Night, my dear,
Night when darkness is near,
Night when words fade and thoughts rise,
Night when the day dies,
Night, it was when we parted,
Night, it was as the fog hid you from me,
Night, it was when I cried in the rain,
Night, when I wish I died of pain,
Night, that kills all light,
Night, that kills all life,
Night, when my life got dark,
Night, when you kissed me the long kiss goodnight...
About Me
- Jey
- About Me : Still trying to find out...will let u guys know when I find out...
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Earth Revisited
He got a day to revisit this earth, to meet the men
He so loved. The goodness of whom he believed in,
He wanted to go under cover. He knew, that people feigned
Devotion to his words when he was around.
So he came in the guise of an old man, although a bit different,
From what he looked like when he himself was an old man.
He wore no glasses and carried no long sticks,
But had a long white beard and turban to match with.
He wanted to see if his dream of Ramarajya had come true,
As he had been promised on his death bed,
So he visited his beloved Ram’s supposed birthplace
The old, yet dynamic and of late, turbulent city of Ayodhya.
He got into the main artery of the city and merged with the locals,
Unperturbed by the queer glances people threw at him,
He walked along the roads, believing that he walked in a free and united India.
An India where Hindus and Muslims walked hand in hand.
He was sweating profusely, it was a sunny day.
He looked up at the clear blue sky and lowered his head,
His eyes shot up into the distance, something was wrong,
Something was missing in the familiar Ayodhya skyline.
A dome, an old battered yet monumental dome, was missing.
He tried to check his memory to see if he had forgotten,
But no, he had definitely seen it when he was last in town,
It seemed just like yesterday, though from a different life altogether.
Nevertheless, the dome was missing, and the man knew it.
His curiosity broke his initial resolve against speaking,
He went to a bystander and enquired, after describing himself,
Not as a father figure, but as an alien who had been living under a stone,
The man looked at him in an intriguing fashion, then replied,
He told him about the bloodbaths the country had faced,
Where brother had killed brother and torn the fabric of amity,
Where hammers and hands broke more than they had built.
The listener was deeply pained; this was not what he had expected,
He had thought that his death would be the final sacrifice on the altar of unity
And that there would be no more bloodshed in the name of God.
He had given up his life willingly, but in vain.
When he heard that a handful of fanatics broke what he had built
With his sweat and bones and blood, he shuddered,
An overwhelming sense of helplessness passed through him,
He stood aghast at what he had fathered and what it had come to.
He was a martyr, and believed in his cause to the core,
And yet he was a victim to the very fanaticism he fought to end,
It had instead ended his life, and more importantly, his efforts,
And still he believed in his cause of non violence.
The speaker continued talking about the clashes and counter clashes
Stories of revenge to avenge blood through more blood,
Fights in courts and on roads that had been equally ineffective,
Saints and Sufis who had begged for peace.
The old man felt hot iron poured through his ears,
As though this news was nothing, another explosion ripped his drums apart.
It shook the soul inside his temporal body,
The innate soul in him strived to get to the centre and save lives.
His new acquaintance told him to leave the area,
He reasoned that the man’s dubious looks were prime prey
To the explosive brew of young vigour and old dogmas.
The man begged to disagree, he rushed in to find out and help.
The blast was at the temple site, which was built on the site of a mosque,
This allegedly was built over a temple, in the spot where a god was born,
A god who preached tolerance, brotherhood and love for all creatures,
And people fought in His name, trying to obliterate each other.
Saffron turned red with rage, and tried to burn up the green,
No colour cared about the nameless girl, who lay bleeding on the ground,
The man picked the girl up and begged for help, he was unaware
Of how things worked fifty years into his future.
None turned up, people busy with sticks and spears
Had no time for sympathy or good sense,
He carried her on his shoulders, to anywhere there was help
To save her before all was lost.
He weaved in and out of the mob, solely intent on rescuing her,
Depositing her in a van that had arrived to help,
He went back to stop more death and damage,
As he had done all his life.
He lifted a man out of the debris,
The man was priest in the makeshift temple,
Despite his injuries, the man shrugged him off,
And began chanting, to cleanse the touch of a Muslim
Our old man was perplexed, he was not a Muslim
Nor did he belong to any of the millions of religions,
He was a man of Men, a man who was love and sacrifice.
And yet he faced rejection from everybody he tried to help.
Aghast and horrified, he moved out of the mob,
A cocktail of religion and hatred was being stirred
He wanted to get away from it all, breathless and stifled,
He walked aimlessly down and away, calling out to the Lord.
Whether his calls reached the lord or not,
This we may never know, but it did reach
The ears of another gun-toting fanatic
Who believed that he was fighting the war of God
He appeared in front of the man, called him an infidel,
Told him that he had to die, so a warrior could reach Heaven,
The old man was ready to die, if he’d be the last to do so,
But all he heard was a sarcastic laugh and a deafening gunshot.
A second time, he went to the rigor, of shock and pain,
Nothing had changed, he still believed in the goodness of man.
Nothing had changed, Man was still a beast led by emotion
He felt life rising out of his body, though not for the first time.
As he ascended the steps, to reach his heavenly abode,
He had already petitioned for another chance,
To go amongst men and teach them the lesson of truth and justice,
For he still believed in the basic goodness of Man.
The men he believed in, sang his glory, on his birthday every year,
They shut his eyes with garlands, to hide the billions they embezzled,
They shut liquor shops for a day, to sell it in the black market and earn more,
They circumambulated him religiously, perhaps to appease him.
Perhaps he was appeased and even blessed them, by smiling
On every piece of currency they looted right under his nose,
Or perhaps he has been shocked to a coma, by their plunder,
And stands frozen in stone, holding a helpless stick in his hand.
He so loved. The goodness of whom he believed in,
He wanted to go under cover. He knew, that people feigned
Devotion to his words when he was around.
So he came in the guise of an old man, although a bit different,
From what he looked like when he himself was an old man.
He wore no glasses and carried no long sticks,
But had a long white beard and turban to match with.
He wanted to see if his dream of Ramarajya had come true,
As he had been promised on his death bed,
So he visited his beloved Ram’s supposed birthplace
The old, yet dynamic and of late, turbulent city of Ayodhya.
He got into the main artery of the city and merged with the locals,
Unperturbed by the queer glances people threw at him,
He walked along the roads, believing that he walked in a free and united India.
An India where Hindus and Muslims walked hand in hand.
He was sweating profusely, it was a sunny day.
He looked up at the clear blue sky and lowered his head,
His eyes shot up into the distance, something was wrong,
Something was missing in the familiar Ayodhya skyline.
A dome, an old battered yet monumental dome, was missing.
He tried to check his memory to see if he had forgotten,
But no, he had definitely seen it when he was last in town,
It seemed just like yesterday, though from a different life altogether.
Nevertheless, the dome was missing, and the man knew it.
His curiosity broke his initial resolve against speaking,
He went to a bystander and enquired, after describing himself,
Not as a father figure, but as an alien who had been living under a stone,
The man looked at him in an intriguing fashion, then replied,
He told him about the bloodbaths the country had faced,
Where brother had killed brother and torn the fabric of amity,
Where hammers and hands broke more than they had built.
The listener was deeply pained; this was not what he had expected,
He had thought that his death would be the final sacrifice on the altar of unity
And that there would be no more bloodshed in the name of God.
He had given up his life willingly, but in vain.
When he heard that a handful of fanatics broke what he had built
With his sweat and bones and blood, he shuddered,
An overwhelming sense of helplessness passed through him,
He stood aghast at what he had fathered and what it had come to.
He was a martyr, and believed in his cause to the core,
And yet he was a victim to the very fanaticism he fought to end,
It had instead ended his life, and more importantly, his efforts,
And still he believed in his cause of non violence.
The speaker continued talking about the clashes and counter clashes
Stories of revenge to avenge blood through more blood,
Fights in courts and on roads that had been equally ineffective,
Saints and Sufis who had begged for peace.
The old man felt hot iron poured through his ears,
As though this news was nothing, another explosion ripped his drums apart.
It shook the soul inside his temporal body,
The innate soul in him strived to get to the centre and save lives.
His new acquaintance told him to leave the area,
He reasoned that the man’s dubious looks were prime prey
To the explosive brew of young vigour and old dogmas.
The man begged to disagree, he rushed in to find out and help.
The blast was at the temple site, which was built on the site of a mosque,
This allegedly was built over a temple, in the spot where a god was born,
A god who preached tolerance, brotherhood and love for all creatures,
And people fought in His name, trying to obliterate each other.
Saffron turned red with rage, and tried to burn up the green,
No colour cared about the nameless girl, who lay bleeding on the ground,
The man picked the girl up and begged for help, he was unaware
Of how things worked fifty years into his future.
None turned up, people busy with sticks and spears
Had no time for sympathy or good sense,
He carried her on his shoulders, to anywhere there was help
To save her before all was lost.
He weaved in and out of the mob, solely intent on rescuing her,
Depositing her in a van that had arrived to help,
He went back to stop more death and damage,
As he had done all his life.
He lifted a man out of the debris,
The man was priest in the makeshift temple,
Despite his injuries, the man shrugged him off,
And began chanting, to cleanse the touch of a Muslim
Our old man was perplexed, he was not a Muslim
Nor did he belong to any of the millions of religions,
He was a man of Men, a man who was love and sacrifice.
And yet he faced rejection from everybody he tried to help.
Aghast and horrified, he moved out of the mob,
A cocktail of religion and hatred was being stirred
He wanted to get away from it all, breathless and stifled,
He walked aimlessly down and away, calling out to the Lord.
Whether his calls reached the lord or not,
This we may never know, but it did reach
The ears of another gun-toting fanatic
Who believed that he was fighting the war of God
He appeared in front of the man, called him an infidel,
Told him that he had to die, so a warrior could reach Heaven,
The old man was ready to die, if he’d be the last to do so,
But all he heard was a sarcastic laugh and a deafening gunshot.
A second time, he went to the rigor, of shock and pain,
Nothing had changed, he still believed in the goodness of man.
Nothing had changed, Man was still a beast led by emotion
He felt life rising out of his body, though not for the first time.
As he ascended the steps, to reach his heavenly abode,
He had already petitioned for another chance,
To go amongst men and teach them the lesson of truth and justice,
For he still believed in the basic goodness of Man.
The men he believed in, sang his glory, on his birthday every year,
They shut his eyes with garlands, to hide the billions they embezzled,
They shut liquor shops for a day, to sell it in the black market and earn more,
They circumambulated him religiously, perhaps to appease him.
Perhaps he was appeased and even blessed them, by smiling
On every piece of currency they looted right under his nose,
Or perhaps he has been shocked to a coma, by their plunder,
And stands frozen in stone, holding a helpless stick in his hand.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Time and Tide
A walk down the beach on a December evening
Brings forth a lot of memories to my mind
As the cool breeze caresses me, it reminds me
Of your gentle touch and caring warmth.
But it just ain’t the same.
I turn around to check these sands
To see if my footsteps, made moments ago, still exist
Well, they don’t. They’ve been eaten by the last tide.
As fleeting as time, the tide erases all,
That has been, is and will be....
But the power of these tides is limited,
It exists only on the sands of time.
It cannot rule the realm of the mind,
It can remove the footprints of existence,
But it cannot remove your memories from heart.
The walks we had, on the sands of the sea and Time
Those will never fade or disappear
For, we still continue to walk, holding each other’s hands
In the pristine beaches of my heart,
With happy tidings flowing out from the sea of bliss...
Brings forth a lot of memories to my mind
As the cool breeze caresses me, it reminds me
Of your gentle touch and caring warmth.
But it just ain’t the same.
I turn around to check these sands
To see if my footsteps, made moments ago, still exist
Well, they don’t. They’ve been eaten by the last tide.
As fleeting as time, the tide erases all,
That has been, is and will be....
But the power of these tides is limited,
It exists only on the sands of time.
It cannot rule the realm of the mind,
It can remove the footprints of existence,
But it cannot remove your memories from heart.
The walks we had, on the sands of the sea and Time
Those will never fade or disappear
For, we still continue to walk, holding each other’s hands
In the pristine beaches of my heart,
With happy tidings flowing out from the sea of bliss...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Dance and the Promise
She danced above the waters, her green fins aloft,
Accompanied by the dolphins, with their nimble feet,
And while the shoals of small fish admired from the water,
Her graceful dance brought the stars out of their slumber,
Making their watery ballroom into a disco,
While I watched from the sandy shores, their beautiful show,
It was a scene from a beautiful poem....
How I wish I could’ve joined them!
I would’ve for sure, but for my two left feet,
Tied to bonds of mortality, I could only admire from a distance,
She waved at me, told me she was waiting, for us to meet,
Told me that she would teach me how to dance,
With a promise to return later and join them, I bid farewell,
Only I know, that till then, in my dreams she would dwell...
Accompanied by the dolphins, with their nimble feet,
And while the shoals of small fish admired from the water,
Her graceful dance brought the stars out of their slumber,
Making their watery ballroom into a disco,
While I watched from the sandy shores, their beautiful show,
It was a scene from a beautiful poem....
How I wish I could’ve joined them!
I would’ve for sure, but for my two left feet,
Tied to bonds of mortality, I could only admire from a distance,
She waved at me, told me she was waiting, for us to meet,
Told me that she would teach me how to dance,
With a promise to return later and join them, I bid farewell,
Only I know, that till then, in my dreams she would dwell...
Friday, December 3, 2010
The All-mighty Devil
I was a kid, when I first heard about him,
Wanting to buy every drop of chocolate
And every bar of ice cream ever made
Probably I was too young
To have known him. But then,
I didn’t know a lot of people then!
Wide-eyed I watched an ice cream seller,
Stop his cart and offer a huge bar of vanilla,
To the man in the dark suit,
After he left though, the seller turned to me,
And claimed that the man was so powerful,
Coz he had exchanged his soul with the devil.
I was intrigued, who was this devil guy?
And if he could make a man so powerful
To get free ice cream any time he wanted,
How much power would HE have?
I really wanted to meet this guy,
But he didn’t live in my lane.
The next time I heard about him was in my teens,
My eyes trailed behind the latest rage on the silver screen
Her ample bosom, no wonder aroused my teenage fantasies,
But then, the bald priest interrupted the erotic quest,
And told me that the woman’s beauty arose
From the pact she had made with the devil.
Now, I really wanted to meet this guy,
And I roamed around the country looking for him,
On my travels, I saw stretches of wheat fields,
A farmer working on one of them, lamented,
That all the fields belonged to one man,
Who the devil had blessed with immeasurable riches.
Tired as I was, with desire and desperation growing,
The more I heard of his power and the more elusive he was.
And that was when I met him, tall, jolly and simple he was.
I was awestruck at how cordial he was to me.
I was no match for his powers, and the boons he gave
Yet he was the symbol of hospitality and kindness.
He asked me what I wanted to know,
I came out of my reverie and inquired,
Did he make people powerful, beautiful and rich?
He shook his head in the negative,
There was a hint of smile on his lips,
A gentle mischief at play.
He said that despite his wish, he did not have those powers,
People who did have those qualities,
Did so by their own merit. I was puzzled.
I told him what I had heard about him,
His mischievous smile widened from ear to ear
While he informed me that I had been talking to his PR agents.
Wanting to buy every drop of chocolate
And every bar of ice cream ever made
Probably I was too young
To have known him. But then,
I didn’t know a lot of people then!
Wide-eyed I watched an ice cream seller,
Stop his cart and offer a huge bar of vanilla,
To the man in the dark suit,
After he left though, the seller turned to me,
And claimed that the man was so powerful,
Coz he had exchanged his soul with the devil.
I was intrigued, who was this devil guy?
And if he could make a man so powerful
To get free ice cream any time he wanted,
How much power would HE have?
I really wanted to meet this guy,
But he didn’t live in my lane.
The next time I heard about him was in my teens,
My eyes trailed behind the latest rage on the silver screen
Her ample bosom, no wonder aroused my teenage fantasies,
But then, the bald priest interrupted the erotic quest,
And told me that the woman’s beauty arose
From the pact she had made with the devil.
Now, I really wanted to meet this guy,
And I roamed around the country looking for him,
On my travels, I saw stretches of wheat fields,
A farmer working on one of them, lamented,
That all the fields belonged to one man,
Who the devil had blessed with immeasurable riches.
Tired as I was, with desire and desperation growing,
The more I heard of his power and the more elusive he was.
And that was when I met him, tall, jolly and simple he was.
I was awestruck at how cordial he was to me.
I was no match for his powers, and the boons he gave
Yet he was the symbol of hospitality and kindness.
He asked me what I wanted to know,
I came out of my reverie and inquired,
Did he make people powerful, beautiful and rich?
He shook his head in the negative,
There was a hint of smile on his lips,
A gentle mischief at play.
He said that despite his wish, he did not have those powers,
People who did have those qualities,
Did so by their own merit. I was puzzled.
