Getting Philosophical

Look inwards, acknowledge your past, inside lurks a shadow self,

For all your well-intentioned vows, self-sabotage you couldn't help.

Enough of curating and licking your wounds; they have almost become an identity,

Take one hard look and let go henceforth; don't keep wallowing in self-pity.

Plans collapse, you lose control, and hit the absurd wall of reality,

Your Sisyphean resolve to shoulder the boulder, neither the world cares, nor the city.

Stop repeating the lies, good wins in the end, the universe doesn't owe you nothing,

Revolt if you must, do what needs to be done, let your existence be by itself a thing.

They say there's no built-in meaning to things- you're not trapped, you can finally break free,

If the river of life has no bridge to walk over, you can create one and a Superman be.

Pour yourself into what gives meaning to you; let naysayers dismiss it as a frivolous fantasy,

Decide once and remain committed for life- life wasn't supposed to be all roses and easy.

Jung helps you drop the mask, Camus unmasks the absurd, Neitzche points what to do next,

I may think that poetry is my only salvation, but it's a daily salve for my soul at best.

Which Way To Go?

Lost in the labyrinth, the only way out is through,

The more I bided my time, the more the creepers grew.

They tightened their grip around, I'm feeling claustrophobic,

The feet are in full-scale panic, only the face is strained, but stoic.

The wiggle room is gone, there's nowhere to maneuver,

The shadow looms large, of the approaching Minotaur.

My hand tugs desperately, at the Ariadne's thread,

Should I retrace the path, or move forward and be dead.

For the Minotaur needs to be killed, but am I up to the task,

Should I risk my life and limb? Is being left alone too much to ask?

Why is greatness thrust upon me, have to either kill or be slain?

Either be a hero or die a martyr, can't from this drama I refrain?

You could have vacillated all you liked, before setting foot in the maze,

Now's the time for action- either burn or go in a blaze.

Not Another Techie-led Platform

Aren't you an IITian by background? How come mental health care?

You don't have the relevant degree, is building in this domain fair?

This space is already crowded, with technologists-founders at large,

Please launch a QComm startup instead, don't make of this field a farce.

There, you can exploit all you want, the gig workers and DPs,

Leverage innovative business models, such as commission-based or platform fees.

We deserve to be paid better; it's not just an hour of talking cure,

It's decades of accumulated wisdom, but you'll not get it for sure.

You may have the entrepreneurial bent, or the business skills;  

And the sad reality is, at the end, we all have to pay the bills,

But therapy work is exhausting; all we need is the human touch,

That you build an ethical product, is that asking too much?

My background disqualifies me; I may not have pockets that are deep,

But what I'm building will help, and not harm, is a promise I can keep. 

New Year Musings

Bash the resolutions, or bash the New Year,

A beginning is exciting, fills with hope, my dear.

The skeptics may forewarn, that by Feb-end it'll all fizzle,

Even if on the back burner, let your dreams simmer and sizzle.

You need a periodic checkpoint, however contrived and artificial,

Where you can assess anew, what's possible, what can be made real.

What you have already accomplished, what still awaits to be born,

What's sustaining and enduring, and what's a passing storm.

What breathes life as an intention, can with actions, and support, snowball,

If you want the glory of the Hero's Journey, you have to respond to the call.

If you hesitate, give heed to cynics, you'll never start on that Quest,

You may not become a public Fool, but will be crowned 'also ran' at best.

Some make it about goals, new habits, or fresh systems in place,

To me, a New Year is about New Quests, and renewed faith in God's grace.