Gayathri's Prose and Poetry

  Hell on Earth A fire raged within me, A feeling I’ve never experienced so deeply, Suddenly, I saw red flames, Looming in front of me like a monstrous wave. An eerie silence settled in, As the world around unexpectedly changed, All the cheerful colors surrounding me, Were replaced by a devilish red. I was now enveloped by the scorching flames, Which stretched its unwelcoming arms towards me. ‘What are you?’ I asked in a quivering voice. ‘What am I?’ it replied with a snicker, ‘I am anger, greed, desire- Whatever you want to call me, A raging fire that grows every day, Fueled solely by your species fury. I raze down all pleasant feelings- Joy, love, delight and mirth, Oh! All of them I wish to forever destroy, With the help of man, I shall one day rule the world, I’ll build an eternal inferno even the Gods can’t vanquish.’ With that, the fire died down. Everything outside returned to normalcy, But my mind visualized a battlefield, A war between the angels and the demons. 'Who would...

  War The war has begun, Gone are relaxed lives, Gone is peace, Happiness Gone... The war has begun. *** Prompt given by SoulCraft: Skinny poem 11 lines First and last lines are the same (of any length) Rest of the lines (2-10) consist of one word each 2nd, 6th and 10th lines are the same

  Sweet Venom You crept into the deep crevices of my heart, Sealed the cracks with sweet nectar, You made my heart beat with life, A tender warmth filled my heart. Alas! I failed to see the venom in your nectar, That I was victim to all these days, Your venom seeped deep into my heart, Shattering it, piece by piece. *** Prompt given by SoulCraft: 'Love is overrated. Agree or Disagree?'

  Litost Dejected, broken, I crumple to the ground, Darkness seems to be an eternal phenomenon. I’ve never seen the sun, for it never shines, The flowers never bloom, and the birds never sing, There are hardly any clouds in a sky seldom blue, Love and mirth are alien sentiments, In my world of sorrow and melancholy. Doleful tears flow from my eyes, Engulfing me in a tsunami of misery. I don’t know of any tomorrow filled with sunshine and smiles, I have fallen into an abyss from which I cannot arise. *** Prompt given by SoulCraft: Select a word from another language that does not have an English equivalent. Word chosen- Litost  Language- Czech Meaning- 'a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one's own misery.'

A Weapon Called Poetry  When you’re washed over by a melancholic wave, And tears threaten to spill down from your eyes, Take a pen and a piece of paper, Shatter your blues with your verses. When you feel all alone in a world, Where you feel you don’t belong, Sit down, relax, take a deep breath, Crush the sadness by penning it down. When you think you’ve failed, And nothing goes your way, A mere pen can be your knight in shining armor; Raze down your failures by writing a few lines. All the gloom that hangs around in the air, Can be killed by a powerful emotion- poetry. *** Prompt given by SoulCraft: 'Killing them with poetry.'

  Inner Peace As I sit on the fluffy cushion, With a thick book in my hands, And turn the pages worn out with time, My mind gets filled with an inner peace. I get transported to an exotic land, Where fairies exist and miracles happen; Everything is perfect in this fantasy realm, My mind gets filled with an inner peace. Deadlines, project submissions, hang around in the air, The neighbor keeps shouting on her phone next door, The traffic becomes worse in the street below; While I sit in oblivion to everything around me, Delving into the world where imagination reigns, My mind is filled with an inner peace. *** Prompt given by SoulCraft: 'Write a poem as a mantra for peace.'

  My Paradise Fragrant flowers dotted around, sealed my wounds  with their sweet elixir. The prickly grass underneath, tickled away all my worries. The breezy zephyr, vanquished negative thoughts from my perturbed mind. Streaks of colors splashed high above, was a pretty sight for my sore eyes. The musicians of the wild, filled my soul with an ethereal sensation. An encounter with nature, relieved me from the trauma of a prosaic world. *** Poetry form: Triversen 6 stanzas 3 lines/stanza Rhyme scheme: non-rhyming Syllable count: 4-8 syllables/line Published in Penmancy:  https://penmancy.com/penmuse-43/

