Hear me lassie...

Oh my dear lassie, have you heard me?
Or has the conspiring wind carried the words
Of the vulgar townsfolk, before mine?

Do not heed their words my love,
For they know not their own mind.

One says the roses are poison
And so say the rest..

The would've treated you like the very plague,
And undressed you with their prejudiced tongues,

But remember my girl,
If you run away today,

You aren't running away from their wily games,
But are only cowering behind a transparent veil,

You are fleeing from the woods....into the jungle,

So turn around girl and show them all,

That if you are a coward, so are they all,
To have not the courage to speak out their thoughts,

That if you are a disgrace, so are they all,
To not have the ability to act rationally,

That if you are an outlaw, so are they all,
To have flouted the laws of their very conscience,

That if you are a woman, they never can be one,
For it is you who cause the world to move,
Yet shoulder the blame........for it all

The jasmine and the moon

The moon has risen in the shrouded sky,
Covering the grass below with its pale white glow.

Deep in her heart, she feared,
That she was no longer loved....
Or maybe she was never loved...

Just like the jasmine that blooms with his coming,
Exuding her scent through the night,
In the vain hope that he might realise,
How truly she loves his simple heart,
Only to be disillusioned, when he silently slips,
Beneath the distant horizon,
Not caring so much, for her shrivelling petals.

The Veiled Mannequin

In the corner of his grimy workshop she stood,
A veil covering her anonymous face.
Commonplace pots fighting for space,
In the land he called his own place.

No artist was he, nor finesse he knew,
But he had crafted her as his fancy had seized -
Each part for one of his colorful emotions.
The fiery eyes and delicate hands,
The upturned nose and caressing fingers,
Her comely figure and the cracked heels.

Each part of her was poetry in its own right,
So beautiful was she – the daughter of his emotions,

But he kept her enshrouded from the alen gaze,
Showing them only her allusive silhouette,
For he knew and believed,
That none would appreciate her as much as he did,
The veiled mannequin – the daughter of his emotions…

Thoughts

I cant scream you out to the world
I cant hold you still in my bosom
I cant suffer the pain of bearing you
Unknown to the universe, sometimes even to my heart

I want you to stay alive
As sculpture, even it be on a worthless stone
Or even a verse on a yellowing paper
So that someday someone will find you
To give a patient ear to your silent tears,
Your deepest fears and desires unspoken.

Someday will he realise
That there lived in the ages past
A woman who could not keep you to herself
Who had to push you out into the unkind world
Into the hands of the anonymous stranger
Who would bring to life in his fantasies,
The enigmatic woman whose orphan you are

The child that I am

We walked along the shores of the sandy beaches
Hand in hand - happy for the new found company,
Happy with the new found pleasures,

But soon, like small kids in a fancy land,
Our vacillating minds led us to the scenes beyond..
The sea on one side and the tall palms on the other..
Promises of fortunes promises of assurance..
Of a world that would later be a void..

The sea fascinated me, the sun setting yonder,
Taking with her the last of her rays
And display her wares to another planet
That I could not visualize from here.

Enraptured by the promises untold,
And the possibilities manifold
I pulled away and ran towards the beckoning tides..
And he towards the swaying palms.

The first tide that came lifted me in her arms
Showing me the entire world spread out before me
And just as I was getting intoxicated,
She put me down - wanting not to carry me across..

Disappointed I was – the li’l child I were,
I knew that the candy in my hand was gone
And so was the promise of many more.
And I watched the footsteps being washed away,
From the layers of the impassive sand,
By the tireless waves of the vast seas.
My heart was slowly sinking,
Though twas quickly revived by a buoyant tide
Who was much more determined than her hesitant sister.

She took me by force and put me on the other side
To see for myself the undiscovered cave man’s land
That evoked in me a strange concoction of feelings –
Fascination, curiosity, pride and regret
And above all an emotion that I thought wouldn’t bother me much - yearning

The sun here never rose to kiss me morning
And the moon I never found enticing.
They were all there - figments of nature
Just to perform their regular routine

Was it the nature of the land or was it my rustic heart,
That needed the warmth of the hands
Of the stranger I knew not until a few moments ago
Whom I abandoned without any regret
On the sandy shores of yonder-land..
And whom I had entrusted my happiness to..

