Call to My Beloved

Come meet me on the burning pyre, Beloved

your red-orange arms outstretched

your blazing face awash with love

Eager to embrace a soul long dead

A body now deceased.

Regrets and sorrow, fears and tears

Now futile as the soothing sun rays

That once woke to life now withered blooms:

Come play with my burning dreams, Beloved

Once radiant as rainbows, now charred

beyond recognition; a fistful of ash

soon to tumble into flowing streams of Time

To float, to swirl, to disintegrate

To rest at last in peace

Swayed in oceanic cradles:

Deep, deep let them sink

To find new homes to live new lives

Perhaps in oyster shells

Or in coloured coral reefs

Rewinding, rebuilding, rejuvenating

Just Female

Six or sixty- you're just female
To be drawn, quartered, or restrained
To submit, follow, be enslaved
A chattle; or product of exchange.

You think you've a mind?You err
That lie we've never heard before
You're born to serve, breed to bend
You needn't stand; don't pretend.

Why is that so, you dare to ask?
Audacity grows; we'll take you to task
Know you are the cause, the emblem
Of desire, of sinful thoughts of men.

Full of Eve's guile  are you
Sita's allure has made men rue
The day she followed her man's path
And brought down on him Fortune's wrath.

In subjugation your salvation find
Virginity's your shield, close to you bind
Violated once, hide, hide your face
Or be a whore to gain man's grace.

Endings are beginnings

The end, when it came, wasn’t catastrophic

No lightning and thunder, no angry howls

No hungry wolves out on prowls

A few drops of sadness skidding down cheeks

Helpless, as an abandoned babe

Betrayed by arms meant to protect

To cherish and nurture, to hold dear

A wound that won’t bleed carries pain

Like an old battle scar, mostly dormant

Yet throbbing to life at indecent times;

Rewind, rewind to a more pleasant clime

Hold hands and dance with partners you find 

Endings are beginnings invading life

For ends, when they come, aren’t catastrophic.

Depression

Depression sets in
like a blanket of smog
smothering
It growls and it howls
like a pack of hungry wolves
out on the hunt.
It preys on minds
It feeds on embers
blown into
raging flames
gone out of control-
and after it devours
mind, heart, and life
slinks back
into a hole
waiting for a second coming

Different Stroke

Different strokes for different folks

Some see it black, some see it rose

In fact a rainbow, multi hued

Hung on the sky all askew;

They’ll say its fair when it is foul

Give them smiles, they’ll give back scowls

I saw a sparrow drenched in rain

A big fat cat found in it a game

Then there was that other day

I stepped on the gas and sent a spray

Of muddy water on those around

It’s fun to drive through rain, I found.

One small step out of mundane

An avalanche or mound of pain;

I’ll let it go or join the flow

Be a jerk or jolly fellow.

The wait

I kept my door ajar and waited
at the threshold, garland in hand;
soft light from within lit my doorway
calling, inviting, seducing rays.
He rode by on his white steed
on his way to fulfill a thousand errands
My eyes followed, as far as sight would go
His eyes scanned the world for more and more.

My garland dreid, my lamp went out
and i stood waiting at the door.
when he retuned I still stood there
and right behind was my room
with iyts closed door.
He comes riding on his steed and he goes
while I wait outside my room
outside my closed door.

A Family of Vipers

A family of vipers
waiting in the grass
innocuous to look at
letting people pass.

A family of vipers
watching each shift
gimlet eyed attention
waiting for a rift.

A family of vipers
hiding in menace
flashing of forked tongue
enjoying distress.

A family of vipers
closing in for kill
a single deadly strike
and watch lives spill.

Waking up to a dream

Waking up
to human breath
to tousled beds
to arms outstretched
to bustle of morning tea
to chatter and grumble
and to chemistry
of souls united
in camaraderie.
A dream, my dream
untouched, prestine
held in hopeful heart and mind.

