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What a weekend it was, I woke up early and went out with my friend Shaun. He is this guy I met here in the hotel I stay. He bought me lunch at the riverfrontbarge then we went for a movie at the Crossgates Mall. I was wandering through the mall and saw this girl and guy in a small rack in the middle of the way selling lotions. I stretched my hand and she looked at my hands and said “ What happened to your hands?” I said that’s the way it is always. Dry. She said come here and took me to the other side and put my hands in a bowl and told me “ I am going to fix your hands” she put something like sand on my hands and rubbed it hard. It smelt good and I kept it on for sometime. In the meanwhile she was asking me where I am from and what do I do and all. Then I asked her. What is it she put me in my hands. She said “Dead Sea Salt” I looked at her and said “Really? Is it really Dead sea salt?” She said “Yes, all the things in the stall and the sales person is from Israel”. I told her my name and still both she and her boyfriend were really friendly and was asking about my family in India. I asked them “Are all you family away from the whole war and violence going on out there” She said they are way south from any attacks that is going on there. I wished them luck and left with a prayer in mind. In all honesty that salt really worked. My dry, hard hands are soft now. Too soft for my Pirate and Alien rings in my hands. Then on the way into the movie “Miami Vice” I thought… the dealing between Muslims and Jews can be as violent as what is going on in the middle east or as friendly like what just happened. The manipulators of religion, they are everywhere, fighting and killing unknowing, religion is a matter of choice of the individual.

 Now the poem… this poem has got nothing to do with incident above. At the end of the day I thought there is something going to happen. It is for the good. I carried that thought to the next day and something happened. Suspense…. Can’t speak about it yet. haha

 

08/05/06.

 

The waves of light into my room rolled,

And with the cold air from the air conditioner danced,

Waking up all the dreams rolled out too and danced,

And away into thin air and the morning light they faded.

 

Unusual and unnecessary on a weekend morn I woke,

My weekend routine way early started,

And ended early with mind blank all day,

Oh’ just me, myself and some thoughts,

And a feeling felt in the air I don’t understand.

 

Oh’ may be the arrival of the unknown,

Or may be the hinge in the mind of an insane,

Oh’ in these mindless hot summer days,

Live I will, taking everything as is.

 

When closed my eyes to fall into sleep,

I only saw a vulture sharpening his teeth,

With my eyes, with my hands and my smile,

That pretty, hungry vulture may be seeing a meal so close.

 

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

“If you want to comment on my poems please visit and post your comments in LonelyPoet.Com all the poems that are posted in this site will be there in LonelyPoet.Com“.

 

Mo Cuishle,

 Congratulations, you know what that is for… anyway…. You know be careful while visiting my sites late nights. I only sleep four hours in the night. If that get disturbed I will be pissed off the rest of the day next day. Poor colleagues they are feeling the steam. Then in my mind I said and laughed… haha Mo Cuishle, you did a nice job.

   There are a lot of things happening around me. Well… I am not going to tell you that. I once made a protected post for you too. Then I deleted that post as I know nothing is finalized yet or reached a stage where I can speak anything about it. Haha. Suspense…

 

Have a great evening Mo Cuishle and convey my regards to your mom for teaching you to drive and Billy for his support.

Riaz Ahammed.

Loud and clear are thoughts. All can do this if they listen. Girlfriends, Boyfriends, Work, School, Vacations, Money, Children etc, etc. You name it, people get distracted from what they can and they should do. Then they whine and whine and whine like a teenage girl. For me no girlfriends, no boyfriends as I am not gay, I don’t care a lot about work and money as it comes and goes. In my knowledge no children, I go for vacation when I want to do it even if it is going to cost me a lot for loss of hours at work not when the boss tell me I can go, I don’t go to school as I am done learning crappy science and math, history written by stoned historians and other garbage they teach at school. In a nutshell none of these matters to me. None of these should matter to you anyone either. Still they are all tired by the end of the week.

    Last Friday I wrote this…. Then I thought… should I really post it. What will the world think that I spitting up in air lying on my back? Think whatever you want world, I am my own world.

 

A place I hang out during weekends. In the blazing heat, this place is a real comfort. The shades, greenery and walkway wow it is really poetic. 

