ALIVE

(Sometimes there is no reason for existence, no reason to thrive, absolutely no reason to survive and in the journey towards death, living until the end – a challenge that seems impossible)

She and her indifferent ways

Ways I cannot fathom, neither can others

Others they point fingers, laugh at her

And she laughs back at them

Not a flicker of pain passes over her face

Her hurts are buried deep within layers of inscrutability

I am puzzled by her behavior

For she is carrying upon herself, an unquestionable burden

An unnecessary encumbrance

No, she is not a celebrity

Not someone even remotely famous

Perhaps, she is very ordinary

Perhaps, she is a nobody

A self-proclaimed martyr

I don’t think she is meant for others to understand

She will go away from this world as easily and effortlessly she came into

Thousands won’t mourn her death

But she will leave a void in lives of some people that will never be filled

Yet she has a sole purpose

To guide me forward

No, she is not a philosopher

I do not learn the mysteries of universe from her

But she keeps me sane

She makes me believe

Makes me believe in a bigger picture

A better future

As I navigate through an uncertain present

She shows me the unearthed good in the past I buried long ago

When I cry, when I hurt; She doesn’t wipe my tears

She amplifies my endurance

When all seems lost & the ground I walk on trembles

She becomes the crutches that help me to stand

When I jump from a cliff, she doesn’t catch me

Instead gives me wings so that I can navigate my own flight

When I am drowning, she is not the ship that rescues me

Instead she teaches me to swim against the tide

Deep down I know she is my wellwisher

Though usually I never fathom her ways

She is not the answer to my every question

Instead she creates more questions than I can answer

Yet she makes me who I am

Yet she holds me up when I am down

;

People call her a bitch, so do I

People call her difficult, so do I

People call her strange, so do I

And all those tags are justified

When I see my closed ones suffering

When I cannot salvage any hope

When I am sick and tired, wounded and hurt

When I am carrying the burden of broken relationships

When I am too afraid to trust & too scared to move forward

Then in all fairness, She becomes UNFAIR

She still smiles at me

Mocks at my innonence

And though she longs to hug me & say its alright

At difficult times, even she is the servant of circumstance

But sometimes, She is lovely

Fresh as the spring breeze

Warm as the summer sun

Pure as the snowy white

And pleasant as the drizzling rain

And so…

People call her sweet, so do I

People call her love, so do I

People call her a blessing, so do I

And all those tags are justified

When laughter surrounds my near & dear

When the one I love makes my day

When friends are my biggest strength

When genuine smiles are not far away

In a world, in which, every single day

I make efforts & efforts to SURVIVE

The more you obtain, only when you learn to GIVE

As I struggle everyday just to THRIVE

She shows me what’s it to LIVE

WHO IS SHE?

She is ME

She is WE

She is MY BODY, MY SOUL

She is a PART

She is a PIECE

She is a HALF

Even the WHOLE

She is EVERY BREATH I TAKE

Every IMPULSE I GENERATE

And Every feeling that I STOLE

You know who she is

Yet you deny

‘coz your innocence evaporated

With the youth

You surround yourselves with lies & deception

And move farther away from the truth

Her going away is not in her hands either

And she is scared for us, you know

When we fail to appreciate the little things

And just give up & don’t grow

She is afraid that she will have to leave early

Even before she makes you understand

And alone, you will get stranded in the darkness

Sinking helplessly in the quicksand

Embrace her before it’s too late

‘coz trust me, even animals SURVIVE

But it takes lot of courage

To break the chains

And admit that you are ALIVE

With joys & happiness in PLENTY

And sorrows that are RIFE

She is that invisible GOD

For she is…………….LIFE

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

(Sometimes, no, in fact at every turn life gets difficult and more difficult. You lose focus. You lose hope. You lose yourself. You start to doubt. Your vision clouds and you begin to think that you are good for nothing. You blame your destiny. You mar your luck. You feel helpless and lose self-confidence. You feel like quitting all and going back in a cocoon to shield yourself from the real world. What you do not understand is that you have the power within yourself to fight back. This is just a test. A test to test your inner strength. A test to make you more strong. A test to awaken the potential that even you do not know exists. Quit crying at this moment. It is just a tiny moment in eternity that will cease to exist soon. A change so minute, a difference so small but with implications which will re-shape your entire life….Find yourself….Find a friend…Find a love….In a world that changes shades in every instant you are just a minuscule part of some great plan….Tears that you are shedding now…will mean nothing tomorrow….Tomorrow you will get born in an new eternity….All was and always will be TEMPORARY)

On a lonely rainy night

As I lay on my bed

Thumbing through a copy

Of some book well-read

My thoughts wander towards you

How are you meant to be 

All smiles that you cover yourself with

For others to openly see

I see you from a distance

The false masks that you wear

You may fool others easily

But I am the one who cares

You need to forget these troubles

You need a helping hand

Someone to talk to secretly

Someone who could understand

I see through your charade

I see the inward hurt

I see those unshed tears

And not the mirage that you display overt

Come one, gimme one chance

Let me be the ONE for you

Let me soothe away your pain

I could be a best friend too

Unless you let me help you

How will bring you back?

Unless you trust me

How will I get you on track?

