Happiness, a state of mind , That each one of us strives to find . Elusive moments that peek at us , From behind a curtain of gloom . In life’s rhythm , the gentle and the rough , We are forever chasing her like the wind .

Does she Grace the palace , Live among the rich ? Does she adorn the beautiful, Or abide in the man on the street ? Is she companion to the wise and the learned , Or to the foolish man in his humble abode ?

We seek her in the board rooms , In the corridors of power , Does she walk the hall of fame and fortune? We look for her in nature’s quiet , At dawn and dusk , in the rain and the sun, But elusive she remains.

Books in plenty and memoirs are written , Ballads sung about this euphoria. If only happiness could be a fragrance In a bottle , to waft at will . If only it was an elixir that we could drink , To enjoy a life of gay abandon.

Pain and suffering, peace and joy , Two sides of the same coin they are . There is not the one without the other , In life’s ever changing rhythm. It is in a grateful heart and a content mind , That happiness finds her home . In its stillness joy alights , like a butterfly, And there to stay awhile.

They came thousands strong , Walked in threes and fours , The city they called home awhile , Had turned hostile, shut its doors , And called them migrants. With no food , no shelter, they fled , Carrying their babies and belongings. Thus began the exodus.

Homeward bound they were , The winding road their map and compass. They walked crisscrossing the country , To their villages scattered everywhere. The blazing sun, hunger and thirst , Their only comparisons .

Some, light of heart , Since they were going home . Others with a heavy heart , For what they left behind . But all of them were bound , For somewhere , for their home .

Some were met with kindness, Along the winding road . Some were shunned , cast out of town , For migrants they were and Guests they remained , At the mercy and the whims of the hosts .

Are we not then just migrants, Travelling the earth awhile ? Here one day , gone the next , As we are homeward bound . Our lives like those winding roads , Take us where we follow, to the end .

Why then do we strive so hard , To attach ourselves to worldly possessions, And to a life that is interim ? Let us learn to embrace the simple joys , The momentary pleasures and Live in the present as befits a guest .

Doctors and nurses and the medical staff, Donning their coats and caps, armed with their stethoscopes they stand, in the gap between life and death for us , through this pandemic.

Risking their lives to save ours , they work day and night, enduring long hours without rest.With no time to eat, hungry they go, as they tend to those who are sick .

Men and women who selflessly,, risk their lives so we can live . They serve out of love for humanity, and their devotion to heal. The Hippocrates oath to them is binding and most sacred.

Families, they have who love and care, and support them in this time of need . Making no demands they wait at home, parents , husbands, wives and children. Patiently they wait, to see them briefly, before they rush off to save more lives.

Let us honour these warriors in white coats, our doctors, nurses and medical staff , Without their constant and tireless efforts , we may not live to see another day . Let us pray that the good Lord covers them, with His grace and protection, as they battle this war for us, against the pandemic.

In the peace and quiet of the night , Settling down to rest, My mind travels to those places of combat and strife , To the borders of our nation , Those invisible lines guarded by , our soldiers , our men in arms .

Brave young men,fearlessly and tirelessly , fighting to keep our country safe , To keep that flag flying high, while we lie warm and snug , sparing not a thought , for the freedom we enjoy.

Lying in trenches , hiding in the woods , climbing treacherous mountains, braving inclement weather , with only the sky above and ground beneath , relentlessly they protect our perimeter , so we , those who live within are secure .

To the moon I say, cast your light kindly , to help them dodge that stray bullet . To the cloud I say , hide them in the dark, when the enemy is at hand . To the sun I say , beat not on them too harsh, to the rain I say , shower on them gently.

To the Lord I pray , bless them and keep them , from all danger to body and mind , to nourish them when they are weak , to strengthen them when they falter . And when the war is over , to return them , safely, to the waiting arms of their loved ones .

To the wind I say , make haste , carry our message of love and good cheer , tell them , while they guard our ramparts, those they protect stand with them . We the nation , Salute them .

A single letter or a string of them , Makes a word a significant power, Like a lightening strike or a bolt of thunder, It can raise a tempest or quell a storm .

A word can speak of love or hate , Start a war or bring peace , Can convey aggression or compassion, All in the way it is uttered .

A word can be a decree to humanity, To unite nations or to crush and divide , A word can condemn to captivity, Or save one from peril .

A disconcerting word can unsettle , The disparaging comment cause ruin, An encouraging word can build empires, A discouraging word can bring a man To his knees.

A courageous word can dismantle fear , A deprecating word can bind in shackles, Inspiring words create faith and hope , Then there are words of wisdom, words of love, And words that breed contempt .

Woe to the one that sees not , The long and the short of the nuances , An ‘ oh ‘ can mean relief or grief , A misspelt word can alter the sense , And context is crucial in the content.

Yet, what is this the power of the word ? That like an arrow, once out of the quiver , Will not return but find its mark . So , let’s mindfully choose those words , To build and to renew , to love and cherish, Let’s see and let’s listen with our hearts .

But now in the day of technology, The bland emojis come to our aid . With no fear of being misunderstood, We can use those squiggles and giggles, And when in doubt ,we can boldly raise the Thumb .

When God created the world , From the nothingness of grey , He sought to make the easel, With the brightest of colours .

He painted the water blue, A natural reflection of the sky , The land different hues of brown, The plants and trees a lush green .

The flowers , He said , needed colour . He painted them with the same exotic brush Shades of red , pink , yellow and blue . Some very bright , some with just a fragrance, To scent the earth .

Animals He made to roam the land , Colours He gave them different, Bright and dull , speckled and striped , To match their lives and their habitat .

The birds of the sky He made to soar , The crows and sparrows , parrots and peacocks. Some with wild plumes , some with a melody, Each to fill His creation with song and beauty .

The plants , the animals , the seasons , He said, will live by the law of nature , With it’s checks and balances . But His next creation, His favourite one , He would give Free Will .

Then from dust He created Man, In colours bleached , brown and black , He breathed in him and gave him life . Then He looked upon him and said , I am satisfied , for you are made in My image.

For you are part of my soul and filled, With My love and compassion , I will make you My friend and leave you, The stewardship for My creation. But lo , what a disappointment , what a travesty!

His earth we plundered bit by bit , Our avarice knew no bounds . Now we are racing to eliminate humanity, For all we see is distortion in mankind, The unseen threat of race and colour !

We fail to see the fragment of the Universe, The Divine in each one of us . He left us with a legacy of love , Which we trampled in the ground , Bringing desolation upon us .

Suspended in time we wait , For the passing of the dreaded virus, Each day we wake, thinking Today we will resume our interrupted life. ,

But while we wait , time is passing by . Days slipping away into weeks and months. Winter turning to spring and summer , The monsoons around the corner .

Can we stop the day from dawning , The sun from shining, as we wait ? Can we stop the moon from rising , Marking the end of another day ?

Can we stop the wind from blowing, Or the rain from falling ? Can we stop the flow of seasons, Can we make time stand still ?

Nature is alive and transient , Changing with the passage of time , Wild birds and animals are walking , The streets which once men trod , As we remain shut – in.

What happens to us now , we ask, While we live suspended in time, Waiting to reclaim our old life ? Do we grow old without ageing ? Do we get another lease of life ?

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton