A funeral

I was at a funeral

It seemed like my own

People, faces milling around

Some familiar some unknown

They were talking in whispers

As if they were in dread

That they would be overheard

By the one who was dead!

I sensed every word that was said

The praise and the damning matter

Was happy to note that there was more

Of the first and less of the latter

They were not really shedding tears

As they did as they aught  

Completing the formalities

For their own peace that they sought

In my new-found silence and stillness

I rose from the congregation

And went along my merry way

To my new assignation

There was Light, the blowing of trumpets

A welcome with Divine Song

Not looking back to that house, I left

After staying there well and long

Here lies a man who loved to rhyme

Though he never saved a dime

All his time on words he spent

Then silently to this place he went

Desperate Times need desperate measures

When there is a glimmer of hope for someone who is under trying circumstances the surge of adrenaline is possibly unquantifiable and unimaginable ( unless you have undergone a similar experience.)
Just remembered some lines from " The Ancient Mariner " coming out of a long forgotten past .
Imagine a group of people afloat on the sea , adrift without water and food for several days ! Their throats are parched and their hearts in their feet . Just try and occupy their mind space for a moment.
Then , suddenly , one of them spots a sail in the distance ( glimmer ofhope ) but is unable to communicate this to his companions - his throat being too dry and so
" .....he bit any arm and sucked the blood / And Cried " A Sail , A Sail ! "

Desperate times need desperate measures !

Goals

When a desired goal is not obtained we start looking for errors and faults , mostly in " something or someone " including ourselves forgetting the strong possibility that its no ones fault " it was MEANT to be so ! "And in future will prove to be " the Best thing " . Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change

Friendship

What a perfect relationship #God offers

 - #True #Friendship  is similar if you view the details 

Do as you want - we are always there for each other. 

Love each other without any compulsion of meeting or connecting every day

But when we do it will be a continuation as if there was no gap

Always there for each other and 

Either ones existence depends on the recognition by the other

The confidence that either one will respond when called on by the other

There is no criticism but only loving help whatever be the circumstances

There is always room for understanding and forgiveness

A poem I wrote on this subject - don't remember the impulse that caused it but wish to dedicate it to all my friends !
=====
Life was a barren desert
Till along came the Friend
That Oasis of cooling waters
Where every thirst could end

The One who listened
Shared all that was felt
In gratitude to whom
The very being knelt

When a friend leaves
And sails upon the Tide
There is an emptiness
Where only memories reside

Thoughts that haunt
Spectres of shared dreams
Reverberating in hollowness
Once the source of streams

Such is the mirage of life
That imagined future dear
Which fades into oblivion
As far as it is near

Vikaas Nafde  May 2017

Song and Dance of Life

Life is just
The March of Time ,
Sometimes Blank verse
Sometimes Rhyme

Rhythm and metre
Is within our choosing
Pacing it out well makes
For Winning or Losing !

Can go on till we are breathing
Filling out the history of ages
Only thing we can't control is
What will be the number of pages

So my friends Be quick to compose
Create , Daily ,  your 'top of the chart'
Dance to the  symphonies and the beat
Do everything with a Happy Heart !

Choreograph it for a group
Or for a solo dance
Make use of the Stage you are given
Till you physically have the chance.

This Daily soap is full of excitement
Highs and lows are all contained
In your strides they must be taken
Happiness , at all costs , must be  maintained

Vikaas Nafde 12th May 2018 
Kathmandu , Nepal

LUNCH WITH GOD!

A little boy wanted to meet God! He packed his suitcase with two sets of his clothes and some packets of cakes! He started his journey, he walked a long distance and found a park! He was feeling tired, so, he decided to sit in the park and take some refreshment! He opened a packet of cake to eat!

He noticed an old woman sitting nearby, sad with hunger, so he offered her a piece of cake!

She gratefully accepted it with a wide look and smiled at him! Her smile was so pretty that the boy longed to see it again! After sometime he offered her another piece of cake! Again, she accepted it and smiled at him! The boy was delighted!

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but never said a word! While it grew dark, the boy was frightened and he got up to leave but before he had gone more than a few steps, he ran back and gave the woman a hug and she kissed him with her prettiest smile!

