And In Wonder And Amazement I Sing by Rabindranath Tagore
The universe is full of life Among all these I have found a place And in wonder and amazement I sing. The world is swayed By eternity’s rushing tide Rising and falling I have felt its tug in my blood Racing through my veins And in wonder and amazement I sing. While walking in the […]
Along The Way by Rabindranath Tagore
I receive your touch Now and then But I don’t know how and when. Is it in the scent of an unknown flower Or in the joy I feel in the song of a travelling singer? Do I receive your touch all on a sudden When there is great sorrow And my world is shaken […]
zen: a very short history by Raj Arumugam
dhyana went to China from China Ch’an went to Japan and Japan gave the world Zen Copyright ©: Raj Arumugam ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster — the ultimate repository of world poetry. Poetry Monster — the multilingual library of poetic […]
you witness my dying by Raj Arumugam
you witness my dying by Raj Arumugam you witness my dying as you see my life, my hopes and desires and all my embarrassments and my achievements too, dear moon O quiet presence, O radiant presence all one’s life; and what do you look at these days in my life darling moon what do you […]
you are there moon by Raj Arumugam
you are there moon by Raj Arumugam you are there moon; I thought you were not and I went to sleep and I sighed: “She will not come, not tonight; she has some other lover”; and I went to sleep and then much later now I wake up and you’ve come, out there and your […]
word of God by Raj Arumugam
I never speak of God but people keep telling me about God and they keep telling me: This is the Word of God! Or they brandish a Book before me and they say: This is the Final Word of God! But I say: Look, I’ve just had a Revelation; God has just spoken to me; […]
women picking edible plants by Raj Arumugan
a little more haste, neighbor, as we pick edible plants on these slopes of the mountains; the air is fresh and the delicate plants abundant enough though one has to humble oneself by leaning down to these rare ones; we will bring them home and some we can eat fresh and raw and most we […]
what I want to know by Raj Arumugam
what I want to know what I’d really like to know before I drop down dead or crawl into amnesia or alzheimer’s or whatever; what I really want to know (if I can remember it; let me see if I can recall it, refresh please…. try and retrieve it from the backwaters of my mind) […]
what a poet must do by Raj Arumugam
a poet, it is said, must be pure and holy; a poet, it is decreed, must bring truth and clarity; a poet, it is declared, must use words good and sublime; a poet, it is said must choose subjects that are sanctioned and chaste like the moon and stars and butterflies and innocent creatures of […]
was it you, mooon? by Raj Arumugam
was it you, mooon? by Raj Arumugam cold moon I am sad; was it you, distant moon, who made me so tonight? Copyright ©: Raj Arumugam ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster — the ultimate repository of world poetry. Poetry Monster […]
The village girl models for the artist, 1904 by Raj Arumugam
You want me to talk, Sir? I’d relax and you can paint better, Sir? Maybe, Sir…maybe, but what shall I say, Sir? For I am not used to talking to important people like you, Sir… Why do you laugh, Sir? It is true, I’m just a girl from the village, Sir attending to Laxmi and […]
The Discovery of the Kama Sutra by Raj Arumugam
Part 1 At the Saint’s Book Store (Singapore, 1970) when I was just 15 and just after a trip to the National Library I saw a slim volume at the Saint’s Book Store (named after a TV series and true to the borrowed name, a second-hand book store) and its spine said: Kama Sutra Now […]
Taking yourself too seriously by Raj Arumugam
OK, granted, you got to take yourself seriously or no one will – but take yourself too seriously and you’re like a cracking statue about to crumble there’s too much really of people running around taking themselves too seriously pushing themselves forward putting their faces to the forefront almost pushing it against other people’s arses […]
sadness from the night by Raj Arumugam
sadness from the night by Raj Arumugam last night as the clouds spread thin breaking like long dry leaves long in the open there was a loneliness; last night as the street lights cast their glow on the walls and their fingertips touched my lips there was a sadness; last night as the cool wind […]
run home, run home butterfly by Raj Arumugam
run home, run home butterfly by Raj Arumugam run home run home butterfly; run run fly fly fly there’s rain and hail and the wind blows wild; what are you doing flitting idly by? run home run home butterfly; run run fly fly fly duck for cover excuse the expression; hide under a tree or […]
Rip van Winkle’s dream by Raj Arumugam
Rip van Winkle’s dream by Raj Arumugam I slept for twenty years comfortably below the tree up in the quiet mountains and all that time I lay in a sleep as deep as before I came to my mother’s womb and yes, I had dreams in those two decades of sleep – but no, I […]
pissed-off cow by Raj Arumugam
pissed-off cow by Raj Arumugam What have you come to admire? says the cow you guys and gals stand around new to the farm you say ah, look at the horses (memories of horse races in the corners of your mind) you look at the lambs and you go soft and sweet; “Oh, how cute,” […]
on our conditioning by Raj Arumugam
on our conditioning by Raj Arumugam there is no seeing, no clear seeing; we do not want to see… We rather have glasses with rainbow colors on them, so what we see is seen through them… Why see for oneself? it’s far easier far better, much more comfortable to get in a group and believe […]
of spiritual matters by Raj Arumugam
of spiritual matters by Raj Arumugam and now, most dignified Gentlemen and most cultured Ladies – it is time to turn our attention to loftier matters, to speak of the spirit rather than of mundane concerns and to be stuck in unimaginative and non-inspiring habits; and so we turn our attention to the spirits to […]
Number 1 by Raj Arumugam
Number 1 by Raj Arumugam 1 two days ago we argued about food and my sweetheart she moved out; she picked up her pillow and she slept in the next room 2 the next morning we joked and laughed as if nothing had happened but in the evening we argued over her phone bills and […]