  Summer Holidays   I walk on the soft summer sand, As cool waves wash my feet gently. I can taste the salty sea and Enjoy the cool retreat- lovely. A nice breeze blows across my face, As I view the sunset- pretty. Best way to spend the holidays, All else I can forget, Be free. *** Poetry Form: Memento 2 stanzas, 6 lines/stanza Rhyme scheme: a/b/c/a/b/c Syllable Count: 8-6-2-8-6-2 Theme: holidays or anniversaries Published in Penmancy:  https://penmancy.com/summer-holidays/

  Disguised Love Like a bouquet of fresh roses, You came like an angel, Breathed life into my wilted heart, Blooming nascent buds of love. Sweet elixir seeped from your arms, Which embraced me like soft petals, Alas! I failed to see your masked venom, You left me broken on a bed of thorns. *** Poetry Form: Horation Ode 2 stanzas, 4 lines/stanza Syllable Count: 6-10/line Rhyme Scheme: non-rhyming Theme: love or friendship in a sad tone and full of irony Published in Penmancy:  https://penmancy.com/disguised-love/

Sunset Musings Every evening as the sun goes down, A priceless painting adorns the sky, I lie down on the earth below, Gazing at the pretty sight above. A bright, golden yellow setting, Streaked by hues of crimson and magenta, Have black silhouettes of tired birds. Flying back to their homes after a long day. The myriad of shades slowly fades, As the sun sinks further beneath the horizon, The sky is now painted with streaks of violet, Possessing tiny, intermittent twinkling stars. The air is suddenly filled with a cool breeze, That adds a swirl of galaxies to the canvas; ‘Tis a visual treat I always enjoy, Which no artist can ever replicate. *** Poetry Form: Rubaiyat 4 stanzas, 4 lines/stanza Rhyme scheme: non-rhyming Syllable Count: 8-12 syllables/line Published in Penmancy:  https://penmancy.com/sunset-musings/

  An Organic Mess Organic chemistry is my worst nightmare, The thousands of equations give me a scare. The reaction proceeds at a defined pressure, With a catalyst, at the right temperature, Giving a triangular product from a square. Optical isomers exist as a pair, Fischer, Newman- these scientists are unfair, Each compound has a complicated structure, Organic chemistry, not simple, I declare. This subject keeps growing, I’m painfully aware; The same formula, two compounds can share, But have a different nomenclature, (Why is all this even present in nature?) All this is stored in my brain somewhere, Organic chemistry marks- should I even care? *** Poetry Form: Rondeau 3 stanzas: 1st stanza- 5 lines 2nd stanza- 4 lines 3rd stanza- 6 lines Rhyme Scheme- aabba, aabA, aabbaA Syllable Count- 6-12/line Published in Penmancy:  https://penmancy.com/an-organic-mess/

  Flight to Fantasy I wish I could delve into a reverie, And be free to do whatever I wanted, Instead of being stuck in the misery, Of a world which is so cruel and wicked. I wish I could fly in the blue skies up high, And to a melancholic world, bid goodbye, Spread out my wings and travel the vast expanse… If only I could ever get such a chance. *** Poetry Form: Rispetto 1 Stanza, 8 lines Syllable count: 11/line Rhyme Scheme: ababccdd Published in Penmancy:  https://penmancy.com/flight-to-fantasy/

The Trip to Fairyland I wandered into a lonely meadow, Trying to get rid of all my sorrow, Suddenly, I heard a voice; so sweet and mellow, I turned around and was struck by Cupid’s arrow, When I saw the young, delicate lass. Her blue eyes took me to a utopian place, I was dazzled by her ‘Oh!’ So elegant grace, I couldn’t get my eyes off her pretty face, As she held me in a gentle embrace, Immersing me in a sweet elixir. With pretty roses that adorned her golden tresses, She looked bewitching in a silky violet dress. Her radiant skin glowed in the darkness, She wasn’t a human, more of a goddess, Alas! It had to end all too soon. *** Poetry form: Lai 3 stanzas with 5 lines per stanza First 4 lines are in rhyming couplets of the same length Last line does not rhyme Syllable Count: 8-14 per line  Theme: adventure and romance Published in Penmancy:  https://penmancy.com/the-trip-to-fairyland/