I told him what I had heard about him,
His mischievous smile widened from ear to ear
While he informed me that I had been talking to his PR agents.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Man On The Lighthouse
He stood on the lighthouse, all through the night,
Looking out into the sea, into the rolling waves,
Waiting, for something, for someone, he wanted to meet,
Someone who he was sure would appear anytime soon.
For the last few years, the lighthouse had become his home,
He no longer wanted to walk in the city,
The city had changed, but not he, and all that he knew
And held close to his heart had disappeared.
And so he had retreated, to the desolate lighthouse
That stood in the middle of the sea, with its water-washed walls
Through the months and years, the lighthouse had become
A part of him and he, a part of it.
For they both lay in wait, to fulfill their life’s purpose.
The lighthouse, for a ship to cross its feet and he,
For his mermaid to rise out of the waters,
And walk with him to his world.
He knew that the ship would never come,
It had never done in the past and never would,
The lighthouse knew that the mermaid wasn’t coming
She was well ensconced in the depths of the ocean.
But they remained brothers in waiting,
They had nobody but each other for company,
What they waited for, the rest of the world cared not,
What happened in the outer world, they cared nought for.
He stood with his hands on the rails, and eyes red with waiting,
Expecting his mermaid to turn up any moment,
For her to rise above the waters and meet him,
For them to walk together into his world.
He had spent many a happy moment with her,
A long vacation plan they had spoken about,
Visiting the white sandy beaches that lay not far
From the very lighthouse that he now was standing on
They had wanted to dance on the shores,
To swim together in the blue lagoons,
To build their own little hut near the waves
All not far from where he stood today.
She had left him, forever, but he did not know that
He looked over the frothy waves, for any hint
For a glimpse of his beautiful mermaid,
To see her rising above the waters.
This was where he had last seen her,
Walk hand in hand with her dad,
The king of the seas, had taken her
To his palace under the waves,
But she had turned around, at the last minute,
And promised to be back, for him,
And to take him with her, forever,
Now, he waited, for her to come.
He waits there to this day, now aged and wrinkled,
His skin shows cracks that rival a crater-hole,
His eye can’t see his own toe,
But still he waits for her.
He no longer hears the roar of the waves,
The sun and the moon have failed to amuse him,
The very lighthouse on which he stands is in ruins,
But still he waits for her.
Looking out into the sea, into the rolling waves,
Waiting, for something, for someone, he wanted to meet,
Someone who he was sure would appear anytime soon.
For the last few years, the lighthouse had become his home,
He no longer wanted to walk in the city,
The city had changed, but not he, and all that he knew
And held close to his heart had disappeared.
And so he had retreated, to the desolate lighthouse
That stood in the middle of the sea, with its water-washed walls
Through the months and years, the lighthouse had become
A part of him and he, a part of it.
For they both lay in wait, to fulfill their life’s purpose.
The lighthouse, for a ship to cross its feet and he,
For his mermaid to rise out of the waters,
And walk with him to his world.
He knew that the ship would never come,
It had never done in the past and never would,
The lighthouse knew that the mermaid wasn’t coming
She was well ensconced in the depths of the ocean.
But they remained brothers in waiting,
They had nobody but each other for company,
What they waited for, the rest of the world cared not,
What happened in the outer world, they cared nought for.
He stood with his hands on the rails, and eyes red with waiting,
Expecting his mermaid to turn up any moment,
For her to rise above the waters and meet him,
For them to walk together into his world.
He had spent many a happy moment with her,
A long vacation plan they had spoken about,
Visiting the white sandy beaches that lay not far
From the very lighthouse that he now was standing on
They had wanted to dance on the shores,
To swim together in the blue lagoons,
To build their own little hut near the waves
All not far from where he stood today.
She had left him, forever, but he did not know that
He looked over the frothy waves, for any hint
For a glimpse of his beautiful mermaid,
To see her rising above the waters.
This was where he had last seen her,
Walk hand in hand with her dad,
The king of the seas, had taken her
To his palace under the waves,
But she had turned around, at the last minute,
And promised to be back, for him,
And to take him with her, forever,
Now, he waited, for her to come.
He waits there to this day, now aged and wrinkled,
His skin shows cracks that rival a crater-hole,
His eye can’t see his own toe,
But still he waits for her.
He no longer hears the roar of the waves,
The sun and the moon have failed to amuse him,
The very lighthouse on which he stands is in ruins,
But still he waits for her.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Harmonium Player
He sat on the side-lanes every day, playing,
On something that closely resembled my briefcase,
With its lid open. Melodies flowed out of it,
Like bees from a bee hive and ants out of their hills,
His hands played music, but I felt otherwise,
I could feel them touching my heart, caressing it gently,
It made me forget the miseries of my own life,
My shrivelled heart rose and danced with joy.
A harmonium, I think it was called. A set of black and white keys.
To me, it resembled life itself. Life was a mixture too,
Of days good and bad. Of moments light and dark.
That turned the wheel of Time over and over again...
Over and over again, we move, from trial to trial,
Some we win, some we don’t. Yet we fight ‘em all.
Just as this man sat on the pavement everyday
Fighting with life and her twin sister hunger.
He opened his box of music every day, with hope,
To fill his plate with coins, to feed the stomachs at home.
Those that waited and expected his return, with food
Or something that would scare away the witch called hunger.
So do all of us. We wake up every day with hope,
That today goes better than yesterday, and helps us,
Finish tasks left undone and claim what we believe is ours.
And yet, we go to sleep every night, as restless as we woke up.
He had finished playing a song, and the next one began.
The man waited, not for coins or accolades, not even for rest,
Maybe he had more in him to learn from, not just music,
For I had learnt from him the best lesson of my life.
I had learnt from him, to never give up fighting,
No matter how much against me the odds were.
I also learnt to never look into my plate
Before I went ahead and finished a good day’s work
This man had become my preceptor,
Yes, the simple, poor, harmonium player,
Who played on the streets, had become my moral Guru,
And I, the headstrong individual, became a humble disciple.
The lesson I learnt from him, has stayed with me,
And I had tried my best to live by it, as a good student,
I might have fallen off the road, may be more than once,
But I have always stuck to the teachings of a humble harmonium player.
On something that closely resembled my briefcase,
With its lid open. Melodies flowed out of it,
Like bees from a bee hive and ants out of their hills,
His hands played music, but I felt otherwise,
I could feel them touching my heart, caressing it gently,
It made me forget the miseries of my own life,
My shrivelled heart rose and danced with joy.
A harmonium, I think it was called. A set of black and white keys.
To me, it resembled life itself. Life was a mixture too,
Of days good and bad. Of moments light and dark.
That turned the wheel of Time over and over again...
Over and over again, we move, from trial to trial,
Some we win, some we don’t. Yet we fight ‘em all.
Just as this man sat on the pavement everyday
Fighting with life and her twin sister hunger.
He opened his box of music every day, with hope,
To fill his plate with coins, to feed the stomachs at home.
Those that waited and expected his return, with food
Or something that would scare away the witch called hunger.
So do all of us. We wake up every day with hope,
That today goes better than yesterday, and helps us,
Finish tasks left undone and claim what we believe is ours.
And yet, we go to sleep every night, as restless as we woke up.
He had finished playing a song, and the next one began.
The man waited, not for coins or accolades, not even for rest,
Maybe he had more in him to learn from, not just music,
For I had learnt from him the best lesson of my life.
I had learnt from him, to never give up fighting,
No matter how much against me the odds were.
I also learnt to never look into my plate
Before I went ahead and finished a good day’s work
This man had become my preceptor,
Yes, the simple, poor, harmonium player,
Who played on the streets, had become my moral Guru,
And I, the headstrong individual, became a humble disciple.
The lesson I learnt from him, has stayed with me,
And I had tried my best to live by it, as a good student,
I might have fallen off the road, may be more than once,
But I have always stuck to the teachings of a humble harmonium player.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The man was a true believer,
He had faith in God’s existence
And spoke with him daily,
Without caring or bothering for a reply.
His neighbours thought he was mad,
They condemned and ridiculed his actions,
They accused him of heresy,
And of being in pact with the devil.
He worked hard every day, without fail
He did not complain, not once, of ill health.
And at the end of the day, he held up two sheets
Of paper, and looked up at the sky as if in contemplation
Every evening he spoke to the heavens,
Reading aloud from one sheet of paper,
His sins during the day,
And the crowd cursed and ridiculed him.
The other sheet listed God’s sins
Giving him tasks beyond his abilities,
He read this aloud too,
And the crowd cursed and ridiculed him.
As it happened, the earth shook,
And the town was gobbled up by the shocks,
Free of the earthly confines, the souls rose,
And stood, in front of Him.
The negotiations began, to decide where
They were to go next. The register was brought out.
Topping the list in golden letters was our worker.
And he was to sit by His side on the golden throne.
The crowd was dumbstruck, or maybe not so much
For there was yelling, and name-calling of the worst kind,
Everyone who cursed the worker, wanted to go up there
And without knowing their fate, they tried to claim his.
Then He spoke, in a voice as booming as the thunder He created,
He ridiculed them, derogating them worse than a stone,
He iterated, idle prayers or sycophantism were not what he wanted,
That was not why He had given them arms and legs.
He resounded; work for mankind was better worship
Than all the sermons of all the religions. That his favourite priests
Were the men who laboured day and night for the society.
That the seats of heaven wait for those who don’t wait for time...
Thus it was, that our worker sat next to the Golden Throne,
And his critics were shunned back to the mortal world,
With orders to toil and reap the harvest of their sins,
While their victim, the worker, sat by Him and watched them from above...
He had faith in God’s existence
And spoke with him daily,
Without caring or bothering for a reply.
His neighbours thought he was mad,
They condemned and ridiculed his actions,
They accused him of heresy,
And of being in pact with the devil.
He worked hard every day, without fail
He did not complain, not once, of ill health.
And at the end of the day, he held up two sheets
Of paper, and looked up at the sky as if in contemplation
Every evening he spoke to the heavens,
Reading aloud from one sheet of paper,
His sins during the day,
And the crowd cursed and ridiculed him.
The other sheet listed God’s sins
Giving him tasks beyond his abilities,
He read this aloud too,
And the crowd cursed and ridiculed him.
As it happened, the earth shook,
And the town was gobbled up by the shocks,
Free of the earthly confines, the souls rose,
And stood, in front of Him.
The negotiations began, to decide where
They were to go next. The register was brought out.
Topping the list in golden letters was our worker.
And he was to sit by His side on the golden throne.
The crowd was dumbstruck, or maybe not so much
For there was yelling, and name-calling of the worst kind,
Everyone who cursed the worker, wanted to go up there
And without knowing their fate, they tried to claim his.
Then He spoke, in a voice as booming as the thunder He created,
He ridiculed them, derogating them worse than a stone,
He iterated, idle prayers or sycophantism were not what he wanted,
That was not why He had given them arms and legs.
He resounded; work for mankind was better worship
Than all the sermons of all the religions. That his favourite priests
Were the men who laboured day and night for the society.
That the seats of heaven wait for those who don’t wait for time...
Thus it was, that our worker sat next to the Golden Throne,
And his critics were shunned back to the mortal world,
With orders to toil and reap the harvest of their sins,
While their victim, the worker, sat by Him and watched them from above...
The Princess of Her World
She woke up early one day,
From her cottage by the sea,
Finely kissed by its waters
And protected by the mountains...
There the angel slept under the stars,
The morning sun woke her up,
Gently chiding her with his long fingers,
That poked through a canopy of Pofali trees
Feigning anger at being woken up,
She sat away from him, on a rock, hidden by green foliage,
Her lover, in distress searched the worlds, high and low, in vain..
His all-seeing eye had been blinded by his limitless love...
Her curiosity got the better of her,
And she peeped out through gaps in the tree foliage,
His heart soared, in joy, he embraced her.
And there she was, lit in all her glory...
Her hair shone, like strands of gold,
Oh please, save her from the prospectors of Europe
So that they don’t make a Kimberley out of her,
Coz her treasures are reserved for her man, the sun.
She was, like I said, an angel, she floated above the earth,
Or maybe it appeared so, as her fair feet clashed with the red soil,
A flower, that she was, she danced amongst her kin
In her garden of marigolds, kissed yellow by the sun.
There she danced, a flower in the garden,
Beautiful than the cottage she so adored,
There she stood, under the yellow sun,
There she stood, the princess of her world...
From her cottage by the sea,
Finely kissed by its waters
And protected by the mountains...
There the angel slept under the stars,
The morning sun woke her up,
Gently chiding her with his long fingers,
That poked through a canopy of Pofali trees
Feigning anger at being woken up,
She sat away from him, on a rock, hidden by green foliage,
Her lover, in distress searched the worlds, high and low, in vain..
His all-seeing eye had been blinded by his limitless love...
Her curiosity got the better of her,
And she peeped out through gaps in the tree foliage,
His heart soared, in joy, he embraced her.
And there she was, lit in all her glory...
Her hair shone, like strands of gold,
Oh please, save her from the prospectors of Europe
So that they don’t make a Kimberley out of her,
Coz her treasures are reserved for her man, the sun.
She was, like I said, an angel, she floated above the earth,
Or maybe it appeared so, as her fair feet clashed with the red soil,
A flower, that she was, she danced amongst her kin
In her garden of marigolds, kissed yellow by the sun.
There she danced, a flower in the garden,
Beautiful than the cottage she so adored,
There she stood, under the yellow sun,
There she stood, the princess of her world...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Life Under a Tree
There we stood under a tree,
We stood right under it, just you and me,
Being blessed in its bosom,
We were the modern Eve and Adam,
It was a tree in full bloom, in the peak of spring,
And we stood right under it, just you and me,
A happy couple, for all the world to see,
A joy for all the world to sing.
We were the perfect couple,
Perfect for each other, if not for the world,
True, we were not fit for this world,
A different world awaited us elsewhere.
We had always thought about going there,
But never felt the need to do so,
For we were in bliss, where we were
And never thought we had somewhere else to go.
The tree showered flowers upon us,
Probably happy with our amorous adventures,
It was not someone that censured,
The happy dance of lovers.
The tree was our abode, our guardian and protector,
It was there when we needed a shelter,
Shielding us from the prying eyes of the devil,
Who had, in him, nothing but evil.
But somewhere you fell prey to him,
Somewhere, when for a minute, I had dozed off,
Out of Love’s labour, that had tired me out,
You had submitted to his whim.
The tree that sheltered us, sheltered him too,
He had come there to see us and envy,
He had hatched a plot to separate you from me,
And had, to this end, persuaded you.
In a moment of weakness, you had fallen prey,
Ending our happy ballet,
You had drifted far from me,
And become a part of my fancy.
You have gone to the other world,
A world we often talked about,
And you call me there often,
But coming there, I don’t know when...
I stand under this tree, all alone,
It has, now become my home.
My days are spent here in your memory
As I stand all day under this tree...
We stood right under it, just you and me,
Being blessed in its bosom,
We were the modern Eve and Adam,
It was a tree in full bloom, in the peak of spring,
And we stood right under it, just you and me,
A happy couple, for all the world to see,
A joy for all the world to sing.
We were the perfect couple,
Perfect for each other, if not for the world,
True, we were not fit for this world,
A different world awaited us elsewhere.
We had always thought about going there,
But never felt the need to do so,
For we were in bliss, where we were
And never thought we had somewhere else to go.
The tree showered flowers upon us,
Probably happy with our amorous adventures,
It was not someone that censured,
The happy dance of lovers.
The tree was our abode, our guardian and protector,
It was there when we needed a shelter,
Shielding us from the prying eyes of the devil,
Who had, in him, nothing but evil.
But somewhere you fell prey to him,
Somewhere, when for a minute, I had dozed off,
Out of Love’s labour, that had tired me out,
You had submitted to his whim.
The tree that sheltered us, sheltered him too,
He had come there to see us and envy,
He had hatched a plot to separate you from me,
And had, to this end, persuaded you.
In a moment of weakness, you had fallen prey,
Ending our happy ballet,
You had drifted far from me,
And become a part of my fancy.
You have gone to the other world,
A world we often talked about,
And you call me there often,
But coming there, I don’t know when...
I stand under this tree, all alone,
It has, now become my home.
My days are spent here in your memory
As I stand all day under this tree...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Dead Man Walkin...
I am a dead man,
Not one of those sorry souls
Who leave the living world trying,
Their best to hold on to it.
Oh no! Please don't count me in that list...
Nevertheless I am a dead man
I had stared at death in the face
And we joined hands to walk his ways
I went along the road that he took me through
And crossed over to the world of the dead.
I had seen him in the past,
Swinging his scythe over countless other man,
His scythe usually succeeded my sword, in action.
And he took those men who I thought I had slain
And thus we had often met on the battlefield...
We knew each other well,
Or at least I thought I did,
Before he came rampaging for my life
He was full of sorrow, at having met me
In a manner different from the past.