Prize

Do I see a smirk on your face
When I say my son is gay?
Do I hear a sneer in your voice
Cause he’s gone astray?
I pity your constricted mind
And your cowering heart
Come, I’ll help you now
To take them both apart.
In your disinfected space
you won't let vermin crawl?
Fear not, there’s a world outside
for them to stand tall.
And as they grow and spread their wings
You’ll find you’ve shrunk in size
Ah for that myopic sight
that is a fitting prize.

Hidden Treasures

And then God said "Let there be light".
Incandescent, the sage mind glowed
Thought upon thought, the river flowed
From Earth to Heaven and back that flight
A treasure trove for mankind to hold
To forget at times, to retrieve as lives unfold.
Eternal, as the Universe
That blossoms, the walks in reverse
Degenerates till almost dead
to resurrect on a new bed.
Cycles, doing the rounds
Create, sustain, bring to ground.
And in its midst Man gyrates
Living and dying through each state.

You and I

You and I with arms outstretched
A river of flame between
You and I with gazes fixed
Glass wall stands unseen.
You and I twin river banks
running from mount to sea
You and I ever apart
Never to be we.

You and I with bleeding feet
walk on field of thorns
You and I banging heads
Till both heads spout horns.
You and I uprooted trees
No earth on which to stand
You and I forging paths
To create our new brand.

Blind in Love

Blind in love, I do not see
The naked truth, the sophistry
Broken chains, reach for dreams
They flow down meandering streams.
Wide awake, or deep asleep
Floundering thru quagmire deep.
My shore, my shore
I can gasp no more
In this twilight zone
i still hear moans
Are they real, are they fake?
Chained to a mountain stake.

Blinkers off I clearly see
That stark Truth, the perfidy
Broken dreams, yet in chains
The glow undone, pain remains.
Wide awake while still asleep
Floundering in quagmire deep.
No coast, no home
I lay down prone
In my twilight zone
That rings with moans
Fake and real, real and fake
Speeding on without a brake.
 

Ritual Dance of Everyday Living

He knows garbage needs to be cleaned
And flower pots to be watered;
He knows soiled clothes go into the basket
Not left around the quater;
Yet he waits till asked to do the task
For that's the Dance, and that's the farce.

She knows the mobil needs to be changed
And old bulb replaced with new;
She knows where to use a hammer and drill
And how to tighten  screw;
Yet she waits in the park till he does the task
For that's the Dance, and that's the farce.

For each a role, not written on scroll
To be lived despite knowledge,
Rules are set, never to be upset
At home, in school, or in college;

When she steps out to handle a mouse
His scowl is dark as thunder;
When he stays home, makes it his own
"Whatever's gone wrong?" she wonders.

In Search of My Holy Grail

Life on life I've wondered, to no avail
Searching, still searching for my Holy Grail.

Books I've read, knowledge gained, to ascertain
The right path to take, my Grail to gain;
Not in world affairs, nor in devout prayers
Nor blind love, nor faith, nor steadfastness rare,
Not on paths of pure virtue, nor vice
My Grial remains a dream, a game of dice;
Pre-loaded, tilted in favour of pain
For ever a quest, never attained.

Devi Durga Reveals Her Identity

Yaa Devi sarvabhuteshu

I am the Earth on which you stand
I am thunder clouds that  rain
I am the bejewelled morn
I am vibrant hues, each day born
I am your scowl, I am your smile
I am One, I am pristine
I am darkness, I am light
I am the slumber of midnight.

In me lives hunger's gnawing teeth
In me blessings that make replete
In me, the power to bear, to hold
In me the might to rule o'er souls
In me your victory, in me defeat
In me the broken and the complete
In me you live, in me, you die
In me your joys, in me your sighs
I stand by you, young or old
Each I burn till you turn to gold.

Could have been

It could have been a bubbling brook
laughing as it ran its course;
It could have been the Sun Supreme
unleashing all its mighty force;
It could have been a palace ground
grandeur filled all around;
It could have been a melody sweet
music rare with joy replete.

