A rolling start gets the race underway
Around an ellipse holding everyone’s attention
With engines failing to tire, brakes aren’t needed
Fast or slow, the journey never stops
Through tunnels, mountains may be traversed
If already dug, the job’s easier
Connecting north and south
Ideals are raised, as the southerly traffic thins
Like wisps of cotton, only the lightweights rise
Struggling to stay on course for even a loop
With no traction on the road, hoping for merciful winds
Their rise or fall, banking on how the budding wings are tipped
The engines fire when the racers are ready
From mighty galaxies to a tiny thought
Everything revolves around a track
The center is dark, so are troubling thoughts
When nature’s joyful, it must be so for man
But for the fear of the supernatural, in the future or past
Making one hold onto dreams drifting at the speed of time
With eyelids raised, that reverie never stops
It is no more real than scrambled thoughts
Painted in colour by brushes ages apart
The gallery opens when the curtains fall
And the paint job is redone every night
Satisfaction fuels a perpetual engine
Leaving the mechanic the task of keeping the body fit for the drive
The navigational aid is an eye in the sky
Locked on it’s signal, the wise never give up
Whether a driver or passenger, they accomodate
Those desirous of a comfortable ride, but leave no room for luggage
The journey is safe when wisdom’s the headlight
Illuminating the road to higher prospects
Luckily tires don’t deflate until the road runs out
Some never give it thought even though life’s almost done
A cushion of air is always in the middle
Of the earth and sky, heart and lung
Everything runs in a circle
The pulse of life is proof of an engine alive
Decals on the body may change daily
But the motor’s specifications were divined one faraway dawn
Humming with an indefatigable resolve
Powering lights and sounds we are entertained by
It’s heat drives away even the cold found on moon
Where squealing storms show nature’s other face
An eye on these tempests opens the mind to them
Closing the road to a peaceful mountain top
A must do drive for cars of every shape
Whether driven by millions, or just a lucky few
Cast unto stones, books or even air, driving manuals for novices
Have become the source of fights, just or otherwise
Taking lives given new tiretreads, sadly emptying the roads
For the fast moving caravans of hate
Every house is connected by road
An infinite network with no dead ends
Where there’s ample room for every car ever made
With more to come with the blessings of time
Big or small, the rules of the road need to be followed by all
The wise keep to the slow lane of peace
Fueled by lust and greed, dangerous wheels spin out of control
Hurtling to a destination they call hell
When the tank is full, few set the sight on the journey’s end
Instead idling around for so called friends to catch up
Precious fuel stolen by thieves from another era
Leaves one standing on a desert that was once vibrant green
Can driverless cars ever be stopped?
They’re like runaway freight trains with wagons full of unmet desires
Bringing the ill to the city of the sick
Where healers of peace carry the wrong medicine
The body never leaves unless the senses are worn
Always on a tear, skimming most of the food
Leaving little for the soul
Looking out through forlorn eyes, reminiscing better days
When the tracks were swept clean everyday
The bowl’s energy reaching a crescendo with every completed lap
Slick as ice, the racer’s rhythm is no more a staccato
Stopping for thoughts whose main aim is deceit
Always in the driver’s seat with a display of everything set to unfold
Every turn is taken with ease of a gliding eagle
The vehicle of choice of ancient gods
Who’s to blame them, the terrain was perhaps rough
The journey to the soul isn’t a secretive path
But a wide open road that isn’t reserved for just a few
It is a boulevard of possibilities, those winning the race
Leave seeds behind, sheltering those yet to come
- N. Seshadri
