Golden Palms

Published in the magazine "Off The Coast"

A chance occasion
forged by the golden hands of fate,
by the beating of the millions of hearts,
by the passion enmeshed in millions of souls
of the creatures that thrive upon this planet
Down the silver ribbon that exists
across the peaks and vales of mountains,
Beyond the lapping waves of the cerulean sea,
whose grains of sand embedded in the ocean floor
represent the hopes, the dreams, the aspirations, the ambitions
of the souls bestowed upon the earth
by destiny, to live and leave their respective marks,
and make a change to a world, to a universe,
teeming with imperfections and sorrow
Across the midnight sky, brimming with the sparkles
of stars that exist, miles and miles afar from our hearts,
whose each twinkle, each glister, embodies all that the conscience believes in-
faith, happiness, and the hope for a better morrow
And beyond the horizon, beyond our sight
lie the mysteries yet to be unearthed, to be discovered
by the natural instincts of humankind- to uncover, to excavate
our intrinsic potential, our innate abilities
that coalesce to form a universe of euphony
since we all worked as one,
and strived to bring out the underlying goodness
that remains dormant in the spirit of humanity

Outburst

A minuscule crack in a prism of heat,
snaking along the unyielding gray of stone
One instance of catharsis from millennia of emotion,
insidiously kept under a hood of strength
of uncompromising stone
A crevice that seeks respite from the breeze--
the cool, refreshing squalls that blow
at towering heights, miles above the horizon
Simmering down, like drops of icy water
falling over the flickering flames of a bonfire--
not enough to extinguish, but enough to appease,
an effect similar to the soft, pirouetting breeze

Longing for the chill that abates the heat
kept under a helmet of shining armor,
its fissure widens, letting out sparks of golden
that crackle into the tranquility of solitude
encircling a rising prism of silvered stone
It widens some more, revealing streams of fury
bubbling beneath a countenance of composure,
a terrifying red, deepening steadily--
a slough of sizzling, molten rock
formed after centuries of oppression, of force,
of the unrelenting fingers of mother nature

Arising in rivulets of smoke, fiery clouds
darkening into a funnel that stems from the crevice
that broadens inexorably, breathing heavily
releasing an eternity of emotional suppression,
finally erupting into a flurry of fire,
ridding itself of an existence of a dead silence,
expressing its wrath, billowing in torrents of ferocity,
making history
as the largest volcanic eruption
the earth has ever seen

Pride of the Light

First Published in Poetry Quarterly

An innocent sparkle, of gleaming luminosity
Who glitters feebly, a pinprick source
Of beauty and light
Who bestows upon the earth the treasures
Of guiltless radiance and delicate confidence

Overshadowed by her fiery, powerful brother
She lives at night, when the former goes down
Taking with him illumination and certainty,
Leaving behind the threatening void of darkness
Which she can rarely fill completely
Much to her utter despair

Never appreciated, always hidden
By shrouds of mist, by tendrils of clouds
That serpentine across the tapestry of the sky
Weakening her silvery, passionate efforts
To live up to the golden domination of her brother

She would twinkle against the midnight sky
Until the rays of dawn approached, enervating her soul
Seeping away her fervent energy,
Sapping away her aura of docility, of allure, of enigma
That had been gifted to her by the shining heavens
So that she may provide natural light to the creatures
That dwelled on the earth

So, as the sky grew in its power, her angelic glister
Dissipated into the glimmering dust
Of hopelessness and sorrow
Never to be reclaimed

Nepal, My Pal

Over my 2015 summer, I organized a community book drive to help the victims of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. A friend of mine helped me; we called my initiative 'Nepal, My Pal'. The idea came to me in 10th grade, when I thought of raising money for a cause I hadn't thought of yet. But that cause crystallised after watching the devastating news in April.

We collected 300+ books from people in my apartment complex, and sold them to local book dealers. The proceeds were donated to the Nepal-based NGO, Hamro Sahayog.

I had such a wonderful time doing so, and am glad that my actions have helped those affected in Nepal. For any more information on the initiative, feel free to contact me!