Standing alone on the other side,
Having crossed out the many lonely nights
I now wait for a tide to take me across
And sweep me into the safe embrace of his welcoming hands….

Uninvited guests

Ploughing the way across the oceans,
Mountain land and desert,
I've come here as an uninvited guest -
to partake a meal with faces unknown...

Luscious fruits, wholesome produce, drinks aplenty
And treats untasted...
They all lay bare on the shiny new table -
Without claimants, without owners.

We sat at the table, with forks and knives
Ready to devour the sumptuous spread
Laid out by the virtuous hands of the heavenly hostess.

She hid behind the curtains,
In the shadows beyond;
Though none looked to her
To thank her selfless efforts,
For the food was there and the drinks to enjoy,
To keep us happy now and forever..

She didnt mind though and never stopped giving,
Always remaining hidden behind the nearby curtains..

We sat without a prayer and started with a fervor -
And when we finished with our lavish meal
The table was still full, with dishes untasted..

We had our fill and left the rest
Until we would feel hungry again,
If not today then tomorrow
If not tomorrow then the day after..

After all, who could lay claim
On what does not belong to them
Or even to the lady beyond..

In the princess’ robes

Who are these O Haze, who know not the meaning of love,

The one over there, he wants me for the knowledge I happen to possess,
And gives me pieces of worthless metal, to do his petty biddings.

The ignorant one here, she wants me for the comfort that I give her,
Not realizing that it lasts no longer than a mere bubble.

The hopeful ones yonder want me so I shall hold them,
When they tread their last few miles on the passive earth.

And the one beside me, he looks no deeper than my beguiling skin.

Is there no one who can love me true, just for what I am,
A silly little girl in the princess’ robes?

Paradise?

The golden orb was sinking yonder,
Signaling the crest of another night, and a new life.

The narrow path wound its way,
Through the bushes, hills and plains.
Leading the believers, to its enigmatic destination.

Unmindful of the heartless elements,
Undaunted by the undulating terrain,
He lay on his back, in the dingy little ditch,
By the side of the brash little path.

It was layered with leaves, dull and decaying,
Maggots and insects fought for the filth,
That adorned the walls of the shallow home.

His clothes hung limp, flimsy and tattered,
Not serving any purpose than
Vainly trying to shield,
His essentials from the eyes, of the vulgar and the vain.

Battered by Nature, let down by man,
His torso lay still, responding to no impulse.

Nothing he had to call his own,
Expect the sadistic elixir that kept him alive.

Neither man nor beast even bothered to wander
Near the desolate den of neglect and ruin.

Then came the yellow moon from behind the mountains yonder,
To cast a faint glow on the smile that hovered,
On the lips of the contented slave of Father Time.

Twilight Ripples

The cheerful chirping of the gaily birds
And the innocent laughter of the guileless children
Have faded with the retreating rays,
Of the impartial morning guide.

The seething fury of the fiery volcano
Has subsided for a reason unknown
And the lashing waves, even the bubbling froth,
Are now still, perhaps in introspection,
Of its seemingly uneventful existence.

The resonating chants from the ‘holy’ mouths
Are now eternally lost to the cleansing winds.

Even the faint rustle of the leaves and grasses,
Has died down, probably in submission,
To the soothing calm of this enigmatic evening….

But even the embalming silence of the tranquil evening fails to quell
The resonating ripples of my orphaned senses...

Soothing Wounds

Let the raging red flames burn me bare,
So the words from mortal mouths can do no more

Let the unforgiving sharp thorns pierce me deep,
So no human actions can pain me further

Let the swirling waters of the torrid rivers
Toss me into the heart of the desolate islands,
So no other confinement can isolate me more.

Let the sword from Hell’s own forge stab my back
So even the betrayal by my very self would mean nothing.

Let the denuding gale blowing forth,
Pound my soul to threadbare tatters,
Lest no other attempt can break my inner will.

Let the numbing icy blizzards
Freeze the blood coursing through my mortal torso
So I never feel the pain when it bursts through my veins

Let the shining morning light nearly blind my eye
So I can bear to see any sight
That would send the rest into a fright.