I wrote this in a recent poetry class, where I arrived at the word ‘garden’ after cross mapping several related words. This ghazal is inspired by Voltaire’s ‘You must cultivate your garden’, words that have echoed back to me from a number of other books, besides life.

At the end of the day, man or woman,
You must cultivate your garden.

With fancy designations, in corporate suits
You must still cultivate your garden.

Step out of luxury cars and branded boots,
You must work barefoot in your garden.

Take pride in your art and its pursuits,
Yet you must also attend to your garden.

In sunshine and storm, in rain and snow,
You must faithfully tend to your garden.

The answers you seek to the meaning of life
They are all there for you, in your garden.

The music that will soothe your soul
You will find it within your garden.

At the end of the day, Indu, madwoman,
You too must cultivate your garden.