Loneliness

Who is more lonely?

The one sitting alone at a party?

Or the one cracking jokes?

Loneliness may be hard to identify

It is even tougher to quantify

Numbers underestimate this silent epidemic

It is worse after the COVID-19 pandemic

The definition of loneliness is very subjective

It is distressing from every perspective

Is it a 'state of mind' or 'just a phase'?

Is it waking up at night or gloomy days?

Does it make one more shy and awkward?

Does it lead to low self-esteem afterward?

Some say it is due to the breakdown of families

Due to trending individualism mentalities

And when a gadget is man's best friend

All social interaction comes to an end

Even dating is now largely digital,

Hybrid work schedules are irresistible

Loneliness is as harmful as 15 cigarettes a day

50% more chances to die prematurely they say 

Niharika Prasad

The 5AM Club

 

Wake up in the morning,

And spend some time in solitude

Wake up in the morning

And express deep gratitude

Wake up in the morning

Because limitation is nothing more than a mentality

Wake up in the morning

Daily practice turns dreams into reality

Wake up in the morning

For a positive and productive day

Wake up in the morning

Consistency is the key, they say

Wake up in the morning

Start small, each morning gets easier

Wake up in the morning

Before the day gets busier

Wake up in the morning

Stretch, reflect and learn

Wake up in the morning

If you invest, you will get a good return

Wake up in the morning

Because that is what legends do

Wake up in the morning

Won't you follow this schedule too?

Niharika Prasad

The Third Eye

In the middle of the forehead

Is an imaginary third eye

In the spiritual world, it is said

Its significance is high

It connects us with our intuition

It heightens our perception

It opens doors to another world

Such is the power of this third

Ajna chakra is located on the brow

And you might ask to activate it how

For kumkum and vermillion are applied here

The third eye is like moving through a mirror clear

When silence begins, the third dawns

It does not appear with chaos and scorns

Relax the mind, and the intellect becomes sharp

With notes angelical akin of a harp

Focus and meditate, just let go,

Ancient wisdom and alertness will flow. 

Niharika Prasad

The Healer

 

I can dissect each layer

No matter how deeply you lie buried

With the patience of a chess player

So why are you so worried

I like introverts with many shells

Who retract without any interaction

For hidden where the beauty dwells

What appeals to few, holds my attention

You will find yourself an open book

Such is the power of my intoxication

So let me just have a look

I care not of colour, religion or denomination

You might think of me as a psychic

But really, I just rely on intuition

I just try to pacify the anarchic

So reveal to me your condition

Share your dreams, your sorrows, your fears

Yes, you have my ears

I can bring you instant solace

For I am a natural healer

I can read a mask-like face

But first, you have to be a believer. 

Niharika Prasad

Online Identity

 

This is the era of online identity

This is the era of modern technology

This has unlocked immense opportunity

Avatars today look like a celebrity

While the benefit is communication and work

Careful, for hidden dangers lurk

People create an online personality

But their shared information gains immortality

While online activity provides an insight 

Leaving a digital footprint may not always be right

Vital is privacy, security and reputation

Internet browsing can be an intoxication

Professional networks can showcase qualifications

Yet all things are mere calculations

Gains are networking and expanded reach

And I do not intend to give a moral speech

But beware of phishing and identity theft

Being aware is really the best.

Niharika Prasad

Forgive Me, For I'm A Child

 

Is a temple a holy abode

Does salvation have no other road?

For a stone can symbolize God

But a stone to be God is slightly odd

To offer flowers at his feet

When he created them so sweet

So why would he want them dead

It all goes over my head

Forgive me, for I'm a child

I try to keep my opinions mild

I do go to temples too

But to enjoy a ladoo or two

I am lured by every celebration

But Sanskrit is too much for the translation

I mean no offence, but do you get the chanting?

When you pray, do you always get your granting?

I think it's for personal satisfaction

Prayers are fine, but God demands more action

So instead of offering gold to the Almighty,

Why not adopt a child and do something mighty

Why not join Teach for India or some NGO

Prayers are fine, why not cure somebody's woe.

Niharika Prasad

Screen Addiction

 

Screen addiction is a curse 

Which affects people of all ages

And once one has decided to immerse

One goes through different stages

Stages of mindless scrolling

An addiction without controls

Repetitive selfie posing

Car racing and gaming goals

Social media creates a loop

Of instant gratification

Your posture will involve a stoop

Due to digital intoxication

Notifications will keep you hooked

Such will be the flow of dopamine

And no matter where you looked

You will be like a stressed teen

So break free from this addiction

Put away your phone

Run from this digital affliction

Or you will end up alone.

Niharika Prasad

Life-Work Balance

 

One feels lost, in today's fast-paced life,

It is a cause of domestic strife

The problems are emotional exhaustion and burnout,

Forget health, there is no time to workout

The drive for productivity means less social interaction,

Youngsters are more concerned with dreams in action

Hyper reactivity and reduced attention span,

A sedentary lifestyle is where poor health began

The pressure to keep up causes chronic stress,

One has to earn money, and can't do with less

Neglect of relationships and self-care,

Loss of mindfulness and more despair

Youngsters rush and eat more junk,

Weekends come, and they lie drunk

Feeling tired but wired, more sugar craving,

High-stress lifestyle, anxiety and difficulty relaxing

Work-life balance should now be replaced,

Life-work balance should now be graced.

