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