Wednesday, October 13, 2004

With ink on my left forefinger,
I was dreaming of a better world.
A world that was already woven intricately,
With beautiful and divine miracles,
How much better could it get?

Monday, September 13, 2004

There she stands,
With my pain,
In her hands.

I didn't have any happiness
So I gave her
what I had.

And then i realised
My folly
So I asked it back.

I saw a tear in her eye,
She said, "I can't,
Now it's mine"
I cried yesterday,
For apparently no reason,
Just a sense of helplessness,
Loomed over the mind.

The tears flowed freely
I realised that I hadn't cried for a while
Especially when this life
Had so much that you could cry about

There's something funny about a man crying
He is not supposed to display his emotions
But I realised yesterday
It takes a stronger man to cry

The world threw its glances at me
I was so embarassed that I could have died
But I hid my face in my hands
And I had no choice so i cried

Tears turned into depression,
Depression turned into sorrow,
And I saw all those dead beautiful children
Who could have made a better tomorrow.

While most seem to acknowledge my tough exterior,
How can I deny human empathy?
And while I break-down and cry
How can you kill and laugh away?

God can you make man human once again?

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Life and Death and Mars Retrograde

In her mind she began to think
So much that she couldn't understand:
"What was right? What was wrong?"

And all her life, she tried to escape,
All that she could not stand.
Was she brave? Was she strong?

A life lived at ones own terms,
With no one to support or guide her,
No one to question her, no one to answer.

Insecurity and arrogance lived alongside,
One was her trait, the other she couldn't hide
So is she the woman of today? You decide.

And then it happened,
The war broke-out,
Not just in the world but inside the heart,
Everyone seemed to go through a phase,
Matter imploded into inner space,
Depression and tears began to flow,
Alcohol was on a high
The morale on a low
And every shoulder that was strong
Had sweat on its brow.

They turned towards spirituality
Gurus and Mantras began to flourish
The taveez was tied on their hands
To discourage black magic and bad luck
The demi-gods were never busier, ever
They were eulogized and hymns were sang,
And even in darkness the church bells rang.

Happiness seemed to elude
And the happy seemed to delude
But joy was absent in the class today,
So the teacher burned the school away.

Water, water everywhere
Malaria and influenza in the air
Some try to live and some to survive.
The hawkers cry "Come eat my contaminated ware,
I have to feed my child,
So you have to die"

They fight the war,
On what pretext?
Terrorism?
And what else is new?
They kill some of their "enemies"
And some of their own
And share the spoils and oils
And while the martyred mothers' cry
The inhumane authorities justify their cause,
"For the country your son a martyr became."

They all went to the astrologer for help
"Now you come to me", he said.
I cannot do much, I really can't.
This is all happening coz Mar's retrograde.
"All you can do, if you are really distrait,
Pray to God, that he makes him straight."

"Oh God, yes my wonderful God"
I pray, I pray, I really pray,
All those who went astray,
Please guide them to the right path,
Especially Mars, he went retrograde,
We seek your help, we seek your aid.
Life and Death and Mars Retrograde

In her mind she began to think
So much that she couldn't understand:
"What was right? What was wrong?"

And all her life, she tried to escape,
All that she could not stand.
Was she brave? Was she strong?

A life lived at ones own terms,
With no one to support or guide her,
No one to question her, no one to answer.

Insecurity and arrogance lived alongside,
One was her trait, the other she couldn't hide
So is she the woman of today? You decide.

And then it happened,
The war broke-out,
Not just in the world but inside the heart,
Everyone seemed to go through a phase,
Matter imploded into inner space,
Depression and tears began to flow,
Alcohol was on a high
The morale on a low
And every shoulder that was strong
Had sweat on its brow.

They turned towards spirituality
Gurus and Mantras began to flourish
The taveez was tied on their hands
To discourage black magic and bad luck
The demi-gods were never busier, ever
They were eulogized and hymns were sang,
And even in darkness the church bells rang.

Happiness seemed to elude
And the happy seemed to delude
But joy was absent in the class today,
So the teacher burned the school away.