For this time, I was not an accomplice
I was his victim, or so he thought...
And he didn’t want me to be one
Of his poor victims. He had thought,
That I had more time on my hands.
But that wasn’t to be, for my days were over
I had seen and caused death to many a man,
And today it was my turn, I was ready.
But it looked like my friend, Death, wasn’t
He regretted the way he had to come for me.
But I told him, that I was not sad, that I was ready.
I told him, that I loved my hours of sleep,
They rejuvenated me, and sharpened my senses,
If a few hours of sleep could do that to me,
Then the eternal sleep would probably make me a God.
Saying so, I tried to boost his spirits,
But he was gloom personified,
I told him that people like me and him don’t die.
That we are alive as long as we are remembered.
That we live forever.
I told him that people live only as long as their deeds,
That we are alive every time someone talks of us and our deeds
And people like me and him, are never forgotten,
We are liked by some and feared by some, but never are we lost
Not to this world we walk in, nor the other one we walk to.
For we were the immortals, the ones this world cherishes,
We are heroes to our friends and doom to our enemies,
Thus, we are known to all, and even our critics,
Talk of our glory in vanquishing them.
So my friend, dear Death, do thy task.
I could see him convinced; he asked me if I was sure,
I asked him if he was ready and we both smiled.
We walked hand in hand, two friends who had met each other
After a very long time. We walked ahead into the setting sun,
Knowing that we lived lives of glory and will live forever...
Not one of those sorry souls
Who leave the living world trying,
Their best to hold on to it.
Oh no! Please don't count me in that list...
Nevertheless I am a dead man
I had stared at death in the face
And we joined hands to walk his ways
I went along the road that he took me through
And crossed over to the world of the dead.
I had seen him in the past,
Swinging his scythe over countless other man,
His scythe usually succeeded my sword, in action.
And he took those men who I thought I had slain
And thus we had often met on the battlefield...
We knew each other well,
Or at least I thought I did,
Before he came rampaging for my life
He was full of sorrow, at having met me
In a manner different from the past.
For this time, I was not an accomplice
I was his victim, or so he thought...
And he didn’t want me to be one
Of his poor victims. He had thought,
That I had more time on my hands.
But that wasn’t to be, for my days were over
I had seen and caused death to many a man,
And today it was my turn, I was ready.
But it looked like my friend, Death, wasn’t
He regretted the way he had to come for me.
But I told him, that I was not sad, that I was ready.
I told him, that I loved my hours of sleep,
They rejuvenated me, and sharpened my senses,
If a few hours of sleep could do that to me,
Then the eternal sleep would probably make me a God.
Saying so, I tried to boost his spirits,
But he was gloom personified,
I told him that people like me and him don’t die.
That we are alive as long as we are remembered.
That we live forever.
I told him that people live only as long as their deeds,
That we are alive every time someone talks of us and our deeds
And people like me and him, are never forgotten,
We are liked by some and feared by some, but never are we lost
Not to this world we walk in, nor the other one we walk to.
For we were the immortals, the ones this world cherishes,
We are heroes to our friends and doom to our enemies,
Thus, we are known to all, and even our critics,
Talk of our glory in vanquishing them.
So my friend, dear Death, do thy task.
I could see him convinced; he asked me if I was sure,
I asked him if he was ready and we both smiled.
We walked hand in hand, two friends who had met each other
After a very long time. We walked ahead into the setting sun,
Knowing that we lived lives of glory and will live forever...
Friday, October 8, 2010
To My Nymphalis Antiopa
I stepped out of my room one winter morning
So early that even the sun was yawning
All the dew-covered trees and leaf
Had tear drops though none was in grief
With dew, they had cleaned their eyes of earth
And filled their faces with mirth
Seeing it made me wonder
What had got their attention to surrender?
Then I noticed the source of this attention
The reason for all this happiness and commotion
It was a small, dull cocoon
But hey, it was glowing like the moon
So that was the reason behind this mirth
It was a gathering to witness this new birth
A life was breaking out of the cocoon
To see the world, oh so soon...!
Out slowly the girl sneaked
At her new world, she peeked
Then she stepped out, in all her glory
Out to see and learn the world’s story
She began her journey onward
She placed her soft feet forward
Maybe she was not sure if the earth would stand
The weight of all her six hands
It was then that I was reminded of you
Of your soft beauty and gentle demeanour
Allow me to say this, would you?
Without you this world would be a big bore....
Those plants and trees were like me
From a distance they were there to see,
A life moving out to fly
Just like I watched you walking by...
And then the girl opened her wings
Those big black captivating wings
Reminded me of your beautiful eyes and the day we met
Though I’m not sure if you remember me telling you that
We spoke only for a few minutes
Heaven knows how I managed to do that
I saw your eyes and that very minute
That very minute, I was tongue-tied
I blurted out what came to my mind
Please forget what I just said
Because, to be honest, I had lost my mind
And was walking while you led...
Maybe that day you had to go somewhere
You stretched your wings out and flew
With my heart down there wanting to pursue
But holding back so as not to pester you
You left the town one day
Not telling me when you would be back
I don’t even know if we would ever again talk
But still I hope that we would....someday...
If you happen to read this somehow
I hope with all my heart you do
Know that I live for you
And with you alone will my life be true....
So early that even the sun was yawning
All the dew-covered trees and leaf
Had tear drops though none was in grief
With dew, they had cleaned their eyes of earth
And filled their faces with mirth
Seeing it made me wonder
What had got their attention to surrender?
Then I noticed the source of this attention
The reason for all this happiness and commotion
It was a small, dull cocoon
But hey, it was glowing like the moon
So that was the reason behind this mirth
It was a gathering to witness this new birth
A life was breaking out of the cocoon
To see the world, oh so soon...!
Out slowly the girl sneaked
At her new world, she peeked
Then she stepped out, in all her glory
Out to see and learn the world’s story
She began her journey onward
She placed her soft feet forward
Maybe she was not sure if the earth would stand
The weight of all her six hands
It was then that I was reminded of you
Of your soft beauty and gentle demeanour
Allow me to say this, would you?
Without you this world would be a big bore....
Those plants and trees were like me
From a distance they were there to see,
A life moving out to fly
Just like I watched you walking by...
And then the girl opened her wings
Those big black captivating wings
Reminded me of your beautiful eyes and the day we met
Though I’m not sure if you remember me telling you that
We spoke only for a few minutes
Heaven knows how I managed to do that
I saw your eyes and that very minute
That very minute, I was tongue-tied
I blurted out what came to my mind
Please forget what I just said
Because, to be honest, I had lost my mind
And was walking while you led...
Maybe that day you had to go somewhere
You stretched your wings out and flew
With my heart down there wanting to pursue
But holding back so as not to pester you
You left the town one day
Not telling me when you would be back
I don’t even know if we would ever again talk
But still I hope that we would....someday...
If you happen to read this somehow
I hope with all my heart you do
Know that I live for you
And with you alone will my life be true....
Friday, October 1, 2010
A Talk to Remember.............. and Relish
I felt a desperate need to breathe
The air was getting thinner
And yet a fragrance touched my nostrils
A fragrance right out of Mother Nature’s bouquet
I had walked more than my share of meters
And that too on an almost vertical road
That’s right; I was taking a trek,
But definitely not for the benefits it offered
This mountaintop had a different purpose to serve
It had, for an evening, taken on a new mantle
It was a rendezvous point for two hearts...
That had, of all places, chosen this spot to meet
To meet, to talk, to share and to care
These two hearts were in love
These two hearts had met and mingled
And wanted to, for a long time, become one...
And once I managed to get to the spot,
I looked around me to see what was special,
And why she had chosen this spot....
There had to some reason behind this trek...
And I got it within a minute...
It definitely was the right and the best spot to talk,
It was a place that had, not just nature’s essence
It, rather, had her presence as well....
And there stood my angel,
In all her elegance and glory
Surrounded by fresh grass and aged trees
That reminded me of her...
She was a mixture too,
Of the old and the new,
The old her was like those trees,
Strong, resolute and protective
And nothing other than the fresh grass
Could have symbolised the new her
She was the epitome of the tenderness, the care and the love
That the grass bestows on every feet that kisses it
And there she stood, the angel of my heart,
And here I was, all tired sweaty and out of breath
As if she read my mind, she handed me a bottle of water
That I immediately took to my lips to sip, or rather gulp!
Man, if the gods ever created an elixir,
It was this. Water handed over by your girl,
That when drunk through your lips
Feels almost like a kiss from her lips...
So after having my dose of the elixir,
And getting back whatever life I’d lost
I turned towards my girl and saw her eyes
The eyes I had lost and was losing myself in...
We spent a while looking at each other’s eyes
Sharing stories of each other’s treks up the hill
Speaking in the language that only lovers know
And the language only they can speak and understand...
Then we felt it was time to talk,
In a language the world understands,
And we spoke, reminiscing about the day we had met
About the way we had met....
Of all the strange things that happen under the sun,
This had been one of the sweetest.
Two apparent strangers, meeting within the confines
Of an object that ranks among the least romantic...
Ya, it was a bus....a dirty steel frame with a loud engine
That spewed smoke and dirt, pestering the trees it crossed.
And out of that rudimentary place had emerged something
A thing of such beauty that only Nature could create such...
We went on to talk about all the fun moments we had shared together
All the happiness that had intertwined our lives so much
So much that death had failed to do us apart
Death himself was powerless to stop us from getting together
He had taken her away from me, thinking he had been successful
But pity his ignorance; he failed to know the power of love
And here we were, talking and laughing and living life.
For my girl had been granted a fresh lease of life
A life she wanted to spend only with me
A concession she had been granted,
By the powers that be, to meet me...
Not when we wanted to, for that would’ve been “always”
But only once in a while, though not so long
It still felt like eternity to us, this was the first
The first of one such moment, to be blessed by the gods
For we were together, after spending lifetimes in purgatory
And we were not planning to let this day get wasted.
Our eyes met and stayed glued to each other
We had a lot to share with the other
And yet when we tried to talk, no words came out
We managed to form coherent words from our mouths
And talked about how much we missed each other
And how much we wanted to live together
Back in the garden of bliss that she now hailed from
The day we had in our hands was quickly running out
And yet, we still had stories that would fill books
As always, we wondered at the unfair nature of Time
That flies by when we are at our happiest...
We kissed each other, knowing that this time,
There, literally, was no tomorrow.
We had no idea when we could meet again
But had to depart with mere hopes...
My girl was turning paler and was fading away
And I looked down the hill I had climbed,
Despite the fact that the journey downhill was easier
The fear of going back to the world haunted me...
My world was here with her, not down there
And I wanted to live whatever time I had left, with her
But that wasn’t how things had been destined
And I woke up myself to the reality of a void life...
I shall go down this hill today, thinking, or rather dreaming,
About when and where we would meet the next time,
And how many “next times” had to be there
Before my time was over and I joined her...
The days till the next happy day of my life will be full of dreams,
And hopes. Hope that would give me a reason to breathe and smile,
Hope that would give me a reason to live these days
Hope that would make me meet her again....
The air was getting thinner
And yet a fragrance touched my nostrils
A fragrance right out of Mother Nature’s bouquet
I had walked more than my share of meters
And that too on an almost vertical road
That’s right; I was taking a trek,
But definitely not for the benefits it offered
This mountaintop had a different purpose to serve
It had, for an evening, taken on a new mantle
It was a rendezvous point for two hearts...
That had, of all places, chosen this spot to meet
To meet, to talk, to share and to care
These two hearts were in love
These two hearts had met and mingled
And wanted to, for a long time, become one...
And once I managed to get to the spot,
I looked around me to see what was special,
And why she had chosen this spot....
There had to some reason behind this trek...
And I got it within a minute...
It definitely was the right and the best spot to talk,
It was a place that had, not just nature’s essence
It, rather, had her presence as well....
And there stood my angel,
In all her elegance and glory
Surrounded by fresh grass and aged trees
That reminded me of her...
She was a mixture too,
Of the old and the new,
The old her was like those trees,
Strong, resolute and protective
And nothing other than the fresh grass
Could have symbolised the new her
She was the epitome of the tenderness, the care and the love
That the grass bestows on every feet that kisses it
And there she stood, the angel of my heart,
And here I was, all tired sweaty and out of breath
As if she read my mind, she handed me a bottle of water
That I immediately took to my lips to sip, or rather gulp!
Man, if the gods ever created an elixir,
It was this. Water handed over by your girl,
That when drunk through your lips
Feels almost like a kiss from her lips...
So after having my dose of the elixir,
And getting back whatever life I’d lost
I turned towards my girl and saw her eyes
The eyes I had lost and was losing myself in...
We spent a while looking at each other’s eyes
Sharing stories of each other’s treks up the hill
Speaking in the language that only lovers know
And the language only they can speak and understand...
Then we felt it was time to talk,
In a language the world understands,
And we spoke, reminiscing about the day we had met
About the way we had met....
Of all the strange things that happen under the sun,
This had been one of the sweetest.
Two apparent strangers, meeting within the confines
Of an object that ranks among the least romantic...
Ya, it was a bus....a dirty steel frame with a loud engine
That spewed smoke and dirt, pestering the trees it crossed.
And out of that rudimentary place had emerged something
A thing of such beauty that only Nature could create such...
We went on to talk about all the fun moments we had shared together
All the happiness that had intertwined our lives so much
So much that death had failed to do us apart
Death himself was powerless to stop us from getting together
He had taken her away from me, thinking he had been successful
But pity his ignorance; he failed to know the power of love
And here we were, talking and laughing and living life.
For my girl had been granted a fresh lease of life
A life she wanted to spend only with me
A concession she had been granted,
By the powers that be, to meet me...
Not when we wanted to, for that would’ve been “always”
But only once in a while, though not so long
It still felt like eternity to us, this was the first
The first of one such moment, to be blessed by the gods
For we were together, after spending lifetimes in purgatory
And we were not planning to let this day get wasted.
Our eyes met and stayed glued to each other
We had a lot to share with the other
And yet when we tried to talk, no words came out
We managed to form coherent words from our mouths
And talked about how much we missed each other
And how much we wanted to live together
Back in the garden of bliss that she now hailed from
The day we had in our hands was quickly running out
And yet, we still had stories that would fill books
As always, we wondered at the unfair nature of Time
That flies by when we are at our happiest...
We kissed each other, knowing that this time,
There, literally, was no tomorrow.
We had no idea when we could meet again
But had to depart with mere hopes...
My girl was turning paler and was fading away
And I looked down the hill I had climbed,
Despite the fact that the journey downhill was easier
The fear of going back to the world haunted me...
My world was here with her, not down there
And I wanted to live whatever time I had left, with her
But that wasn’t how things had been destined
And I woke up myself to the reality of a void life...
I shall go down this hill today, thinking, or rather dreaming,
About when and where we would meet the next time,
And how many “next times” had to be there
Before my time was over and I joined her...
The days till the next happy day of my life will be full of dreams,
And hopes. Hope that would give me a reason to breathe and smile,
Hope that would give me a reason to live these days
Hope that would make me meet her again....
Thursday, August 5, 2010
A Search For A Door
I search for a door to walk through
A door that has me on one end
A door that opens out into the past
A door that will help me reach you
I have spent years looking for this door
For it will take me back to my past
Back to the happy days I spent with you
Back to the happy days when I really lived...
I was told that this door lies at the end of a road
A long one, they warned me...
But I'm ready to walk the length of this universe
If I can find the door that opens out to my past
I’ve been walking for years now,
Without rest, without a break, without wavering,
And I will continue to walk down this road
If it brings me to the door beyond which you live
Oh Master of Time! Heed my prayers!
Lend me your ears and bend your rules a little
Please bring my walk to an end
And show me the door to my past
The door that will bring me happiness
The door that will end my sorrow
The door that will take me to my past
The door that will take me to her...
Please show me this door
Please open it for me, so I can rest
With my head on her shoulders
And my tired soul in her comforting arms
For it is then I shall rest
Until then there is no comfort for me
Nor joy in this long arduous life
Till then I shall continue to walk
I will continue to walk, overcoming all obstacles
Until I reach the door that opens to my past
The door that takes me to her
The door that makes us live in our past...
A door that has me on one end
A door that opens out into the past
A door that will help me reach you
I have spent years looking for this door
For it will take me back to my past
Back to the happy days I spent with you
Back to the happy days when I really lived...
I was told that this door lies at the end of a road
A long one, they warned me...
But I'm ready to walk the length of this universe
If I can find the door that opens out to my past
I’ve been walking for years now,
Without rest, without a break, without wavering,
And I will continue to walk down this road
If it brings me to the door beyond which you live
Oh Master of Time! Heed my prayers!
Lend me your ears and bend your rules a little
Please bring my walk to an end
And show me the door to my past
The door that will bring me happiness
The door that will end my sorrow
The door that will take me to my past
The door that will take me to her...