08/04/06.

 

Did the big bang brought to us light?

Or was it all dark like the sky before dawn?

 

I asked many questions, many, many times to thin air,

Stupidity has its limits, but stupidity keeps one sane,

Said I to myself as through another day I crawled,

Silly thoughts and weird actions Oh’ all crippled,

Mind and body way ahead of my age,

Still the glimmers of a glass half full found its way,

To my mind that thrived to find a way out,

From these spiraling events that gloomed in the summer heat.

 

Vulture I am when waiting is inevitable,

Evening shut down the sun far away in the west,

Through the window, while waiting for a thought to sleep with,

A cool breeze lost his way and upon my face landed,

Then like a subterranean Orchid bloomed, mind in thoughts woke,

And told me “The glass is not half full,

It was always full, as it remained untouched”.

 

 

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

“If you want to comment on my poems please visit and post your comments in LonelyPoet.Com all the poems that are posted in this site will be there in LonelyPoet.Com“.

I wrote this poem last Thursday. From a thought that came to my mind while driving back from work. Read the poem and the footnote.

I took this picture at work. This is the first picture I took with my new toy. Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W100 8.1MP camera. I first thought it is so small, but the guy is good. I deliberately blurred the screen to avoid the code being seen. I use two computers at work one for emails another for programming. Imagine the work haha.  

08/03/06.

 

The morning came with precious time,

Glory of summer flowers waving,

At the blazing sun who looks not,

Rushed away the morn with no smile upon face,

And left the single hearted with thoughts of gloom.

 

Then through the digital magnificence to you I came,

The gladness I saw upon your face when you read my words,

Gladness it was what from my heart sprouted,

Looked around the day who was piercing his clutches,

And with a mocking smile I said,

“ Look at my sweet heart smiling in happiness,

Look at her and learn who happiness can be spread,

Oh’ in her I see the happy thoughts about my verse,

Verses that praise her beauty both spiritual and material.”.

 

The day with a bowed head walked away,

And in the beauty left in mind by her, my heart danced,

Oh’ the evening joined me hand in hand,

And stayed long, showing light for my mind to sip,

Every bit of this happy day, slowly, steadily and fully.

 

Oh’ night with a warm smile came and caressed,

My cheeks and eyes showing far away stars,

The net of darkness closed inch by inch,

And away a wonderful dream carried,

Through the paths of sleep that lighted up,

With the memories of her beautiful smile.

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

 

 

Who is she? I don’t know.

 

“If you want to comment on my poems please visit and post your comments in LonelyPoet.Com all the poems that are posted in this site will be there in LonelyPoet.Com“.

A day of imaginations… that’s it.  Read.

  The place where poems are born.. haha.. I usually sit in this couch with my computer on top of the so called “PoetryBox” you can see the wooden box there are some drafts still remaining in the box. The major one the first drafts of the last two chapters of “Tess Of The D’Urbervilles”. It is sitting there for more than a year now. I will finish it someday. You can also see the webcam… I don’t use it much these days except when my mother or sister ask to see me.

08/02/06.

 

The monster morning waving wands of warmth came,

And into my ears through a mellow wind said,

“Wake up to the day, wake up into light,

Though the brightness of the dreams you see,

Even the sun with the chariots of fire can’t match,

Still, the summer day, bright and warm, waiting,

For the footsteps of souls like yours,

The evening Oh’ she is in love with you,

And the night, like an ever accepting mother,

Will always be there, for you to confide.

Wake up now, wake up now, wake up now.”.

 

Story-less into oblivion morning faded,

The work day through my veins gnawed,

The essence of every creative senses,

And into the lovely evening I raced,

And with a feeling of love for some face unknown,

The evening scribbling verses I spent.

 

Oh’ days are days they come and go,

But mind may not know,

How through dark I may move,

But every thought back to me will come,

When pen dip deep into the heart and then write,

The love in my heart for a heart I feel.

 

Oh’ reality only bitches before me brought,

Imaginations she is a witch of wonderful crafts

“Sing to me a lullaby O night sing to me,” I said

Though no lullaby of the night I heard,

Deep in my heart the touch of a kiss I felt,

From a beauty, only in the crafts of imaginations seen.

