Flight

'It's wonderful, isn't it?'
His voice sounded oddly distorted in the forceful gale. I could detect a sliver of apprehension in his rather indifferent words. My whipping hair prevented me from seeing his face, but I could tell that his feelings mimicked mine.
I looked down once more, and could feel myself going pale. We were poised at the edge of a terrifyingly precipitous cliff, whose sheer drop was unlike any other precipice I had encountered. However, the view was exhilarating- I could see the massive mountains lined with conifers, growing fainter with distance, the subtle shades of the rivulets that cut the valleys, the blanket of mist that coated my surroundings, and the soft shades of the rising sun. The ambience was frosty, and I could see my breath billowing out with every exhalation. But it wasn't the temperature that was sending shivers down my spine.
I tugged at the heavy equipment I was tethered to, ensuring that they were secure. Finding it difficult to gather my courage, I was mildly irked that my adventurous spirit shyed away from a new experience. I frowned at myself, and recalled the times I had gone deep sea diving in the sparkling waters of the Maldives, or trekking up the slopes of the Himalayas- I hadn't been afraid then. Perhaps my intrepid streak was leaving me, I thought with despair.
I looked around, and then looked up. Birds were soaring in an immaculate V formation, fearless and self-assured. What I was about to do wasn't much different from what they were doing now, and I felt a twinge of envy.
The sun had risen higher, and beads of perspiration rolled down my face. The yellow light was blinding, and the layer of haze disappeared just as rapidly. My thoughts and bravery remained landlocked in my mind, and did not reflect on my actions. I simply stood at the edge, entirely aware of time ticking away, but doing nothing to slow it.
My brother had already jumped, and was on the other side of the valley. My searching eyes had spotted a minuscule red dot on that side, which then blended into the trees, on its way back to the cabin.
Time passed, and the hours grew longer. The heat became stifling, and I found myself longing for the refreshing water springs near the cabin. But I would have to get there, first... Sitting on a rock, I charted the path of the sun as it arced across the sky. I delighted myself in little sights and occurrences- a pebble with blue markings, a bright, green butterfly fluttering aimlessly, the clouds that raced each other in their haste to cover new territory...
The sun's vigor began to dim, and an invigorating breeze began to flow, cooling my flushed cheeks and renewing my excitement. The rays of sunset slashed the sky, turning it a mixture or orange and magenta.
Making a split-second decision, I stood up, adjusting my paragliding equipment. I had already gone paragliding before, but in a much friendlier environment. Being with an instructor, I hadn't even considered it as a memorable exploit. Impatient to relive the feelings of thrill and pleasure of the previous excursion, I mustered my courage for the thousandth time that day.
The sky was purple, and the sun had begun its venture across the horizon. A perfect, strong wind was blowing, and I released my parachute into the air, and jumped.

Before I knew it, I was flying.

Hourglass

Time flew, seconds passed, resembling grains of sand,

transporting us, ferrying us to a new year, a new land

The days had crawled, the minutes had slowed...

although other days the hours had flowed

I had thought my life was a mere cliche-

having the same routine day after day,

as if my agenda was already arranged,

I had longed for an indelible day,

I had aspired for a change

But now, as I look back,

I realize that my days

had been packed

By aims, goals-

an endless

chain,

hopes and

opportunities

cascaded as rain

As I look at the year alone

I marvel at how much I have

grown, for I can scarcely believe

I had actually determined to achieve

what I thought was within my reach...

Now, as I reminisce on the bygone weeks,

during which my personality seems rather antique,

Sensations of perplexity plague my racing mind,

as I leave a monumental pyramid of memories behind,

and escape the realm of recent history, a treasured sphere-
I anticipate the thrill of entering a new time- a whole new year

Fiery Monarch

All conversations suddenly ceased,
a gusty whirl of silence breezed
Hush mingled with the frosty air,
trapping sound like a snare
Shock was etched on everyone's face-
mirth vanished, leaving no trace
All heads were turned, impaled by shock
countenances turned as pale as chalk
Discerning peril, people rose,
sprinting away, on their toes

