Monday, September 29, 2008

afternoon

on a hot sleepy afternoon
it’s unbearable if not impossible
to walk outside
even under trees laden with tiny green leaves
nothing moves – no leaf, no blade of grass
until a speeding bus
unsettles the dust along the road
breaking the monotony
and, a torrent of much needed air
even though warm
dried leaves and branches rustle
along the pavement
in a rush to reach for distant shadows
bus gone, silence returns
broken again by lonesome footsteps
crushing whatever lies underneath
a crow crows above,
sounding the alarm of the approaching stranger
to others of its ilk
footsteps continue
gradually growing distant & distant
till they become inaudible
once again,
the much agreeable
silence returns to the street

Saturday, September 27, 2008

love, expressed

in just a glance
i was killed
merely a look
no words
…to convey an emotion, or
…to clear an illusion
it was the wind
that rushed to caress my cold face
after ruffling that slender nape
it was indeed that wind that
made warm love gush in my veins
throbbing my warm, reddened ears
and dilating my pupils despite the chill
my eyes watered,
dazzled by the first snow of the winter
titanium bright white
as the cobalt blue of the skies
smiled with some more snowflakes
pure and white
i licked my drying lips
rubbed my tender eyes
cleared my souring throat
just to express my newfound love
but my voice lost itself somewhere
near my larynx
and my love ended sounding like
the groan of a man with
a mutilated heart

Friday, September 19, 2008

the end

don’t speak
don’t talk
there’s nothing i would rather hear
i don’t want to listen to a single word
i just want to lie down idly…
gazing at the stars above…
my legs crossed over the knees…
exhilarated at the sight of moon…

all around, black abounds
darkness falls all over me
like soft, soundless soot from the sky
life goes by
so slowly,
hesitating, halting steps
indent my head, then chest,
then stomach and then legs
a tiny trickle of a mysterious drop
lands on my parched lips
from a cloud drifting far away, far-far away
just a drop and no more
just a lick and no more

o’ wind,
lisp a sweet lullaby
in my ears
and make me fall dead
when the end comes…

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

money, money

a dollar fits in my sweaty palm
two dollars fit easily too
three dollars are a bit of a squeeze
four dollars just cannot do

wads of dollars are even more
difficult to accommodate
it’s better to spend the little you have
and start afresh with a clean slate

wallets can fit a lot of cash
big denominations, especially
problem arises only when
you don’t possess any

sometimes you pay all the bills
and at times you pay a few
sometimes you dine on wine and cheese
at other times bread is all you can chew

break the molds, don’t break hearts
break the stupid piggy banks, o’ binks
count the golden eggs they hatch
and enjoy the omlette while the ship, slowly, sinks!

...if you will

Brown fringed minutes Slip through my fingers Faster than I try To hold on to them. Already, I am a minute closer to the end. Devasta...