Lost

I cant find it. 

I looked on the floor
I looked under the door.

I looked in my chair,
and in my hair.

up and above, here and there.
I looked everywhere.

But in the end, I was sure
that I had lost my booger.

tomato sandwich

slices of tomato thin

juicy and tangy within,

dash of salt n pepper thrown

on a crust golden brown.

Now, thats a sight

that could whet your appetite !

Do we exist ?

On a speck of dust 

in our universe - one among infinite

that came from nothing 

time, space , consciousness - all nothing.

such a grand illusion of nothingness!

arising from  our silly non existence.

So long Dad

Its hard to believe you're gone.
We'll never see you again
poring over the daily newspaper
ruminating over little printed words
dull and lifeless to most eyes,
but lively and tireless companions
you conversed with
over your morning cup of tea
resting in the aluminum framed easy chair
maroon window blinds drawn
to let in the morning light.
Or over your usually late breakfast -
that awaited you patiently for hours.

We'll never hear your sprightly voice
recalling a little known incident from the past,
or arguing until tempers frayed
as you held on unwavering
to notions unacceptable to the rest of us
until the final verdict was delivered thus -
"Thats how I am !!"
and that was that.

No more phone calls made religiously
to tell you all is well
and life is as usual.
No change of jobs, no illnesses, no cause for worry.
No more inquiring about your health,
no feeling of despair as on each passing day
your strength ebbed away.

I wish you well Dad
rest in peace.
Your memories remain,
and we will strive to keep these alive
even through the passage of time.
Thank you for all you've done and been to us.
where ever you may be, in what ever form,
Be assured - your life mattered, and you did your part.

illesha's ears

"My ears hurt!", illesha complained
"time to see the doctor", Mom ordained.
"Lets go now!". illesha can hardly wait.
she loves the candy the doctor offers as bait.
Doctor looks at illesha's ears.
"hmm... never seen anything like this
I've been practising for years .."
he begins to extract her ear wax
there's a lump ...
then it is a dump.
which grows into a mound
of yellow sticky mess on the ground.
doctor- "there's more to be found!"
soon its a mountain
and at last, he 's done.
Doc says "Do you feel better ?"
"ya ! and much lighter"

illesha's 7th birthday

On the 7th birthday of Illesha
she had a birthday bash-a
she'd invited julianne, Ashu and joshua
Ashu was skittish
and Julianne the 4 year old, impish
Josh was a little brash
while Esha was her usual snobbish.
After some games and balderdash
They were all famished.
Babita the mom said - "Go wash
and get ready to replenish!"
Table was laid and Mom served with flourish.
Josh looked at his plate with relish
and spoke like a true south Indian with polish
"potato mash - aa ?"
"Nope. said Mom. Pasta made in a rush-a."
Later in the evening, the cake was out.
But, where were the 7 candles
tiny and garish
Dad bought the previous day ?
"Julianne hid them! Esha cried in anguish.
"No. didn't do" said Julianne, eyes with tears awash.
confusion ensued. Did the candles vanish ?
Search was on - nothing was spared
pillow covers, trunks nor trash.
amidst the chaos, Mom, in a haste to finish
gave in to her instinct to demolish
and carved up the cake. Gosh!
Esha - "who cut the cake ?"

nostalgia

Music springs from the letter "y"
of the old fishpond toy.
I think of the small hotel room
Ashu jumping on the bouncy bed
the cold april air of Denver
and melting snowflakes as winter ends.
Of open spaces so vast
that a strange calm was cast.
no voices were heard
and no humans stirred.
only by the distant sounds
of rubber on the highway
punctuated by an occasional horn
was the silence torn.
The room smelt of indian spices
and steaming buttered chapatties
- familiar smells and tastes
that we consumed with longing
and washed down with tropicana juice.
I'd picked up the toy at K-mart
to keep ashu busy
in the room during the day.