If I could change one thing...

Open Sesame readers write verses for a better tomorrow

Managing time

There are many things that I would like to change,
Each thing, at any moment, can feel strange.
Though, there is one thing with my work,
At school, it gives a big jerk.

“You need to work on your time management,”
That is the feedback I am told quite frequently.
Yes, I would like to change my time management skills,
Enough to take an exam without getting any chills.

If I could change this,
My life would be bliss,
My work would be
complete,
There would be no need to compete.

— Advita R P, 11

Bengaluru, Karnataka

A kind deed

I wish I could change one thing.
Instead of dancing, I’d rather sing.
But only one thing would be so hard to choose,
When in a competition, I’d rather win than lose.

If I could change one thing,
I’d change the lives of people who are suffering.
People like us have everything we could wish for,
But it is not the same for children who are poor.

If there was one thing I could change,
From toys to chocolates, it would range.
Yet I would change the fate of children in need;
Their whole lives would be changed by just one kind deed.

— Akshadha Nathan, 12 

Bengaluru, Karnataka

Cool down, Mother Earth

The crumbling world,
She’s impatient now.
Her powers are breaking out.
The Earth has shaken,
It’s hard to look
At the aftermath looming low.
I’d hate to say,
The gullible fools we are,
We think the end is far.
Alas! The trick of fate
Has twisted a bit too late.
If a wish could change
Her fiery rage,
I’d ask her to cool down.
A year or two,
If I could get,
This end shall not be met.
The stony hills,
The shimmering lakes,
The ocean’s grace,
The teasing breeze,
The moonlit sky,
The dripping rain,
The snow-capped mountains may

Have the life
They were promised once
By Mother Earth’s divine rays.

— Harini Aswin, 13

Bengaluru, Karnataka

Perfect imperfections

There are so many things I wish I could change,

More money to spend, and a new clothing range.

A life with success, a penthouse with a nice view,

And ten hours of sleep every day would be sweet too.

A life where homework would complete itself overnight,

Now that would be perfect, right?

But as I sit and reflect,

I realise life isn’t meant to be perfect.

I’m grateful for the life I’m living every day,

For it is what shaped the person I am today.

So the next time I’m asked, my answer might sound strange,

Because I’d smile and say that there’s nothing I’d change.

— Navami Yogesh Kamat, 16 

Bengaluru, Karnataka