THE WITNESS

Two youths, both burly

came out of a prostitute’s house

late into the night.

The glimmering

stars and full moon

woven out a pretty 

saree for the land.

But for them 

the thick solid

darkness would have

gulped the land

like a python swallowing its victim.

The youths, both sturdy

were walking ahead

in an elevated mood

both cracking wits.

Comfortably seated in a

chair close to the window sills

with curiosity shining in my eyes.

I was watching

them walk the talk.

In an unexpected moment

like a bolt from the blue

each lost his temper

and their pent up emotions burst out

and one of them dared to

slap the other on his cheeks.

All hell broke loose and with the speed of

lightning the other youth took out his dagger

and in a fit of fury  

thrust his weapon

on the other  

several times forcing the victim

fall on the floor.

He thru the dagger away

and melted

into the thin air?

Whether I alone

was the mute witness to the tragedy?

No idea, I couldn’t

sleep that night and

the nights after.

The tragic event

continue s to haunt me

even after months.

UNWANTED EXISTENCE

In my garden of pretty flowers

how come this unwanted thorny plant

sans flowers

like the unrequited love

of a ditched lover?

In this garden of life

I often feel myself

an unwanted existence

like many others

who outnumber the

wanted existence.

THE MIND

Raphael,

on looking straight into your eyes 

I notice a turbulent, violent sea

and your gloomy, cloudy face.

Raphael,

what has gone wrong

with you?

You were not like this once.

Your eyes were calm and

quiet, serene and tranquil once

that reflected on your face and eyes.

You were a handsome youth

with enormous pleasure

you were talkative with

a pleasant smiling face

eloquent and often used

to say life is worth enjoying

while you were flanked by us.

You often cracked jokes

and made us happy

and elevated our sagging spirits.  

You didn’t have any love-affair,

you didn’t believe in romance either

and therefore a girl had no place in your life.

For you

romance was a mockery

and admonished us to

keep away from romantic relationships .

Raphael,

what transpired in your life

after a lapse of five years

something, somewhere had gone awry

and what might be that ‘something’?

Like a tortoise

withdrawing into its shell

you too have turned

a hermit like a tortoise

and has found

solace into your shell.

Raphael,

once what you hated

most was loneliness

and now you have fallen

in love with the

same loneliness and monotony.

Like seasonal changes

you have evolved into

a strange species.

Raphael,

come out of your shell for good

and mingle with us , your old friends

and enter the mainstream

enter this world

and be that old Raphael

once again.

NOTHING BUT THAT

A middle-aged man

sits alone in the garden

with a train of thoughts

hooting past his brain.

Oblivious of the full moon

and stars, scent of flowers

traffic on a mad rush

a large number

of crowds, cool, warm wind

blowing from the faraway Arabian Sea

the middle-aged man

sits alone in the garden.

In his prime

he was not alone in the garden.

She was with him

like a shadow every evening

whose proximity lifted his

spirits up to skies

who taught him

the sweetness of love

who gifted him the sweetness of love

who shared romantic feelings

pain, sorrow and secrets

occasional cracking of jokes with him

the moments of sharing 

each other’ feelings

he thought there was a

meaning to life.

They felt kind of

relief in each other’s life

with no train of thoughts

blaring past their life.

A man sits alone in the garden.

‘If and when we are

separated from each other

if and when  a moment

of bidding goodbye

what would be your

response’ – though looking

pleasant, he could see

spring of tears  flowing

down her face.

A kind of ill-omen

he could sense in her words.

Tremors seemed like

running down his body.

‘No, No, No, I won’t ever

let such a possibility

happen, I am sure we are

destined to be together’.

He couldn’t imagine

such a scenario ever.

All said and done

one day without waving

her hands and with an

invited smile she vanished

from him.

The next day she didn’t

come to him.

With gloomy face, with

tears coursing down his face

he waited, waited and waited

for a prolonged time.

For a long time, he couldn’t

visit the garden, he didn’t

visit the garden.

Ever since she disappeared

from his life

his face turned gloomy  

with the train of thoughts blaring past his brain.

Look

a man in his middle-age sits alone in the garden

fondling those days

he spent with her

nothing but that….nothing but that.

   

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

The city is in a festive mood

all cities across the land

are in a festive ambience.

Like a celebrity and his family

getting ready for celebrating

Festival of Lights

the city too is

decked up for the celebrations

two or three months in advance.

With the daylight clearing way

for the approach of Sunset

city transforms

into a dazzling beauty.

Like caparisoned elephants

lined up with coloured bulbs

on both sides of the streets

twinkling, twinkling and twinkling

the sky-scrapers

look like a magic world.

Citizens enter the city

from different places 

walking or in their vehicles

park their vehicles

close to the foot paths

some get into

 textile shops, hotels, bakeries

all full to the brim

still the flow of

citizens never stops.

Vehicles ply along to and fro

hooting horns

the noises of the citizens

get drowned amidst the cacophony.

The streetlights open their eyes

take bath in the frothing milky lights

the signals red and green

shine intermittently

give silent commands to the vehicles

either to stop or move ahead

the city turns into a

charming beauty with cool breeze

flowing from somewhere to embrace the city

to enchant them.

Children buy crackers

parents purchase

colourful clothes for them

and for children.

They enter the city hotels

order the hotel-waiters

to bring them this and that

and engage in talking to each other.

They reluctantly, yes reluctantly

drove down the streets

to reach their ‘nests’.

But city is a city

none has any friends

none likes to keep friendships.

The sense of alienation

one feels in the city

is but unbearable

yet they continue

remain aliens

that is what is

a city in its true colour.

THE PET

Two weeks ago

our next door neighbours

went on a vacation tour

to Tanjore, their native land

about three hundred kilometers away.

Their beautiful

snow white pomeranian

their protector

drove down leaving him alone.

Like a desert plant

he groaned and moaned

for their proximity

to vent his pain

frustration, anger and  helplessness.

In a sense

his protectors were 

dumping him in the

lurch

like people

dumping their waste

in a waste-treatment plant.

They could have

entrusted the immediate neighbour

and pleaded for taking care

of their pet till they

came back from Tanjore.

The dog continued to howl,

groan and nark 

with hunger turning painful and unbearable.

At last with patience

reaching rock bottom

he went out

walked down the street

with no destination in mind.

The neighbours came

back after a fortnight

but to their embarrassment

and despair

he was nowhere there

‘Jimmy Jimmy ‘ – they cried

aloud with no takers for

their remorse and pain palpable on their faces.

They prayed God to bring him back

but their God never cared

to listen to their prayers.

With them resigned to fate

with their faces turning

dark and cloudy

they took no food

for three to four days

pondering over

the pet who never came back.