                                         *                                  *                                   *

The mountain was lofty, impossible high
seeming to tower over the sky
Clouds covered its summit like a shield,
beauty and might, it would wield
A most picturesque view it would create,
beauteous was its placid state
It was the abode of creatures and birds,
the cries of nature could constantly be heard
It formed an illustration of azure and pale green;
white snaked its way into the scene,
as did dots of violet, specks of red-
colors that multiplied, colors that spread
People would arrive to bask in the view,
inhaling the air and the atmosphere blue
Tourists would gape, and point in awe-
at the streams formed when the snow would thaw,
at the slopes speckled with blue tarns,
that knit the mountain's elegance like a yarn
Its peak could not be seen from miles afar-
for it was rumored it rose right up to the stars

                                         *                                  *                                 *


An unforeseen rumble, an unexpected shake,
a cavernous crevice, a sudden break,
an unanticipated, smothering spell of dust-
a massive crack in the earth's crust
An ear-splitting, shattering sound
that seemed to arise from the depths of the ground
that trailed its way up to the sky,
as the mountain caved in with a sigh
It collapsed inwards, lava spilled out,
terrified people dispersed, trying every route
to escape the volcano- dormant for years,
fire surged out from heights so sheer
The sky turned red, the ambience seared,
creatures fled for cover, overwhelmed by fear
At long last, all were safely hidden,
to come out, everyone was strictly forbidden
Sparks flew out, a storm of fire-
adding to the situation deadly and dire
After hours did all motion cease,
after hours did the volcano resemble peace
People and animals emerged- cautious, silent
reluctant to incur the volcano's wrath so violent

                                           *                                 *                                 *

Eyes glazed over, in sheer wonder,
while the sky crackled with roaring thunder
The pale blue of the afternoon sky
had darkened tremendously in the blink of an eye
Lava cascaded down in a perplexing gush,
annihilating the mountain's greenery so lush
From the minds of all- other thoughts were banished,
every topic of significance suddenly vanished
People looked up in reverence at the sight
of the blackened world that had been set alight
by the rushing flames that seemed to pour from the stars,
whose verdant beauty had been charred
Their eyes were hypnotized, entranced
as the sky's shadows revolved and danced
Clouds formed a ring encasing the crest,
by a halo of clouds, the volcano was dressed
The air was thick with inky smoke,
the ground embedded by a glowing cloak
It was now the most perilous in the world,
it would take mere days for its true power to unfurl
Fire ruthlessly traveled through the cracks and veins,
while the now active volcano established its reign

Awakening

I wrote this poem for a competition; it was inspired by a phrase I read about.

I am surrounded by magic,
it thrives in my soul
It is almost a part of me-
a single, breathing entity
in a world almost enveloped by darkness
A drop of fire is my only light,
that flickers for a moment, a tiny space in time
until it loses its flare-
I cannot tell when, for time is so abstract
All I know is that it truly reflects
the spirit of my territory
My conscience is vigilant, watchful,
remaining hawk-eyed indefinitely,
able to evade the waves of sleep
that pursue it day after day
It sidesteps the approaching manacles of languor-
determined that it will never slumber
My pale blue eyes turn glassy, smooth
polished like a mirror, yet always moving,
absorbing whatever it catches,
insistent that it never misses whatever is lit up
by the single drop of fire,
whose beauty I can never cease to admire

Although I never close my eyes,
a strange, inexplicable feeling frequents me-
similar to rising out of glacial water,
or inhaling the bracing breeze for the first time
after dwelling in a cave for years on end
It is a sensation of renewed energy,
akin to awakening,
It is a feeling of sudden awareness-
awareness which had never left me
It is an emotion of unexpected vivacity
of energy that had always been there
It is always unprecedented,
though it keeps happening again
I never fall asleep-
but I keep waking up

Intensity

A feeble flame, a wavering glow
which the wind oscillates to and fro
It provides warmth to shivering hands,
as smoke escapes in silvery strands
So very fleeting, yet so dear
giving respite from the weather austere

Animals approach the subdued flames,
other chilled creatures do the same
A pleasant sensation, the burning blaze emits,
and the seeking animals around, it closely knits
They curl around the heat, expelling the frost
which rapidly returns when the fire is lost

People surround it, basking in the heat,
as the towering fire blazes and greets
a dark night devoid of the moon,
and a ground around which cinders are strewn
It creates a tingling perception, burning eyes
as sparks soar into the darkened skies

