Perennial Poetry

Intrusive Thoughts   Sometimes some thoughts cripple me- What if everything goes away? What if all I have becomes unfree? And what if I’ll have nothing to pay? The time of doom scares me; I know these thoughts are my mind’s mere apprehensions, But what if all is taken away from me? I feel anxious by all these futile comprehensions. The edge of the ridge feels frightening; If I am pushed from it, then what’ll be left of me? All these faulty visions feel threatening, They’re grabbing away my peace from me. If only I could sneak away Alone into my dreamland, Where I’d only see the brightest of days, I’d surely give anything up to stay in that wonderland. My dreams serve as my abodes, untouched, Filled with so much fresh air to breathe; But from dreams, we always wake up unbesmirched, And must face reality with our own sheath. Well, maybe the doom will never befall, And maybe I’ll never sneak away; But my wish is that I’ll always stand tall, Despite whatever might come my way. -Jaanvi ...

My Haven I used to come here for peace, The green trees and the quiet breeze Bring back all the lost memories; Oh, if I start, I can never stop with the stories. This place was my sacred haven, So precious and love-laden. During moments of contentment as well as grief, This place comforted me with hugs of peace. I saw endless sunsets from here, I gleamed at the infinite stars from here; Whenever I needed to replenish my magic, Coming here would just do the trick. I thought of poems while sitting here, ’Cause this place to me was so dear; I found answers when I was desperate, I always felt a surge of power that seemed infinite. Visiting back today brought a few tears Of joy and longing for the previous years, The whispers of wind and the divine’s bliss Will forever be etched within me like chef’s kiss. My haven has witnessed transformative alchemies, It holds endless moments and memories That are eternally mine to relish; And to continue having this perpetual nostalgia is my forever wis...

  Jewel I don’t feel like the same jewel anymore, I feel tarnished and broken to the core.  From the highest cloud, I came crashing onto the floor, Is there anything more left in me to explore? I don’t know if I am viewed the same now, Yet some good remarks I’ve upheld somehow; But the bitterness needs a taste as well, “The bitterness is what leads to the sweetness,” they tell. Time leads to precious tales, And the lessons lead to better sails, Leading me to be unapologetically brave,  As I bid farewell to this drenching wave. Providence has, for ages, been my saviour As I’m carried in divine arms like a soldier, With a love unquestionably abundant and deep, Unlike any treasure I could ever keep. After all, it seems my facets can be polished,  And I can be gracefully bejeweled and embellished. Well maybe I am still the irreplaceable jewel, That authentically sparkles on every level. -Jaanvi Veluguleti

The Gone Days I think about my friends Who have gone on with their lives, We shared good times and set the best trends, Their reminiscence brings me profound smiles. How strange is life, That you have the best times with some people, Until one day they are no longer a part of your daily life, And the distance starts growing out like a ripple? Time and again I picture my friends’ faces, And recall the times of love and laughter; I grim at the ugly phases, Yet each of the ups and downs brought us closer together. It hurts not knowing when I’m gonna meet them again; Can I go back to those times which were simpler? Oh, is it a fair bargain? To choose those memories ’cause they make me feel lighter? I try to keep alive the connection, ’Cause each of them at different times was my saviour. Each one of them is worthy of celebration; In their own ways, they are recipients of my heart’s fervour. I miss them, and I wish our lives once again collide; Even if we meet at times or haven’t met since ...

Beyond the Noise Why do I listen to the world’s noise When I can be who I am? When I can have my own voice Without anyone telling me who I am. Whose judgements am I afraid of? What scars am I trying to prevent? When magic is what I am made of, And I no longer want to pretend. Why should I look a certain way To please anybody else? When I want to live every day  For myself, and not for anybody else. Why can’t I sometimes show my emotions  In their purest and rawest forms? Why am I always compelled to take precautions  To follow some superfluous societal norms? Who is my controller but me? Who is someone else to say That I cannot be completely me And live in my own beautiful way? No one can tell me it’s inessential  To do something I am authentic at. I will always harness my fullest potential, For I am the best in who I am and I know that. -Jaanvi Veluguleti

  Good Concoctions A beautiful summer morning, With tables fancily set outdoors; One can hear the birds calling, Even from the farthest of moors. Feeling the sun glow and sun-kissed, Amidst cherry blossoms having candy sticks, Placing down lovely baskets of fresh cookies, The girls chat and touch up their lipsticks. The pretty friends have gathered for a catch-up; With umbrellas dipped in their shakes, They’re laughing away and sipping them up, Whilst eating cherries and cupcakes. Amidst the green grass and the clear sky, Wearing sundresses and sunglasses, They capture moments in photographs, Binding miles of memories for a lifetime. The friends look at each other and smile, Wondering if they’ll ever get these seconds again; Threads of long-lost flashes appear, To each of them in their own ways. Everything looks so perfect in the daylight, They wish for time to stop at this very instant; All these good concoctions were much needed, ’Cause the pictures, the voices and the memories a...

