Criss-Cross

Criss-Cross, Criss-Cross
The paths cross.
People come and go.
Sometimes they come back
Other times they don't.
Sometimes even if they come back
I don't.

Makes me wonder
If I have any free will at all.
Looking back, I don't think I could have
Made them come. Or go.
Or stay. Or return.
Or leave again.

Is everything then divine orchestration?
If I can't control anything
Does that make me powerless
Or powerful?
Is the lesson then to
Give up the illusion of control?
I'm thinking if I can give up control
That's true power?
It's a declaration that I'm ready
For anything that life might bring.
Why does this feel like true freedom?

Maybe the point was just to
Open me up to life?
Maybe the point is
Not about the other people
But about my own journey
Into myself.

With the intense lessons
If I can process it right
I'm a different person
When I come out on the other side.
Maybe that was the point of the connection.
Not to stay together but
To grow from the experience
And take the new direction
That it inspired.
We match to learn and teach
Once the lesson is learnt
The cords disconnect.

It's a perfect match
For both me and the other person.
We're mirrors then
Reflecting to the other
What they most need to heal
To progress on the journey of life.

When I review situations this way
Then there's no blaming the other
Or taking on guilt
For how the situation unfolded.
We both did the best we could
Given our respective levels of consciousness
At that point in time.

Of course I'm responsible for my actions
As they are to theirs.
Responsible to have grown
From the experience to behave better
The next time around.
And along the way learning
Forgiveness, gratitude and
Unconditional love
For the self and the other
For delivering on a difficult
Soul mission well.
Mission Accomplished.

a*k²

Freedom

The freedom she was seeking
Outside of herself from the world
Was to stop running from herself.
The irony of it amused her.
The moment she understood this
She broke down all the barriers
That kept her from herself
And finally found her way home
Never to lose it again.

Reflecting on what it took
Made her smile.
Abandonment, rejection, betrayal
Dashed hopes, failed ambitions
Invalidation, disrespect
Physical injuries, codependency
Financial insecurity, injustice
Lies, cheating, manipulation
Broken dreams, shattered soul
False masks, the works!

It took everything
All of her. Over a period of time.
She doesn't regret it one bit.
The rewards are worth it.

It's like hitting rock bottom
Is what it took
For her to want herself
To choose herself.

Now rock bottom became
Her favorite hangout spot.
It helped her become aware
Of where she needed to heal
For the world was only mirroring
Back to her who she was on the inside.
Deeply hurt attracting more hurt.
She poked at her own wounds
To analyse and understand
Where and why it hurt.
She learnt to heal herself.
She reclaimed all the parts
Of herself she'd given away
And became whole again.

She understood that
She could only hold on to the limited.
She can only become one with the infinite possibility
She could not contain it.
She began to understand grace and flow.
She aspired to be one
With the Universe
For trying to control it was futile
Playing along joy.

a*k²

Him

He's my friend

Who turned into a best friend
And then turned into a life partner
And the transition was so smooth
And organic that it's meant to be.
Something solid built with mutual care
Over a period of time.

Someone who has always been a good man.
Someone who has an open heart

Strong, kind and compassionate.
Believes in spirituality or himself

Religion or a higher power or Karma
Universe or God or Destiny
That motivates him to do good in the world.

The means are irrelevant, the end matters.

His happiness comes from within

From the life he has lived

And from the life he is planning for himself

And his romantic partner.

He intended for her to be his other half.

And that was that.

They're a unit, a team,
They're family.

In an equal partnership

They supported each other

In becoming the best versions of themselves.

Like a mountain

Steady, stable, secure.

Self-full, responsible.

Someone I'd want to talk to

Someone I'd want to share

My deepest fears with.

Someone I can trust

Someone I'd choose and he'd choose

To co-create the rest of our lives with.

Someone who is worthy

Of the kind of love I have to offer.

Someone who has character and integrity.

More than anything else

Someone who I respect

For the man he is.

a*k²

The Forever Woman

I see you, I hear you, I understand.
Yes, he exists.
The one you were searching for
In everyone you met.
Yes, he'll want to love you
To the depths of your soul.
Yes, he'd take a bullet for you
In a heartbeat
Just like you would for him.