Please show me this door
Please open it for me, so I can rest
With my head on her shoulders
And my tired soul in her comforting arms
For it is then I shall rest
Until then there is no comfort for me
Nor joy in this long arduous life
Till then I shall continue to walk
I will continue to walk, overcoming all obstacles
Until I reach the door that opens to my past
The door that takes me to her
The door that makes us live in our past...
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
WAKING UP A SLEEPING BUD....
I was moving at breakneck pace on the road
Keeping my eyes forward as it is meant to be
A colorful sight on the side of the road caught my eye
And I slowed down to stop and find out what it was...
A moment later, I was glad that I did.
It was that time of the day, the early morning hours
When the sun wakes up every bud from its slumber
To rise and shine, for the rest of the day
To spread every color of the sun’s light around the earth
Through the vibrant palette of their petals...
I stood by admiring these buds, still deep in slumber,
Trying to rub their eyes off the night’s kisses
And wake up to the dawn that awaited them
I wanted to kiss them myself before dawn
Before the daylight stole their demure silence from them.
But I was too late. There were a few early risers in them too,
And they woke up before I could step any closer
And stopped me from robbing any bud of its virginity
For that was reserved for the sun, their glorious husband,
And he had the sole privilege of touching and loving them.
Sole privilege?! That reminded me of something else,
It reminded me of another bud that had to be woken up
A curious listener might wonder at what I’m saying
He might not understand what I’m saying; he might even be unable,
To decipher what a sleeping bud has to do with sole privilege
I’ll tell you what they have to do with one another
But before I do, I gotta get going on my way
For in describing my mission, I might lose out on the action!
But don’t worry! We’ll talk on the way
And I’ll quench your thirst and curiosity through my fairy tale
I’m on my way to wake up a sleeping bud
One that the sun has decided to let go from his clasp
But to make him do that was not very easy
I had to plead and beg and ended up threatening him
To let go of this one bud for my sake...
This was one bud, more beautiful and elegant than the rest,
One bud, which bloomed everyday of the week,
One bud, which had not fallen in love with the sun
One bud which I had fallen in love with
The one bud which had fallen in love with me...
She was my lotus in the hours of dawn
Bright, open and welcoming her man to embrace her
And reflected the moon when she came to shine at night,
She was the lovely lily in the hours after dusk
Fragrant, mysterious, yet inviting her curious man to probe her mysteries....!
I think I'm almost there, at the garden of Eden,
Where my bud reigns supreme over every living creature,
Her sceptre was not one of fear or power, oh no!
She held sway and influence over the flora and fauna of the garden
Coz she loved them and they her, a sceptre of love she wielded!
I can smell the pleasant fragrance of the flowers,
It emanates from their very hearts and calls out to me,
An invitation, rather, to the one who their queen loves,
To the one who gets there regularly to do a blessed task
Of waking up the lovely, elegant Mistress of flowers.
She had made me promise, that I would be the one,
Who would wake her up every day before the rising sun
She wanted mine to be the first face she saw in the morning
And all I wanted was to be with her today, tomorrow,
And every remaining day of my life...
Now that I’ve explained what my sole privilege is
The happy slave is on his way to do his job,
And wake up the mistress of flowers from her slumber
And be embraced by the immaculate beauty, her beauty that is my elixir,
The elixir that has blessed me with a life of pure bliss...
Keeping my eyes forward as it is meant to be
A colorful sight on the side of the road caught my eye
And I slowed down to stop and find out what it was...
A moment later, I was glad that I did.
It was that time of the day, the early morning hours
When the sun wakes up every bud from its slumber
To rise and shine, for the rest of the day
To spread every color of the sun’s light around the earth
Through the vibrant palette of their petals...
I stood by admiring these buds, still deep in slumber,
Trying to rub their eyes off the night’s kisses
And wake up to the dawn that awaited them
I wanted to kiss them myself before dawn
Before the daylight stole their demure silence from them.
But I was too late. There were a few early risers in them too,
And they woke up before I could step any closer
And stopped me from robbing any bud of its virginity
For that was reserved for the sun, their glorious husband,
And he had the sole privilege of touching and loving them.
Sole privilege?! That reminded me of something else,
It reminded me of another bud that had to be woken up
A curious listener might wonder at what I’m saying
He might not understand what I’m saying; he might even be unable,
To decipher what a sleeping bud has to do with sole privilege
I’ll tell you what they have to do with one another
But before I do, I gotta get going on my way
For in describing my mission, I might lose out on the action!
But don’t worry! We’ll talk on the way
And I’ll quench your thirst and curiosity through my fairy tale
I’m on my way to wake up a sleeping bud
One that the sun has decided to let go from his clasp
But to make him do that was not very easy
I had to plead and beg and ended up threatening him
To let go of this one bud for my sake...
This was one bud, more beautiful and elegant than the rest,
One bud, which bloomed everyday of the week,
One bud, which had not fallen in love with the sun
One bud which I had fallen in love with
The one bud which had fallen in love with me...
She was my lotus in the hours of dawn
Bright, open and welcoming her man to embrace her
And reflected the moon when she came to shine at night,
She was the lovely lily in the hours after dusk
Fragrant, mysterious, yet inviting her curious man to probe her mysteries....!
I think I'm almost there, at the garden of Eden,
Where my bud reigns supreme over every living creature,
Her sceptre was not one of fear or power, oh no!
She held sway and influence over the flora and fauna of the garden
Coz she loved them and they her, a sceptre of love she wielded!
I can smell the pleasant fragrance of the flowers,
It emanates from their very hearts and calls out to me,
An invitation, rather, to the one who their queen loves,
To the one who gets there regularly to do a blessed task
Of waking up the lovely, elegant Mistress of flowers.
She had made me promise, that I would be the one,
Who would wake her up every day before the rising sun
She wanted mine to be the first face she saw in the morning
And all I wanted was to be with her today, tomorrow,
And every remaining day of my life...
Now that I’ve explained what my sole privilege is
The happy slave is on his way to do his job,
And wake up the mistress of flowers from her slumber
And be embraced by the immaculate beauty, her beauty that is my elixir,
The elixir that has blessed me with a life of pure bliss...
Friday, July 23, 2010
A Rainbow.....On The Ground!!
I posed a question to the crowd
A crowd of friends standing before me
If they had seen a rainbow
They replied that they’d seen one
Some said they’d seen one many times
Up in the sky after a soft drizzle.
I think my question wasn’t clear
For I had wanted to know if they’d seen one on the ground
On the ground? They were puzzled...
They turned a bit surprised and asked me
If I had seen one myself
They also wanted to know how and where I had seen it.
I told them about you, my beautiful angel
For you were the rainbow I had seen
The rainbow that walked the earth
And also walked the green grounds of my heart...
Everything on earth was elegant when seen by your eyes
The blue eyes that twinkled like the stars of the sky
The eyes that stole my heart forever
And made me your slave for ever after...
But I had strong competition from the sun
He saw a reflection of his colour in your skin
The immaculate yellow skin that wrapped my angel
The skin that was infinitely brighter than the Sun himself...
Your eyes clashed at times with your hair
But it was not blue, it was ...different
Your long tresses were not the colour of the sky or of the night
They were, rather, remnants of the lighter hue of the hour before dawn...
Every rose ever created by nature
Performed a life-long penance begging for a boon
That it could resemble, at least for a minute, the red hue of your lips
Of which Nature is yet to create a replica.
The radiance that emanated from you,
Blended with the gentle rays of the sun
Created an aura around you as you strode
And aura that reminded me of a bouquet of bright saffron flowers
This bouquet of flowers walked and danced on the earth
As it did on the lush valley of my heart
Making the meadows greener and fresher
Thus completing the colour scheme of the rainbow
I told my friends who were, by now, open-mouthed in awe,
Of my good fortune in knowing this rainbow that walked the earth
But by then, I had already left the scene, for I had to rush
To catch a glimpse of my rainbow as she descended to the earth....
A crowd of friends standing before me
If they had seen a rainbow
They replied that they’d seen one
Some said they’d seen one many times
Up in the sky after a soft drizzle.
I think my question wasn’t clear
For I had wanted to know if they’d seen one on the ground
On the ground? They were puzzled...
They turned a bit surprised and asked me
If I had seen one myself
They also wanted to know how and where I had seen it.
I told them about you, my beautiful angel
For you were the rainbow I had seen
The rainbow that walked the earth
And also walked the green grounds of my heart...
Everything on earth was elegant when seen by your eyes
The blue eyes that twinkled like the stars of the sky
The eyes that stole my heart forever
And made me your slave for ever after...
But I had strong competition from the sun
He saw a reflection of his colour in your skin
The immaculate yellow skin that wrapped my angel
The skin that was infinitely brighter than the Sun himself...
Your eyes clashed at times with your hair
But it was not blue, it was ...different
Your long tresses were not the colour of the sky or of the night
They were, rather, remnants of the lighter hue of the hour before dawn...
Every rose ever created by nature
Performed a life-long penance begging for a boon
That it could resemble, at least for a minute, the red hue of your lips
Of which Nature is yet to create a replica.
The radiance that emanated from you,
Blended with the gentle rays of the sun
Created an aura around you as you strode
And aura that reminded me of a bouquet of bright saffron flowers
This bouquet of flowers walked and danced on the earth
As it did on the lush valley of my heart
Making the meadows greener and fresher
Thus completing the colour scheme of the rainbow
I told my friends who were, by now, open-mouthed in awe,
Of my good fortune in knowing this rainbow that walked the earth
But by then, I had already left the scene, for I had to rush
To catch a glimpse of my rainbow as she descended to the earth....
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Afghan
I wake up every day on the desert sand
I look around and see towering mountains
Like vigilant soldiers, observing my every move
And reporting it to an invisible boss...
The desert had always been my home
And I’ve always been a playful child on her lap
With sand hills as my playmates
And the sun being our de-facto referee
I grew up in the hot, arid, yet charming desert
Accepting graciously the gifts it had offered me
It had fed and nourished me and helped me grow
Free from the claustrophobic confines of the city...
My desert and me, we have been pals
For as long as I can remember,
I have no hesitation to say and ascertain
My ownership over my desert...
And yet, of late, things have been changing
So much that I don’t really know what’s happening
There are a lot of new entrants into my desert
And they haven’t bothered to let me know their purpose...
I see brooding, dark flying birds in the sky
They cloud the sky, and darkness,
Darkness, like the night covers my desert
They keep flying around in circles, day and night...
After a lot of asking around, I get a reply
These planes are here to shoot my people
Well, their official intention is slightly different
They are actually waging a war on terror, it seems...
I do understand that a few of my brethren
Have lost the way of Islam
And have taken a road
That is best left not taken...
To think about it, they did not take this by choice
They were just pawns in a game, a great game
Played by powers unimaginably rich and powerful
Trying to get richer and more powerful
So we were given arms to fight,
Fight an enemy with whom we had no enmity
And were trained to develop feelings of radical hostility
In direct contrast to our hospitable nature
And so we were forced to become who we are,
Now the world calls us terrorists,
It was the same world that wanted us to fight for freedom
And had made us believe we were Jihadists
Every day the planes shoot down my brethren
The ones that have taken up arms to fight
And the ones who have lost their arms in fight
Die together right in front of my eyes
We are powerless to stop this killing
We are powerless to overcome our attackers
So we do what we do best
We try to protect ourselves by hiding within the caves
Our home has thankfully been blessed with these caves
If it wasn’t for them, we would have been an annihilated race
While the world calls us a primitive tribe
We are proud of our tribal ancestry
For though we fight, we fight our wars by ourselves,
We do not use innocent victims as scapegoats
And fight what is called a proxy war
And neither do we kill who we once protected
I write this as I watch more of my brothers die
I write this in the hope that it will wake the world up
I write this to talk of the misery that we go through every day
I write this in the hope that this inhuman act will end some day...
I shall now go back to fight someone's war,
And to lay down my life to satisfy someone’s greed
For I am the son of the desert
Who always lives for others need...
I am the Afghan, the true son of the desert,
The desert sands run through my blood
And I die, letting my blood join the sands
And I die, fighting a needless war.
I look around and see towering mountains
Like vigilant soldiers, observing my every move
And reporting it to an invisible boss...
The desert had always been my home
And I’ve always been a playful child on her lap
With sand hills as my playmates
And the sun being our de-facto referee
I grew up in the hot, arid, yet charming desert
Accepting graciously the gifts it had offered me
It had fed and nourished me and helped me grow
Free from the claustrophobic confines of the city...
My desert and me, we have been pals
For as long as I can remember,
I have no hesitation to say and ascertain
My ownership over my desert...
And yet, of late, things have been changing
So much that I don’t really know what’s happening
There are a lot of new entrants into my desert
And they haven’t bothered to let me know their purpose...
I see brooding, dark flying birds in the sky
They cloud the sky, and darkness,
Darkness, like the night covers my desert
They keep flying around in circles, day and night...
After a lot of asking around, I get a reply
These planes are here to shoot my people
Well, their official intention is slightly different
They are actually waging a war on terror, it seems...
I do understand that a few of my brethren
Have lost the way of Islam
And have taken a road
That is best left not taken...
To think about it, they did not take this by choice
They were just pawns in a game, a great game
Played by powers unimaginably rich and powerful
Trying to get richer and more powerful
So we were given arms to fight,
Fight an enemy with whom we had no enmity
And were trained to develop feelings of radical hostility
In direct contrast to our hospitable nature
And so we were forced to become who we are,
Now the world calls us terrorists,
It was the same world that wanted us to fight for freedom
And had made us believe we were Jihadists
Every day the planes shoot down my brethren
The ones that have taken up arms to fight
And the ones who have lost their arms in fight
Die together right in front of my eyes
We are powerless to stop this killing
We are powerless to overcome our attackers
So we do what we do best
We try to protect ourselves by hiding within the caves
Our home has thankfully been blessed with these caves
If it wasn’t for them, we would have been an annihilated race
While the world calls us a primitive tribe
We are proud of our tribal ancestry
For though we fight, we fight our wars by ourselves,
We do not use innocent victims as scapegoats
And fight what is called a proxy war
And neither do we kill who we once protected
I write this as I watch more of my brothers die
I write this in the hope that it will wake the world up
I write this to talk of the misery that we go through every day
I write this in the hope that this inhuman act will end some day...
I shall now go back to fight someone's war,
And to lay down my life to satisfy someone’s greed
For I am the son of the desert
Who always lives for others need...
I am the Afghan, the true son of the desert,
The desert sands run through my blood
And I die, letting my blood join the sands
And I die, fighting a needless war.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
My Star In My Sky
We walked along a deserted road
Not a soul in sight for miles around
The road was dark and desolate
But not us, we were full of joy and happiness
We were having the best time of our lives
And we were glad that we were all alone
If someone had seen our antics and heard our laughter
We would have been sent packing to the nearest asylum
That moment if anyone had asked me
What I felt about life, I would have said
That life was a grail of pure bliss
And it was perpetually refilled by the gods
A cool breeze blew by us
Ruffling my hair and singing in my ear
I think my girl heard the song too
For she looked at me and smiled
I tried to follow the breeze with my eyes
It was then that I noticed it in the distance
It stood out in the middle of all that darkness
Visible because it was darker than night itself...
It was a clothed figure that I saw
Too tall to be a woman, yet too thin to be a man
It was frail, gaunt and stood with a stoop
Yet there lay a hidden strength in the way it stood...
My girl had not seen it, not yet
And my sixth sense told me to leave at once
I looked at her in the eye and asked her if we could leave
That was when she disagreed with me for the first time
We usually had had the same thoughts
That was what had brought us closer
But why at this juncture did she want to go on
When my instincts asked me to drive away from the area?
There was something in her eye,
That had always stopped me from arguing with her
And it was the same power she had
That made me agree with her that night
I admit that I was hesitant to tell her
That I was afraid of a dark figure standing far away
But I think it might done a lot of good for us
My words could have changed both of our lives
But our lives did change, forever...
In a way I hadn’t even dreamt about,
That dark stooping figure in the distance
Altered my life in the worst imaginable way
My girl had still not noticed him
Or maybe was it just visible to my eyes?
Am I seeing hallucinations in darkness?
Or was it staying hidden from her?
And slowly we came within ten yards of each other
The figure raised its head and looked at us
It was a man alright, but the kind of man I had never seen
His tall, thin frame looked like it was robed by the night itself.
But his face was what made him stand apart
He had intentionally covered his face with his robe
I bet he did that to convince people that he was harmless
For his face was white as a skeleton and equally bony
The deep sockets where his eyes should have been
They had an eerie glow in them, the glow of fire
It looked as though a car had its tail lights on
And parked itself into his face, that’s how red his eyes were...
He looked at me through those red eyes
As though he wanted to eat me alive...
His face frowned and pale lips converged
A faint semblance of a smile escaped through them...
