With us always walks the shadow of grief,

This is the story of life in brief!

It meets us at every step,

Why then don’t we for it prep?

Often does it make its presence felt with its dead weight,

It just won’t go away how so much we may it hate!

Why don’t we learn with it to walk hand in hand?

Why don’t we with it form an alliance grand?

Why don’t we with it play ball

So that into the morass of sorrow we don’t fall?

Why don’t we embrace it as our bosom pal

So that it does not gnaw at our heart and it maul?

Why should we find ourselves in its vice-like grip tight?

Why not befriend it so that its touch upon our soul is light?

Arun Bhagat

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In this pandemic put aside your cunning and guile

And rest for a while!

Rest your body and rest your mind,

Be for a change to yourself gentle and kind!

Let this be a time for your long festering wounds to heal,

And with your infirmities to deal!

Let this be a time to shun all violence

And go into blissful silence!

This is the time to nurture your soul

And make yourself fulfilled and whole!

This is the time to stand and stare,

This is the time to be in the now and here!

This is the time not of arrogance to reek,

This is the time forgiveness to seek!

This is the time the level of your consciousness to raise,

This is the time to fill with meaning your days!

This is the time not like an

ostrich to bury your head in the sand

But to reach out to someone and hold his hand!

This is the time to steer clear of all pettiness and strife,

This is the time to contemplate and rewrite the book of your life!

Arun Bhagat

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Demolish the walls that exist in your mind,

And to yourself be kind!

Once these walls are down, you will be free and happy,

There will then be no need for you to be of others suspicious and snappy!

These illusory walls impede of your life the flow,

They don’t let you live uninhibited and glow!

They don’t let you the whole existence embrace,

They do not let you bask in God’s infinite grace!

They don’t let you be kind and good to all,

They make you into the morass of needless ill-will and animus fall!

Walls block the sunlight of good sense,

They make you see others through a crooked and distorted lens!

So let us all walls bring down and shun

So that,rising above our delusional separateness, we can be happy together and one!

Arun Bhagat

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Whether quarter, half or full, the moon spreads its glory,

And that in itself is a fascinating story!

In every state shine away to glory,

That is the lunar message hoary!

Shine even when the sorrows of life put you down,

Yours is not to dampen your spirits and frown!

Shine even when dark clouds over the horizon gather,

Every stormy night is followed by a crisp morning and bright weather!

Shine to keep your spirit ever aglow,

Shine to let hope eternal flow!

Shine to bathe others in your celestial light,

Undeterred by circumstances, shine with all your might!

Yours is not to grope in the darkness of sorrow and mope,

Yours is to be a beacon of undying faith and unflinching hope!

Arun Bhagat

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When God puts us into troubled waters, He does not want us to drown,

So upon His intentions we should not frown!

A lesson in modesty and humility does He want us to teach,

So that we stop trying our reach to exceed!

His purpose is to cleanse our soul

Which is for everyone a worthwhile goal!

He gives us suffering to make us noble

So that the grossness of senses doesn’t our mind gobble!

The rough patches in our lives teach us good sense,

They certainly save us from becoming smug and dense!

Suffering of teachers is a teacher,

Its lessons are more valuable than those of any preacher!

Wading through troubled waters keeps us humane and grounded,

It smoothens our rough edges and makes us well-rounded!

See troubles as a blessing of the Lord,

They give us the courage and the wisdom the raging river of life to ford!

Arun Bhagat

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Just as the parched earth welcomes and soaks in the rain,

So do seekers from wise people gain!

That is how dead weight away they throw,

That is how they flourish and grow!

That is how they see the world with new eyes,

That is how they outgrow every vice!

That is how they grow tall,

That is how they avoid every stumble and fall!

That is how deep inside they delve,

That is how their vainglorious projects they see through and shelve!

That is how every pitfall they skirt,

That is how they steer clear of all dirt!

That is how their effulgent souls emit light,

That is how they stick to the path just and right!

That is how they jump over the trap of the senses,

That is how with everyone they mend their fences!

That is how they rise above every fray,

That is how to those around they show the way!

So wise people should be valued as God’s precious gift,

The grain from the chaff they teach us to sift!

Arun Bhagat

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I looked at myself in the mirror

And saw a fool staring back at me,

As big a damn fool as could be!

I was taken aback by the rather nasty surprise,

It ruffled my ego I suppose!

But on calmer reflection

It dawned upon me

That it was really my phenomenal follies

The mirror mirrored,

My runaway desires,

My wistful longings,

My abandoned dreams,

My wasted emotions,

My unseemly haste,

My lack of spine

When I needed it most,

My loss of nerve at crucial hours,

My rambling talk

Without any matching walk,

My lazy morality,

My lackadaisical ways,

My wayward fancies,

My jumbled thoughts,

Contadictions galore,

My chipping away at the truth

And hollowing it out,

My brazen offence

Without anything worthwhile to defend,

My frequent lying to save my skin

Or to skirt some confrontation that truth demanded,

My wilful paralysing inaction

When there was a crying need for action,

My verbosity when maturity demanded

Fewer words or silence,

My impulsiven outbursts

When discretion asked for more restraint,

And so on and on and on.

Hence the fool

Staring back at me in the mirror!

Arun Bhagat

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Time to hold your head high

And never say die!

Time to take stock,

May all good things to you flock!

Time to live well,

May all things in your life beautifully jell!

Time to soar into the sky like a kite

Where there will be abundant sunshine and light.

Time to trail a blaze,

May you live up to the phrase!

Time to be kind

So that all the peace in the world may you find.

Time to revel in others’ glory

So that your own life becomes a

fascinating story!

Time to sit quiet

So that you can wake up to the inner light.

Time to say what is right

And not give up without a fight.

Time to go the whole hog

And dispel any mental fog.

Time to converse with your soul

So that you can know the truth whole.

Time for all these things and much more

So that you can bring your best to the fore!

Arun Bhagat

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Your smile can work wonders,

It can set right many blunders,

It can dispel darkness and gloom,

It can make a thousand hearts bloom!

It can upon everyone work its all too subtle magic,

It can relieve the gravity of even a situation that is most tragic!

Your smiles can light up your home,

To your children they can make you the most winsome dad or

mom!

Your smiles will make your soul glow,

They will ensure of your energy the free unimpeded flow!

They will win you each day a new friend,

Some real charm to your personality will they lend!

A person with a sunny disposition is always sought after,

Of his destiny he becomes an ever cheerful master!

A smile can cut through many gordian knots,

It can with its binding power join n

number of dots!

So through sun and rain smile away to glory

If you want people to remember with relish and smilingly quote your story!

Arun Bhagat

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Whatever you do, wherever you go, be kind,

And you will leave a trail of

happiness behind!

Kindness is what this world needs,

Kindness is what positivity breeds!

Kindness is what lights up souls,

Kindness should inform all your goals!

Kindness can soften up the stoniest hearts,

Kindness can blunt the most hateful darts!

If kindness pervades every pore of your being,

Everyone as your very own you will be seeing!

Only kindness can clear the muck of hate

And to the good and beautiful things of life lend weight!

If for kindness we decide to root,

Rich will be our reward and heavenly the fruit!

Arun Bhagat

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