nonsense verse by Raj Arumugam
nonsense verse by Raj Arumugam I told my mind (using the principles of creative bidding): “All right; let’s two write some nonsense verse O Mind of mine, be silent awhile and draw from the deepest recesses of your profundity some short nonsense verse” and the Mind answered with desperate urgency: “But what have we been […]
no ambition for eternity by Raj Arumugam
no ambition for eternity by Raj Arumugam you know that little bird that’s on the tree and sings when it wants to and then just sits just looking about? you’ve seen that thin cloud in the vast clear blue sky that little wisp of cotton that seems so aimless and so pointless? have you seen […]
Nasrudin’s donkey eats poetry by Raj Arumugam
Nasrudin looks in the magic mirror that allows him to peep into the future and he sees many marvelous poems in cyberspace. So Nasrudin calls his donkey and he says to the donkey: See, donkey – there are so many marvelous poems in cyberspace. They are beautiful poems. But Nasrudin’s donkey says: Ah what’s the […]
Mummy, mummy who invented school? by Raj Arumugam
Mummy, mummy who invented school? by Raj Arumugam mummy, mummy, who invented school? oh, sweetheart, what a clever girl you are; why don’t you tell me first who you think invented school? I think, mummy, school must have been invented it must be by people like old grumpy Uncle Grim next door; and the grouchy […]
Mr Anonymous, a life by Raj Arumugam
Mr Anonymous, a life by Raj Arumugam Oedipus man you’re not done worlds move in and out and meaning is undone; and the Sphinx says it’s your mommy and daddy and this time you can never unravel the riddle the woman dad sleeps with is not his wife and his wife is not your mom […]
Moon, I hear you are moving away by Raj Arumugam
Moon, I hear you are moving away by Raj Arumugam Moon, I hear you are moving away Why moon, are you moving away? Don’t you like your neighbors earth so blue and green and earthlings so adorable? Did you not come so near to get to know your neighbors? why then are you moving, moon? […]
message from the sun by Raj Arumugam
message from the sun by Raj Arumugam I lie asleep and you send in beams of messengers each with the same warm words: ‘Hey, lazybones – wakie! wakie!’ Copyright ©: Raj Arumugam ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster — the ultimate […]
M for Man, Money and Moon by Raj Arumugam
M for Man, Money and Moon by Raj Arumugam M for moon M for Man M for Money; and at last Man has seen the moonlight and now they know Man can make Money out of the Moon ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and […]
life on the escalator by Raj Arumugam
life on the escalator by Raj Arumugam slow time on the escalator easy baby; a life of leisure and idle moments… tra la la la li head held high and proud one foot on one step and one foot lower: it’s the picture of grace and ease; it’s cool baby stand leaning with no care […]
life begins tomorrow by Raj Arumugam
life begins tomorrow by Raj Arumugam when life begins tomorrow you’ll wait for sunrise and you’ll say life’s like a new day with sun rays and roses I wouldn’t mind having a few, you’d say and when life begins tomorrow you’d be waiting with test instruments like a child entering cold water or a nervous […]
Let us pull, pull the boat by Raj Arumugam
Let us pull, pull the boat by Raj Arumugam Let us pull, pull the boat, young man… away from the waters safe on to land just the while perhaps till the morning and pull, young one…take a deep breath and pull… generations have worked and gone past exertion and into a discovery of inner strength […]
let us go with no care by Raj Arumugam
let us go with no care by Raj Arumugam let us go with no care just the basic necessities, sweetheart; just the proper care and due diligence for the times afar but not forgetting each other for that’s all that’s the only we have here and now though time’s waves might roll our boat forwards […]
let’s go mummy by Raj Arumugam
let’s go mummy by Raj Arumugam Let’s go mummy, let’s mummy; let’s to the shops – we need to get a few good things Nothing for me, honest not a thing for me: just maybe for little Tom; he’s been crying you know, mommy; he’s been crying and we’ll get him a few biscuits and […]
Kangaroo talks to the Sun by Raj Arumugam
Kangaroo talks to the Sun by Raj Arumugam Hey Sun, look Man – I can move around and hop and I can run around even at 70km/h; I can kangaroo fight and kick for a mate and I can go all across the land – and you? All you can do is to spin and […]
it flows by Raj Arumugam
it flows by Raj Arumugam It flows people gape but do not see it flows they rather postulate and grasp at comfort-ideas and doctrine and theology and build systems of beliefs and fantasize in the hereafter But it flows not with a beginning or end or with a start or finish with promise or tension […]
in praise of the moon by Raj Arumugam
in praise of the moon by Raj Arumugam I will not sing you a song of praise O gentle moon there are too many modern people around too many enlightened minds tonight they reckon they don’t need your light; there are too many elect and too many going to Heaven and if I sang in […]
I waited by Raj Arumugam
I waited by Raj Arumugam I waited sweetheart and I have waited but you have not come I waited early and I waited past through the retreating light and the late hours of the night but you did not come O I have waited all eternity but you are not to be seen I have […]
I see you moon by Raj Arumugam
I see you moon by Raj Arumugam I see you moon this cool autumn morning you sing over the river and trees and you are supported by your dance troupe of stars Copyright ©: Raj Arumugam ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry […]
I am the earthworm, Lord of the Underworld by Raj Arumugam
I am the earthworm Lord of the Underworld; you hardly think of me except perhaps as angleworm I give the earth nitrogen phosphates and potash; and the soil is rich for all my muscular contractions I create passages for air and water; and by sheer power of my burrowing I bring all these together and […]
I am content here by Raj Arumugam
I am content here by Raj Arumugam I am content here in my open with the trees and the birds that sing and the clouds above and the moon that radiates at night; and the feel of the warmth of the sun on my arms and chest and legs and the feel of the cool […]