We were now at arm’s reach of each other
My brain was using all its strength to drag me
As far as possible from that ghastly figure
But my heart wanted to stay with my girl...
So I stood my ground and looked at her
Her face was as happy as ever, but how?
Had she not seen the figure yet?
Or was it something that existed only in my imagination?
Those pale dry lips opened up and spoke
And what a voice it was, in one word, horrible
It seemed like a million saxophones were being played
At the same time, by novices who hit all the wrong notes...
His words rang shrill in my ears, like the song of a bat
Eerie, like the hoot of an owl or a parliament of them
He said that he wanted me to leave at once
A wave of relief passed through me...
I caught my girl’s hand with an aggression, used never before
Before I could turn around and flee, the man stopped me.
He said that he wanted me to leave at once
He said that he wanted me to leave at once, alone...
He wanted me to leave my girl with him, the daring he had!!
And as though he believed that I would do that...
I had sworn to be with her in life
And I was ready to protect her with my life...
In a deliberate show of obstinacy, I declined to obey him
I said that I was going nowhere without my girl
That plastic smile passed his face again
He said that I had no idea as to what was going on that night
I told him that I did not care, no matter what happened,
I was not going to leave my girl alone that was for sure
He told me that he had been alone for a very, very long time
And being alone was in a way a staircase to bliss...
I was in no mood to argue, the night was getting colder
And my heart and soul wanted to rush the both of us
To the safety of our home. But something was very wrong.
I could feel a dark premonition going through my brain.
He pointed directly at her and said “She stays!”
Perplexed, I looked at my girl immediately wishing I hadn’t.
Her face was petrified and appeared white and cold.
There was almost no sign of life in her.
I was fuming with anger, at this ghastly apparition before me
I was yet to come to terms with what had happened to my girl
She looked like she had been turned to stone and placed on a block of ice
And I was loathing the presence of this weird entity that was causing everything
He looked at me and said, “I know what you are thinking”
He said he knew that I hated his presence and wanted him to leave
He promised to do that after finishing his task
And with that he broke into laughter
There was no mirth or joy in that laughter
It was shrill and cut through the silence of the night
I felt a burning chill pass through my spine
And the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end
Who was this guy and how did he know what I was thinking?
And what had he done to my girl? Had he.....? No, I can’t think that,
I did not want to think that. I assured myself that he couldn’t have done that
After all, I was by her side all this time and had seen nothing happening...
His sadistic laughter continued, waking every sleeping being
But none dared come out in front of him,
I had no choice but to hold my ground till I found a way
To save my girl and take her away from the clutches of this madman...
The laughter stopped as abruptly as it had started
He looked at me and said “What you want to do is not possible
None has escaped my clutches in the past and none will in the future
You were destined to meet me on this road together and leave alone”
That last word of his...the word “alone” sank into me
It felt like someone was pouring acid into my ears
All the nerves in my body were crying out in pain
And I wished to hear him say that I heard it wrong.
But he said that my hearing was perfect
And that I had heard him right. I was to be leaving alone.
He also said that there was no point in fighting him
And there was no power on earth that dared stop him.
The realisation of it hit me; he was not some filthy vagabond
On the road trying to scare people and extort money
He was Death himself. And he had come to meet us.
But my heart refused to accept the way things were unfolding.
After facing the truth, I knew fighting him was futile,
And that no matter how strong I was, I was powerless in front of him.
Instead of confronting him, I bent down in front of him
I was on the street with my head at his feet, bowing down to him.
I knew that he knew no fear or favour in his line of work
The best of princes and the worst of paupers were one to him
He had taken all of them, when it was their time to go
Though he faced protests every time, he was always victorious...
This knowledge did nothing to comfort me
It only made things worse, for I couldn’t fight him or destroy him
I did the only thing that was left to be done, I bowed down
I begged him to give up his thirst for life, give it up at least for one night.
He had seen through my game, and he laughed.
He asked me if I would give up happily the next morning
If he gave me a night to live with my girl
He smiled again, as he knew what my answer would be.
I offered him my life, instead of my girl’s.
Told him that he could take it any moment he wished
If my life was enough to keep my girl alive,
I was ready to die a million times if she could live one more day.
He denied it outright; he said I was not his pick for the night
He had come for her and he was going to take her with him
If he was so intent on taking her with him, I said he could take me too.
For without my girl, I was sure to be alive yet without a life...
He broke into laughter again, that shrill blood curdling laughter...
He said that things did not work that way in his office,
He did not offer free trips to people who were not on his list
And that night, my name was not on the list but my girl’s was...
I still believed that there was some way to stop his heinous act,
I stood between my girl and him, protecting her with my body,
I believed that I could shield her from his clutches
And eventually take her home safe with me...
He was unrelenting, he continued to smile,
Mildly amused by my antics to protect my girl.
Was it power or pride or experience or something else
That made him so supremely confident in his abilities?
And was it bravery or love or plain foolishness
That made me stand in the way of this juggernaut?
I don’t know. Nevertheless I stood in front of him
And blocking him from reaching my girl.
He moved forward with that smile plastered on his face
A step closer to me, he took. I spread my feet and stood strong
He didn’t seem to mind. He brought his hands together.
I expected an attack, but heard a clapping sound.
Something moved behind me, instinctively I turned around.
It was my girl. She still looked petrified, but something was different.
She moved around me and towards him, all in slow motion.
And I called her name out with all the energy I had, to no avail...
I tried to take her hand and drag her towards me, but no.
I couldn’t even touch her; a strange glow of light surrounded her
She dragged her feet along, like a tired dog walking to its master
Only this time, she did not realise what was happening.
I fell at his feet, and cried worse than a baby that had lost its mother,
He looked at me blankly and said he’d watched this show numerous times
So many times, that he was beginning to get bored of it.
Little did he know, that to me it was all so new and unbearably painful...
He took a step backward, freeing his feet from the pool of my tears
And said that it was time for him to leave and he would meet me again someday.
I begged him to take me along that very day so that we wouldn’t have to meet again
But he said my time hadn’t yet come and I had years left in me.
He started speaking to me about things I had known all along,
He told me how much my girl had loved me in life,
And that she had wanted me to be happy after her death
Yet, he did not realise that I was nothing without her, not even a body.
She had been my body, heart and soul ever since the day we had met
And we had lived one life every minute after that day...
He knew my thoughts once again and smiled.
He said that it was a part of his job, though he did not like it.
He told me that I was lucky to have met her and spent time with her
He told me that he knew about millions of other men who had met him
After several decades of life but without finding the love of their lives
And I was blessed indeed to have found true love so early on in my life.
I told him that it was the very reason why I didn’t want to live without her
He said that he knew that too, but had no choice.
Certain things were the way they were supposed to be
And given a choice no man would ever want to meet his death.
I told him that I was ready to do it, take the trip with him
It was then that he shed a tear, and said that he knew that too...
And that he was not ready to take me yet. He had promised,
Granted my girl her last wish to bless me with a long and happy life.
So that was how it was, I thought.
I had lost my life and yet been cursed with a long one...
I wanted to continue reasoning with him and begging
Though he had started on his way back, he turned.
He looked into my eyes and said that I had been true to her
And for that he would grant her life for a minute
I was granted sixty seconds to say all I had to say to my girl
And bid her adieu for the rest of my life.
My angel sprang to life; she looked at me with tear-filled eyes
She thanked me for the happiness I had brought her
I was speaking the language of tears, the only one I was capable of.
She lifted her hands and wiped the tears off from my face, for the last time.
She said that she would always be with me, by my side
Laughing in my joys and sharing my burdens,
And I would have no reason to worry or cry
As she would always be looking after me.
She promised that she would talk to me, when she could
And that I would hear her if I believed in her presence
She wanted to know if I wanted to say something.
I could only hug her and cry on her shoulders, again for the last time
She said that she would no longer walk the earth
But would happily enjoy the comfort of her throne in my heart,
That she would no longer be in her body
But would be happy being a part of me...
The minute was about to be over and we kissed
A warm embrace and kiss turned into an encounter with ice
For the minute was done and she was gone
The man in the dark suit had also disappeared with her...
I was alone on the road, not knowing what to do,
I bent down, kneeled and cried. I cried till I had no strength left.
I looked up hoping to see a pair of hands comforting me
Despite knowing that those beautiful hands would never move again...
I looked up and saw the sky, the night was still clouded
But one star shone brightly amidst the clouds.
Reminding me of the star that guided the Magi to the god-child.
And this star shone just the way her eyes twinkled when she smiled...
So there she was, looking after me, as she had promised.
I got up to walk on as she had wanted me to.
Believing that she would guide me like she had always done.
And would always be there by my side, holding my hand...
I continue to walk to this day, on the long, rough road of life
With the star always lighting the path in front of me
Saving me from perils and giving me strength. I look at the sky
And the star smiles back at me reminding me of her bright eyes...
Not a soul in sight for miles around
The road was dark and desolate
But not us, we were full of joy and happiness
We were having the best time of our lives
And we were glad that we were all alone
If someone had seen our antics and heard our laughter
We would have been sent packing to the nearest asylum
That moment if anyone had asked me
What I felt about life, I would have said
That life was a grail of pure bliss
And it was perpetually refilled by the gods
A cool breeze blew by us
Ruffling my hair and singing in my ear
I think my girl heard the song too
For she looked at me and smiled
I tried to follow the breeze with my eyes
It was then that I noticed it in the distance
It stood out in the middle of all that darkness
Visible because it was darker than night itself...
It was a clothed figure that I saw
Too tall to be a woman, yet too thin to be a man
It was frail, gaunt and stood with a stoop
Yet there lay a hidden strength in the way it stood...
My girl had not seen it, not yet
And my sixth sense told me to leave at once
I looked at her in the eye and asked her if we could leave
That was when she disagreed with me for the first time
We usually had had the same thoughts
That was what had brought us closer
But why at this juncture did she want to go on
When my instincts asked me to drive away from the area?
There was something in her eye,
That had always stopped me from arguing with her
And it was the same power she had
That made me agree with her that night
I admit that I was hesitant to tell her
That I was afraid of a dark figure standing far away
But I think it might done a lot of good for us
My words could have changed both of our lives
But our lives did change, forever...
In a way I hadn’t even dreamt about,
That dark stooping figure in the distance
Altered my life in the worst imaginable way
My girl had still not noticed him
Or maybe was it just visible to my eyes?
Am I seeing hallucinations in darkness?
Or was it staying hidden from her?
And slowly we came within ten yards of each other
The figure raised its head and looked at us
It was a man alright, but the kind of man I had never seen
His tall, thin frame looked like it was robed by the night itself.
But his face was what made him stand apart
He had intentionally covered his face with his robe
I bet he did that to convince people that he was harmless
For his face was white as a skeleton and equally bony
The deep sockets where his eyes should have been
They had an eerie glow in them, the glow of fire
It looked as though a car had its tail lights on
And parked itself into his face, that’s how red his eyes were...
He looked at me through those red eyes
As though he wanted to eat me alive...
His face frowned and pale lips converged
A faint semblance of a smile escaped through them...
We were now at arm’s reach of each other
My brain was using all its strength to drag me
As far as possible from that ghastly figure
But my heart wanted to stay with my girl...
So I stood my ground and looked at her
Her face was as happy as ever, but how?
Had she not seen the figure yet?
Or was it something that existed only in my imagination?
Those pale dry lips opened up and spoke
And what a voice it was, in one word, horrible
It seemed like a million saxophones were being played
At the same time, by novices who hit all the wrong notes...
His words rang shrill in my ears, like the song of a bat
Eerie, like the hoot of an owl or a parliament of them
He said that he wanted me to leave at once
A wave of relief passed through me...
I caught my girl’s hand with an aggression, used never before
Before I could turn around and flee, the man stopped me.
He said that he wanted me to leave at once
He said that he wanted me to leave at once, alone...
He wanted me to leave my girl with him, the daring he had!!
And as though he believed that I would do that...
I had sworn to be with her in life
And I was ready to protect her with my life...
In a deliberate show of obstinacy, I declined to obey him
I said that I was going nowhere without my girl
That plastic smile passed his face again
He said that I had no idea as to what was going on that night
I told him that I did not care, no matter what happened,
I was not going to leave my girl alone that was for sure
He told me that he had been alone for a very, very long time
And being alone was in a way a staircase to bliss...
I was in no mood to argue, the night was getting colder
And my heart and soul wanted to rush the both of us
To the safety of our home. But something was very wrong.
I could feel a dark premonition going through my brain.
He pointed directly at her and said “She stays!”
Perplexed, I looked at my girl immediately wishing I hadn’t.
Her face was petrified and appeared white and cold.
There was almost no sign of life in her.
I was fuming with anger, at this ghastly apparition before me
I was yet to come to terms with what had happened to my girl
She looked like she had been turned to stone and placed on a block of ice
And I was loathing the presence of this weird entity that was causing everything
He looked at me and said, “I know what you are thinking”
He said he knew that I hated his presence and wanted him to leave
He promised to do that after finishing his task
And with that he broke into laughter
There was no mirth or joy in that laughter
It was shrill and cut through the silence of the night
I felt a burning chill pass through my spine
And the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end
Who was this guy and how did he know what I was thinking?
And what had he done to my girl? Had he.....? No, I can’t think that,
I did not want to think that. I assured myself that he couldn’t have done that
After all, I was by her side all this time and had seen nothing happening...
His sadistic laughter continued, waking every sleeping being
But none dared come out in front of him,
I had no choice but to hold my ground till I found a way
To save my girl and take her away from the clutches of this madman...
The laughter stopped as abruptly as it had started
He looked at me and said “What you want to do is not possible
None has escaped my clutches in the past and none will in the future
You were destined to meet me on this road together and leave alone”
That last word of his...the word “alone” sank into me
It felt like someone was pouring acid into my ears
All the nerves in my body were crying out in pain
And I wished to hear him say that I heard it wrong.
But he said that my hearing was perfect
And that I had heard him right. I was to be leaving alone.
He also said that there was no point in fighting him
And there was no power on earth that dared stop him.
The realisation of it hit me; he was not some filthy vagabond
On the road trying to scare people and extort money
He was Death himself. And he had come to meet us.
But my heart refused to accept the way things were unfolding.
After facing the truth, I knew fighting him was futile,
And that no matter how strong I was, I was powerless in front of him.
Instead of confronting him, I bent down in front of him
I was on the street with my head at his feet, bowing down to him.
I knew that he knew no fear or favour in his line of work
The best of princes and the worst of paupers were one to him
He had taken all of them, when it was their time to go
Though he faced protests every time, he was always victorious...
This knowledge did nothing to comfort me
It only made things worse, for I couldn’t fight him or destroy him
I did the only thing that was left to be done, I bowed down
I begged him to give up his thirst for life, give it up at least for one night.
He had seen through my game, and he laughed.
He asked me if I would give up happily the next morning
If he gave me a night to live with my girl
He smiled again, as he knew what my answer would be.
I offered him my life, instead of my girl’s.
Told him that he could take it any moment he wished
If my life was enough to keep my girl alive,
I was ready to die a million times if she could live one more day.
He denied it outright; he said I was not his pick for the night
He had come for her and he was going to take her with him
If he was so intent on taking her with him, I said he could take me too.
For without my girl, I was sure to be alive yet without a life...
He broke into laughter again, that shrill blood curdling laughter...
He said that things did not work that way in his office,
He did not offer free trips to people who were not on his list
And that night, my name was not on the list but my girl’s was...
I still believed that there was some way to stop his heinous act,
I stood between my girl and him, protecting her with my body,
I believed that I could shield her from his clutches
And eventually take her home safe with me...
He was unrelenting, he continued to smile,
Mildly amused by my antics to protect my girl.
Was it power or pride or experience or something else
That made him so supremely confident in his abilities?
And was it bravery or love or plain foolishness
That made me stand in the way of this juggernaut?
I don’t know. Nevertheless I stood in front of him
And blocking him from reaching my girl.
He moved forward with that smile plastered on his face
A step closer to me, he took. I spread my feet and stood strong
He didn’t seem to mind. He brought his hands together.
I expected an attack, but heard a clapping sound.
Something moved behind me, instinctively I turned around.
It was my girl. She still looked petrified, but something was different.
She moved around me and towards him, all in slow motion.
And I called her name out with all the energy I had, to no avail...
I tried to take her hand and drag her towards me, but no.
I couldn’t even touch her; a strange glow of light surrounded her
She dragged her feet along, like a tired dog walking to its master
Only this time, she did not realise what was happening.
I fell at his feet, and cried worse than a baby that had lost its mother,
He looked at me blankly and said he’d watched this show numerous times
So many times, that he was beginning to get bored of it.
Little did he know, that to me it was all so new and unbearably painful...
He took a step backward, freeing his feet from the pool of my tears
And said that it was time for him to leave and he would meet me again someday.
I begged him to take me along that very day so that we wouldn’t have to meet again
But he said my time hadn’t yet come and I had years left in me.
