An Ode to the Sea

I stand at the seashore,

as my feet sink in the sand,

being tickled by the lapping water;

I stand in wonderment,

How can one thing be everything and nothing?

I breathe in the salty air,

which announces the sea’s presence from far away;

and I wonder, how can one thing be both, salty and refreshing?

I gaze at the stillness beyond the waves,

and as a I remember the tales of mermaids,

I wonder how one thing can be so still and yet be filled with life?

As the waves play with my feet,

I look across at all the rocks, which have been marked by the sea;

I wonder how one thing can be both endearing and scary?

I stand at the sea shore,

as my feet sink in the sand,

being tickled by the lapping water;

I close my eyes

and feel the wind pass me by,

at once, ferocious and playful;

and feel the sound of the sea

resonate with my being.

Engulfed in the wonderment,

I feel the stillness of time amongst all the motion;

I realize that even time stops

to pay homage to the sea,

The Sea, which is everything and nothing.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

An Explorer's Soul

If wishes grew on trees,

I would pluck a leaf every week,

And ride it to a new place,

with old friends;

I would scale the majestic peaks

and when it grew too cold,

I would swing by to the rainforests,

to sleep to the sound of the thrumming raindrops.

I would pray to a God that I haven’t heard of

and absorb a culture different from mine,

but when I yearn for the familiar,

I would pluck a leaf and go back to the cocoon 

from where I was formed.

I would shiver in the cold

and question good, on witnessing evil,

only to make another turn where

warmth is spread through smiles.

If wishes grew on trees,

I would pluck a leaf every week,

And ride it to a new place, 

with old friends;

For I have to smile and weep, 

to lose my way and find it somewhere,

to share a meal, to create memories,

in every place with air to breathe.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

The Bane of Nothingness

On many a lazy day, when some hours are spent in the mirage of nothingness, many tendrils of thoughts enter the being, some cancel each other out and others multiply with every blink, at the end of the day, all that is left is wonderment and tiredness, tiredness from being pulled into the convoluted swirl of thoughts, ever expanding, ever thickening...

As the swirl of thoughts becomes denser and denser, one wondersIf the stoic demeanor of the relaxed mind is a sign of contentment or surrender


As the swirl of thoughts becomes denser and denser, one wonders
If the ringing laughter is an indication of a happy heart or an antic of a well-trained actor


As the swirl of thoughts becomes denser and denser, one wonders
If the dream that is the life of your being is just a stubborn retort or is a genuine desire


As the swirl of thoughts becomes denser and denser,one wonders
If the heart brimming over with love is looking for a beloved or is merely craving attention


As the swirl of thoughts becomes denser and denser, one wonders
If the decision is a step in the right direction or a step in the easier direction


And then, just as the swirling being is about to lose its bearings in the wonderment,
Night falls, and finally the being knows one thing for sure, no matter what the Sun will rise again!

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody