Stuck, But Not Resigned

Screeching sounds, like a record that's stuck,

You try to break patterns, but without any luck.

Doomed to repeat, in an infinite loop,

Pressure builds up, to end in one fell swoop. 

Inhale for 4 seconds, for 4 seconds hold breath,

Observe the endless cycle, till you're bored to death.

This life may be unique, each day is but humdrum,

A long life is appalling, you haven't realized, how come?

Some plant a sapling, that each day grows,

With love and care, it blossoms in a rose.

If each day you improve, by just a wee bit,

By the end of this life, amidst Gods you'll sit.

An eternal life can be hell, it can also heaven be,

I have infinite rebirths, to figure out how to be free. 

50 Books, Anyone?

Fast food hurts the body, fast reading hurts the mind, 

To get nourished, savour deeply, to the book, and yourself be kind.

Set artificial targets, all you want, like reading 50 books in a year,

But if a meaty book can't be skimmed, you'll have to skip it, I'm afraid, my dear.

Speed reading makes a nice cocktail, shallow knowledge, stirred with aplomb,

The book is supposed to stay with you, but the moment you've read it, it's gone.

A checkbox ticked, a trophy earned, it now adorns your bookshelf,

Pushed to a corner, gathering dust, as you couldn't make it a part of self.

As the year-end approaches, you are haunted, how many can you really get through?

The real question you should be asking is, how many can get through to you?

If reading it didn't change your thoughts or acts, wasn't that a waste of time?

If you ingested AI summaries or picked random quotes, was that a lesser crime?

Reading a book is like meditation, and reading a poem a form of prayer,

You should spend some time on each one, unravelling it layer by layer.

The Caged Bird

She's locked in the cage, I'm roaming freely in this world,

As the distance grows steadily, I pine for her word,

Straining hard my ears, to pick her faintest sound,

Eager to return home, relieved that she's still around.

She's bound in a cage, I'm bound to her,

Have to return before noon, there's no time to err,

Have to feed her on time, ensure shade from light,

By caring for her deeply, make the cage feel right.

She's tiny and weak, which justifies the cage,

I'll have to eventually release- the thought fills me with rage.

It's a wild world out there, where lurk predators and friends,

No matter how I get attached, there's only one way this ends. 

I'll be a prisoner of her memories, for me, no turning page,

She'll roam freely in the world, while I'll be locked in this cage.

How The Grinch Stole Time

I get for my entire work life, only about 80,000 hours,

To save a few for leisure, I spend the rest behind bars.

If I want to keep earning the hours, even in the age of AI,

I'd better accommodate all demands, and to disconnect, say bye.

I sometimes steal some time, for self-care and rest,

The justification- it makes me efficient, it's all for the best.

Almost regularly on weekends, I'm handed an extra stash,

Anxiety grips how to spend it- it better be thoughtful, not brash.

Sometimes I'm able to earn some time, by outsourcing petty works,

I could use it in theory to write poems, but always the danger lurks, 

That I would not have invested well, made a wrong call, traded short,

With a limited supply of time, would have offended the Time God.

Maybe time doesn't come, at the end, from a store,

Maybe time, perhaps means, a little bit more.

Being Icarus

Poetry writes me a blank cheque, that I'm not sure when I can encash,

As I aim for the sun, and land amongst stars, whether I'll rise upwards or crash.

Whether there's money in the bank, whether my wings are solid or made of wax,

And in the lure of a future windfall, I'll continue to pay the present hefty tax.

Psychology is the diminishing wallet, that suffices for my monthly expense,

They say the sky gets punctured, so throwing a stone or 2 makes sense.

Whether the throw has enough power, to put a dent in the universe,

And in the hope the stone gets stuck, I open the strings of my purse.

Programming gives me the credit line, ensuring I'll make ends meet,

When your past is as star-studded, there are eager lenders at your feet.

Whether I'm ready to be bound again, whether I'll split as EMI,

And if I default on this option, then what's left of me- who am I?

I was a star yesterday, I'll be a star again, it's only in the interim I'm stone/dust,

It's no longer a question of whether I can, but as I burn to ashes, write I must.

The Minority Report

An AI makes decisions, no clairvoyants involved, 

Who is aggressive and needs detention, and who can be readily absolved. 

A few data points cluster, collectively predict death,

An SOP operationalized, so that someone can keep drawing breath. 

The moment the alert is raised, the team is on steroids, 

To save a single life, is as sacred as preventing riots.

They have to follow the protocol, arrest the flagged person,

Keep him confined and out of reach, so he doesn't commit one.

Never mind the public spectacle, the humiliation, the guilt,

His crime to share his thoughts, with an app that to prevent was built.

To stop the event from happening, you need a proactive stance,

You need to pull all stops, can't leave anything to chance.

He had a fleeting suicidal thought, all he was looking for was a shoulder to cry,

In your zeal for #ZeroStudentSuicide, are you sure you didn't push him closer to die?

Diamond Extraordinary!

I can shine brighter, I'm raw, uncut,

To appease your eyes, I'm Ok being stuck,

Perpetually in a rut, trying to forever fit in,

If I can't be a Kohinoor, please throw me in a bin.

I have potential, you say, some polish is all I need,

I sparkle at moments- to blind the sun is my greed.

My desire for perfection, to self-actualise,

Makes me susceptible, to your manipulations and lies.

What if I'm an ordinary stone, normal, and boring?

If I can't find my place, in the crown or your ring?

Does my existence become nought, should I keep grinding through?

In the compulsion to become better, am I losing myself, too?

You can play with your diamonds, I prefer being of little use,

I can live freely without worrying, that I'll eventually to others lose!