Niharika Prasad

Primal Fitness

It is time to revert to ancestral motions

Primal fitness is the new trend

And let us break the common notion

It does not require any equipment, my friend

Daily crab walk and donkey kick

I promise you will never fall sick

Flexibility, strength and endurance

As long as you show perseverance 

The pre-grocery era needed one to bend

But now all that has come to an end

Sitting at a desk all day long

If you don't squat, how will you be strong

Our forefathers went out to hunt

And I don't mean to be blunt

But if you don't run, twist and lunge

How will you remain forever young?

Niharika Prasad 

Clay Art

Fingers moulding wet earth

Pottery is truly magical

A new art takes birth

It's purely natural and not chemical

Coiling and pinching

Gently pressing the clay

Stable and not flinching

Painting with colours gay

Spinning mud on the wheel

With near perfection

Pottery requires zeal

With infinite affection

It needs full concentration

No scope for distraction

Connecting with the earth, a new sensation

Not shifting gaze, even for a fraction

Finally subjecting the clay to fire

And transforming it into an art of desire. 

Niharika Prasad

Osho

 

There once lived a great man,

Much ahead of his times

But his teachings were looked upon,

As forbidden crimes

His sayings were misunderstood

His preaching considered lewd

He started a religion not dictative

He did not believe in being authoritative

He said if you love a flower

Don't pluck it

For it ceases to be what you love

Love is in appreciation

Not in possession 

He said, when joy has a reason

It is not going to last long

But when joy is without reason

It becomes an endless song

He said commit as many mistakes,

But just remember one thing,

Don't commit the same mistake twice

And you will be growing

Niharika Prasad

The Devadasi

 

She swayed, unaware of her surroundings,

Lost in the love of the divine

So powerful were the bondings,

That she shone in the shrine

She was bound to him for life,

Her task was to worship

They called her his wife,

She was respected by the countship

Tall deities reached the ceiling,

Fogged by burning of incense

I saw her kneeling,

In a devotion intense

I struggled to find the meaning, 

In my dream, so strange

I did not comprehend this godly pleasing,

Was it a play on a stage?

Was it a play on a stage,

Or some past life?

I marveled at the change,

As I was drawn to beforelife

Niharika Prasad

Travel

 

To travel is to lose oneself, 

In the wonders of nature

To travel is to find oneself, 

On the journey; I wager

Travel is the most powerful way

To achieve self-healing

To travel is to escape far away

So smile, laugh, and enjoy the feeling

Jobs fill your pocket, 

Adventures fill your soul

So I suggest, making it your target

Travel with no regrets, be your goal

Be lost in the right direction, 

Collect moments, not things

Begin with a single step, to reach your destination,

They already exist, just spread your wings.

Niharika Prasad

Childhood memories

 

We used to live in a rented home,

Beside a garbage dump

Where kids used to roam

Yellow frogs used to jump

The terrace was cemented 

With peeling paint

But I was contented

I had no complaint

Iron rods jutted from the terrace

I ran barefoot flying kites

I ran in ways reckless

Enjoying the small delights

Every morning kids swarmed the dump

Hunting the waste with hawk-like eyes

One stood on a tree stump

And suddenly spotted a prize

It was a used shampoo container

But seemed precious to him

The child was no grumbler

He peeped across its rim

Several others joined him soon

They danced in delight

It was a summer afternoon

And the most beautiful sight.

Niharika Prasad

The Beggar

 

He sat on the sideways 

Hunched against the wall

Counting the end of his days

On the footpath where mosses crawl

His matted hair forms a nest

Gray locks hang like ropes

His eyes devoid of any quest

They seem robbed of hopes

His clothes are rags in shreds

Barest of any protection

His eyes sweep arrogant heads

They crave a drop of affection

I bend and offer him a coin

His eyes suddenly lit up

His fingers quickly join

And he looks up

His long nails grab the coin

Nails, he has not cut in ages

He reclines back to a quoin

And counts his wages

His eyes seem so distant

He reverts to a shadow figure

He camouflages in an instant 

As if, that is what he would prefer

                                                                                                                            Niharika Prasad

The Truth of Religion

 

Religion is a controversial subject

I now think in retrospect

For me, humanity is the only religion

Forgive me, and my modern vision

But man has divided us all

Religion has built a concrete wall

Misleading the innocent and ingenuous

Deviating from the words of Allah and Jesus

Religions dictate, they do not encourage

To think freely, rather they create a blockage

To believe exactly what is told

Religion is now bought and sold

Animal sacrifice is considered pious

Selective vegetarianism is very religious

Hindu culture shuns public endearment

Yet, the Konark boasts sculptures with allurement

And many more practices are so contradictory

Who in turn is the real beneficiary?

Niharika Prasad

Modern Society

Are marriages on the decline?

Are they no more, the work of the divine?

Are they a mere cumbersome responsibility?

