There within the darkness, of the fading light,

Under the dark green shade, of the overhanging trees,

Lay the lake and its quiet waters, dark beyond the light,

Two sentinels stood, one on either side in white, in the breeze.

Yet the joy for this day is not yet complete from the skies,

In a burst of color, Blushing cloud will save us, from mediocrity,

In this drab life of limited choice, spring new wishes like fireflies,

In the reflection below the blush is mine, in my mendacity.

The sky has been painted by an impressionist in purple color,

The waves below have erased the memory of the sky’s imperfection,

In this moment who is this observed and who is this observer,

This is the now and here I stand, reflecting on my own reflection.

Rajiv Kapoor Jun 2020.

Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door. -Saul Bellow, writer, Nobel laureate (10 Jun 1915-2005)

There are two lights, that light my way,

The first from the heavens, on many holds sway,

The second from within, our life force arises,

This is the one, that will turn me to ashes,

Long have we wondered, at where we are going,

The learned have lovingly advised us, to start slowing,

The path before us, is not always clear,

Our loved ones, are not always near,

Where oh where in this uncertainty, do I row my boat,

There is only now where I exist, and my lonesome moat,

The whole universe is given to me, to explore,

It is up to me to light my lamp of inquiry, to restore,

That which was promised to me, when existence arose,

My covenant of wisdom with destiny, is mine alone,

So ask me not in innocence, on where I row my boat,

It is you who have confined me and reduced me, to this moat.

When all else is lost, and I cannot find the shore,

I remember again that hope, I kept, and row to love some more.

Rajiv Kapoor June 2020

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -Anne Frank, Holocaust diarist (12 Jun 1929-1945)