 

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

“If you want to comment on my poems please visit and post your comments in LonelyPoet.Com all the poems that are posted in this site will be there in LonelyPoet.Com“.

I am posting this after I wrote it nearly a week ago. You can say that this poem was really edited by me in a big way. The whole story in the dream was there. The poem was big. I wonder how I wrote that much in one sitting. 1121 lines long(not a mistake in numbers One thousand one hundred and twenty one lines in about 12 and half hours). Now the ending was open, tragically open. I read the poem to post it, it was so much depressing for me. I deleted those lines. I may write it in another way again. But now I know what that dream really meant. It is much more depressing than the dream itself. So for that long, long poem mmm here is the Russian way of saying Chmok, Chmok, paka, paka. It means Kiss, Kiss, bye bye.. haha

                                                          My latest picture there are more pictures Click Here To See them 

08/01/06.

 

 

The reddish sky couldn’t stay longer,

As the might of the sunrays consumed the dawn,

From the consumption of a dream I woke,

And into the corruption of consciousness I stepped,

Knowing everyday with a blessing begins,

In the same way from that beautiful dream I woke.

 

Rituals of a mad Tuesday done,

Not felt hungry through the warm morn,

Noon dried even the best lover’s heart,

“Oh’ summer sun what wrong did we do,

For you to lash the whip of vengeance upon us?”

I asked again and again and like a bad mouthed villain,

The sun only laughed erasing smile from every face I saw.

 

Evening took a milder whip and upon everything lashed,

Still, night couldn’t spread the charm of cold,

And darkness erased by lights from the naughtiness of all of us.

 

Oh wealthy I am in the thoughts of mine,

But today I lost all my thoughts in my trade,

For a day dream I saw a long time back,

That told a story about two beautiful eyes I may see,

And in tragedy those eyes and life forever I will lose,

That story was a good bed time story for me to tell,

In my soliloquy, listening my conscious fell,

Into that good old dream, as a dream at night, for me to see.

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

What a day… a day I will hate the rest of my life. One of the unforgivable crime was committed at me. Making me wait. Damn it.

 

07/31/06.

 

Oh’ why would you keep grudges O morn,

As wrath of a desert noon in you I feel.

Hide not O summer breeze hide not,

Sleep not O rain in laziness sleep not,

As without the love of you all,

Nothing grows in this poetic mind.

 

Said the above verses waking up,

And spend the day time in shade and cool,

Then in the evening for long, long time waited,

To see those beautiful eyes with verses filled.

 

She never came as the good old curse worked,

Wait, wait and wait, suppress disappointments,

And live with pain in a life of smiles artificial,

Smiles too left when darkness choked me to sleep.

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

 

“If you want to comment on my poems please visit and post your comments in LonelyPoet.Com all the poems that are posted in this site will be there in LonelyPoet.Com“.

30^th July 2006 this day went through a kinda recuperating from within. There were lot of thoughts and many times I talked aloud. It was that intense. FYI… when I say I am talking to myself it means that I am not sure about something I am writing. None of these poems have anything to do with those talks. Those talks are about some other poems I am working on. There are two chapters of a long poem I started writing more than a year back. I did not finished the last two chapters it is still in a first draft stage with part of that first draft only in my mind. “Tess Of The D’Urbervilles” last week I took it to finish it. Because it is inevitable that I should finish that poem. I am also writing some other poems. In between I am working on the final version of the book before it goes to print. I have a job too that pays for all these. Then my extra curricular activities. Want to see a busy man hehehe. Scroll down and see my pictures. Summer sucks big time. No doubt about it.

 

Bring me fall and the colors,

Bring me cold rain that crackles,

The dead leaves happy to rot to soil,

Then bring me the whiteness of the Angels,

Who with their cold palms wipe away,

Remaining days of this year and bless,

The world with the brightness of a new year.

 

Haha that came out instantly… I am getting good at this.

 

07/30/06.

 

The clock showed two in the afternoon and I heard,

Cars rumbling outside and T.V still chattering,

“Glory to you God” I said, while out of my bed rolled.

