She, He...

She, like a river, forever flowing, ever restless, ever growing, forever yearning

He, like a rock, steady, confident, ever observing, forever measuring, always there, for her

She, like a child, confused, unsure of herself, skeptical of the world, lonely

He, like a friend, a confidante, with arms as strong as she needed them to be

She, like satin, unspooling at his feet

He, with steady hands, unwrapping her gift


She, like the clouds, forever roaming, always on the lookout for something new

He, like the earth, stationed, with his eyes fixated at her 


She, the explorer, never content, forever rushing

He, the one who found the elixir of life, in her eyes


She, with an insatiable mind, always looking for ways to stimulate it

He, with a content heart, filled with his love, for her


She, with longing in her heart, for things unknown to her, drowning in the darkness

He, with love in his eyes and a tender touch of his hands, pulling her towards the light


She, moving away, from love, one word at a time

He, keeping her close, to his heart, quietly...




 

An Ode To My Muse

I wasn't prepared
I never could be
To handle the storm
That your calm eyes
Were about to start
In my heart

The first time I saw you
I went blank, numb
By your ethereal beauty
As if someone had crafted
Your beautiful face
Out of all the dreams
I had hidden away in my heart

You passed by
And I remembered
I needed to breathe
I couldn't move
For quite some time
While my heartbeats
Re-arranged themselves

I was reborn that day
By just looking at you
And I died multiple times
Whenever you sat close
Or looked at me

I waited everyday
With a bated breath
To see you
But pretended otherwise
The moment you arrived

I breathed in your fragrance
As if it were my oxygen
I soaked in your presence
As if it were my sunshine

I could never remember
All the words you said
All I could do
Was stare as your lips
That moved as if
They were the brushstrokes
That painted my soul
In colors unknown to me hitherto

Before I met you, love,
I was an epitome of calmness
But when you left
I had never been a bigger mess
And I'm still trapped waiting
In the moment you left

I made you mine in ways
I was never supposed to
And you remained a stranger
In the way you were meant to

You inspired my words
You instigated my silence
I wrote you, I read you
I loved you, I wept you...

I See You

I see you

What you try to hide
The ugliness of your being
The deceit, the lies
All these masks you wear

You desperation
To be loved
Without having to
Share the burden

Your loneliness
That kills your soul
Day by day
And all you can do
Is watch it decay

You blatant need
For a breath of fresh air
Your urgency
To have it all

The sameness of your life
Suffocating you
One routine task at a time

I see you, my mirror
For I am no different
I am you...

The Nostalgic 90's

Where do you even begin when it's the most beautiful part of your life (hopefully, if we are around the same age group ;)) But let me attempt!

A Poetic Take On The Nostalgic 90's

Of the first ride on the school bus
And sharing lunchbox with your friends
Of drinking Limca for the first time
And that first taste of maggi


Of watching Doordarshan
Huddled up with your family
Of Sunday morning Rangoli
Followed by the Jungle kid "Mowgli"

Of Ramayan and Mahabharat
And 70's movies on TV
Of Buniyaad and Nukkad
And the mandatory "DD News"

Of grooving to the songs of "Aashiqi"
And "Hum Aapke hain kaun"
Of going gaga over DDLJ
And falling in love with Shahruk/Kajol

Of playing real games
Not the ones on phones
Of not knowing how time passed
When you were with your friends

Of eating whatever mom made
And studying whatever Dad said
Of fights with siblings
And making up with hugs

Of saying "Namaste" to Uncles and Aunties
And playing with friends in the gully
Of going for the annual "picnic"
And attending the "New years eve" at the "Club"

Of Celebrating festivals
As a true community
Of actually visiting others' homes
And experiencing their hospitality

Of having your first crush
And writing their name
On the last page of your notebook
Then going for the ultimate relationship decider
which went by F-L-A-M-ES

Of the beautiful feeling
To move from childhood to teenage
When you were full of dreams
And nothing could stop you...

When Silence Speaks

They say, "silence is the food for the soul", and I agree. There's something about being still, covered in total silence, that helps us see ourselves more clearly.

In today's fast paced life, who really has the time for it? But then it's akin to saying that you don't have time to fuel up your car because you are too busy driving it. At some point, the car will stop and you will feel lost. It's the same with our "self.' It needs to be nourished and you need a regular maintenance system to keep it going.

Think of the best moments of your life. Chances are that you will remember the moment when you reflected on your happiness. When you savored what you really loved. That is the moment which you truly saved within your system.

In that sense, I believe that happiness is always lived in "retrospect." Sure, we experience a lot of happiness (or even sadness) in our day to day life, but the moment you think you are "happy or sad", that moment just passed!

And perhaps, that's why, it's important to reflect on what makes/made us happy/sad and this can only be done in silence.

In fact, I think silence is the biggest luxury these days! Think about it, when do you really have the time to be still and silent. From morning to night, you are surrounded by noise. And worse, we get addicted to sound/noise - be it music or any other sound.  Also, we meet so many people and greet them throughout the day, but do we meet and greet ourselves everyday?

Silence disturbs us, because when you are silent, you really come face to face with your soul. It asks questions, demands you to look within and try to find some answers.

So how about making silence a friend? How about we stop running from it and make a proactive effort to be silent for a few minutes everyday. To reflect, to savor the beautiful moments, to count our blessings and to meet ourselves!

The Void

We are born with it, but realize it much later in life. When we are done with the mundane, when our every need and want and desire is taken care of, or so we think, that's when one day it hits us. You can't deny its presence, it's too strong.

The void, the emptiness, the yearning for the unknown, unseen. It's difficult to define it, so I won't attempt to do that. I'll just write what I feel about it.

This void is present in the lyrics of the songs we love to death, the haunting tune/melody that we can't get out of our head, the craving to travel - to go to some place where you have probably been in another lifetime and you hope that somewhere you will find it.

It gets worse when it comes to people. Sometimes you think you found yourself in another person, when they mirror your every thought, every yearning and you know that at least your void has company now. Whether they can fill the void or not, is another matter.

But in the end, people are people. They are slaves of their own principles and desires and they will leave one day. The songs will numb your pain but won't make you feel alive anymore. The places you visit, lose their charm. Somehow, nothing in this world seems to match to what you are looking for.

So you are back to square one. The void stares at you. It doesn't kill you, but doesn't let you live either.

And you begin new journeys every day, to fill it...

Will you still be there...

The reality is harsh
Like the summer
And I'm parched
Won't you come
with your clouds
And drench my soul

And when the rain comes
Come away with me
To the land of green grass
And tiny white flowers

And if I fall hard
Won't you pick me up
And hold my hand forever

Who knows how far
you will come with me
Who knows how long
the rain will last for

So when the rain stops
Don't walk away
Stay with me lil longer
Like a rainbow

And when it's all over
The swooshing and the thunder
And the pretty rainbow fades away
Will you still be there?