Thursday, November 28, 2013

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.

Friday, November 22, 2013

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.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

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.


Sunday, November 3, 2013

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.
   

Saturday, November 2, 2013

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.

Friday, November 1, 2013

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.