Oh what a dreamless night and day passed,

The sun held the summer day and danced tirelessly,

This day artists and photographers will love,

But “burned, I don’t want to be” the poet reasoned.

 

Clarity in the material life has become a myth,

Misguided intuitions only paved paths,

To the world of the lords of negativity.

 

Oh’ why my life go through dirty tracks,

Didn’t I lay my footsteps upon a saintly path?

Tired, down I laid, after longs hours of arguments,

With oneself, in the end none won.

 

In the ongoing battles win I will,

Declared I in a tone so desperate,

But somewhere in my voice hidden,

Was a determined cry of a soul that seek,

Purity of a life I left in a dream unfulfilled.

 

The dear old stars through the window I see,

Lifetimes they passed, their age with my eyes, I see not,

Everything done for a reason, everything said, with a meaning,

But these days my own actions and words, misunderstood,

So alone another night upon this bed I lie,

For the darkness to creep into the senses of mine.

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

 

“If you want to comment on my poems please visit and post your comments in LonelyPoet.Com all the poems that are posted in this site will be there in LonelyPoet.Com“.

The place I was born and brought up, My brother once wrote

The small state of Kerala,
At the south western tip of India,
Be it for pleasure, leisure or for the thrill of adventure,
Come to Kerala, A day in Kerala means,
Seeing things you have never seen before,
And may never see again,
Yes, unless you visit Kerala again.

Yes it is a beautiful place. The language spoken in Kerala is called Malayalam, my mother tongue. The people from Kerala are called Keralites or in slang Mallus and are easily identifiable because of the thick moustache and oily hair. I was no different. After coming to US I still kept my moustache I shave it off as it started to grey hehe. Mallus are also easily identifiable by people from other parts of India in the way they speak English. We have our own accent while speaking English. Kerala is a state famous for its greenery, spices and of course beautiful poets like me. hehe. Yup… a place declared by United Nations as 100% literate. The only place in the world. The first place in the world where communists were elected to power. This place indeed is called as “God’s Own Country”.

See it from North to South.

 

Bekal Sea Shore Kasargod.

 

 

Kannur backwaters.

 

Uru a kind of big boats used to carry goods…. Calicut.

 

Silent Valley-Palakkad.

 

Trichur Pooram Festival… This is a big festival in a Hindu temple in Trichur. The festival goes on for many days and end with big fireworks.

 

Elephants are a big part of that festival here the best Elephants of Kerala are standing in for one of the traditions of the festival.

 

Feeding the Elephants. A big tradition which is part of the Temple festival.

 

Athirapally waterfalls-Trichur.

 

Another view of the waterfalls

 

Yet another view of the waterfalls

 

Backwaters Kochi. Kochi is the business capital of Kerala. A very busy city. My mother and brother lives here now.

 

Backwaters Kochi.

 

Idukki- The hill side of Kerala.

 

One side of the Arch Dam in Idukki Hydro Electric Project.

 

The other side of the Dam.

 

Dead trees in the lake at the Periyar Tiger Reserve- Thekkady. The dense forest behind is a protected place for Tigers and Elephants.

 

Wild Elephants roaming near the lake in the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

 

Backwaters Alleppey or Alappuzha. Alleppey is where I was born. Alappuzha famous for coir industries and once a very famous commercial place. Lost most of the glory after the development of Kochi. As part of the intial development canals like the one you see above were built across Alleppey to carry goods from all parts of Kerala to the port in Alleppey. The backwaters are famous attraction for many tourists these days because of the green beauty around it as well as the boat races.

 

Another view of Alleppey backwaters. One can see coconuts carried in boats by people.The water ways is the only means of transportation to many underlying places in Alleppey.

 

One of the boat races in Alleppey backwaters. As many as 100 rowers will sit in one boad and there will be a person to give rhythm for the rowers. They sing and row the boat at high speed. This is one of the major tourist attraction in Kerala. People from all over the world will gather for the famous Nehru Trophy Boat race in about two weeks from now.

 

This is a trial run for the Nehru Trophy Boat race.

 

A view of the actual boat race.

 

Kumarakom Resort Hotel. Kottayam. This was a place now taken over by the Taj group. Very beautiful and poetic place.