  New Chapters As old chapters close And new ones spring, We lose some beautiful connections But gatekeep the genuine ones. All the lessons learnt,  We transform into a sweet elixir of wisdom. And the choices we make,  Change from the ones we’d make an era before. Tangles of threads being to uncoil, With internal battles being slowly won, And priorities that truly matter Begin to be held in the highest regard. New dreams and desires unfold, With unwavering hope in the heart. And the collectibles of lessons and blessings, Make you a more powerful ‘You’. To new chapters waiting to be unleashed, And more wiser ‘Yous’ looking back in the mirror, We bid goodbye to the old ones, Whose best parts will stay in our memories forever. -Jaanvi Veluguleti

Unwritten Pages  I try to refind the lost pieces of me, This mosaic of all broken things Is the raw, unfiltered me, Ready to fly with my wings. I will go to far places, Where the eyes can’t see; I will meet new faces, And share with them the magical me. Life awaits for me In the most precious of ways; All there is to life is to dwell in glee, Despite any circumstance I face. So tiny steps I take, Towards my dreams, And leave it to life to make them come true, By the most wondrous of means. The best is yet to come, Many pages yet to be written, What has happened is just some, There are more moments waiting for me to be smitten. -Jaanvi Veluguleti  

Life’s a Celebration  Life is a big canvas,  Waiting for you to splash colours. Continue to work and have faith regardless, And see life shower you with the prettiest of flowers. Life gets so much better, Once you let go of your worries. Your mind, body and spirit get so much fitter, When you make peace with all of your life’s stories. Life can get miraculously blessed, When you are good intentional; There would be no room for you to be stressed, And life would become much more special. Life is a one time experience, And it’s uniquely yours; Continue to extract its precious essence, And in times of despair, lean on the divine force. May we continue to believe In life’s magical ways of things; May we all have precious moments to relive, And may we strive to be the best of human beings. Life is about celebration, So in its grand scheme of things, May we continue to have revelations, And accept life in all the experiences that it brings. -Jaanvi Veluguleti  

 Hold a Hand We never know What someone must be feeling, Whether they’re in joy or in the deepest sorrow, For they could be celebrating, or they could be grieving. Our sole job is to be kind, Be empathetic, make them feel heard and seen; All they might need is a holding hand, To help them cross over the stream. Sometimes one doesn’t need advice, Just an assurance that it will be okay Can be more than wise, It could supportively uplift their day.  Try to be there for someone, Even if it’s for a few moments; For you could be their shining Sun, While they rearrange their broken fragments. Empathise with kith and kin, Be kind to a stranger, For you never know who you might be saving, Always take the chance to make someone’s day better. We, humans, are social beings, And hence, thrive on understanding and communication. So may we always have good intentions, And strive to make healthy and healing connections. -Jaanvi Veluguleti  

  Her When the whole world praises her beauty, Only she knows the stories behind her scars, The things she goes through quietly, And the days she feels like she’s put behind bars. Sometimes she fakes a smile, For the sake of her and everyone else; She is appreciated for her unprecedented style, But who cares about the things she never tells? She wears her heart on her sleeve, She undoubtedly is an admiration; But would anyone really believe The life she lives behind people’s perception? She cares and she loves, She offers endless support without hesitation; But she also cries and questions Her worthiness despite the external perfection. She knows her scars mark her stories, They make up who she is; Despite all her glories, There is always more to who she is. -Jaanvi Veluguleti

  Nature’s Power There’s calmness in nature’s quiet; The silence whispers volumes of wisdom. Once one starts to dwell in nature’s delight, One experiences unparalleled freedom. Nature’s stillness brings me comfort and peace; Just looking at the incomparable sight Turns my anxiety to ease, And reassures me that I will be alright. When the world pushes me towards exhaustion, Nature pulls me back to the greatest solace ever, And reminds me that slowing down is the golden key to creation; In that moment, I feel the greatest support ever. The serenity of nature, It contains every answer; Amidst our fast-paced culture, Nature’s stillness gives me the greatest power. Nature is my best healer, Nature is my greatest teacher, Nature will always be my strongest supporter, Nature will forever continue to be my most worthy inspirer. -Jaanvi Veluguleti

Sorrow And Strength What do I tell myself, When the thought alone makes me cry, When the place reminds me of it, The grief that was witnessed by the midnights? How do I console myself? What words do I say to myself? When I uncontrollably burst out into tears, But try to restrict them to the edges of my pillow? Grief, fuelled by rage Caused due to deep hurt, Causes an ache in my heart, And the loop reiterates all over again. My mind says fine, now you can let go, And for a moment I think I can keep it all together; Then suddenly the feeling of angst comes back, With tears sticking down my eyes, I sob helplessly. The aftermath of my sorrow is always prayer; I realise I can convey my feelings to the higher power, So I pray, I say every bit I want to say, And slowly, bit by bit, my grief starts to fade away. I am aware that there’s always prayer, But I need to bawl my eyes out, To let go of withheld emotions, And pour back in my cup of optimism. For your smallest or deepest grief, Remember...