Back home, when the boy knocked the door, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face!

She asked him, "What did you do today that makes you look so happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God!"

Before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen in my life!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home! Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and asked, "Mom, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

She replied, "I ate cakes in the park with God!"

Before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected!"

Too often we underestimate the power of;
a touch,
a smile,
a kind word,
a listening ear,
an honest compliment,
or
the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around!

Remember, nobody knows what God looks like! People come into our lives for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime!

Lessons from a Bank Robbery

During a Bank Robbery the Bank Robber shouted to everyone in the bank: 

"Don't move. The Money belongs to the Government. Your Life belongs to You."
Everyone in the Bank laid down quietly.
This is called "Mind Changing Concept”
Changing the Conventional Way of Thinking.
When a Lady lay on the Table provocatively, the Robber shouted at her:
"Please be Civilised! This is a Robbery and not a Rape!"
This is called "Being Professional” . Focus only on What You are Trained to do!
When the Bank Robbers returned Home, the Younger Robber (MBA Trained) told the older Robber (who has only completed Year 6 in Primary School):
"Big Brother, let's count how much we got."
The older Robber rebutted and said:
"You are very Stupid. There is so much Money it will take us a long time to count. Tonight, the TV News will tell us how much we Robbed from the Bank!"
This is called "Experience”
Nowadays, experience is more Important than Paper Qualifications!
After the Robbers had left, the Bank Manager told the Bank supervisor to call the Police quickly. But the Supervisor said to him:
"Wait! Let us take out $10 Million from the Bank for ourselves and add it to the $70 Million that we have previously Embezzled from the Bank”.
This is called "Swim with the Tide”
Converting an unfavorable situation to Your Advantage!
The Supervisor says: "It will be Good if there is a Robbery every month." 
This is called "Changing Priority”
Personal Happiness is more Important than Your Job”.
The next day, the TV News reported that $100 Million was taken from the Bank. The Robbers Counted and Counted and Counted, but they could only Count $20 Million.
The Robbers were very Angry and Complained:
"We risked our Lives and only took $20 Million. The Bank Manager took $80 Million with a snap of his fingers. It looks like it is better to be Educated than to be a Thief!"
This is called "Knowledge is worth as much as Gold!"

Giving

The fountain never asks the spring

What is it that you - to me bring

But just raises it to greater heights

So that it may see some better sights

The feathers never ask the bird

“Don’t you think to soar is absurd?”

They just get together and give the lift

And make the journey long and swift

The trees never ask the resting passer by

Why he seeks their shade and therein lie

But strew his bed with flowers and leaves instead

And give him roots to pillow his head

The mountain embraces the clouds on head

Never minds or shakes off the moisture they shed

But adorns itself with their curls  for beauty’s sake

And preens itself in the image in the lake

Is there a lesson for humans in this?

That giving selflessly leads to bliss

To have something and not to share

Can lead to turmoil and nightmare 

@ Vikaas Nafde  Feb 2018

Emotional poise

Gaining Emotional Poise -Remember the Hourglass – Extracts from s sermon by Dr James G Gilkey

“Most of us think of ourselves as standing wearily and helplessly at the centre of a circle bristling with tasks, burdens, problems, annoyances and responsibilities which are rushing in upon us .At every moment we have a dozen different things to do , a dozen problems to solve , a dozen strains to endure . We see ourselves as overdriven, overburdened, overtired.

This is a common mental picture – and it is totally false !No one of us , however crowded his life , has such an existence .

What is the true picture of life? Imagine that there is an hourglass on your desk. Connecting the bowl on top with the bowl at the bottom is a tube so thin that only one grain of sand can pass through it at a time .

That is the true picture of your life even on a super busy day. The crowded hours come to you always one moment at a time. That is the only way that they can come. The day may bring many tasks , many problems, strains , but invariably they come in single file

You want to gain Emotional Poise ? Remember the hourglass, the grains of sand dropping one by one ……….. “

The Art of Insulting - Politely

*When Insults Had Class*😀😎
***********************

*There was a time when words w ere used beautifully. These glorious insults and wit !!*

The exchange between Churchill and Lady Astor:
She said, "If you were my husband, I'd give you poison!!"
and he said, "If you were my wife, I'd take it."