Alas! It failed to gain a space,
take one-two- three to make it ONE
Alas! It built a throne of thorns
that seats nor you nor I nor none.

Love at the Stakes

My love binds me to a stake
Each day a new fire burns
I see myself melt away
I feel my twists and turns:
Ghoulish laughter fills my ears
I'm part of a macabre dance
With music playing from far off lands
As spears my body lance:
Forbidden tears, forbidden screams
Let ritual laughter ring
As soul sets out on journey new
To find my hidden springs.

The Shadow World

In this shadow world, identities stand blurred, 
like muddied water; river beds invisible;
here I stand exposed to howling winds
that throw handful of dust into helpless eyes.
the other, and you and i
so real, yet unreal; distinct and hazy
right and wrong, truth and untruth
a concoction served on my platter
i eat and grow, then eat some more
till the vomit rises
mud and water now separate
yet doubt remains
did i cleanse my soul to perfection
or did i throw the baby with the tub?

God and I converse

God asked me- What do you want?
I said I wanted space all around;
God gladly agreed and gave me the sky
I found no wings, I could not fly.

God asked again- What do you want?
I said I wanted smiles all year round;
God smiled and agreed and gave me the Sun
From its blazing heat I wanted to run.

God asked again- What do you want?
I said I wanted a solid bond;
God readily acquiesed and gave me Earth
I pushed all out and took the whole berth.

God in His wisdom asked- What do you want?
I said I wanted to float like a swan;
God smiled again and gave me the seas
I floundered, I sank, couldn't stand high breeze.

God asked with a sigh- What do you want?
I said I wanted the light of the morn;
God came and said "I give you Air"
And i saw i had nothing for which to care.

Now God's in heaven and I live on earth
But we find no reason to further converse.

Surround Me

Surround me with silence, not as in tombs
A throbbing silence speaks not of doom;
Sweet it is, as unheard melodies
Soothing silence like a passing breeze.

Surround me with darkness, not of failed quest
Snug as the womb where unborn babes rest;
A darkness that gathers in to embrace
That looks in, not out, with curious gaze.

Surround me with pain, not of desires that thwart
But the  pain of men and beasts and birds;
A pain that braodens my mind and my heart
That That gives me the strength to live not apart.

Surround me with dreams, not seen with closed eyes
That tell me to awake and to arise;
Dreams that guide my footsteps all day long
That move me to endlessly march on.

The call

Oh stay no more bound to Destiny’s shores

Into unknown waters of Fantasy set sail

No destination in mind, no direction ask

Like a new lover your future unfolds

Ever fresh, ever new, ever pristine

Tedium of labored living abhor

Fear not those crashing waves

Falter not at secret eddies

Steadily sail into receding horizons

Voyage on merrily till breath fails.

Story of Two Tracks

Two tracks converge at a junction

To run side by side in harmony

Camaraderie never to be broken:

Their destinations lay far apart

And they diverge

With tear-filled eyes, helpless hearts

They walk their separate paths-

As they travel, they see from a distance

Their separated tracks; held in their minds

Imprint of togetherness they find.

Their worlds of light and shade

Hold their hands, hearts ever attuned

To past, they live, to cry and laugh

To dream of another path

In some other existence

Where destinations converge

And they run along same lines.

Gypsy Girl

I've seen a Gypsy Girl 
I've seen her gypsy ways
Uncertain roads she walks
All day she laughs and plays;
Patched sachel on shoulder lugs
Filled with coloured beads
A floral skirt she wears
No more she says she needs
My little Gypsy Girl
Fleet footed as the breeze.

My little Gypsy Girl
Did you hear her gypsy lays?
They sang of unknown things
They sang of far off days;
She sang from morn to dusk
Shesang through all her tasks
And in her songs I heard
Ruth's homesick voice plead
My little Gypsy Girl
Fleet footed as the breeze.

