Poetry

The Subway guy

He sits in the busiest subway in town
His fingers move incessantly over the
musical holes of his precious flute
as if they have a life of their own

I notice he is wearing a vintage coat
May be to look his most presentable
May be to protect himself from the cold breeze
He seems lost in his own world of music

The flute succumbs to his touch
The magic unfurls as the music flows
caressing and comforting our lonely hearts
opening our eyes to the love still alive

Someone drops a token of appreciation
He never asks for it though
It tries to break the musical rhythm
But yet he goes on without a falter

He acknowledges our applause
with silent words that get lost in the crowd
I walk away humming the melody played
in this orchestra by the subway guy.

Is there a way out?

I want to cry
Cry my heart out
and shed seas of tears that are tearing me apart
I want to stand in an endless rainfall
to hide my tears, coz they refuse to dry

I want to run
Run till the end of this world
over the mountains, deserts and oceans
I want to runaway from the blitz of reality
which has ruined my fantasy world

I want to talk to myself
Talk and confide to myself
in a hallowed place within my heart
I want to ask those spiteful questions
that echo inside me, whose answers I fear

I want to listen to silence
Listen to the deafening sound of silence
that can speak volumes
I want to lock myself
within the walls of nothingness around me

I want to sleep
Sleep forever and never wake up
coz I fear the blurred vision I get up with
I want to dream under my lonely eyelids
and turn reality into just dreams

Tell me
Is there a way out???

Life's an abyss


I fall into the raging swells of the dark,
furious sea like an inept plunger
I feel freezing water enwrap me
swallowing me, drowning me, twisting me
pulling me into the fury of darkness below

I try desperately to break out of the dense swamp
I claw furiously at the heinous waves above
It impels me to the surface only to gasp a single breath
A gasp and I plummet downward into an abyss again
I feel the pain acknowledging my own panic

I work frantically against the gravity of the whirlpool
I try to see and perceive with my blinded eyes
I pray god, the silent observer, the uninvolved observer
Separated from the events but yet knowing all
Show me light, give me warmth, grant me peace

The sky lights up like an early dawn
and bestows upon me rays of hope and assurance
I break the surface, convulsing on top of the sea
I finally feel it, an object that moved with the sea, not sure though
I hold it and it drifts me to the silence of darkness...


My last day as a teenager

Have you ever felt old enough to make a choice,
Relying completely on your inner-voice,
But, still young in many other ways,
Wanting a shoulder to cry on, during your tough days?

Have you ever felt old enough to pack your bag and go,
Wanting to see the world, refusing to forgo,
But, still young to want to stay at home,
Concluding the fact that you are just frolicsome?

Have you ever felt old enough for heart-felt pain,
Trying to be matured even during enormous strain,
But, still too young to find a cure for the blight,
Crying yourself to sleep at night?

Have you ever felt old enough to fall in love,
Wondering if its pure, trying hard to prove,
But, still too young to understand,
Whether this is real or a fantasy land?

Have you ever felt old enough to strive for reality,
Wishing your dreams to be fulfilled by your ability,
But, still young to sit beneath the stars,
Hoping for Angels to wipe your tears?

And now I sit here, awkward, unsure and half-baked
Trying my way to becoming something great
On my last day as a Teenager......


Friends.. Till the very end

At a time when I thought Mumbai was
no place for a shy girl like me
You proved it wrong by
being the nicest friend to me
I thank god for the day I met you
for I realized how lucky I got to be

When I turn back the pages
of my small book called life
I see how we enjoyed our walks in the rain
despite all that storm and strife
I see how you made my cake of life
get sweeter and sweeter slice by slice

It was the artist in you
which brought colours to my pages
It was the generous supporter in you
which gave me hope and saved me from the damages
It is the pure and tender heart in you
which I know will keep us together for ages

Thank you for teaching me
the definition of a true friend
People like you are very rare to find for
I know you are one whom only god can send
You've always been the special side of me
and will always be till the very end.

(I dedicate this poem to a very special friend of mine - Neeta)

In search of the perfect gift

"What shall I give him?" I ponder
To make his natal day unforgettable
To see those stars dance in his eyes
"What exactly is a gift?" I now wonder

Its certainly not just sauntering into a gift shop
And walking out with a wraped parcel
Nor is it just watching them say thank you
And give a plastic smile which will ultimately stop

"What is it then?"Is it something that can make you adrift
just by hearing those thousand thank-yous
expressed by his eyes? Yes it is, it indeed is
I then start my venture, In search of a perfect gift

I try to speculate a list of those things he adores
Those he is obsessed with, those he craves for
Books, Planes, Tom clancy, Horoscopes, Souvenirs
With the list in my mind, I inspect all the nearby stores

"No not this, Please look for that particular one"
I beg the shopkeeper, forcing him to hunt all corners
He gives a disapproving nod uncooperatively
Not giving up, I move on to the next store alone

"Yep, Thats the one" My face lightens up
As my search finally comes to an end
"Gift wrap it" I say with a sense of accomplishment
I wait for the D-day as I fall onto my bed with a belly-flop

"Happy Birthday" I say as I hand him the shiny present
I see him hide his impatience and unwrap it neatly
I stand there doubting whether he will cherish my paltry parcel
Infront of his sis's four-figure gift that looked ornately brilliant

The doubt vanishes the moment he looks into my eyes
Its true, His eyes did say a thousand Thank-yous
With a rapturous smile he embraces me warmly
I pray God, not to snatch from me this moment of pure bliss