😴💤💤🐊

Gladstone, a Member of Parliament, to Benjamin Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows, or of some unspeakable disease."
"That depends, sir", said Disraeli, "On whether I embrace your policies, or your mistress."

😴💤💤🐊

"He has all the virtues I dislike, and none of the vices I admire."
- Winston Churchill

😴💤💤🐊

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
- Clarence Darrow

😴💤💤🐊

"He has never been known to use a word, that might send a reader to the dictionary."
- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

😴💤💤🐊

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."
- Moses Hadas

😴💤💤🐊

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
- Mark Twain

😴💤💤🐊

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
- Oscar Wilde

😴💤💤🐊

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend . . . if you have one."
- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night; will attend second . . . ,
if there is one."
- Winston Churchill, in response.

😴💤💤🐊

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope, it's nothing trivial."
- Irvin S. Cobb

😴💤💤🐊

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others."
- Samuel Johnson

😴💤💤🐊

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde

😴💤💤🐊

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts .. . . for support rather than illumination."
- Andrew Lang

😴💤💤🐊

Keep Smiling 🤔😀💐

Movements of a Troubled Mind

The desperate man is moving

Without thought to Direction

Not bothered where he goes

Unconcerned where he steps

Frenzied movements of the body

Deaf to the dictates of mind

Overwhelmed with desire to achieve

It moves towards its goal

Unheeding and blind to the interim

Falls into the abyss of desperation

Light floods in at dawn

Making discernable things unseen

In the night of feelings

He finds himself sad

The voice of mind is audible

Cursing the heart for leading foolishly

As the two battle, the

Body slumps into a state

Of uncompared remorse

Rapport

There are times when

You meet someone new

But get the feeling

This one I always knew

Maybe an earlier lifetime

In a past forgotten age

We shared glorious moments

Now dates in a history page

It doesn’t take you long

To know the other deep

As it were you have awoken

From a long refreshing sleep

There are no formal silences

As in new friends conversations

How can there be formality

It’s only a continuation

Poem on Friendship

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end;

Yet days go by, and weeks rush on

And before I know it a year is gone

And I never see my old friends face

For Life is a swift and terrible race

He knows I like him just as well

As in the days when I rang his bell

And he rang mine . We were younger then ,

And now we are busy , tired men;

Tired with playing a foolish game

Tired of trying to make a name

“Tomorrow “ I say,” I will call on Jim ,

Just to show that I’m thinking of him “

But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,

And the distance between us grows and grows

Around the corner – yet miles away …….

“Here’s a telegram, Sir …….”

“Jim died today “

And that’s what we get and deserve in the end ;

Around the corner a vanished friend

Charles Hanson Towne

The Need of the Hour

The Need of the Hour

“God give us men! A time like this demands

Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands,

Men whom the lust of office does not kill,

Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;

Men who possess opinions and a will;

Men who have honour and will not lie;

Men who can stand before a demagogue

And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking;

Tall men, sun crowned who live above the fog

In public duty and in private thinking;

For while the rabble with their thumb worn creeds,

Their large professions and their little deeds

Mingle in selfish strife, lo ! freedom weeps,

Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps “

Josiah G Holland

What‘s Next? (In Life)

Wonder what’s in store for me

Beyond Life’s present horizon

Happiness or is it misery

I wish I had the vision

Will I get what I want

Or will my prayers fail

My efforts these queries daunt

Life is pictured in colours pale

Speedily I travel the road

Not a spot where I can stop

As I go on I increase my load

Time hasn’t come to harvest my crop

I want to slow down

And take some sleep

But if I let them down

They will surely weep

So on I must press, to

Where my dreams I’ll realise

May God give me strength

To obtain that high prize

' Vikaas Nafde ' Emoticons of a Rambling Life ' 

