Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Distant Harmony

They came from a distant land
Where once prevailed peace and harmony.

They came for reasons diverse
For better and for worse,
The old from roots torn
Dependent and forlorn
Wishing they'd rather be gone.
The young to ply their trade and
worship at the foot of Mt.Mammon.
The middle misfits with closed eyes
To roll the dice and hope galore,
Still others propeled by a force they
understand no more.

They came from a distant land
where once prevailed peace and harmony.

They arrived quite unlike in the Ark
Not two by two and not for lark,
Some single O so solitary,
Some soon aft swift matrimony,
Daddies, mommies, kiddies, kit caboodle
The whole family tree you see.

They came from a distant land
Where once prevailed peace and harmony.

They set foot on a foreign land
Gave each other a loving hand.
In the new country,
They longed for old world " machchan " brand of company.
Clinging to one another
Like mountain climbers
They strived together,
Sheltered each other
Come winter or warm weather.

They came from a distant land
Where once prevailed peace and harmony.

The dark clouds have rolled by,
Storm followed by a clear sky
The toils and travails a receding memory.
So they now carp and cant and holler
'Cause they no longer need the other.
Like butterflies from cockoons they flee
Fie. Fie. Tweedle - Dum cares not for Tweedle-Dee.

They came from a distant land
Where once prevailed peace and harmony.

This dear friends is nothing new,
It all happened before,
It happened to them waspie
Happened to them from Sicily,
Will happen long after you and me.

They all came from a distant land
Where once prevailed peace and harmony.
They came leaving behind to stew
Alas..Alas.. Abel, Cain and country too.

Composed by. K.B. Chandra Raj

Monday, December 17, 2007

Let's Remember

They marched to our drumbeat
Jigged to our every tune,
Nursed us at infancy,
Nurtured us through many moons,
They winced at our pain,
They wailed over our woes;
Unrewarded they departed
Like foot soldiers of old.

Some we met by chance, some by choice
They touched our hearts and graced our lives.
Like the moon and the stars from dusk light up our nights
At dawn sans a cheer fade out of sight
These friends who by candor and comport mellowed us all
Have been called to that sublime abode of no recall.

Families saddened by separation stoking
flickering memories of bygone days,
Sorrowing homes once filled with frolic and laughter
pray the tide just once more turns in their favor,
Ailing elders in monastic isolation
Measuring out time, here now what hereafter


Kids in shelters dressed in our discards
hold in their hands the cosmic cards
No Ace, no King, no Queen. Not even a Jack;
Teary eyed and trembling hands they wonder
Yonder in High Heavens, Why O Why
Has he turned his back ?

So amidst the merry din of dizzy glasses
Above the babel of flippant banter
As the seconds race towards the zeo hour
Betwixt unborn tomorrow and dead yeasterday
Like fountains hopes rise for another new year;
Dancers are holding hands for the band
To strike their favorite number
Dance till dawn if you wish, kick your cares away,
Pray, pause awhile, on this day in December,
Lets Remember.

Composed by K.B. Chandra Raj

Letter to Friends

December 2005.

We see around us enormous suffering and hardship.

Some caused by the caprices of nature. Tsunami, Katrina.

Some by the darker nature of man and woman. Unisex suicide bombings, Nine Eleven, Bali, the London subway tragedies.

Some from neglect by the affluent. In Paris, the burnings.In Darfur where slaughter and starvation are in a race to decimate and devour the human body.

In the middle east brother is pitted against brother with blind hatred seeking eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, blood for blood. Killings, counter killings, a response to a response met by even a bigger response. Mayhem spiraling upwards.

These have wreaked havoc with cataclysmic consequences for all.

Yet we must take leave of these sad tidings once a year to acknowledge our dear friends, near and afar, coast to coast and across continents.

We have grown old. Our children have grown. Our children have their own. When the few dots left are connected we would have come a full circle.

We thank the intelligent Design, Destiny, Darwin or Chance which ever one chooses, for having brought us together at some point in our lives.

We wish you all Happy Holidays, Good Health, a peaceful New Year and the resilence to meet head - on the challenges ahead.

Siva and Chandra.

December 2007.

" .. And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed"...Kahlil Gibran.

A joy that is shared is a joy made double.

Dear Friends:

In the kindergarten class, while playing cricket in the back garden with make-do wickets and bats, make believe football in the backstreets or by casual contact as to when or where we can scarce remember, our friendship born out of respect and affection has grown - in many cases for two score years and ten or more. It has over come the inertness that inures to time and distance.

Whether it is the work of the Intelligent Design, Providence, Karma, Maktub ( it is written ) or just the Celestial Gambler's irrational exuberant throw of the dice, we do not know. What we do know is we are thankful to the unknown for having brought us together and kept us close these many years. It has been rewarding. It has been worth it.

Salaams to Windows and Gates we continue to be just a mouse-click away.

The mother in Mitch Albom's " For One More Day " continues with the umblical sustenance of her grown up son with the words, " I love you every day."

We feel the same.

Happy Holidays to you all.

Siva and Chandra.