An empty edifice, on the outskirts stood,
experiences a brush of wood against wood
Fire engulfs the walls, tearing them down,
by a violent orange, the desolate house is drowned
it crumbles helplessly, more fragile than glass
and remains a wrecked mound when the fire dies at last

A single crackle, an unaccompanied spark,
and then the conflagration explodes in the dark
at first, stealthily slinking through the trees,
until it grows by massive degrees
The fire- devastatingly beautiful- moves with aplomb,
which neither drizzle nor time is able to calm

Milky Way of the Sea

It's white against the expanse of blue-
which blends with a lackluster, greenish hue
It swirls inwards, a flurry of clouds
that billows with the intense gusts
It resembles our galaxy in shape and form-
a spiraling, whirling, forceful storm
relatively small, yet massively immense
to the creatures that dwell on the earth-
victims of the wind, the tempestuous gale,
the innocent earthlings, it relentlessly assails
So mesmerizing, when looked at from above
but so threatening when witnessed from beneath
the enveloping veil of frenzied clouds
that roar with thunder- resounding and loud,
that flash with lightning, so sudden and glaring,
while torrents of rain surge from the sky
which is dark and dismal, a foreboding black,
the world's terrain is seems to attack
Whereas when viewed from space, it boasts soft, white, shades,
appearing so very tranquil, bursting with serenity
like the thick atmosphere of eddying mist,
rather strange to observe, for it lies in the midst
of utter darkness that the cosmos boasts,
like a single star twinkling in the night
However, below the clouds emerge and loom
concealing the light, spreading their gloom
And so, as I watched the unfolding storm, from space
I focused solely on the unfurling view-
there would be ruin, there would be disrepair
portions of the earth would be laid razed and bare,
yet, above the canopy of clouds, beauty emerged,
as did a whole new perspective- a milky way on the earth
So, seeing nature's forces reign autonomous and free,
I observed the milky way of the sea

A Star in the Galaxy

Like a single person in the earth

lost in the hopes, the thoughts, the dreams

of the surrounding people- boys and girls,

one heart beating, among billions of others

So trivial, so insignificant, when viewed from above

by foreigners from another world

Our personal crises, our actions of scurry

are so meaningless, never worth the worry

as inconsequential as the minuscule creatures-

ants- whom we regard with amusement

at their assiduity, at their unwavering passion

to build their hill, no matter how many times torn

by our nonchalant, careless fashion

of roaming the earth as if it were solely ours,

as if we were omniscient and owned all the powers

Like a single flower rooted in a desert,

as lonesome, as isolated, yet as striking

it burns bright, lighting all in its vicinity

though it appears a single star in infinity

For it is surrounded by a billion others

that may glow brighter, that may shine dim,

yet throw light on their own family in space

to whom it is far superior, a life giving relic-

a massive sphere of heat and light

of varying shades, a stunning sight

if only the star could be seen-

distinguished from the others that overwhelm it

a distinct entity, not discerned as 

yet another common existence 

But the universe is so colossal

stars are generalized as stars-

a body that emits bundles of heat and life,

if given the opportunity to unleash its potential

a star can do wonders

a star can commence a civilization

it has astronomical worth-

a star in the galaxy 

Refrain of the Moon

It shone, it shimmered, giving radiant beams
sending light in many a luminous stream
though hidden by clouds, rather pale
shrouded by a misty veil,
lighting up the paths of all those lost
sending light glinting off the wintry frost,
illuminating the course of those at sea
casting forth its melody
of waves of light that never fade-
a rendition of a visual serenade
Compensating for the sorry lack,
ensuring that the world does not reign in black
of the warm colors of the day
that thankfully never truly fade away
Managing to set the night ablaze
enveloping everything in a silvery glaze
that does not last, that quickly dims
due to the clouds' untimely whims-
to conceal the moon's beauty, to shroud its flare
for governing their rather quotidian lair
Yet the moon persists to share its light
to the earth and darkness of the night
It arrives at its fancy, in its own, distinct way
eager to illuminate and shed its rays
Dominating and stately, dancing to its own tune
arrives the melody of the moon