A Transition from Pessimistic to Optimistic

I try to look through the clouds
Into the skies beyond
Where the sun is shining
In his majestic glory.
I can't. I've been avoiding
The sun for so long
That I now remember not
What he looked like.
I keep trying nevertheless.
I try, perhaps for the first time
to nurse my wounds
old, some dating back to eons
Festering, kept open by my own self;
Now they are hard to heal.
I try, nonetheless.
I had smiled, too often,
To hide my tears
Now I smile without tears.


The World doesn't change
Only my view has
I've looked through a smoked glass
A time too long
Now I intend to make it transparent.

Adieu

Standing on the seashore
Looking at the obscure stars.
The waves wash away
My footprints on the sand;
The sun inches towards dawn.
I look at the sea. Endless.
For me as well as those who succeed me.
Soon, the day will wipe out any trace
That this night ever existed.
Only the dew on the grass, and my memories
Its last remnants.

(This was my poem for the college yearbook)

Why should I cry for you?

You were my angel
who gave me hope, when I had none
Gave me strength, and courage;
You were my cocaine, my Holy Grail
The eternal fire on Mount Olympus.
You were there beside me
When I faced the wrath of Gods;
Kept me sane
When I shouldn't have been.
I lost myself, in the depth of your eyes
And in the euphoria that came over me
With your smile,
When I touched your hands
Kissed your lips.

You are my demon
Who never fails to haunt me
In my dreams;
Never fails to arouse a painful memory
When I get drunk at night;
Never fails to make my heart bleed,
Even today, when I come across your name.
You have made life hell for me.
But I bear no grudges.
You have taught me to be strong:
To live in agony, and yet, to live
The meaning of the words
Anger, Frustration, Depression and Hatred
And what it is, to live with them;
You have made me wise, and old.
So thank you,
And goodbye, my love- my hatred.

Not a Poet

I am not a poet
I just vent my frustration
Pain, sorrow, anger
On a piece of paper
When it becomes too hard to contain
Within.

I am not an atheist
I just find it hard
To listen to the words
Of a God
Whose words don't reach to me
In the first place.

I am not a rebel
I just find it pointless
To try to flow with the current;
To attempt to fit in, when I don't
And to pretend to be something I am not
Remotely.

A monk asked Joshu,
"I have just entered this monastery. I beg you, Master,
 please give me instructions."
Joshu asked,
"Have you eaten your rice gruel yet?"
The monk answered,
"Yes, I have."
Joshu said,
"Then wash your bowls."

Zen Buddhism

Venerable Gon'yo asked Joshu,
"How is it when a person does not have a single thing?"
Joshu said,
"Throw it away."
Gon'yo said,
"I say I don't have a single thing. What could I ever
 throw away?"
Joshu said,
"If so, carry it around with you."

Haiku

Have you ever seen a Mother
Smile through her pain?
A single drop of tear falls from her eyes
A pearl in the ocean.