 

Another view of the Kumarakom Resort.

 

Way to Ponmudi, about 40 miles away from Trivandrum the State capital of Kerala.

 

Veli Lake this is south of Trivandrum.

 

Kovalam Beach Resort. Looks great now…temperature can go beyond 115F on any given day. A lot of foreigners come to this Beach for vacation.

 

Kavadiar Palace… The palace of the last king that ruled Kerala. A very good man died couple of years ago. Try saying his name. Sree Chitra Thirunal Balarama Varma.

 

Kani Konna. I don’t know the English name of this tree and flowers. There is a species of this tree that will have flowers all through the year. I love this tree and the flower. The one reason I always asked all the girl friends I had to wear full Yellow color dress.

 

Jackfruit tree.This fruit is delicious but the sap betweent he fruit is sticky. The wood of the tree is used for almost everything in Kerala from building houses to making caskets. The leaf of the tree is pricey too, they are used to make a kinda spoon  in old times now given to Goats as food.

 

Mohiniattam… this is a dance form made out of the famous Kathakali and Bhrathanatyam. Two major dance forms in India. Dancers spend nearly 15 years to master this dance form acting, dancing and expressing an entire story by just expressions and hand symbols. It is facinating.

 

Onam the festival of Kerala. Irrespective of religious beliefs everyone celebrate Onam. There is long story behind it. I will tell it on the Onam day. But this picture is a flower arrangement competion. Girls makes these kinda flower arrangement in front of every house in Kerala during the 10 days of Onam celebration.

 

Without politics there is no Kerala or any place in the world hehehe. This is the ending of the election campaign in Kerala. The time with songs of political parties and people literally begging for votes for their parties and candidates. The Left Front led by the Communist Party Of India(Marxist) rule Kerala now after the United Democratic Front lost the election by a landslide. It goes one way one time the other way next time. One of my cousin is a politician in Kerala. Eight times he stood for election in almost every corner of the state. mmm never won an election.

 

The bull race. This is another big thing in the country side during sowing season, part of the ploughing process. Rice fields are commonly seen in Kerala. This is indeed a dangerous sport as there is no brakes for these bulls. It will not stop at anything and it is better to run for your life than stand in front of these bulls.

My young cousin Shameer sent me these pictures. He collected them and emailed it to me. Thanks Shameer and the photographers for the pictures.

As of now I am holding on to Yesterdays poems. I will post it later if time permits and my editing is done. Have a great evening everyone and stay cool. I know it is blazing out there in most places of US.

A very normal weekend day… I really don’t have a lot to say…..

 

River Hudson, near downtown Albany and near the river-front-barge.

 

Opposite side of River Hudson, picture taken from the river-front-barge.  

07/29/06.

 

The morning woke up from beside me,

And left me in my sleep undisturbed,

Noon placed her warm palm upon my face,

And feeling that warmth woke up I, and said,

“Oh’ what a wonderful summer day I woke up into”.

 

Late weekend lunch at the River-front-barge,

A new tradition of mine I love,

Chit chat with people, some friendly most wayfarers.

 

Movie and dinner at the mall, my good old tradition,

“Lady In The Water”, naa didn’t impressed me much,

The evening Oh’ how beautiful she came,

Drunk she was and puked all over me,

In the form of rain and with thunders beat me up,

And her bare body at me she flashed,

As lightning that tore all of my passions.

“Not immoral anymore” I said,

And into the night I stepped,

Though darker and silent, polite she was,

“Give me sweet dreams and be quite” I said to her,

Before my eyes I closed one time I looked,

Up to the heavens and in my mind I prayed,

“ May you give all good to all souls out there,

May the fighting find peace,

May the unloved find love,

May the hungry find food,

And may the orphaned and oppressed always find,

The guarding hands of yours in protection”.

 

A bit of peace, my mind found,

Into that bed of peace I crawled and forgot,

All conscious feelings material world can give.

©RIAZAHAMMED.COM

 

“If you want to comment on my poems please visit and post your comments in LonelyPoet.Com all the poems that are posted in this site will be there in LonelyPoet.Com“.