Embrace

There is an embrace of magic,

Like when yin meets yang,

When the square peg finds the square hole.

There is an embrace of warmth,

Like when dancing flames soften the bite of the cold,

When the stemling gently breaks through the unyielding ground, to meet light.

There is an embrace of strength,

Like when the mountains protect the enshrined valley,

When kingdoms meld together to exalted peace.

There is the embrace,

Like when the being surrenders on finding home,

When the magic of warmth & strength, reveal your undone self.

Home

Brick walls glowing an earthy red from the warmth of the messy familial embrace

Large windows invite the light in, to feed the lush souls within

The garden is overrun by flowers - unfettered & wild

The brook at the edge babbles in tandem to the lively discussions within

The spritely breeze brings with it the seeds of change - unfreezing time

The material house stands proud in the open expanse - unprotected

The home within & beyond diffuses from the heat of the effusive love within - ever spreading

The material house is a fortress built to hold change out

The diffusive home is a flame ignited to grow with change

Raw

The wilderness beckons,

it beckons with the crisp wind carrying the scent of the birches,

it doesn’t mask it’s call behind a manicured flower wall,

It states it desire, simply;

The open sky embraces the Earth,

its embrace shielding Earth from the coldness of space,

It doesn’t hide the heat at the very center of a molten core,

It lets the sparks fly, vividly;

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Maybe

Deep in the changeling universe,

there lies a volcano,

simmering and seething,

I stand at its edge,

enclosed in the warmth,

my feet burnt.

Below, lies the ocean, cool and open,

Maybe I should leap into the ocean,

leave behind the demons I have known and grown,

without me, they will die

they were mine,

without me, a part of me will die too.

Maybe I should leap into the ocean,

frolic with the waves,

heal the burning,

there won’t be any ground beneath my feet,

the warm embrace will cease too

without ground, a part of me will cease too.

The wind tousles my hair,

teasing me, inviting me impatiently,

part of me is convinced,

I want to leap,

to feel something new,

part of me stays on the volcano - clinging to the burnt bits.

Glimmer

Breathe in, Breathe out,

The clock keeps ticking on

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Drown out the words in the background

Breathe in, Breathe out,

There is a glimmer hiding in the shadows,

What is real and what is not?

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Synchronize with the beat of the heart

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Push down the urge to collapse

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Await the glimmer in the shadows,

Is it real or Is it not?

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Fight the urge to renounce the heart

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Await the embrace to heal the hurt

Breathe in, Breathe out,

In the battles of the world, pick the battles for the self

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Seek out the glimmer in the shadows,

Is it real or is it not?

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

The Present

Hindsight is the Past’s companion,

and the Present’s relentless stalker.

For it eschews the uninhibited for the embellished.

Chipping away at the Present,

Bit by Bit,

Until the sculptured and polished Past remains.

Strive to be audacious and embrace every bit of the Present;

For fond remembrance is the duty of the Past,

but being honest to every unfettered moment,

to build a life worthy of remembrance is the duty of the Present.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

Isn't it strange?

Isn’t it strange, that the wandering man who embraces change,

Is the one that finds the fidelity to stay constant to his ultimate self?

Isn’t it strange, that the quiet soul which lives through ennui,

Is the one that finds the dexterity to weave tales out of thin air?

Isn’t it strange, that the strong feet which leave the hearth to explore new grounds,

Are the ones that find the tenderness to build a warm Home?

Isn’t it strange, that the ambitious mind which relentlessly pursues knowledge,

Is the one that finds the humility to accept its smallness?

Isn’t it strange, that the fragile heart which lives through strife and despair,

Is the one that finds the strength to support relentless faith?

Isn’t it strange, that the naive man who faces the threat of indifference,

Is the one that finds the elusive wisdom of unconditional Love?

Isn’t it strange, that the fearful soul which surrenders to the experiences of living,

Is the one that finds the fearlessness to face the shortening of life?

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

To Quietude

To Quietude.

For sound travels more leisurely than light,

Keenly gathering moss along the lush slope of time.

And so, prolonged thunder follows the flash of lightning;

And so, applause rings long after the stage is emptied.

To Quietude.

For sound travels more leisurely than light,

Keenly gathering moss along the lush slope of time.

And so, heat multiplies for eons before a volcano erupts;

And so, sweat and tears are spent, unnoticed, for aeons before the conch of victory is finally heard.

To Quietude.

For sound travels more leisurely than light,

Keenly gathering moss along the lush slope of time.

And so, a bird flies artfully for long before it can sing it's song;

And so, the mind stumbles foolishly through the miles of life, before its laurels are announced.

To Quietude.

For sound travels more leisurely than light,

Keenly gathering moss along the lush slope of time.

And so, there is a simple gratitude owed to solitude;

And so, the unheard moments of character slip by whilst stringing the strains of victory in Quietude.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

An ode to the seashore

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

The Night

It rises slowly and silently

            to the muted beat of the moon rise,

                        with the stars twinkling in applause,

                                    Lo and Behold, the Night has risen.

The glimmering waters dance with the force of the moon.

            The wandering mind locks its gaze with the audaciously mellow night,

                        then it relives the laughs of the day and quietly sheds tears for pain

                                    Lo and Behold, the Night has risen.

There are no rainbows to light a pathway in the infinite sky,

            Nor any chirping birds to fill the air with their mellifluous sounds.

                        In their absence, unadorned, the charm of the changeling dusk grows.

                                    As the need to decorate slips away the mind meets the soul,                                         undone.

                                                Lo and Behold, the Night has risen.

The twinkling stars hold steady from one moment to the next,

            the twinkling stars move across leagues, even in their perceived stillness.

                        From one moment to the next the night changes the world,

                                    then again, nothing changes at all, magic breeds reality.

                                                Lo and Behold, the Night has risen.

Little by little, the air becomes still, with every step,

            the footsteps get lighter and quieter.

                        In reverence to the passing of another day,

                                    heavy with the memories of every breath,

                                                the eyes close to the world.

                                                            Lo and Behold, the Night has fallen.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

There is a Land

There is a land, in the realm of imagination;

A land, where the rainbow shines through at every smile,

and snow trembles from the clouds at every frown.

There is a land, in the realm of imagination;

it is beautiful and it is invisible,

it is real and it is surreal.

There is a land, in the realm of imagination;

The air that pervades is there is happiness,

sometimes insignificantly still -

and sometimes swingingly strong.

There is a land, in the realm of imagination;

it is beautiful and it is invisible,

it is real and it is surreal.

There is a land, in the realm of imagination;

Where flows the stream of morose-ness,

the stream which can push afloat - and pull inwards.

There is a land, in the realm of imagination;

it is beautiful and it is invisible,

it is real and it is surreal.

There is a land, in the realm of imagination;

Where the demons and angels fight,

and where the war and peace reside, side by side.

There is a land in the realm of imagination;

it is a fantasy and a sliver of reality,

it is but vapor and it is the home of the mind,

there is a land in the realm of imagination.