Water, water everywhere
Malaria and influenza in the air
Some try to live and some to survive.
The hawkers cry "Come eat my contaminated ware,
I have to feed my child,
So you have to die"

They fight the war,
On what pretext?
Terrorism?
And what else is new?
They kill some of their "enemies"
And some of their own
And share the spoils and oils
And while the martyred mothers' cry
The inhumane authorities justify their cause,
"For the country your son a martyr became."

They all went to the astrologer for help
"Now you come to me", he said.
I cannot do much, I really can't.
This is all happening coz Mar's retrograde.
"All you can do, if you are really distrait,
Pray to God, that he makes him straight."

"Oh God, yes my wonderful God"
I pray, I pray, I really pray,
All those who went astray,
Please guide them to the right path,
Especially Mars, he went retrograde,
We seek your help, we seek your aid.
"So Bajirao, I see you are losing your knees,
Tomorrow you will lose your senses,
Thereafter your mind"
"Ehh, I am not Bajirao"

"Bajirao, ur children will leave you,
you would be dependent on someone all the time,
You will even lose bladder control"
"Arrey Gadeda tereko boltai na, I am not Bajirao"

"Bajirao, You will suffer from amnesia,
You will suffer from nostalgia attacks,
Arrey vedya mansa tu tujha naav pan visarsheel"
"How many times should I tell u baba, I am not..."

Sunday, August 15, 2004

If only I could
Sneakily Peek
Into your heart

To see if that care,
the concern and friendship
you have for me

Is an injury
Caused by the cupid's arrow
Dipped in honey

To see if you will shed
An extra tear
When I die

To see if you are yearning
To provide the hope and support
That I yearn

To see if you can see
The vain desperate attempts I make
To impress you

To see if you know
That I am as weak as anyone
But stronger than me

To see if you don't need much
And want very little
Except you and me

To see if you are
Waiting for me
To say those four words

"I love you girl"

But neither can I see
And neither can I say
Your heart remains inaccessible
The other or in one way

I am one big nut, ain't I?
But be my nutcracker, I pray.

Thursday, August 05, 2004

There she stood
As sincerely as she could
Emitting a radiant smile
Soothing my jumpy nerves

And while he sat
In that special chair
Trying to analyze the novice
Half in thot, half aware

The teary eyed, sari clad lady,
Clutching her fists
Waiting to know,
What next?

And that beautiful girl,
With a most expressive face,
It smiled, then got horrified,
And then seeked closure

The elderly white-haired lady,
Taking notes,
Once in a while
Raising her eyebrows

And while I painted
Some only saw with their ears
They heard my voice
And painted with their eyes

And the girl, whom I could only see,
From the corner of my eye
And who could only hear me
From the corner of her mind

And he who put on
That blank expression
Trying to control
A tumultuous tempest

And finally you
You, who doesn't see me
You, who doesn't hear me
But you neverthless can read me.

I bow to ye all in gratitude
You may not realize
Your importance
Your function

And while I am not me,
I pray to God,
That I live the sublime existence,
Of You.
There she stood
As sincerely as she could
Emitting a radiant smile
Soothing my jumpy nerves

And while he sat
In that special chair
Trying to analyze the novice
Half in thot, half aware

The teary eyed, sari clad lady,
Clutching her fists
Waiting to know,
What next?

And that beautiful girl,
With a most expressive face,
It smiled, then got horrified,
And then seeked closure

The elderly white-haired lady,
Taking notes,
Once in a while
Raising her eyebrows

And while I painted
Some only saw with their ears
They heard my voice
And painted with their eyes

And the girl, whom I could only see,
From the corner of my eye
And who could only hear me
From the corner of her mind

And he who put on
That blank expression
Trying to control
A tumultuous tempest

And finally you
You, who doesn't see me
You, who doesn't hear me
But you neverthless can read me.

I bow to ye all in gratitude
You may not realize
Your importance
Your function

And while I am not me,
I pray to God,
That I live the sublime existence,
Of You.

