PADMAJA IYENGAR-PADDY

PADMAJA IYENGAR-PADDY

Finite And Infinite

Presently …

I am that lone bird

On an endless flight

I am that descending kite

From an unknown height

I am that fading light

Of a dark scary night

I am untouched by

The calm, azure sky

My being doesn’t care,

Is untouched by the air

I don’t belong to this earth

That doesn’t see my worth

I am not singed by any fire

Nor do I burn with any desire

Water gushes towards me

But then, I am not thirsty

I am that free ranger lone

On a journey, all my own

But some day …

The lone bird on an endless flight, will tire out

Descending kite too will fall without any doubt

Fading light will soon fade away

For the five elements to have their way

With my feet on earth

I will be burnt by fire

Cooled by water

And turned to ashes

To be carried by air

Up into the azure space.

The Final Flight

The more I love Him, the more He seems to ignore me…

What all should I go through to make Him my love see?

I search for Him inside me; for a bit of His loving presence,

But all I find is a dark emptiness enhanced by His absence.

I keep asking myself “What should I do? What should I do?”

“Where is He? Where is He?” Please show me a small clue!

Restless, sleepless, hungerless, thirstless, senseless, clueless,

I search for Him everywhere only to find His evasion ruthless.

Why is that the more we crave for someone’s attention,

The more are we ignored by that indifferent “someone”?

Hours, days, nights, weeks, months, years rolled by and on,

Till lifeless I lay on my deathbed, hoping for my bright dawn.

Suddenly, I felt a light glow within me trying to leave my being,

Which seemed to say, “Here I am dear, it is Me you are seeing!”

Leaving my lifeless body behind, my soul followed that light,

With my entire being aglow with His love, I took my final flight.

My Quest For A Meaning Of Life ….

My quest for a meaning of my life seems never-ending,

A question without an answer, that is forever pending!

I continue the search for my life’s meaning,

Here, there, everywhere, and in everything.

My eyes search and always look around,

But in all things, often, nothing is found …

Daily living seems to come with many permutations,

And life seems a combination of several expectations.

Love seems to come but with a measure of possessiveness,

Relationships too are not without their share of selfishness.

My eyes continue their search and keep looking around,

But their search seems futile as nothing is really found.

I ask myself, what am I? Am I a crazy, restless traveller?

A traveller of life that’s a journey without a destination?

What is my life? Is life itself my life’s greatest leveller?

What is my life? A cause for depression or celebration?

Searching for answers, my eyes still look around,

And as usual, in all things, nothing really is found.

Finding no answers around me, finally, I look up at the sky.

Ah, what an expanse, I feel like immediately soaring high!

My eyes involuntarily wander below my feet, to a piece of earth,

And that’s when I realize my life’s real meaning and its true worth!

PADMAJA IYENGAR-PADDY

PADMAJA IYENGAR-PADDY: FROM  Hyderabad, India. Having exploring the worlds of banking and urban governance in senior positions, Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy is currently the Hon. Literary Advisor of The Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati (CCVA), Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She has curated 4 International Multilingual Poetry Anthologies. The latest Amaravati Poetic Prism 2017 showcasing 948 poems in 85 languages contributed by over 500 poets from 67 countries, has been recognized as a Record by the India Book of Records and the previous 2016-edition by the prestigious Limca Book of Records.  Under the aegis of CCVA, Paddy gifted with excellent organizational and communication skills, organizes an International Multilingual Poets’ Meet every year where these poetry anthologies have been launched in the presence of national and international poets.  She has also curated an International Multilingual Poetry Anthology of Women Poets titled ‘WWW – Women, Wit & Wisdom’ that was launched at the South Asia Literary Festival-2017. Paddy’s maiden poetry collection ‘P-En-Chants’ has also been recognized as a Unique Record of Excellence by the India Book of Records for its never-before-attempted movie reviews and management topics presented in rhyming poetry. Her poems, articles, book reviews and short stories have been featured in several international poetry anthologies, leading newspapers, magazines and e-zines, and are also recipient of prizes.  She is regularly invited to national and international poetry meets to read her poems. She is an official Member of the World Nation Writers’ Union in Kazakhstan. Paddy regularly participates in discussions on civic and urban governance issues on the electronic media. She was a part of the Round Tables on Smart Cities organized at Hyderabad by the Deputy British High Commission and Foundation for Futuristic Cities. Paddy was recently conferred the title of “DISTINGUISHED LITERARY PERSONALITY for her Outstanding Service to Literature” by Vishwabharati Research Centre / Sahitya Anand, India.