He started speaking to me about things I had known all along,
He told me how much my girl had loved me in life,
And that she had wanted me to be happy after her death
Yet, he did not realise that I was nothing without her, not even a body.
She had been my body, heart and soul ever since the day we had met
And we had lived one life every minute after that day...
He knew my thoughts once again and smiled.
He said that it was a part of his job, though he did not like it.
He told me that I was lucky to have met her and spent time with her
He told me that he knew about millions of other men who had met him
After several decades of life but without finding the love of their lives
And I was blessed indeed to have found true love so early on in my life.
I told him that it was the very reason why I didn’t want to live without her
He said that he knew that too, but had no choice.
Certain things were the way they were supposed to be
And given a choice no man would ever want to meet his death.
I told him that I was ready to do it, take the trip with him
It was then that he shed a tear, and said that he knew that too...
And that he was not ready to take me yet. He had promised,
Granted my girl her last wish to bless me with a long and happy life.
So that was how it was, I thought.
I had lost my life and yet been cursed with a long one...
I wanted to continue reasoning with him and begging
Though he had started on his way back, he turned.
He looked into my eyes and said that I had been true to her
And for that he would grant her life for a minute
I was granted sixty seconds to say all I had to say to my girl
And bid her adieu for the rest of my life.
My angel sprang to life; she looked at me with tear-filled eyes
She thanked me for the happiness I had brought her
I was speaking the language of tears, the only one I was capable of.
She lifted her hands and wiped the tears off from my face, for the last time.
She said that she would always be with me, by my side
Laughing in my joys and sharing my burdens,
And I would have no reason to worry or cry
As she would always be looking after me.
She promised that she would talk to me, when she could
And that I would hear her if I believed in her presence
She wanted to know if I wanted to say something.
I could only hug her and cry on her shoulders, again for the last time
She said that she would no longer walk the earth
But would happily enjoy the comfort of her throne in my heart,
That she would no longer be in her body
But would be happy being a part of me...
The minute was about to be over and we kissed
A warm embrace and kiss turned into an encounter with ice
For the minute was done and she was gone
The man in the dark suit had also disappeared with her...
I was alone on the road, not knowing what to do,
I bent down, kneeled and cried. I cried till I had no strength left.
I looked up hoping to see a pair of hands comforting me
Despite knowing that those beautiful hands would never move again...
I looked up and saw the sky, the night was still clouded
But one star shone brightly amidst the clouds.
Reminding me of the star that guided the Magi to the god-child.
And this star shone just the way her eyes twinkled when she smiled...
So there she was, looking after me, as she had promised.
I got up to walk on as she had wanted me to.
Believing that she would guide me like she had always done.
And would always be there by my side, holding my hand...
I continue to walk to this day, on the long, rough road of life
With the star always lighting the path in front of me
Saving me from perils and giving me strength. I look at the sky
And the star smiles back at me reminding me of her bright eyes...
Sunday, July 4, 2010
A Night's Tale
I met her on a bridge
I walked from the eastern side
And she was from the west
Under us an icy river thundered by...
We had not planned this meeting
Though I had seen it in my dreams
I never thought I’ll walk on that bridge
Or meet her there...
Our eyes met and at that moment,
I heard a million unspoken words
The silence was deafening
But it was also the last thing I heard...
We stood there facing each other
Then we stepped closer and closer
Finally we were so close
That I could see my eyes in hers
Well that was after my heart had left me
I saw her feet getting wetter and wetter
By the kisses my heart placed on them
Trying to win over her heart for me
My hearing had failed me
And my eyes refused to see anything but her
My mouth, well I can’t really say
It got frozen shut by a torrent of words...
And we stayed that way for sometime
I don’t know, maybe a minute or a million aeons
Might have passed by as we stood there
But we continued to stand there, regardless...
A cold breeze blew by us,
And it was followed by a warm drift
A soothing, pleasing drift of love and warmth
Ya, it did emanate from her...
Ha! Now my senses were beginning to work
I turned around to take in the scene surrounding us
But my vision still seemed blurred
Or was it because her hair formed a dark cloak around us?
Despite my rediscovery of the sense of sight, I was reluctant
To look anywhere around me...
I didn’t really feel like taking my eyes
Away from the angelic beauty so close to me...
So I kept looking and admiring and drowning
Into the twin seas of sweet water that were her eyes...
I knew I was losing myself, but I was relishing it
I knew I was crashing into love and I was loving it
Well, I can’t describe how it felt
English fails to supply words to match it
If I were to compromise with the incompetent vocabulary
I would say that I was in a cloud of bliss
And what a cloud it was...with me in the middle of it
Rains of happiness blessed my world
I felt joy and mirth flowing around me
And in the very veins inside me...
The parched rivers of my heart were rejuvenated
I had a high tide, not of water, but of happiness
But I was not sure if my angel wanted to share
A boat ride with me through this rain of bliss...
I was hesitant to ask her about it
What if she refused and left?
This sight of beauty I was getting lost in,
Even that would have been denied to me.
So I continued to stand there
Like a 5-year old lost in the beauty
Of a gift his dad had given him
But no, this gift had come to me from God.
They say people who smile often
Become closer to god
But I wanted to make you smile all the time
So I could stay close to an angel
It was then that you opened you mouth
Those sweet lips moved in unison
Can unity and separation bring more confusion?
Well it happens every time you smile at me....
You looked around us slowly
I couldn’t bear to see those eyes moving away
I prayed that you would look back at me but also thought
Of removing my eyes and be blinded with love...
You looked at the scene around us
And exclaimed about the beauty of nature
Do you know, my dear, that nature exclaims
About your beauty every time it sees you?
Well, at that moment I had no choice, but to agree
I didn’t want to argue saying you looked more beautiful
Than all the flowers and birds and everything else
That nature might have created in her best moments...
You looked a bit hesitant, but why?
What was it that you wanted to ask?
I waited patiently, of course
I would wait an eternity to hear the music of your voice...
Finally, you decided to say it and be done
You asked me if I wanted to take a walk
Well, if it was with you, I’d walk into the gates of hell
And through blazing fires and chilling blizzards...
But no, you weren’t planning on testing me that day
You just asked me to walk with you to the western side
To your side, where you had come from
And me, well I just stood there without saying anything
Obviously, I wanted to yell with all my heart
That I would do nothing but walk with you
But my mouth was still stuck with words
And I agreed by shaking my head foolishly...
I don’t know why or how it happened
But I’m glad that it did happen
Your face broke into a smile
The most beautiful one I had ever seen...
You tugged my hand as though I was a kid
And you were my mother taking me to school
And just dragged me as u sped forward
To the western side you had come from...
And we cleared the bridge together
With me struggling to keep pace with you
And we entered your land
The land that had created a beauty like you
I know it is a cliché
But I will still say it
The grass really looked greener on your side
Unless it was my eyes playing tricks with me...
And the trees, well they looked like tall moms,
With branches bending down to pick playing kids
And hug them close to keep them warm
Maybe because it was your land, there was love everywhere...
We roamed around the length and breadth of this land
Where the sun was never too hot
Nor was the wind too strong
Nor were the nights too long
But I wanted this night to go on
On and on, for all eternity to come
Coz this night I wasn’t eating or drinking
Or even breathing, oh no! Not this night.
This night I was bathing, bathing in your beauty
And was feeling the blessing of gods upon me
For it was only that and nothing else
Which could have brought you to me...
And then we got to a wooded park
The trees here blocked out even the moonlight
Maybe this was a personal place for lovers
And not even the moon was allowed entry
We sat down at the foot of a tree
A massive trunked tree it was
I don’t know why she chose that one to sit under
But I’m sure she had her reasons
She asked me if I liked her country
Well, I don’t know if it was the long walk
Or the magic played by the trees
But the gates of my mouth were finally open
Out of disuse for a while, I couldn’t speak well
Words came in bits and pieces out of my mouth
I think she liked my reply coz she smiled
Yet another of those beautiful smiles passed through her lips...
And then we started talking, well about a thousand things
Jumping from one subject to the next, from one topic to another
She listened keenly when I talked, but not me...
I simply lost myself in her eyes when she spoke
Thankfully, she was not a schoolteacher
And did not ask me any questions from her talk
For if she had tried, I would have flunked the test
And may have been asked to stay out of her class...!!
And we talked, for a very long time...
Maybe the gods heard my prayers
For night was granted an extended life
And we were granted each other’s lives
After speaking and listening and speaking and listening,
She asked me a question...something I knew the answer to, for a change...
She asked me if I liked the time I spent with her
I replied saying that if I was to die by her side, I would die a happy man...
I half-expected her to get up and leave
Another part of me wanted to save me from a slap
But she did neither; she just looked into my eyes
And broke again into one of those smiles...
That minute, that one minute, I simply wanted
To hold her face in my hands and hand my life over
Because to me, life had ended as I knew it
And this night had made it worth living...
I saw her brighten up in an instant
Maybe it was happiness or maybe it was sunlight
Ya, the sun had begun to rise in the east
And his rays were gently embracing her...
Never had I enjoyed dawn so much,
The end of the previous night did not deter me
It had brought me together with the love of my life
And had given way for dawn symbolising a new beginning.
Well, it was a new beginning for me,
An end to all the miseries and trials of my past
A fresh page in my book of life
Fresh as a morning in spring...
And I was sharing the glory of that morning with her
Praying that I would wake up every morning of the rest of my life
With my head in her lap enjoying her soft grazing through my hair
Reminding me of the days my mother used to do that...
She wanted to know how much time I had left
I told her I had a few thousand days of my life left
And that I wanted to spend every minute of that with her
Should I tell her that my time would end the moment she left?
I don’t think so. Not because it would hurt my manly ego
But because I knew that she knew it, I could see it
In those beautiful brown eyes that spoke a lot
Without ever disturbing the beauty of silence...
Once again, she smiled. And I was caught off guard....
Completely disarmed and defeated. Yet I was happy.
Happy because I had lost myself and found her
Happy because she had given herself and absorbed me
I will end this here, as I’m needed somewhere
My girl is calling out to me, to take a walk
In the park under a full moon as beautiful as her
With the gods blessing us with a gentle drizzle, so goodbye...
I walked from the eastern side
And she was from the west
Under us an icy river thundered by...
We had not planned this meeting
Though I had seen it in my dreams
I never thought I’ll walk on that bridge
Or meet her there...
Our eyes met and at that moment,
I heard a million unspoken words
The silence was deafening
But it was also the last thing I heard...
We stood there facing each other
Then we stepped closer and closer
Finally we were so close
That I could see my eyes in hers
Well that was after my heart had left me
I saw her feet getting wetter and wetter
By the kisses my heart placed on them
Trying to win over her heart for me
My hearing had failed me
And my eyes refused to see anything but her
My mouth, well I can’t really say
It got frozen shut by a torrent of words...
And we stayed that way for sometime
I don’t know, maybe a minute or a million aeons
Might have passed by as we stood there
But we continued to stand there, regardless...
A cold breeze blew by us,
And it was followed by a warm drift
A soothing, pleasing drift of love and warmth
Ya, it did emanate from her...
Ha! Now my senses were beginning to work
I turned around to take in the scene surrounding us
But my vision still seemed blurred
Or was it because her hair formed a dark cloak around us?
Despite my rediscovery of the sense of sight, I was reluctant
To look anywhere around me...
I didn’t really feel like taking my eyes
Away from the angelic beauty so close to me...
So I kept looking and admiring and drowning
Into the twin seas of sweet water that were her eyes...
I knew I was losing myself, but I was relishing it
I knew I was crashing into love and I was loving it
Well, I can’t describe how it felt
English fails to supply words to match it
If I were to compromise with the incompetent vocabulary
I would say that I was in a cloud of bliss
And what a cloud it was...with me in the middle of it
Rains of happiness blessed my world
I felt joy and mirth flowing around me
And in the very veins inside me...
The parched rivers of my heart were rejuvenated
I had a high tide, not of water, but of happiness
But I was not sure if my angel wanted to share
A boat ride with me through this rain of bliss...
I was hesitant to ask her about it
What if she refused and left?
This sight of beauty I was getting lost in,
Even that would have been denied to me.
So I continued to stand there
Like a 5-year old lost in the beauty
Of a gift his dad had given him
But no, this gift had come to me from God.
They say people who smile often
Become closer to god
But I wanted to make you smile all the time
So I could stay close to an angel
It was then that you opened you mouth
Those sweet lips moved in unison
Can unity and separation bring more confusion?
Well it happens every time you smile at me....
You looked around us slowly
I couldn’t bear to see those eyes moving away
I prayed that you would look back at me but also thought
Of removing my eyes and be blinded with love...
You looked at the scene around us
And exclaimed about the beauty of nature
Do you know, my dear, that nature exclaims
About your beauty every time it sees you?
Well, at that moment I had no choice, but to agree
I didn’t want to argue saying you looked more beautiful
Than all the flowers and birds and everything else
That nature might have created in her best moments...
You looked a bit hesitant, but why?
What was it that you wanted to ask?
I waited patiently, of course
I would wait an eternity to hear the music of your voice...
Finally, you decided to say it and be done
You asked me if I wanted to take a walk
Well, if it was with you, I’d walk into the gates of hell
And through blazing fires and chilling blizzards...
But no, you weren’t planning on testing me that day
You just asked me to walk with you to the western side
To your side, where you had come from
And me, well I just stood there without saying anything
Obviously, I wanted to yell with all my heart
That I would do nothing but walk with you
But my mouth was still stuck with words
And I agreed by shaking my head foolishly...
I don’t know why or how it happened
But I’m glad that it did happen
Your face broke into a smile
The most beautiful one I had ever seen...
You tugged my hand as though I was a kid
And you were my mother taking me to school
And just dragged me as u sped forward
To the western side you had come from...
And we cleared the bridge together
With me struggling to keep pace with you
And we entered your land
The land that had created a beauty like you
I know it is a cliché
But I will still say it
The grass really looked greener on your side
Unless it was my eyes playing tricks with me...
And the trees, well they looked like tall moms,
With branches bending down to pick playing kids
And hug them close to keep them warm
Maybe because it was your land, there was love everywhere...
We roamed around the length and breadth of this land
Where the sun was never too hot
Nor was the wind too strong
Nor were the nights too long
But I wanted this night to go on
On and on, for all eternity to come
Coz this night I wasn’t eating or drinking
Or even breathing, oh no! Not this night.
This night I was bathing, bathing in your beauty
And was feeling the blessing of gods upon me
For it was only that and nothing else
Which could have brought you to me...
And then we got to a wooded park
The trees here blocked out even the moonlight
Maybe this was a personal place for lovers
And not even the moon was allowed entry
We sat down at the foot of a tree
A massive trunked tree it was
I don’t know why she chose that one to sit under
But I’m sure she had her reasons
She asked me if I liked her country
Well, I don’t know if it was the long walk
Or the magic played by the trees
But the gates of my mouth were finally open
Out of disuse for a while, I couldn’t speak well
Words came in bits and pieces out of my mouth
I think she liked my reply coz she smiled
Yet another of those beautiful smiles passed through her lips...
And then we started talking, well about a thousand things
Jumping from one subject to the next, from one topic to another
She listened keenly when I talked, but not me...
I simply lost myself in her eyes when she spoke
Thankfully, she was not a schoolteacher
And did not ask me any questions from her talk
For if she had tried, I would have flunked the test
And may have been asked to stay out of her class...!!
And we talked, for a very long time...
Maybe the gods heard my prayers
For night was granted an extended life
And we were granted each other’s lives
After speaking and listening and speaking and listening,
She asked me a question...something I knew the answer to, for a change...
She asked me if I liked the time I spent with her
I replied saying that if I was to die by her side, I would die a happy man...
I half-expected her to get up and leave
Another part of me wanted to save me from a slap
But she did neither; she just looked into my eyes
And broke again into one of those smiles...
That minute, that one minute, I simply wanted
To hold her face in my hands and hand my life over
Because to me, life had ended as I knew it
And this night had made it worth living...
I saw her brighten up in an instant
Maybe it was happiness or maybe it was sunlight
Ya, the sun had begun to rise in the east
And his rays were gently embracing her...
Never had I enjoyed dawn so much,
The end of the previous night did not deter me
It had brought me together with the love of my life
And had given way for dawn symbolising a new beginning.
Well, it was a new beginning for me,
An end to all the miseries and trials of my past
A fresh page in my book of life
Fresh as a morning in spring...
And I was sharing the glory of that morning with her
Praying that I would wake up every morning of the rest of my life
With my head in her lap enjoying her soft grazing through my hair
Reminding me of the days my mother used to do that...
She wanted to know how much time I had left
I told her I had a few thousand days of my life left
And that I wanted to spend every minute of that with her
Should I tell her that my time would end the moment she left?
