are all pretty much alike?

 

Isn’t it true that if 

we just look beyond the differences, 

We will create a better world, 

more kind, more humane,

and truly borderless

 

©MVJ Simon 2023

Present Perfect

 When the world around you is going mad

And you just have to hold on to your inner peace

Retreat into the recesses of your universe

And mull on how everything could be

It's not a quest for perfection

That's a lofty pursuit which leaves you wanting

But in those tiny little ways, those baby steps you can do everyday

To become better than who you were yesterday

And to start with, start with the heart

Being more kinder to yourself first

It's okay if you've made mistakes

And enjoy making them time and again

Nobody is perfect anyway

And perfection is an elusive dream

That slips away when you open your eyes

And you see the flaws that no one else seem to see

Wake up to a tomorrow

Where you are a little better than who you were today

Step by step, day after day

A little better, a little kinder

Retreat a bit into your inner universe

Delve deeper within

And from there you will find all the answers

You were always seeking outside