He'll match you and your ocean
No it won't feel like effort to him
He'll swim effortlessly in you.
Yes, you can swim in him too
Once he knows you are who you are.
You will both be infinite.
To reciprocate your love
It's what he's been longing to give
He is who you are too.
He'll be delighted to meet you.

They'll try their best to convince you
The 5-minute lovers
That something is fundamentally
Wrong with you. Settle already!
They'll call you crazy
That you have to take reality into account.
What you're looking for doesn't exist.
They'll take for as long as you give
They'll keep you confused.
When you ask where you stand
They'll tell you they never wanted that much.
You gave. With little to no investment in return.
They will reject you for anyone else easily.

They'll also have multiple partners all at once
And keep them all hidden from each other
Except to deliberately induce jealousy as and when needed.
You'll become insecure
And wonder why what you were offering wasn't enough
To convince them that what you're offering is all they can ever need.
You're the best insurance they can have for life.
Remember then that what you were offering wasn't less
It was too much.

Power, control and manipulation
Will be the game you're in.
You'll tell yourself you never signed up for that.
They'll make you feel like a fool.
You'll question your intelligence for trusting.
It'll crush your soul. Break your bones.
One time. Several times. Many times.
You will rebuild.

In time, you will learn to forgive.
Them and more importantly yourself.
You will learn that they're not wrong.
Their needs are just different from yours.
They don't want the forever kind of love
Or even if they want it
They want maximum returns for minimum investment.
They didn't reject you, you both repelled.
They're not better or worse than you
For it's never a comparison.
They were not your match as you weren't theirs.
As simple as that.
You can't force a connection where none exists.
Don't judge them for in other ways
They can be quite compatible with you.
You might even care for them truly
They just can't be your romantic partner.

When you develop a higher perspective
You'll understand that they were here
To teach you life lessons on self-love
And knowing your own worth
So one day you can shine
In all your glory knowing who you are
And what you bring to the table.
You'll know you're exactly the kind of rare
You want to be.

Yes, he exists.
You will always know where you stand with him.
Yes, he will be his first. He'll love everyone.
But romantically, you will be his one and only.
You will never have a doubt in your mind about this.
Neither will anyone else. He'll make sure of that.

Life with him will be effortless.
For you'll speak the same language.
He'll be your best friend, lover and life partner
All rolled into one.
It'll be irrelevant how much time you get together
Between both your busy schedules
You belong to each other romantically.
And that will be that.
And you'll long for more moments with each other
In a happy way.

When you meet him
His eyes will sparkle
His smile will be a little bit different
He'll breathe easier
His mind will automatically calm down
For you will be his meditation.
When he rests his head on your shoulder
And links his arm through yours
To hold your hand
As you sit together on a park bench
He'll have his whole world
You will feel him
Because you feel just the same.

Stop searching for him you forever woman
It's not your job to convert the 5-minute lovers
Into your forever man.
You're not a failure for not being able to convert them.
Even if the books, movies and music you loved
Told you that you have to fix and heal a stone to become water.
That that's what's the power of true love.

Know that your love was, is and always will be true.
You don't control how someone else feels and acts.
It's not personal, no matter how personal it feels.

The truth is you don't have the right to change anyone.

They get to be who they want to be.
And likewise you get to be who you want to be.
Besides you don't want to be wondering
If they'll go back to their original ways.
This will cause you to self-destruct
Because you can't be in a situation
Where loyalty is up for debate.

Don't try to convert yourself into a 5-minute lover either
You'll fail horribly. It's not who you are.
Plus you'll find the more you allow
He'll want to push your boundaries further
To see how far he can go.
You weren't born to be treated in
Any which way that does not equal
How you treat him.
Know you have the power to walk away
It won't feel powerful
But know that it's all you can do.
Keep walking. Keep it moving.

Yes, he exists.
Your forever man.
Take refuge in this fact
Until this will be all you need.
Know that he walks the same earth as you do
He breathes the same air as you do
He feels the same way as you.
The dark tapestry that holds the stars at night
Is the same sky you both look at
When you think of each other.
He makes a wish to these stars
That you be safe and happy.
He's fought the same battles you have
Yes all on his own.
Don't blame yourself for not being there to protect him
Before you met him.
For he wasn't there for you when you most needed him either.
You both needed to learn to take care of yourselves first.

