Coal Miner

He enters deep
inside the earth,
so deep and dark
that he kisses the
cheek of death
every moment,
and extracts the
black jewels to
nourish the appetite
of the economy.

He risks his life
everyday to make
sure our lights are
on, our houses are
cool during sweltering
summer, our lives
run on normal
schedule as his
sweetheart waits
all day long for
him to come out
of the mouth of
mountain and hug
her with rugged arms.

Every morning, he puts
his uniform and gives
good bye to the
beautiful mountain
range, scenic valleys,
sleepy villages hoping
this not being
the last time he
has to do.
His labor grinds
the coal into wealth
for the owner, his
sweat turns the
dark chamber into
a glittering mint for
profiteering, his
tears makes the
mine a place of
worship for humanity.

Glass Cage of Isolation

Arrogant you are,
egoistic you are,
moody you are,
insensitive you are,
but why?
Just because you
are beautiful, so
beautiful that the
moon has to take
cover behind the cloud.
Just because you
are highly educated,
so educated that the
compassion has to
leave you at the
mercy of your whim.
Just because you
are wealthy, so wealthy
that you do not even
know who you are.

Come with me
Ms. Arrogant,
I shall show you
the beauty—the
eclectic beauty—of
the world that would
enlighten your heart
with the sparkles of
rich and poor, lovely
and ugly, scholarly
and illiterate, and
enable Your soul
to break open the
glass cage of isolation.

Shirley Sherrod

Shirley Sherrod,
a name,
a symbol,
a reflection
of grace,
transcends the
barriers of race.

Falsehood and fiction,
concoction and calumny,
dishonesty and distortion
are no match with her—
she remains calm,
resolute, determined,
poignant and
true to her principles.

She signifies
the brightness of
our character—our
precious gift given
by the merciful
God—that strengthens
the bond among
races, cultures, languages
and religions.

Power of Love

I wonder
where you are,
whom you are married,
what you are dreaming,
what poems you are writing,
what novels you are reading.

It is a long time
I have not seen you,
but never stopped
thinking of you,
not even for
a single day.
Not for a single day
I felt you not
being part of my life,
my dreams, my poems,
my thought, my feeling.

Our separation is
physical, may be
some thousands
miles, may be
just few continents
apart, may be a
dozen time zones
or so afar, but
I refuse to be
separated by oceans,
by mountains,
by forests.

My every heart beat
utters your name
that makes my blood
flow through the limbs
with the eternal
satisfaction of every
moment of your presence
and conquers the oceans,
the mountains, the
continents, the planets,
the moon, the sun,
the galaxies with
the power of love.

Environment--Our Responsibility

Need to get
our environment
on track for
our progenies.
Need to put
our faith in
our ability
to shine.

Can not just
stand idle in
the face of
man-made onslaught.
Can not keep
our quiet in
the backdrop
of climatic disasters.

We are the
rubble-rousers
working to make
the world more livable.
We are the beacon
of hope for
a pollution-free world.

We want to
make a difference
not tomorrow,
but today.
We want to
lead the leaders,
not being led
by the leaders.

Malaria

Let us wage a war
on the mosquito-borne
disease that still
ravages world’s vast area—
we need determination,
decisive action and deft
planning to eradicate
the curse—malaria.

The disease strikes
with brute force
that parallels the scale
of antediluvian destruction,
wrecking havoc in
communities from Africa
to Asia and every year
taking lives of
more than a million.

The disease crushes
our potency as easily
as a needle pricking
a balloon full of helium,
and reminds us
human’s predicament
and helplessness at
the hand of a parasite
known as Plasmodium.