I don’t think so. Not because it would hurt my manly ego
But because I knew that she knew it, I could see it
In those beautiful brown eyes that spoke a lot
Without ever disturbing the beauty of silence...
Once again, she smiled. And I was caught off guard....
Completely disarmed and defeated. Yet I was happy.
Happy because I had lost myself and found her
Happy because she had given herself and absorbed me
I will end this here, as I’m needed somewhere
My girl is calling out to me, to take a walk
In the park under a full moon as beautiful as her
With the gods blessing us with a gentle drizzle, so goodbye...
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
You and Me....
Whether or not you like me,
Whether or not you love me
In my heart you will always be
Your face I shall always see
Your face I shall always see
No matter where in the world I be
In my heart your face is engraved
Your memory I shall take to my grave
Your memory I shall take to my grave
One of the few things I can save
Beyond life’s burgeoning blunders
Even in death I shall not surrender
Even in death I shall not surrender
Your memory I shall never leave asunder
In my life and death you will be a part
In life and death we shall never be apart
In life and death we shall never be apart
For you are the goodness in my heart
There is no disputing this fact
But why so, I don’t know for exact....
But why so, I don’t know for exact
I just know that I love you,
And I will continue to so do
Even after I pass through
Even after I pass through
This life with its days few
I shall not stop loving you
To do it would be so untrue
To do so would be so untrue
Of my love towards you
I can’t even, that way, say a lie,
Oh! It will burn my conscience till I lie
Oh! It will burn my conscience till I lie
Down and dead in my coffin
Believe it or not, my love is true
And it will always live for you....
Whether or not you love me
In my heart you will always be
Your face I shall always see
Your face I shall always see
No matter where in the world I be
In my heart your face is engraved
Your memory I shall take to my grave
Your memory I shall take to my grave
One of the few things I can save
Beyond life’s burgeoning blunders
Even in death I shall not surrender
Even in death I shall not surrender
Your memory I shall never leave asunder
In my life and death you will be a part
In life and death we shall never be apart
In life and death we shall never be apart
For you are the goodness in my heart
There is no disputing this fact
But why so, I don’t know for exact....
But why so, I don’t know for exact
I just know that I love you,
And I will continue to so do
Even after I pass through
Even after I pass through
This life with its days few
I shall not stop loving you
To do it would be so untrue
To do so would be so untrue
Of my love towards you
I can’t even, that way, say a lie,
Oh! It will burn my conscience till I lie
Oh! It will burn my conscience till I lie
Down and dead in my coffin
Believe it or not, my love is true
And it will always live for you....
Monday, June 21, 2010
Madness.......or is it?
What is this called, if not madness?
Don’t get angry people, let me explain
I’m not calling anybody else as mad
I got a feeling that its me who's gone mad...
Lately I’ve been doing a few things
That can’t really be explained rationally
I think I’m going insane
Before you make a guess, let me explain
Have you ever been out in the sun all day,
Trying to get an ear of corn pop into pop corn?
I did that on a summer’s day and you know why
Coz she told me she wanted to taste natural pop corn
Did I tell you about that night in winter
When I stayed up all night to watch a rosebud bloom?
Ya, I did that to win a bet against a friend
And win I did and my friend had to give up
Like I had told him and like he saw that day
That rosebud opening into a rose was beautiful
But it was never really a match for her smile
When her lips open up cuter than the rose...
But these were not like that morning
When I slept in the park all night to wake up early
I collected a bucketful of dewdrops from all the flowers
And took it to her so she could see her face in “that” clear mirror...
I could go on and on about these things
But that would only make me feel crazier
So I will sit down and think about why this happened
Maybe that will give me an answer to my insanity
But thinking about it now shows things in a new light
It gives me a new insight, I know... I now know
This is not what they call madness
This is what the world calls love...
Don’t get angry people, let me explain
I’m not calling anybody else as mad
I got a feeling that its me who's gone mad...
Lately I’ve been doing a few things
That can’t really be explained rationally
I think I’m going insane
Before you make a guess, let me explain
Have you ever been out in the sun all day,
Trying to get an ear of corn pop into pop corn?
I did that on a summer’s day and you know why
Coz she told me she wanted to taste natural pop corn
Did I tell you about that night in winter
When I stayed up all night to watch a rosebud bloom?
Ya, I did that to win a bet against a friend
And win I did and my friend had to give up
Like I had told him and like he saw that day
That rosebud opening into a rose was beautiful
But it was never really a match for her smile
When her lips open up cuter than the rose...
But these were not like that morning
When I slept in the park all night to wake up early
I collected a bucketful of dewdrops from all the flowers
And took it to her so she could see her face in “that” clear mirror...
I could go on and on about these things
But that would only make me feel crazier
So I will sit down and think about why this happened
Maybe that will give me an answer to my insanity
But thinking about it now shows things in a new light
It gives me a new insight, I know... I now know
This is not what they call madness
This is what the world calls love...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
To My Lunar Lady...
Why do u have to stay so high?
Far far beyond the reach of my eye
Your place in the sky
Not even the richest can buy...
I step out of my room half asleep,
To reach you, I try a gigantic leap
I fall back with a loud thud
Half awake and in pain, I go back to my bed...
I am not sleepy anymore,
Your image keeps me awake,
Your beauty is the stuff of folklore,
But trust me, you look beautiful only for my sake...
The scientists tell me you got craters and seas
But it is not you they see
While they talk about some place
All I see is a cute dimple on your face...
They tell me I need a telescope
Pardon them, they have no hope,
To see you all I need is love
And a heart that flies like a free dove....
You are the epitome of love
Of beauty, you are the treasure trove,
An attractive combination, I say
So beware and keep suitors at bay...
But grant me an exception
And lend wings to my imagination
Your face, I continue to admire
As a humble subject of Love's empire...
But here comes the sun,
With his heat, to rob my fun,
I can see you no more
I have to rush indoor...
But fear not,my fair lady,
For without you, I cannot be,
Expect my presence tonight
And prepare to bathe me in your silver light....
Far far beyond the reach of my eye
Your place in the sky
Not even the richest can buy...
I step out of my room half asleep,
To reach you, I try a gigantic leap
I fall back with a loud thud
Half awake and in pain, I go back to my bed...
I am not sleepy anymore,
Your image keeps me awake,
Your beauty is the stuff of folklore,
But trust me, you look beautiful only for my sake...
The scientists tell me you got craters and seas
But it is not you they see
While they talk about some place
All I see is a cute dimple on your face...
They tell me I need a telescope
Pardon them, they have no hope,
To see you all I need is love
And a heart that flies like a free dove....
You are the epitome of love
Of beauty, you are the treasure trove,
An attractive combination, I say
So beware and keep suitors at bay...
But grant me an exception
And lend wings to my imagination
Your face, I continue to admire
As a humble subject of Love's empire...
But here comes the sun,
With his heat, to rob my fun,
I can see you no more
I have to rush indoor...
But fear not,my fair lady,
For without you, I cannot be,
Expect my presence tonight
And prepare to bathe me in your silver light....
Thoughts in Flight
As I rose above the bright sky
A beautiful sight greeted my eyes
My plane was embraced by clouds
And kissed by the gentle rays of the sun
As always, I was thinking about you
And how miserable I felt without you
As though to indicate I was airborne
Memories just flew past my mind
Captivated by the sight that greeted me
I felt like I was torn in two
My mind wished you were in here with me
My heart wanted to be out there with you
I was floating in the middle of clouds
Clouds, gently playing around with a metallic tube
Too bad i couldn’t hear their banter
Locked up,as i was, inside the tube
For if i could’ve heard them
I would’ve spoken with them about you
About how we were flowers in perpetuity
In the garden of immortal bliss
But that minute, i was happy
I was happy merely by thinking about you
Their playful banter reminded me of you
And the tantrums you always throw to get my attention...
Looking through the window, I saw a curve
The curvature of the earth, for all to see
But nobody accepted it two millennia ago
While numerous luminaries asserted the contrary
The world hasn’t changed a bit, my dear
Even today, it tries to convince me you’re gone
But I know you are out there somewhere
Just waiting for me to come and get you
Don’t lose hope coz I’m on my way
Breaking these bonds, my wings will open one day
And I will fly skyward to get to you
And all will be well forever and ever after
A beautiful sight greeted my eyes
My plane was embraced by clouds
And kissed by the gentle rays of the sun
As always, I was thinking about you
And how miserable I felt without you
As though to indicate I was airborne
Memories just flew past my mind
Captivated by the sight that greeted me
I felt like I was torn in two
My mind wished you were in here with me
My heart wanted to be out there with you
I was floating in the middle of clouds
Clouds, gently playing around with a metallic tube
Too bad i couldn’t hear their banter
Locked up,as i was, inside the tube
For if i could’ve heard them
I would’ve spoken with them about you
About how we were flowers in perpetuity
In the garden of immortal bliss
But that minute, i was happy
I was happy merely by thinking about you
Their playful banter reminded me of you
And the tantrums you always throw to get my attention...
Looking through the window, I saw a curve
The curvature of the earth, for all to see
But nobody accepted it two millennia ago
While numerous luminaries asserted the contrary
The world hasn’t changed a bit, my dear
Even today, it tries to convince me you’re gone
But I know you are out there somewhere
Just waiting for me to come and get you
Don’t lose hope coz I’m on my way
Breaking these bonds, my wings will open one day
And I will fly skyward to get to you
And all will be well forever and ever after
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Life, a cocktail
A walk down memory lane
Revisiting all the trials and triumphs
Gazing at the detours and diversions
Thinking about how different life could have been
For better or worse, with different combination of choices
Life after all is a cocktail
The final product owes it to the quantity
And quality of the items we use
And also the timing we use them in....
Science says sweat is salty
Experience says otherwise
For sweating at the right time
Makes life sweet
But it is just one ingredient and not the final drink
Life after all is a cocktail
And it would just be plain water
Without our laughter and tears
These are what give it taste and make life worth living
I’ve had my share of ingredients in my cocktail
Some sweet and some not so
Like every fellow drinker, my cocktail changes taste
From one day to the next or at times with every minute
Every sniff of air adds a new taste
Life after all is a cocktail
I’ve savored those moments when it’s been sweet
And tried to abstain when it turned bitter
But this, this ever-changing elixir is the key to survival...
So my fellow drinker, as we stop together
To have a drink in the pub of Time
Remember that joy and sorrow are close friends
And always go hand in hand
One does not exist without the other
Life is after all a cocktail of these two
Running away from either ruins the taste of the drink
And trying to add too much of either makes it worse
So enjoy the drink as its presented and live life to the fullest............
Revisiting all the trials and triumphs
Gazing at the detours and diversions
Thinking about how different life could have been
For better or worse, with different combination of choices
Life after all is a cocktail
The final product owes it to the quantity
And quality of the items we use
And also the timing we use them in....
Science says sweat is salty
Experience says otherwise
For sweating at the right time
Makes life sweet
But it is just one ingredient and not the final drink
Life after all is a cocktail
And it would just be plain water
Without our laughter and tears
These are what give it taste and make life worth living
I’ve had my share of ingredients in my cocktail
Some sweet and some not so
Like every fellow drinker, my cocktail changes taste
From one day to the next or at times with every minute
Every sniff of air adds a new taste
Life after all is a cocktail
I’ve savored those moments when it’s been sweet
And tried to abstain when it turned bitter
But this, this ever-changing elixir is the key to survival...
So my fellow drinker, as we stop together
To have a drink in the pub of Time
Remember that joy and sorrow are close friends
And always go hand in hand
One does not exist without the other
Life is after all a cocktail of these two
Running away from either ruins the taste of the drink
And trying to add too much of either makes it worse
So enjoy the drink as its presented and live life to the fullest............
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
A Rainy Day In Town
It was a rainy day in town
One that you get every year
The street with their ubiquitous potholes
Were, as always, filled with water
I saw a frog jump into one of these pools
To bathe in the fresh raindrops
While a lamp pole bent down
Ostensibly, to wash its face off grime
Then came along a boat
One that had no passengers in it
Braving the flowing flood waters
It sailed down one of those gutters
I forgot to mention…it was made of paper
And was fuelled by a little girl’s ambition
Maybe she wanted to become a sailor like Marco Polo
Or maybe a pirate like Jack Sparrow
When the vessel’s maiden voyage was done
Its captain took it out of the sea for repairs
And went onto prepare it for another one
Down another gutter, or as she imagined, another sea…
The girl grew neither tired nor weary
She went looking for newer vistas
And thus, these journeys kept continuing
For there were plenty of seas waiting to be explored
Her determination brought Sinbad to my mind
That indomitable sailor who never said no to a new voyage
My Lady Sinbad, undaunted, went onto sail with her ship
Looking for new treasures in each trip
This young sailor and her numerous voyages
Went unnoticed by the passersby
Drowning in their own oceans of woe
And trying to hold onto hopes of broken wood…
But I, I was struck by the angelic beauty
And devilish perseverance of the girl
So I stood by to watch the events unfold
On the stage set on the gutters of the old road…
Gutter after gutter she moved
And arrived upon a new sea
This one, curiously had across its length
A fallen tower of steel…
The ship after repairs was ready
And so was the girl with her limitless energy
She wanted to know if her ship would sail under
This new obstacle set by the steel tower
She bent down and placed her boat on the water
I saw her shake with joy for a moment
Or was it pain? I was not very sure
But the next moment she landed crashing on the road
I didn’t know what had happened
A minute later, the horror of it struck me
She had touched the water
And had got a rude electric shock from the lamp pole
Had the girl been rich enough to afford a science class
Had I been quick enough to realize the lurking danger
Then one of us could have stopped
The horror before it happened
I wanted to do something, something
That would take the pain of guilt away
And make me feel like a Good Samaritan
But the life had gone, with no known way to bring it back
A sense of helplessness overwhelmed me
I felt a strange urge to move from there
Probably inspired by the hordes of unconcerned souls around
Who were unmoved by the sight of suffering, pain or even death
I brought myself back to face the stark reality
That stares in the face of every man’s conscience
I started walking away from the scene
Probably hoping that the stain of guilt would go away
Hoping so, I joined the rest of humanity
In its persistent race towards selfishness
But something caught my eye and I turned
To find the paper boat sailing smoothly under the electric pole….
One that you get every year
The street with their ubiquitous potholes
Were, as always, filled with water
I saw a frog jump into one of these pools
To bathe in the fresh raindrops
While a lamp pole bent down
Ostensibly, to wash its face off grime
Then came along a boat
One that had no passengers in it
Braving the flowing flood waters
It sailed down one of those gutters
I forgot to mention…it was made of paper
And was fuelled by a little girl’s ambition
Maybe she wanted to become a sailor like Marco Polo
Or maybe a pirate like Jack Sparrow
When the vessel’s maiden voyage was done
Its captain took it out of the sea for repairs
And went onto prepare it for another one
Down another gutter, or as she imagined, another sea…
The girl grew neither tired nor weary
She went looking for newer vistas
And thus, these journeys kept continuing
For there were plenty of seas waiting to be explored
Her determination brought Sinbad to my mind
That indomitable sailor who never said no to a new voyage
My Lady Sinbad, undaunted, went onto sail with her ship
Looking for new treasures in each trip
This young sailor and her numerous voyages
Went unnoticed by the passersby
Drowning in their own oceans of woe
And trying to hold onto hopes of broken wood…
But I, I was struck by the angelic beauty
And devilish perseverance of the girl
So I stood by to watch the events unfold
On the stage set on the gutters of the old road…
Gutter after gutter she moved
And arrived upon a new sea
This one, curiously had across its length
A fallen tower of steel…
The ship after repairs was ready
And so was the girl with her limitless energy
She wanted to know if her ship would sail under
This new obstacle set by the steel tower
She bent down and placed her boat on the water
I saw her shake with joy for a moment
Or was it pain? I was not very sure
But the next moment she landed crashing on the road
I didn’t know what had happened
A minute later, the horror of it struck me
She had touched the water
And had got a rude electric shock from the lamp pole
Had the girl been rich enough to afford a science class
Had I been quick enough to realize the lurking danger
Then one of us could have stopped
The horror before it happened
I wanted to do something, something
That would take the pain of guilt away
And make me feel like a Good Samaritan
But the life had gone, with no known way to bring it back
A sense of helplessness overwhelmed me
I felt a strange urge to move from there
Probably inspired by the hordes of unconcerned souls around
Who were unmoved by the sight of suffering, pain or even death
I brought myself back to face the stark reality
That stares in the face of every man’s conscience
I started walking away from the scene
Probably hoping that the stain of guilt would go away
Hoping so, I joined the rest of humanity
In its persistent race towards selfishness
But something caught my eye and I turned
To find the paper boat sailing smoothly under the electric pole….
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Farewell, to You......