It's alright if others reject you
And make you feel less than, not enough.
Never reject yourself for being different
For being and feeling like a lone soldier.

Forget acceptance, know that your forever man
Celebrates you, every moment of his every breath.
He's incredibly proud of you for being you.
Besides the more you accept who you are
You come more into alignment
Life will take on a quality of unbridled joy.
It won't matter that you haven't met him
Or you might never in this lifetime.
Want to know why? Your life isn't about him.
He is not your destination or a trophy to win.
He's your partner in the journey of life
As you both fulfill your respective missions.
He's the chocolate chip cookie to your ice-cream.
He's not the ice-cream. You are.

Knowing there are others like you will be enough.
It'll get you through the years you have on this planet
Happily. Because when you're a forever woman
Only a forever man will do for you.
There's no choosing anything different.
How to know for sure there are others like you?
Because I exist.
Stay strong, stay true to you my forever woman
For I'm counting on it.
Until we meet, ours truly,
Your forever man.

The Forever Man

I see you, I hear you, I understand.
Yes, she exists.
The one you were searching for
In everyone you met.
Yes, she'll want to love you
To the depths of your soul.
Yes, she'd take a bullet for you
In a heartbeat
Just like you would for her.

She'll match you and your ocean
No it won't feel like effort to her
She'll swim effortlessly in you.
Yes, you can swim in her too
Once she knows you are who you are.
You will both be infinite.
To reciprocate your love
It's what she's been longing to give
She is who you are too.
She'll be delighted to meet you.

They'll try their best to convince you
The 5-minute lovers
That something is fundamentally
Wrong with you. Settle already!
They'll call you crazy
That you have to take reality into account.
What you're looking for doesn't exist.
They'll take for as long as you give
They'll keep you confused.
When you ask where you stand
They'll tell you they never wanted that much.
You gave. With little to no investment in return.
They will reject you for anyone else easily.

They'll also have multiple partners all at once
And keep them all hidden from each other
Except to deliberately induce jealousy as and when needed.
You'll become insecure
And wonder why what you were offering wasn't enough
To convince them that what you're offering is all they can ever need.
You're the best insurance they can have for life.
Remember then that what you were offering wasn't less
It was too much.

Power, control and manipulation
Will be the game you're in.
You'll tell yourself you never signed up for that.
They'll make you feel like a fool.
You'll question your intelligence for trusting.
It'll crush your soul. Break your bones.
One time. Several times. Many times.
You will rebuild.

In time, you will learn to forgive.
Them and more importantly yourself.
You will learn that they're not wrong.
Their needs are just different from yours.
They don't want the forever kind of love
Or even if they want it
They want maximum returns for minimum investment.
They didn't reject you, you both repelled.
They're not better or worse than you
For it's never a comparison.
They were not your match as you weren't theirs.
As simple as that.
You can't force a connection where none exists.
Don't judge them for in other ways
They can be quite compatible with you.
You might even care for them truly
They just can't be your romantic partner.

When you develop a higher perspective
You'll understand that they were here
To teach you life lessons on self-love
And knowing your own worth
So one day you can shine
In all your glory knowing who you are
And what you bring to the table.
You'll know you're exactly the kind of rare
You want to be.

Yes, she exists.
You will always know where you stand with her.
Yes, she will be hers first. She'll love everyone.
But romantically, you will be her one and only.
You will never have a doubt in your mind about this.
Neither will anyone else. She'll make sure of that.

Life with her will be effortless.
For you'll speak the same language.
She'll be your best friend, lover and life partner
All rolled into one.
It'll be irrelevant how much time you get together
Between both your busy schedules
You belong to each other romantically.
And that will be that.
And you'll long for more moments with each other
In a happy way.

When you meet her
Her eyes will sparkle
Her smile will be a little bit different
She'll breathe easier
Her mind will automatically calm down
For you will be her meditation.
When she rests her head on your shoulder
And links her arm through yours
To hold your hand
As you sit together on a park bench
She'll have her whole world
You will feel her
Because you feel just the same.

