By: Dr. Archan Mehta
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Poem # 1: Question and Answer Session
If you were to ask me:
How’s life?
What are you doing?
Where are you going?
I would have to reply:
I don’t know.
But I am happily
Drowning in beer on the rocks
And busy tripping
Over my feet.
If you were to ask me:
What do you do for a living?
I would have to reply:
I am a full-time dreamer.
If you were to ask me:
How do you pay your bills?
I would have to reply:
I pay my bills based on faith alone.
If you were to ask me:
Who looks after you
In sickness and in health?
I would have to reply:
Why, the good and dear Lord
Handles the details of my life.
If you were to ask me:
How do you move around town?
I would have to reply:
Why, I walk.
If you were to ask me:
Do you have any friends?
I would have to reply:
Why, we live in a friendly universe.
If you were to ask me:
How do you spend time?
I would have to reply:
I rely on my intuition
And play it by ear.
If you were to ask me:
Are you single or married?
I would have to reply:
I am single
But married to creativity.
Poem #2: Hip at 50
I’m just hitting
My stride at 50.
I don’t know what
Else to do
But you keep doubting
My intentions
So I’ll send you to the zoo.
The zoo is where
They keep animals
Animals considered too old
For the jungle
But I’d sooner
Fade away then
Be caged
Because at 50, I’ve
Just started to
Hit my stride.
I’ve started to
Swing my hips
And chase women
Half my age
There’s no stopping
This old man
Who has passed
The time with grace.
The critics say I’m
Tone deaf
And technologically challenged
Thumbs down to any of them.
What do they know
Of my young heart
That’s mad for dancing?
Dancing away the years
Too hard to recall.
You may say I’m
A geezer
Old in the tooth
And all that fun stuff
But I’m headed for
The bar and field
Where the action’s at.
I’m not going to waste
My valuable time
Among people who think
It’s a shame
I’m young at heart
And that’s all that matters
Don’t want to play
The blame game.
Poem #3: Real Wealth
Kartik:
You said you wanted
Gold, silver, diamonds,
Cars, bungalows and more.
I said:
Look no further—
Just look within.
You laughed in my face.
You refused to believe me
And thought I was crazy.
Who believes that mumbo jumbo anyway?
After all,
We live in a
Materialistic world.
We need to own
And possess and hoard
To be happy.
We need to play
Games of one upmanship
With our relatives and neighbors..
We need to show
The world how
Good we are.
And good means success.
Kartik:
“Renounce and enjoy”
Said Mahatma Gandhi.
Oh, I don’t
Buy that, you replied.
And then we
Spotted a man
Wearing tears and tatters.
He said he
Begged for alms
Because that was
The Lord’s divine plan
And he left us wondering
Because the smile on
His face was genuine and authentic
And his laughter
Echoed through the night
Like stars
Shining brightly
In the night sky.
Poem #4: The Secret
There is a part
Of us
That is still
And silent
And wisdom dwells
Inside
It is open and transparent
And there is nothing
Left to hide.
In that silent
Space
Lies the solution
That afflicts the
Entire human race.
In our race for
Survival
And buying consumer
Goods and services
And comparing ourselves
With others
And chasing blind ambition
We have lost sight
Of the one thing
That really matters
And brings peace of mind
Enables us momentarily
To escape from
The daily grind.
In our mad rush
To achieve and spend
We are moving fast
To the bitter end.
In the meantime,
The secret to life
Sits silently inside,
Alone
And waits for us
To unlock the key
To our true being
And becoming
Our true potential.
We blindly travel
Outside to find solutions
When all the while
What we really
Need to do
Is close the door
Get comfortable
Switch off the lights
And focus on breathing.
And the secrets
Of the universe
Will be revealed.
And nobody can steal
Away
This golden nugget
Of wisdom.
Bio: Dr. Archan Mehta
Archan Mehta has earned a Ph.D. in Management. Currently, Dr. Mehta is a Consultant and Writer based in India who trains clients in Stress Management through the ancient practice of meditation.
Dr. Mehta’s articles and case studies have been featured in HR Future. HR Future is a leading HR magazine based in South Africa, sourced by prestigious ivy league schools in America (USA) like Harvard and Princeton.
In 1990, Dr. Mehta won a national award for a short story in Onlooker Magazine based in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharasthra, India. The Judge was the late, great Khushwant Singh, India’s celebrated Journalist, Editor, Author, and Columnist.
Dr. Mehta’s works have appeared in numerous publications, such as American Poetry Anthology, Poets United to Advance the Arts, The Times of India, The Indian Express, Mid-Day, HR Future, Business Manager, India Today, Sportsweek, The Statesman, Ahmedabad Mirror, All India Management Association, People Matters and Society for Human Resource Management and Onlooker.
Dr. Mehta is a member of several professional organizations, such as Society for Human Resource Management, Indian Society for Training and Development, Academy of HRD, Rural Marketing Association of India, Ahmedabad Management Association, Human Resource Association of India, Society for Applied Behavioral Sciences, National HRD Network and All India Management Association.
In his free time, Dr. Mehta likes to stroll outdoors, listen to music, party with close friends, and read.
Please feel free to reach out to the poet at archanm@hotmail.com or through LinkedIn.
Other poetry by Dr. Mehta on Two Drops of Ink
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