A Mind Reborn

Sunlight gushed into corners
like golden paint splashed on black canvas
dispelling the dark, tearing cobwebs apart:
Mind stood naked, exposed to winds
tender and vulnerable as a new born babe
that enters screaming into unfamiliar world;
each moment a voyage of discovery
uncovering years old lies
revealing relentlessly garbage heaps
stored, forgotten, left to rot-
in one swift motion swept clean
with a splash of Golden Light

Freedom

I'll say what's in my heart
No more will I act a part
You may call me queer
Or say that I'm weird
That's nor here nor there
My world's a perfect sphere
There's comings and goings
While my river is flowing
I hear the sea's call
See the waves and winds stroll
Hand in hand; their dance
Of harmony my senses enhance.

Touching Horizons

Maze of torturous thoughts
No way to get at truth
Eating into minds and hearts:
What is thruth?
A grain of shifting sand
A moment's certainty
Drowning in oceaans of doubt.
Release their chains
Set those spirits free
and see them fly-
to frolic with winds
to flow with tides
to brave dancing waves
to touch horizon beyond horizons.

I know not

A voice speaks out of the blue
man or maid- I know not
words weaving intricate webs
inviting, enticing
seducing, menacing-
to stand, to respond
to run in fear- I know not;
there's magic, there's poison
to mistrust a thousand reason
yet I return
mesmerized, or stupified
or plain naive- I know not.

Fickle Minds

This mind's a brothel
customers come and go
charade of love's played out
and then the door.
Here fragrances drift
as corpse burns slow
in mind's brothel
where customers come and go.
Painted faces stand by the way\
queen and beloved for a day
invisible belly the world ignores
where customers come and go.
people call me slut
but still come to my door.

Renewal

Come, we'll dance tonight
liven our romance in delight
for long the sun's scorched love
for long winter's frozen the dove
it's pouring rain, it's pouring life
come, we'll drench our strife.

And when the skies dry their tears
when a watery sun appears
a shy green leaf or two
will surely bloom out of the blue.

I and Me

I sleep with a smile on my face
for life is full of grace
I can walk, and I can see
and what is more
I can be -me.
No need to hide my warts at all
I know them well
they don't make me small;
I'm a flower, or I'm a bird
or I'm a monster, you may've heard.
Whate'er I am, whate'er I'll be
I promise I'll always be-ME.
Being me is no disgrace
I and me stand face to face
we are friends , and we are free
so me is I and I is me.

Tale of Little Bo Peep

Little Bo Peep, she lost her sheep
and didn't know where to find them
Leave them alone and they'll come home
wagging their tails behind them.

So Little Bo Peep, she left her sheep
and waited at home to find them
They went astray day by day
She tried but failed to realign them.

Then Little Bo Peep went into the deep
hoping that she would find them;
she searched, she cried, her brain got fried
but nowhere could she find them.


Poor Little Bo Peep who'd lost her sheep
Went door to door to remind them
She'd loved her sheep long and deep
and would put her thoughts behind them.

Illusion

The faster I run, the farther I stray

From destination: life is handed

To me on a tray, but I display

 tantrums of a spoilt child denied a toy:

myopic my view, a short term ploy

to fill my coffers , to fill my day

to forget myself in mindless play:

world’s  hurly burley’s forever on

faster and even faster we  run

following rise and fall of sand dunes

that in our path sage Time splays

stumbling , straitening, till we decay.

Salute

I thought I fought

My valour slayed the lot

My blood splattered skin

I proudly trot

Displaying my jewels

My wounds of love.

I now know I am vain

With enemy I’ve never lain

In my ivory tower I remain

To live and complain;

While out in the field

Hapless soldiers wield

Defenseless arms

And fight without shield:

Never will I know

How to fight so

To rouse hearts and minds

That sleeps and snores.

My salute to you pal

I’ll stand and clap

I’ll see you win

As a new world you unwrap.