Stop searching for her you forever man
It's not your job to convert the 5-minute lovers
Into your forever woman.
You're not a failure for not being able to convert them.
Even if the books, movies and music you loved
Told you that you have to fix and heal a stone to become water.
That that's what's the power of true love.
Know that your love was, is and always will be true.
You don't control how someone else feels and acts.
It's not personal, no matter how personal it feels.

The truth is you don't have the right to change anyone.

They get to be who they want to be.
And likewise you get to be who you want to be.
Besides you don't want to be wondering
If they'll go back to their original ways.
This will cause you to self-destruct
Because you can't be in a situation
Where loyalty is up for debate.

Don't try to convert yourself into a 5-minute lover either
You'll fail horribly. It's not who you are.
Plus you'll find the more you allow
She'll want to push your boundaries further
To see how far she can go.
You weren't born to be treated in
Any which way that does not equal
How you treat her.
Know you have the power to walk away
It won't feel powerful
But know that it's all you can do.
Keep walking. Keep it moving.

Yes, she exists.
Your forever woman.
Take refuge in this fact
Until this will be all you need.
Know that she walks the same earth as you do
She breathes the same air as you do
She feels the same way as you.
The dark tapestry that holds the stars at night
Is the same sky you both look at
When you think of each other.
She makes a wish to these stars
That you be safe and happy.
She's fought the same battles you have
Yes all on her own.
Don't blame yourself for not being there to protect her
Before you met her.
For she wasn't there for you when you most needed her either.
You both needed to learn to take care of yourselves first.

It's alright if others reject you
And make you feel less than, not enough.
Never reject yourself for being different
For being and feeling like a lone soldier.

Forget acceptance, know that your forever woman
Celebrates you, every moment of her every breath.
She's incredibly proud of you for being you.
Besides the more you accept who you are
You come more into alignment
Life will take on a quality of unbridled joy.
It won't matter that you haven't met her
Or you might never in this lifetime.
Want to know why? Your life isn't about her.
She is not your destination or a trophy to win.
She's your partner in the journey of life
As you both fulfill your respective missions.
She's the chocolate chip cookie to your ice-cream.
She's not the ice-cream. You are.

Knowing there are others like you will be enough.
It'll get you through the years you have on this planet
Happily. Because when you're a forever man
Only a forever woman will do for you.
There's no choosing anything different.
How to know for sure there are others like you?
Because I exist.
Stay strong, stay true to you my forever man
For I'm counting on it.
Until we meet, ours truly,
Your forever woman.

- Archana

Animals & Me!

I don't know what's come over me
I was never this way before.
But I'm falling in love with animals.
Their innocence charms me.

I can't decide which is my favorite!
Between the Tiger & Elephants
Giraffes & Monkeys
Wallabies & Rhinos
Or Hippos Or giant Tortoises!

The way the zoo keepers
Care for these animals
It makes me very happy.
Totally makes my day.

Maybe this is what I'd like to do
When I retire for good.
Become a zoo keeper.
What qualifications would I need for that?
Sigh I studied all the unnecessary things
Growing up, such a waste of good time.

Hanging out in the sun
With the animals
Seems like a good way to go!
Animals & Me
We are meant to be!

a*k²

Yin & Yang

Once upon a time
There lived Yin and Yang.
They lived far away from each other.
Each didn't know the other existed.

They kept searching frantically
Outside of themselves
For what each already had within.
It took them a while to understand this.

In the process they ended up
Depleting their life energies
On situations and people
Who only took from them.

They were made to be
Fools & Losers.
And yet they always did the right thing
For they believed in Karma.

When they couldn't handle no more
They decided to break themselves
To create the best versions of themselves.
They took back their power.

Pretty soon they realized
Each was both Yin & Yang
They were just different energies
They needed to tap into.

Whole now within themselves
They stopped looking out.
That's when they met.
Yin and Yang
Never to separate again.

a*k²

Yo Boho Lady!