Saturday, July 17, 2004

I have lost all my aces and trump cards
All my lifelines
All my boons and wishes
All my super-powers

I stand weak
Easy to defeat
Easy to conquer
Easy to decimate

So why are you wary to strike
That final blow?
What are you afraid of?
I assure you I have no strength left

Kill me!
Make me immortal
Let me die
A martyr's death

Does my smile scare you?
Or my apparent lack of fear?

You are just an instrument my friend
And as the sword in your hand
Does its duty
So you must.

Yes we are just two friends
Caught in opposite armies
We both are right in our own way
But we both are wrong

In the eyes of God we are brothers
In the eyes of our country; enemies.
I have enemies in my own camp, my own tent
But I fight alongside them to fight you

We all have a code to follow, don't we?

Don't worry about my wife,
my parents, my children.
God will take care of them
They will fight another day.

I wish I could hug you before I die,
But this game does not permit it
I know you will kill me
I can hear the Harp play.

And then you will drag my dead body around
To show your prize
A dead, lifeless, useless piece of machinery
I don't care.

And then you will be filled with remorse
And weep
Coz your death
Wouldn't be as great as mine

May god forgive my sins,

Farewell, Achilles my friend.
It was nice fighting with you
Peace Be Upon You.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Small Man, Big Man,
Tall Man, Short Man,
Poor Man, Rich Man,
Good Man, Bad Man,

Ultimately Dead Man.

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

The prisoners of Rain

I dream of:
Sharing an afternoon with you
Neither of us speaks
We just hold hands
And watch the rain
The rain falls incessantly
It drizzles and pours
Swishes and roars
And does all the talking
It tells you
How much I love you!
And then your hand trembles
Silently accepting my love
And you will want
To melt in my arms
And feel secure...
But you will continue
To look at the rain
Lest you miss what it wants to tell
And its performance overwhelms you
I can see your tears
Are you so happy?

Then it will be evening
You will unlock our sweaty hands
And then embrace me
Forever

You wouldn't have spoken yet,
But silently you would have said,
"Yes"

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

to my guru,
who knows not
how much i learned from her
I am but an Eklavya
who deceptively learnt
but am a noble thief
and have nothing to offer you
except my gratitude.

May God light your path and bless your family.

Monday, June 07, 2004

You alone matter
How can I prove
What their eyes cannot see
Or their hands cannot touch?

Let them not accept
My duty lies in telling them.

Friday, June 04, 2004

A pot of chawal,
A bowl of dal,
A jar of pickle,
That's all

A string of happiness
A string of sorrow
A cold winter
A torn sweater

Solo song
Lonely listener
Caught in freedom
Still a prisoner

Uprooted
Now I stand
My destiny
In my hand

What's next?
I know not
YOU do
And only YOU

I believe:
Love and Peace
I conceptualised you
I groomed you
I nurtured you
I loved you

Then I set you free
From inhibitions
And from my mind
And exposed you to the world

You left me, didn't look back
To explore the bigbad world
There were some who loved you
And some who raped you

You returned to me shattered and bruised
I stil love you, my poetry.

Saturday, May 29, 2004

I stand before you Oh! God
I have disrobed myself from everything
Now,
I have no country,
No religion,
Nothing I can call my own
No cause to fight for
No reason to die for
And yet there is no love lost
I will continue living in this Utopia
Come join me...

Sunday, May 23, 2004

Lost inside a painting
I cannot find my way home
My mother will be searching for me
Thats how they are made

She will cry
And her tears will never get over
She will hope that I return
Her hope will never end too

But I am lost inside a painting
Framed within a glass
Hung on a wall
Even if i find my way, I will never make it out

And my mother's hope is so strong
That an inanimate stone
Will come flying in through the window
And free me after all....

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Rain comes and rain goes,
Drops fall and evaporate,
Heat kills and gives warmth,
As the dead die and rejuvenate

Lemon tea and ice creams
Bluey, pearly, misty eyed dreams
Canvas falls and paint spoils
River mixes with dew and mountain foils

Oh! why do i try to rhyme
So useless is this art
Just hope no one sees my blog,
I am just another stray dog....