Predicted, is a dramatic decline in global fertility

Who wants a child, just keep a pet

No more handling diapers, wet

Delay all for the sake of work

Hidden dangers in marriages lurk

The new culture is a comfortable live-in

Commitments are too tough to begin

Freedom outweighs any minor insecurity

Manifold is the added opportunity

Multiplying are the ways to have a baby

Single parent is the trend, maybe

On the rise, is the rate of divorce

Generation Alpha prefers the easiest course

Economic independence, shifting gender roles

Couples no more share common goals

Shifting social norms, after 50 separation

It's never too late to achieve salvation

In the modern era, its all about success

To blame are urbanization and stress.  

Niharika Prasad

Red

 

Red demands the maximum attention

It's a color that needs special mention

Like the sun which bleeds at dawn

Soaking the sky long after it's gone

The color of energy and passion

Red is the color that commands attention

Ruby lips and vermillion so red

Red is the color of the newly wed

Red symbolizes courage and action

Often it is the source of distraction

Red are the delicate roses

Now enough with the rhymes and phrases.

Niharika Prasad

Expressing Love

 

It is a fact, that Indians are shy to express

Their feelings are too tough to guess

Is not intimacy, a scale of love

It forms its core, underneath, within, above

Then why are they shy, to even hold a hand

Even in the photographs when they all stand

There may be a difference, village and city

But kissing in public is always so nitty

Maybe our culture shows love in a different way

Maybe it is asking 'how was your day?'

Or 'if you had food or not?'

Or the jasmine gajra he bought

Or the shy smile she gave

'I love you' is sometimes too brave.

Niharika Prasad

Blue

 

Blue is the color of my love, the sea

The symbol of peace and tranquility

Blue is the canvas, against which the sun sees

Blue is the color of trust and stability

Blue is the base of a peacock with multiple hues

Which other color would you choose?

Blue depicts intelligence and creativity

It binds my mind in its captivity

While sky blue is a gentle shade

Navy blue is too royal, I'm afraid

French, azure, sapphire and turquoise,

The color reflects grace and poise

Blue is the enchanting bluebells

Symbolizing fairies and spring,

But blue is also the color of melancholic spells 

And the aloofness that it may bring.

Niharika Prasad

Contemporary poetry

 

Do all poems have to be on the stars and the moon,

Do they have to follow a specific tune?

Modern poetry knows no bounds,

It creates an image of even sounds

Contemporary poetry is in free verse,

Is that a boon or a curse?

The themes are now social justice and love,

Not just flowers, rivers and clouds above

They challenge cultural norms,

They don't follow a cage of forms

They suggest ideas, they do not impose

And is that not good, I suppose

As for me, I am a blend,

I leave it up to you, to comprehend.

Niharika Prasad

A Third World

 

There is a discrete world,

Apart from the two well-known,

Yes, there exists a third,

The world of the lone

Sometimes I do camouflage,

Between these two

And I do it with such panache,

That, the difference, they never knew

The sphere of the wedded,

The sphere of the split,

And I don't know where I'm headed,

I don't perceive where I might fit

Yes, this third is freedom from responsibility,

It has a freedom unknown,

Yet, I dwell on the possibility,

Of having someone, I can call my own

But right now I must live in the present,

And rejoice to the fullest,

I must live with my content,

Till time passes the toughest

The toughest phase of all,

Also has an end,

Life is no dance hall,

And I am tougher, my friend.

Niharika Prasad

AI and poetry

 

In this modern era of technology

There are new ways to create an anthology

Dig into a pile of words

Follow the trail herds

Copy, mix and match old works

Fear not where plagiarism lurks

Artificial intelligence can make you creative

Just when you lack anything innovative

Just give a prompt; a hint

And soon you will have, a book to print

Can technology replace human experience?

Can it have any moral adherence?

Can AI see the world with human eyes?

The sun, the moon, the infinite skies

Has AI ever felt the butterflies?

Or held the string of a kite pulled by blue skies

It's reach is limited, only a remix it can make

My dear, poetry is not a piece of cake.

Niharika Prasad

Monster in Hell

 They used religion to conceal their sins

A tale of deceit just begins

Crimes unspeakable, shameful lies

Blindfolded are the innocent eyes

No religion teaches wrong

Man was mistaken all along

Children slayed, women raped

Lucky were the ones, who escaped

A monster waits, guarding the gates of hell

After, on earth, men were bid farewell

His  eyes glowing, red with rage

A monster, not bound in any cage

He waits to quench his thirst of blood

He thumps his feet in red mud

He growls like an insatiable beast

He waits impatiently for a feast.

Niharika Prasad

Finding Myself

When I close my eyes, I am lost,

Lost in the chaos of the modern world

Like a blade of grass covered in frost

Or the battle over, the flags lie furled

Every breath that I now inhale,

Carries a tinge of optimism

Every breath that I now exhale,

Carries a newfound wisdom

But most vital is the interim

The pause between two breaths

I am no longer a mere victim

I am calm, contrary to creath

I feel deeply aware

I live in the 'now'

I discard all the despair

And you must wonder how

I now spare time for meditation

Just ten minutes a day

It is a divine intoxication

One must try, I must say.

Niharika Prasad