  Lead Your Life ’Tis in your hands To make the best of life; Blessed is where you’ll stand, When you work hard and strive. It doesn’t matter if you fail, You just got to learn from it; In that way, for others, you leave a trail, While gaining wisdom from every bit of it. If you don’t know what to do, Just keep doing good things. Sometimes, that is good enough too, Your goodness will lead you to the great things. Pave way to your dreams Through faith and resilience; As tough as circumstances might sometimes seem, You must continue to stride with persistence.  Live your life as an example, Don’t worry about perfect outcomes; Life becomes more simple, When you accept it as it comes. Keep working, be humble and strive, Despite anything that crops up; One day your dream will come alive, And you will be grateful that you never gave up. -Jaanvi Veluguleti

  Embracing Change I tell myself it’s okay, I tell myself it’ll be alright, I try to quietly survive the day, Hoping I won’t cry again at night. Will the scary nights ever go away? Will my thoughts ever stop haunting me? They start with one and long they stay, Why are they still daunting me? I forget the days I was happy and free, When I fall back into the mental turmoil; Why do I feel so unlike me? Can I ever untangle out of this coil? I want to regain my peace, I want to obtain clarity, I want to feel again at ease, I want to fall back into my previous familiarity. But I do realise That change is the only thing constant, I hope my faith and patience will always suffice, To lead me to peace that is inherent. Maybe it’s okay to fall back sometimes, A thought or two of the past will always trigger; But I will come back to the present everytime, Because my life is wondrously and worthily bigger. -Jaanvi Veluguleti

Universe, My Friend You’ve shown me miracles Oh Universe, show me them again; It’s been so long since I’ve had a taste, My tastebuds long for your sweet love again. It feels like long lost connection, I wish to hold your hand again; Show me your purest self, I’ll keep remembering you’re always there for me, again and again. I’ve had chaotic experiences, But still the end of the loop has led me back to you; I will never leave your shelter, Because you are my biggest protector. They say when you look for something, You will find it; I’ve done that by seeking your love, And I have experienced it unconditionally from you before . You gave me answers when I asked for them, You blessed me in ways I never asked, You always showed me signs when I looked for them, You always protected me in ways I never fathomed. My life is truly a blessing, Because I get to realise more of myself everyday; By believing more and having faith, Even in the dust, I find specks of miracles. - Jaanvi Veluguleti

A Piece Of Peace 🕊️ What is peace? Is it something I crave when trapped in chaos? Is it just meant to tease Me that I can’t have it whenever I wish? My mind is a mess, How much ever I try to calm myself, It always comes back to haunt me nonetheless; My fears and doubts continue to haunt my self-built Self. You will know it, What it’s like and how it feels, Only when you are in it; From outside it just looks like another bunch of dramatic reels. From time to time I crave it, But peace is a mystery hidden; Will I ever become fit To deserve it, gold-laden? Is it just because I am unhappy, And I forget who I am, That I feel so crappy, Unable to realise at this moment who I really am? Come back peace, Come back to me, Come back from within me, please, Come back and set me free. I feel hollow and mundane, So please light the spark within me. I promise to spread it like sunshine, Hence, unlock the gates to peace, let me feel it and be. - Jaanvi Veluguleti

  Precious People💎 Treasure those people Who are gifted to you in life; Listen to the voice that is feeble, Whispering the words of the wise. God bless the beings Who are there for each other; Setting apart their life’s proceedings, They are present for another. God helps you through them In moments of despair; God makes you shine again ’cause of them, ’Cause they’re there and they always care. The ones who help us selflessly, Without asking for anything in return; The ones who reach out when we’re crying helplessly, Are the ones worth being valued a ton. In a world where genuineness is in dearth, It is comforting to see selfless people; They are unspoken gems on this earth, Always being there and helping us be stable. Lucky are those who have such people, cause they’re rare; I feel blessed to have mine in my life; The gems in my life know who they are, I am grateful for always having them by my side. They tell me when I go wrong, They always have the best intentions for me, They ...