In brightest day and darkest night
May happiness always be at your side
And may success always be within your sight
So I say good night good luck and good bye…
In weather fair or foul
May your home always be full
Of friends and loved ones
So I say good night good luck and good bye…
In tides high or low
May your ship always sail by
With its sails held high
So I say good night good luck and good bye…
Goodbyes are not forever
Or at least that’s what I hope
But I shall not cry when it’s over
I shall smile coz it happened…
Walk forward on your road
Walk high till you reach the sky
If you ever need me, I will be at your side
Till then, I say good night good luck and good bye….
May happiness always be at your side
And may success always be within your sight
So I say good night good luck and good bye…
In weather fair or foul
May your home always be full
Of friends and loved ones
So I say good night good luck and good bye…
In tides high or low
May your ship always sail by
With its sails held high
So I say good night good luck and good bye…
Goodbyes are not forever
Or at least that’s what I hope
But I shall not cry when it’s over
I shall smile coz it happened…
Walk forward on your road
Walk high till you reach the sky
If you ever need me, I will be at your side
Till then, I say good night good luck and good bye….
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Wordsworth,Me and You
One fine day, Wordsworth saw a beautiful view
He was out there early to catch the morning dew
He saw London before sunrise
And his description of the scene was precise...
He said, “Earth has not anything to show more fair”
But to you, his words have not been fair
Don’t consider the great poet as partisan
It is just that he was describing London
Your face, he has not seen
In your time, he has not been
Wordsworth’s London was two centuries before
And today, London needs beauty a lot more
Because today, London has a strong contender
It is no match for your face, tender
Wordsworth would have agreed with me here
As London has not your sweet voice to hear...
I could compare your eyes to the sun
But that would be so meaningless
For your eyes are full of love and care
And the sun is just hot and bare...
I could say that your hair is dark as the raincloud
But then, I couldn’t say that out loud
For the life of the cloud is short
And your hair’s fragrance it has not...
Looking at your face reminds of the moon
But I shouldn’t conclude that too soon
For the moon waxes and wanes
And your eternal beauty turns me insane
Thus it is that I realise
That your beauty is beyond the premise
Of being compared with anything dead or alive
And simply admiring it keeps me alive
He was out there early to catch the morning dew
He saw London before sunrise
And his description of the scene was precise...
He said, “Earth has not anything to show more fair”
But to you, his words have not been fair
Don’t consider the great poet as partisan
It is just that he was describing London
Your face, he has not seen
In your time, he has not been
Wordsworth’s London was two centuries before
And today, London needs beauty a lot more
Because today, London has a strong contender
It is no match for your face, tender
Wordsworth would have agreed with me here
As London has not your sweet voice to hear...
I could compare your eyes to the sun
But that would be so meaningless
For your eyes are full of love and care
And the sun is just hot and bare...
I could say that your hair is dark as the raincloud
But then, I couldn’t say that out loud
For the life of the cloud is short
And your hair’s fragrance it has not...
Looking at your face reminds of the moon
But I shouldn’t conclude that too soon
For the moon waxes and wanes
And your eternal beauty turns me insane
Thus it is that I realise
That your beauty is beyond the premise
Of being compared with anything dead or alive
And simply admiring it keeps me alive
To you,Mother...
You kept me in you for months together
And carried me around like I was a feather
You controlled all senses of taste
So I could eat from your plate
With passing months I got heavier
But to you, hardly did it matter
You had a lot of tasks at hand
And I added a list to the band
Then it was time for me to leave
Oh Mom! Did I ever give you a reprieve?
I guess not... I created so much trouble
That thinking about it makes my body tremble
You decided to let me out
To live in the world you had built
And placed in it a bright sun
So I could get out and have some fun
Fun, sure did I have
Enough to last till the day I reach my grave
With all your time and energy
You saw to it that I was happy
And then it was time for school
You put me into new clothes
A tie, a belt and a set of shoes
Fully dressed, I felt so cool...
I had a new world to see
One that called me a genius
But Mom! They don’t know the painful hours
You put in to educate me...
You taught me the letters
And also the numbers
You did not leave even the animals alone
To me, the names of many were known...
I grew faster every new day
With my childish innocence fading away
But you always held your sway
To make sure I went the right way
Mom, I am now a tall young man
Working on an ambitious plan
I am still reluctant to leave your legacy
That created, built and groomed me...
I don’t really know what to speak
You gave me what I did seek
Maybe today I am taller and stronger than you,
But what you did, I cannot do...
Mom, I went to the park yesterday
Just a detour from my usual way
I had a few bread crumbs
To feed the stray dogs
Did I tell you that one of them
Had become a member of your species?
Yes, it was pregnant for a while
And gave birth to a litter of puppies...
Let me tell you what happened
There in the park, proudly I stood
A magnanimous soul willing to share
Food that he had in store
I prided myself on my virtue
Of charity and love towards another
But Mom! My fall followed my pride
For my love is no match for that of a mother
Now, I know that I have been beatifying myself
For I was not sharing food as I claim
And praising myself is rather lame
I know it won’t bring me any real fame
Sharing it is called, when we part
With something close to our heart
But I was just throwing crumbs I had ignored
Considering them not part of my “daily bread”
The puppies were playing together
Under the close supervision of their mother
It reminded me of your all-seeing eye
And how you protected me every day
With my head held high
With pride covering every eye
I threw a few crumbs on the ground
I felt a feeling of joy, so profound...
The four pups abandoned their game
Rushing towards me they came
Their mom slowly approached me
And I could see hunger in every eye
I had always thought
That hunger was something abstract
That it was only felt
And that a physical form, it had not
But that day, that particular day...
I don’t know what to say
I saw the pain of hunger
In the eyes of the mother
She wanted a few of those crumbs
But probably didn’t know how to ask
May be she had her manners and policies
And did not take a meal without doing a task
Or maybe she didn’t want to fight her kids
Which amongst us humans would surprise some
For we fight our parents and our kids
And are perfect symbols of Darwinism...
Let us forget about ourselves for a while
And walk the extra mile
To learn more about humanity
Which in us humans, is a rare quality
The mother looked at me with those eyes
Those big watery pleading eyes
That conveyed a million thoughts
Without having spoken a single word.
I knew she wanted something to eat
Maybe not a full-fledged treat
But something to satisfy her hunger
Something to make her live a bit longer
I had a few more bread crumbs left
And so when our eyes met
I dug deep into my bag again
To comfort her hunger and pain...
I thought that at least in this attempt
I will feed and escape her contempt
But as happens everywhere and every time
My plan to feed her went in vain...
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you
But trust me; what I say is true...
I dropped the crumbs on the ground
And before I knew it, the puppies crowded around
Mom you don’t know these puppies
They are perpetually hungry
Or maybe you do know this
As you have seen and fed me
They poured over into the crumbs
I can’t even imagine a metaphor to express this
So let me just go ahead and say that
They were as hungry as hungry puppies
Let’s not forget the hungry mother
For it was she who inspired me
To string a set of words
And make it an ode to thee
She stood there for a minute
A minute that drew on for an eternity
Or maybe thus it seemed to me...
While I watched her walk away decisively
It was then that I thought about you
And how many times you might have done that for me
What was hunger? I had no clue
But to ensure that, how many days did you have to go hungry?
Mom, I always tell my friends
That you and every other mother on this earth
Are members of a special species
An elite club every woman joins as she gives birth
I believed till very recently that this club was open
Only to a mother who was human
But the marvellous sight I witnessed
Has changed my belief and my perspective
People go to temples to pray
A god they haven’t met to this day
I wonder why they waste time in commuting to communion
When a selfless soul, no less in stature, lives in their own homes
Your sacrifices for me, for years and months and days,
From my birthday to this day,
All come flooding to me this moment
When I think about a stray dog
If a so-called untrained, uncultured dog was so protective
I can’t imagine how protective you would have been
Now after so many years I realise and see with my eyes
That you were the proverbial lid to the young eye that was me...
Mom! You and the rest of your club...
You teach us so many things
To make a living and enjoy the life we live
But Mom! Why do you forget to teach us
To love you the way you deserve...?
And carried me around like I was a feather
You controlled all senses of taste
So I could eat from your plate
With passing months I got heavier
But to you, hardly did it matter
You had a lot of tasks at hand
And I added a list to the band
Then it was time for me to leave
Oh Mom! Did I ever give you a reprieve?
I guess not... I created so much trouble
That thinking about it makes my body tremble
You decided to let me out
To live in the world you had built
And placed in it a bright sun
So I could get out and have some fun
Fun, sure did I have
Enough to last till the day I reach my grave
With all your time and energy
You saw to it that I was happy
And then it was time for school
You put me into new clothes
A tie, a belt and a set of shoes
Fully dressed, I felt so cool...
I had a new world to see
One that called me a genius
But Mom! They don’t know the painful hours
You put in to educate me...
You taught me the letters
And also the numbers
You did not leave even the animals alone
To me, the names of many were known...
I grew faster every new day
With my childish innocence fading away
But you always held your sway
To make sure I went the right way
Mom, I am now a tall young man
Working on an ambitious plan
I am still reluctant to leave your legacy
That created, built and groomed me...
I don’t really know what to speak
You gave me what I did seek
Maybe today I am taller and stronger than you,
But what you did, I cannot do...
Mom, I went to the park yesterday
Just a detour from my usual way
I had a few bread crumbs
To feed the stray dogs
Did I tell you that one of them
Had become a member of your species?
Yes, it was pregnant for a while
And gave birth to a litter of puppies...
Let me tell you what happened
There in the park, proudly I stood
A magnanimous soul willing to share
Food that he had in store
I prided myself on my virtue
Of charity and love towards another
But Mom! My fall followed my pride
For my love is no match for that of a mother
Now, I know that I have been beatifying myself
For I was not sharing food as I claim
And praising myself is rather lame
I know it won’t bring me any real fame
Sharing it is called, when we part
With something close to our heart
But I was just throwing crumbs I had ignored
Considering them not part of my “daily bread”
The puppies were playing together
Under the close supervision of their mother
It reminded me of your all-seeing eye
And how you protected me every day
With my head held high
With pride covering every eye
I threw a few crumbs on the ground
I felt a feeling of joy, so profound...
The four pups abandoned their game
Rushing towards me they came
Their mom slowly approached me
And I could see hunger in every eye
I had always thought
That hunger was something abstract
That it was only felt
And that a physical form, it had not
But that day, that particular day...
I don’t know what to say
I saw the pain of hunger
In the eyes of the mother
She wanted a few of those crumbs
But probably didn’t know how to ask
May be she had her manners and policies
And did not take a meal without doing a task
Or maybe she didn’t want to fight her kids
Which amongst us humans would surprise some
For we fight our parents and our kids
And are perfect symbols of Darwinism...
Let us forget about ourselves for a while
And walk the extra mile
To learn more about humanity
Which in us humans, is a rare quality
The mother looked at me with those eyes
Those big watery pleading eyes
That conveyed a million thoughts
Without having spoken a single word.
I knew she wanted something to eat
Maybe not a full-fledged treat
But something to satisfy her hunger
Something to make her live a bit longer
I had a few more bread crumbs left
And so when our eyes met
I dug deep into my bag again
To comfort her hunger and pain...
I thought that at least in this attempt
I will feed and escape her contempt
But as happens everywhere and every time
My plan to feed her went in vain...
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you
But trust me; what I say is true...
I dropped the crumbs on the ground
And before I knew it, the puppies crowded around
Mom you don’t know these puppies
They are perpetually hungry
Or maybe you do know this
As you have seen and fed me
They poured over into the crumbs
I can’t even imagine a metaphor to express this
So let me just go ahead and say that
They were as hungry as hungry puppies
Let’s not forget the hungry mother
For it was she who inspired me
To string a set of words
And make it an ode to thee
She stood there for a minute
A minute that drew on for an eternity
Or maybe thus it seemed to me...
While I watched her walk away decisively
It was then that I thought about you
And how many times you might have done that for me
What was hunger? I had no clue
But to ensure that, how many days did you have to go hungry?
Mom, I always tell my friends
That you and every other mother on this earth
Are members of a special species
An elite club every woman joins as she gives birth
I believed till very recently that this club was open
Only to a mother who was human
But the marvellous sight I witnessed
Has changed my belief and my perspective
People go to temples to pray
A god they haven’t met to this day
I wonder why they waste time in commuting to communion
When a selfless soul, no less in stature, lives in their own homes
Your sacrifices for me, for years and months and days,
From my birthday to this day,
All come flooding to me this moment
When I think about a stray dog
If a so-called untrained, uncultured dog was so protective
I can’t imagine how protective you would have been
Now after so many years I realise and see with my eyes
That you were the proverbial lid to the young eye that was me...
Mom! You and the rest of your club...
You teach us so many things
To make a living and enjoy the life we live
But Mom! Why do you forget to teach us
To love you the way you deserve...?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
TREE- TALK
I do not ask you to sow a seed
The birds consider it their deed
Your people make you have more kids
They give child support to meet your bids.
I don't ask you to quench my thirst
The clouds consider it a must
You get your water in a can
By digging deeper than i ever can.
I do not ask you to feed me
Mother Earth does it, you see..
You eat more than what you need
Mother Earth can never meet your greed.
In me, birds find a calm shelter
Away from your urban helter-skelter
You can't house even your folk
Your cities, of overpopulation they choke.
I give you flowers and fruits
But pray don't dig at my roots
Use my dead leaves for your fields
The crops will meet all your needs
My bark may look like a piece of art
Do understand, it is also my heart.
I do not demand anything from you,
I don't even stop you from taking what I offer
But please let me live
And for you more I will give.
The birds and animals don't harm me
But you mankind I know what to say
My fruitless search for a way
Against your axe continues to this day.
You can hold a thousand summits
And sign a million documents
But until the day you hear me speak
You will not get what you seek.
For if trees could walk and fruits could fly
Our march would haven opened your eye
But we are bound to the earth
From our birth till our death.
So alwayas keep this in mind
Trees help your mankind
And before you put your axe to the grind
Wake up human, and be not blind.
------------A TREE COUNTING ITS FINAL DAYS
I do not ask you to sow a seed
The birds consider it their deed
Your people make you have more kids
They give child support to meet your bids.
I don't ask you to quench my thirst
The clouds consider it a must
You get your water in a can
By digging deeper than i ever can.
I do not ask you to feed me
Mother Earth does it, you see..
You eat more than what you need
Mother Earth can never meet your greed.
In me, birds find a calm shelter
Away from your urban helter-skelter
You can't house even your folk
Your cities, of overpopulation they choke.
I give you flowers and fruits
But pray don't dig at my roots
Use my dead leaves for your fields
The crops will meet all your needs
My bark may look like a piece of art
Do understand, it is also my heart.
I do not demand anything from you,
I don't even stop you from taking what I offer
But please let me live
And for you more I will give.
The birds and animals don't harm me
But you mankind I know what to say
My fruitless search for a way
Against your axe continues to this day.
You can hold a thousand summits
And sign a million documents
But until the day you hear me speak
You will not get what you seek.
For if trees could walk and fruits could fly
Our march would haven opened your eye
But we are bound to the earth
From our birth till our death.
So alwayas keep this in mind
Trees help your mankind
And before you put your axe to the grind
Wake up human, and be not blind.
------------A TREE COUNTING ITS FINAL DAYS
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Thanksgiving
A lot of entities to be thanked
Some are physical and some abstract
But their service is nevertheless intact
In the breath I take and the food I eat
Nature, the first mother, she created me
With my hands and legs complete
So I could stretch and greet
The life she had given me
Then to thank my own mother
I would have to go several steps further
A beautiful life for me, she did envision
And so protected my senses of smell and vision
I shouldn’t forget my father
Without him, I would have become another
The right things he made me hear
To him my words were dear...
By his side, stand my teachers,
Who taught me things beyond measure
Some took the easy way
And some the hard way
This list would go on and on
To finish it I would need many a dawn
Thus, in life we have so many reasons to thank
But so little time...
For in this short life, we can thank with our words
But when it ends and for sure it will end,
Our words will no more be with us
And there shall only be silence...
Let’s not wait for another opportunity
This life is short and its end we know not
So use every chance to thank the ones
Who have been good to you, even if just once.....
Some are physical and some abstract
But their service is nevertheless intact
In the breath I take and the food I eat
Nature, the first mother, she created me
With my hands and legs complete
So I could stretch and greet
The life she had given me
Then to thank my own mother
I would have to go several steps further
A beautiful life for me, she did envision
And so protected my senses of smell and vision
I shouldn’t forget my father
Without him, I would have become another
The right things he made me hear
To him my words were dear...
By his side, stand my teachers,
Who taught me things beyond measure
Some took the easy way
And some the hard way
This list would go on and on
To finish it I would need many a dawn
Thus, in life we have so many reasons to thank
But so little time...
For in this short life, we can thank with our words
But when it ends and for sure it will end,
Our words will no more be with us
And there shall only be silence...
Let’s not wait for another opportunity
This life is short and its end we know not
So use every chance to thank the ones
Who have been good to you, even if just once.....
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