TIME SPEAKS

In the enveloping darkness

Comfortable without artificiality

I met a man, dressed

In a flowing garb of Eternal white

And recognised Him to be that

With no Beginning, no end

Going on and on

Waiting for no man

FATHER TIME

“You look sad my son, why? “

He asked me

And I spoke my mind

“On this sea of life

In the Ocean of Time

I am making neither

Ripples nor waves

Nor leaving a wake

For others to notice and

Come near

Drifting I am

Alone and useless as

A piece of driftwood

Or maybe more

You who have seen

Everything and known everything

Tell me

What should I do? “

He smiled his smile

Sweetened by antiquity

No – Time never ages

Anyone on whom

Time has smiled will

Know its sweetness and

The value of a smile

He said

“Only a sinking stone

Causes ripples, and waves

Push others away, so

Do not aspire for either

In this voyage of life

Many storms shall hit you

And the monsters of Society

Morality, Opinion, Criticism,

Hate, Temptation, Jealousy

Lurking below, will

Try and Pull you down

But you can weather

The storms of change and Trouble

Leaving the Monsters undisturbed

Make your Conscience your Tiller

Your Self your Guiding star

Unharmed and soon

You shall reach

The Ports of your Desire

Vikaas Nafde  ' Emoticons of a Rambling Life '

RUFUS THE DOG

Rufus greets with a bark and a jump

And lies down on his back

He is a loving playing dog

Till the door opens a crack

For when he a slim exit spots

He’s down the stairs in a bound

And out the front gate too is he

This fast and clever hound

You follow him in hot pursuit

Shouting “Come Back “or “Stop “

You may run as fast as you want

He’s ahead of you one hop

It’s hide and seek and Cops and Robbers

All games you may think of

When you go this way he goes that

Till your head almost comes off

With many a strain on heart and lung

He flits forth like a bat

Now he’s seen and then unseen

You’re lucky he isn’t a cat

Then you sit down to catch your breath

And lip curses you have never said

You give up and go upstairs

He promptly follows  jumping on to the bed !

Truth and Fiction

Along with the beams of moonlight

Come the soft dreams of a better tomorrow

Only to be dissipated by the harsh glare

Of sunlight and Reality

Triumph of Truth over Fiction ??

Truth written not only by ones acts

But also the peripheral deeds

Often uncontrollable – of others

While things go well

Trust and Goodwill pervade the scene

But when they sour

Suspicion and distrust mar the view

Creating more phantoms to battle which

Are shot down by bullets of confidence

Found in the isolation of the mind

Only to bob up again like

Dummies at the shooting gallery

Who is right and who is wrong ?

Who is deserving , who is strong?

The answer lies in the synthesis

In the aftermath of the battle in the mind

Between Truth and Fiction

Vikaas Nafde ' Emoticons of a Rambling Life '

YEARNING - A PRAYER

Like a man on a raft

Drifting on a windless sea

Stares ino the distance

For a ship to enter his vision

With that intensity of longing

Do I yearn to be with you

Like one lost in the desert

Pricks up his ears for a sound

Above the whistling through the dunes

To give him hope to be found

With that intensity of longing

Do I yearn to be with you

Every breath painfully drawn

Makes me feel the time I’ve lost

Then I convince myself that I’m

Actually a breath nearer to you

My yearning tears the firmament

With its shrieks through the ether

And rends asunder all obstacles

(Which are) keeping us apart

“How can you stop me?” it asks

Growing sharper and sharper

And the very throb it creates intensely

Clears my way to be with You

I yearn to be with You, I yearn

Steadfastly creating the route

From Here to There.

Vikaas Nafde ' Emoticons of a Rambling Life ' 

DROPS (in our life)

Dew Drop

Tear drop

Sometimes real

Sometimes prop

Drop of whisky

Drop of oil

Burns the wick

And makes you toil

Drop of fortune

Drop of Sweat

Both of which

Make you fret

Eye drop

Cough drop

Medicines

To feel on top

Drop your mien

Drop your guard

Expect the puch

To be hard

Drop of brandy

Drop of rain

Give you heat

Take out pain

Drop of water

Drop of wine

Quench this awful

Thirst of mine

Drop of petrol

Drop a brick

Either way you’ll

Move out quick

How the drops

Upon me creep

Drop me off an

Drop to sleep

Silence – Pin Drop !

