Paradise A rooster’s loud calls woke me up early, Stepped out into the garden, still a bit sleepy. Sprinkled a few birdseeds as always, then I waited for friends and their hops and chirps! First came the bulbuls, then the robins. Then the babblers with their incessant chatter, a couple of spotted doves not too far behind. Squirrels and crows weren’t shy either. Here comes a flock of mynas, bullies as they are. Then the pigeons and their gluttonous hunger, they clean the plate, not a grain left behind! I remind myself to be restrained, let them be. "Oh I live in a paradise", I tell myself. What joy, starting the day amongst the jewels I can hear the koels and kingfishers echoing my thoughts, oh the sweet melody. Now the morning sun hides behind the clouds, sky turns grey, a drop of rain here and there. Birds quickly find shelter, squirrels run amok "Oh, why?" I mutter, "can't it be bright for a while?" I see raindrops sparkling on the grass. I hear a peacock's loud calls, awaiting his friends. I wonder if I live in a paradise, or is it paradise I find within me, I’ll never know!
Limbo Birds, shy away from me. Sun hides beneath the grey blanket of cold, damp clouds. Warmth, stolen. I hear the birds say, “Stay away.” Trees dull, light in the morning delayed by an hour. Shadows, hidden. Did I dream of stories? No sounds, no colors, just a static gray. I only saw figures, formless. Is today just another day, bland, dull? Running through the motions, no changes to the scheduled program? Scream away. Can this morning get any worse? I’ve been here before. What more can you even do? Rain down hard on my scrambled pieces? Oh please! Oh please.