One day you will have figured it out
How to re-create what you felt in Leh
In the middle of Hyderabad.
You'll manage to create a life for yourself
That you don't feel like you have to
Run away or Escape from.

You will say no to things
That don't feel like fun.
The world's got nothing on you.

You will dance and sing in the streets
And look for Eagles at traffic jams.
You'll speak your mind
Give back as good as you get.

People will stare and think you're crazy.
Knowing what you know
It wouldn't matter one bit.
You live for you.

You'll finally stop hoarding things
And wanting people to stay in your life.
They can come and go as they please
For it doesn't affect you in an existential way.

You won't always be happy
You'll be cool with that.
You'll stop trying to control the outcome
By projecting everything into the future
Because you don't care how they turn out.
All that matters is you live true to you now.

You won't have any fixed destination
Often you don't know where you're going
Or how your plans are going to materialize
But you'll know whatever happens
You're going to be ok.
And even if you're not
You're ok with not being ok.

You'll finally realize
That this is what True Freedom looks like.
The Freedom you wanted all along
Will finally be yours.

a*k²

Hey Love!

How are you doing today?
Had something cool to say to you.
One day you will realize that
A lot of what you believed in was a lie.

It was a story you told yourself
Based off an unaware conditioning.
Initially it will be extremely unsettling
As your world view shatters.

Slowly you'll find
That was the liberation you were seeking.
Freedom from all the chains
You'd placed on yourself
And held the world accountable for too.
Turns out you were always free.
And they were too.

You'll find yourself smiling
For no specific reason.
You'll hear for the first time
What your laughter sounds like.
Slowly you'll build yourself
A new world view.
One that works for you.

You'll let go of everything
To find everything in you.
It will take a leap of faith.
You will take it.

You will see yourself
You will hear yourself
Like you never did before.
You'll do little things that
Light you up on the inside.

Your soul will feel alive
Your energy levels high
You will feel zero resistance
As you make confident decisions.

You'll have finally stopped
Chasing and running.
You'll find yourself whole
When you're on your own.

You were always whole love
You just didn't see it then.

a*k²

The Woman

She knows who she is

What she wants 

And goes after it full steam ahead.

Knows her own worth 

Loves herself 

For all she is and all she is not.

Stands strong, is so too.
Her beauty shined through.

Love and Loyalty 

Are hallmarks she lives by

She lives intensely

True to herself.

Joy comes naturally to her

For she lives life on her own terms.

She is loved for her authenticity

She wishes the best for everyone.

Learning something new
Always brought a sparkle to her eyes.
Anything that expanded her mind
And perception or consciousness
Made her appreciate life in all its glory.

Music empowered her to self-explore
Dancing set her free.
As much as she allowed the external journeys
To fill her with wonder
She delighted in the journey inward
To fill her soul.

She negotiated for win-win situations

If such a solution cannot be arrived at

Exits peacefully efficiently.

She doesn't believe in wasting time

In dead-end situations.

She allows people to be who they are

For it's their right to be so

Just like it's her right to be who she is.

She knows that some people

She's going to be loving from a distance

For the everyday chaos is not worth it.

She's the divine feminine.

Compassionate and gentle

Patient and graceful.

Mess with her 

And you might just lose her forever.

She isn't looking for a fight

But she'll gladly finish it if she has to.

Take her for granted and

She'll make a quick exit

She believes in reciprocity.

She forgives but doesn't forget.

Complete all in herself

With or without a man.

She'll only say yes to the One

Who is her equal

In the departments she cares for.
She knew what she'd started out to get
She didn't settle for less.

She knew she didn't fit in
She was too straightforward for some
Too strong, too smart
Too nice, too idealistic
Too opinionated, too demanding
Too optimistic, too fairy tale-like
Too real, too naive.
Too intimidating, too powerful.
Too beautiful, too ordinary.
Too heroic, too much victim.
Too much. Too little. Too whatever.
To herself she was the woman.

All she wanted in the end
Was to create and live a life that
She'd be proud of.
And if that didn't fit societal ideals
That was fine by her.
She wanted to live such that
If she were to die tomorrow
She'd be cool with that.
She lived every moment
Like it were her last.

She's The Woman.

a*k²