NEED OF A MUSE

My creativity has become

An act of leisure

If I practice it at all

Its only for your pleasure

That you be impressed

By poems I to you send

Is the veritable cause

And not a selfish end

When you acknowledge receipt

The Poet in me thrives

It does not really matter

If you praise or criticise

Right now the aridity is setting

The fount is drying up

Send me a few drops of liquid

Just to prime the pump

The Poet sits silent

Hanging down his head

Make the fountains gush again

Bring forth what must be said

Let not ideas hibernating

Sleep this age away

Let not phrases and words

Be bubbles flown away

Help me turn those nebulous thoughts

To concrete forms of vision

Create, write and invent

New forms of expression

Forms that may delight many

Or even one or two

As I said it doesn’t matter

As long as it reaches you

BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

In the garden is a sign

“Do not Pluck the Blossoms “

But the Wind it cannot read

Old Japanese saying 

Breeze or wind

Storm or hurricane or even

Twisting tornados in varying degrees

They rush through our lives

Emotions

Blind to their effects

Plucking flowers of Nature

Which is always good

Blinded by distant lightning

Deafened by roaring thunder

We fail to heed the gentle patter

Of those little drops

Incessantly tapping on

The panes of our conscious

Seeking moments of refuge

In the warmth of our reason

If taken in, they will irrigate

Our Inherent nature

To bring forth                                                 

Flowers of well being

In the aftermath

Heightened feelings recede

Leaving numbness and dread

Of the consequences

Actions dictated by emotion

Not watered down with reason

Forcing us to wander wondering

Seeking to answer the question

WHERE ARE MY BLOSSOMS ?

We have the right to ask

We have the duty to seek

The answer is not around

It is within

Heed not the elements

The breath taking son-et-lumiere

Natures distractions, but

Look within – the answer is there

Vikaas Nafde “ Emoticons of a Rambling Life “

The Stage of Life

In the amphitheatre of my Being

I stand mouthing Soliloquies

More to keep away the Dismal Darkness

Than to make dramatic sense

The pillars holding up the tiers

All built from bricks of my Deeds

While Thoughts fill the seats

A Silent and Pensive audience

It’s the dark side of the moon

Enveloping darkness with a hint of starlight

Throwing up in relief the

Crumbling walls of stacked columns

Sensing the restiveness of the stalls

I keep up the delivery of Harangue

Just to keep away the silence and shore up

The structure from collapsing inwards

Suddenly, the clever Director

Brings on the Roving Spotlight

Whose beam breaks the darkness

Into snakes slithering away rapidly

The props are now clear

There’s no place for Fear

The audience begins to cheer

Happy endings seem near

Rhyme and Rhythm are back

Of good cheer there’s no lack

The Play of Life is back on track

Three Cheers the Author’s not a Hack .

Vikaas Nafde " Emoticons of a Rambling Life " 

Grown up Lies

When we were children – and still listened –

Our Parents said
“Don’t tell lies and don’t cheat
Don’t steal or covet another’s meat
(Don’t ASK – you will be offered)
Be content to have what you can
Strive to achieve what best you can”

Our teachers taught us much the same

“The best man always wins the game
Be always fair at work and play
Contentment will surely come your way
The Truth shall set you free”

The clergy also had their say

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Sow flowers where others sow thorns
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that …and
Lead us not into temptation “
This is what they taught us to say and believe\
Till it has become second nature

When due to circumstance I catch
Myself looking at someone’s hand and board
I quickly look away in guilt of having looked
And thought the way I did

I now understand the many actions of

The many acts of those condemned by human law
Striving to retain the garb of respectability
While surreptitiously looking for charity

Its difficult to answer the child’s question

“Why don’t we have what others do?”

And the lies go on ……………………..

Vikaas Nafde ‘ Emoticons of a Rambling Life ‘

THE ACTOR

Each night and every morning

I go diligently through

My lines and actions

For the day’s performance

My face prepared

My costume donned

I step out of the wings

CENTRE STAGE!

Some days it’s smooth

The Playwrights nuances

Coming through the

Matrix of the players work

Sometimes we miff our lines

(We were too busy to prepare)

Sometimes we are confused

By others wrong entry and cues

(Our misjudgement)

Sometimes we are deafened, by

The clamour and the din

Imagined applause

The orchestra too loud

Those many oversights

Which deafen us to

The Prompter

In the wings

Vikaas Nafde ' Emoticons of a Rambling Life "