A Bundle Of Contradictions

For many,  Joy is fame - To be recognized,
To be considered worthy, not lame; 
For them, Joy is to be surrounded, By throngs of admirers, And to be a living legend; 
But for some, Joy is the family ,  who loves unconditionally,
And supports wholeheartedly;
For many, Joy is wealth, A means to endlessly flaunt, Their material laurels; 
For them, Joy is to display, How better are they, Than the rest of the world;
But for some, Joy is the emotion, Attached to simple things,  Gifted with loving intention;
For many, Joy is influential connections, A means to show, How powerful they really are;
For them,  Joy is the arrogance, That they can get anywhere, Without hard work, by simple means unfair;
But for some, Joy is in old friendship, Etched with loyalty and love, Tinged with fuzzy, warm nostalgia;
Nowadays, for many, Joy is a envy-worthy social media feed, Filled with an intent to brag, Not an intent to reminisce;
But for some, Joy is in the delightful memories,  Just important enough to be …

"You really want to buy another one of those? Again?" My mother asks, her normally serene voice laced with a tinge of irritation. 
I nod eagerly, my face lighting up like a Christmas tree. My hands are tightly clutching the new bundle of joy, ready to be explored and (later) smelled. My mind's already wandering, imagining the exciting adventures I'll embark on with this. 
"You have too many books already, Ammu!" She snaps irritably, breaking me out of my reverie. "Plus, your cupboard is full already! You still haven't read those classics! Are you really, really keen on buying this?!"
She expects me to take a deep breath and place the book back on the store's shelf. She expects me to say, "Oh Mamma, you're right. You're absolutely right. How could I be so fiscally irresponsible? I promise that from now on, I'll be a perfect child and donate the rest of my collection to my various cousins scattered over the country."
B…

“It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that misunderstandings are sure to make a grand mess out of things.” - From the ultimate classic novel on misunderstandings, Pride and Prejudice You know what’s the root cause of the most destructive wars and disputes?

Misunderstandings.

You know, the time when you say X and the other person interprets it as Y and then they botch things up until everything is broken beyond repair.
The saddest part is, there is no way of knowing that misunderstandings are about to happen. There are no formulas, no reconciliation statements, nothing.
There’s no way you get an alert on your phone or mail, saying, “MISSION ABORT! MISSION ABORT! THIS PERSON THINKS YOU ARE CONVEYING EVERYTHING IN THE WRONG WAY!”
Misunderstandings, to put it simply, are like rising volcanoes. There’s no process, no system. Boom! They just happen.
And you know what the worst part is?
You really cannot control how the other person chooses to interpret your actions. You really have no w…

Today's one of those days, When you've forgotten everything, That you'd memorized all night long,
You're worried that everything would go wrong; 
Today's one of those days,
When you'd rather stay in a cage,
With a poisonous, ominous snake,  Than stand in front of dozens on a stage;
Around you, are people lounging about,
As cool as cucumbers,
And here you are - Crippled with fear, struggling to remember; 
A shaky breath you take,
Pursue your lips, toss you hair,
Trying so hard to fake,
That you're an undaunted winner;
But all that false bravado falls,
When you see the first contender,
Enters the podium,
Clears his throat and stands tall; 
And then anxiety slithers in back,
Like a poisonous python,
Wrapping around you,
Making your insides go slack;
You see the first contender talk,
With flamboyant gestures, incredible voice modulation;
Seeing the audience,
It's sure he's won the adulation; 
And then, here you are,
Still trying to calm down,
Your thoughts running like a…