Candid

  From Yester to Froster Years ( This poem is inspired by the experience of using AI apps that show younger and older version of ourselves) The younger me and the older me — Charm of innocence and talks of wisdom. Mixed emotions of happiness and wiser me. Exactly what is true: that which is seen, or that which is heard? Poles apart, but it's an unrealistic version of the present. For a few moments, both past and future together — Isolating the present and sending it into doldrums. What do I love the most — is it the past or the future? Cuteness versus greyness — both are dear to me.

  Complexity reached its pinnacle When I realized the weight— The accumulation of compounding irrelevant life goals on me. Time slipped away, like soil in a sand clock. In search of an oasis of happiness , I found myself lost in the desert of comparison . Chasing material wealth and prosperity Brought only anxiety—never joy. But then came a quiet, simple realization: My original dreams still mattered. They brought meaning back to life. My intuition whispered, "It's time to return to your motherland — To live, learn, and work where your roots run deep. It’s payback time— To clear the debt you owe to the land that nurtured you.”

Introduction  Sometimes, a simple moment in the present brings back a flood of childhood memories. This piece captures one such fleeting encounter—a sparrow, a memory, and a girl's long-held wish. Sparrow Fantasises Breaking the silence of the lazy afternoon, The chirping sparrow caught the eye of an urban girl. Fluttering its wings, it stirred her heart with nostalgia— For once, she had chased this very fluttering spirit. As a little girl, she’d run countless times behind the sparrow, Its wings daring her with a playful “Catch me if you can!” Every known face was begged to trap it in a cage, But promises made were never fulfilled. The little soul had vowed— “One day, I’ll catch it myself.” And today, the moment had arrived. She captured the sparrow... not in a cage, but in a frame. An image sealed with memory. But again, it flew away— Only to return, as if to say: “I’m yours, but never yours to keep.”

The new recruit shines—in unpaid overtime , Underpaid, exploited , in the world so mean, Surviving on dreams and sandwiches light . Fights for justice while himself in shackles, Unaware of himself, surrounded by jackals . Commutes daily to and fro, Makes new acquaintances to share the day. Exploration of opportunities, viz. the shattering of daydreams , Young energy wrapped in new experience streams . Stress and fatigue —his newfound friends, Away from truth he bends— Mistakes and errors bring him down, Yet he smiles with deep pain , wearing a crown . Happy, busy, unaware that there are  more jackals to mend.

 

As I step into a new year of life, I find strength in words once written— A reminder of the hope I carried into this journey, first shared on 31st December 2023. Here's New Beginning, a poem that continues to inspire me with its call to renew, to rise, and to reach. Read it again, and let it speak to your soul too.

  Such long silence, no bustling community’s cheer, Even ghosts have fled, fearing the silence we now hold dear. Though introverts in person we may appear to be, We mask to be extroverts online, shaped by space and time, you see.