Just stretch your hand forward

I am here to hold it for you

To guide you in this darkness

That has appeared out of blue

The light is within you

Just let me show you the way

The strength that has never left you

The power that’s never away

You are sitting in a corner

When your world is actually round

It all exists in your head

You just need to unbound

I know you have gone through a lot

A lot you sadness you have seen

I know its not easy to get back on your feet

And be as you have always been

I know the world is bad

And it will always drag you back

Throw curses at you at every turn

And let insults stack

I know you hate god at the moment

‘coz your life seems a joke

But, there is still so much more to you

That you are not trying to awoke

I know how it feels like

When life kills you every time

Treats you like an outcast

Treats you like some slime

Don’t listen to the people who taunt you

I know right now they are on top

But someday you’ll show them

That you aren’t some flop

All faith you have abandoned

All hope you have cast

But trust me, the possibilities of finding happiness

Are still so very vast

You think yourself as stupid

‘coz that’s what they make you think

They are pushing you over the edge

Driving you to the brink

But I pity those people

For what they are

I pity their shallow minds

That they have long ago barred

I pity they do not recognize

For what you really are

Naah, I don’t despise them

But, their rules I do mar

NO, you don’t have to be like them

Even now, you are so great

The ideals that you still follow

With not even an ounce of hate

Just have some bit of patience

Some memory to which you can cling

Some joy that fills your heart

A spark or some zing

OR just

Find a heart

One true heart

That will only beat for you

A friend so dear

A companion near

Who shines like morning dew

Find a love

One true love

That will always stand by your side

Your own person

Just one person

With whom your destiny is tied

You need just one person

Just one reason in your life

Just one memory to cope

For all innocence to survive

Come, look through my eyes

Tell me what you see

Yes, that wonderful person is YOU

It’s what you mean to me

Yes, just get up

And stare; blatantly at the world

Show them you can fight back

And make your flag unfurl

The candle flickers brightly

Just before it forever ends

The temptation to quit is high

At the time when trouble transcends

From the night the day is born

From the day, the night does spring

Every end carries the seed

Of the dawn of a new beginning

‘Coz all that’s always left behind

Are shadows of broken glass

No matter what this moment holds for you

Eventually this too shall pass…

ILLUSION

 

(Are we for real? Or are we some inexplicable unsolved illusion? Are we existing? Or do we just “think” we exist? Sometimes we have no answers for some questions. When we wake up from a dream, we believe we are back in reality BUT what if we are yet to awake? What if, this life we are living, a long never-ending delusion……)

 

 

I run through your thoughts

I sprint through your mind

You try to hold onto me

And put life on rewind

 

Yet you can’t find me in any of your memories

Yet you can’t seem to locate me when times freeze

 

Do I exist cause you are

Or am I for real?

I bet you are confused, I know

Was my face an illusion?

And my voice imagination?

Only in your dreams did I learn to grow

 

Were you the only one who could see me?

Was I invisible to everyone else?

Just a creation of your imagination..

Someone you made up

Like an imaginary friend

A self-believable strange notion

 

Do I live in your heart, unknown to all

Hidden in that tiny space

Am I the one; that pumps blood into you?

An emotion you can’t replace

 

Where am I, you wonder?

Whats my origin in your life?

Am I a forgettable chapter, you think?

Someone who will disappear when time comes

Like a slowly vanishing link

 

Do every breath you take, fills you up to brim

Reminds you of the fragrances I hold

I cloud your vision so easily

Do your eyes deceive you – when my image they behold?

 

Can you find if I am real when you slowly touch me?

Or even your touch is an abnormal delusion?

Why do your ears still hear my soundless laughter?

My identity, your mind’s confusion!

 

Did the life we lived-

Never did happen at all?

Was it a dream from which you woke?

A web of unsure hallucinations

A relationship that was revoked

 

You still wonder whether its this or some past life

That weaved my memory into yours

A mysterious connection that appeared out of blue

And assimilated in that life of yours

 

Or maybe- I am you, you are me

Maybe we are; one whole

Two souls that thrive in one single body

Same destination to seek but play different role

 

There’s a thin line that separates, this mirage of  inscrutable

From what we believe as real

Or maybe all this is just make-believe world

Neither imperfect nor ideal

 

Is the truth just a fiction

And a lie that we live

Fallacy that binds you and me

Our lives a deception

Our relation non-existant

A raging enigmatic sea

 

Or someday you may find

I am indeed a fact

I always was and will be

Its you who is unreal

Just a memory re-living

A figment created by me…..


I USED TO HAVE A BEST FRIEND…

(“I used to have a best friend” shares its similarities with the previous poem “We’ve drifted apart”. However, this one looks from the angle of a friend; friendships are so important in life. We can survive with the loss of a lover but losing a friend is like losing your identity; losing the very meaning of life!

The end of this poem might seem abrupt. But I have deliberately left it so. Because life loses its completeness with the loss of a best friend and this poem best remains incomplete…. )

I used to have a best friend

and he made my life whole

A friend, philosopher, guide

He played my life’s every role


I used to have a best friend

He used to live in my smile

Fill my surroundings with laughter

And make my time worthwhile


I used to have a best friend

He used to make me dance

And make my heart break into a song

With a single loving glance


I used to have a best friend

Who used to stand by me in thick & thin

Never did he let my days

Sink into chaos and din


I used to have a best friend

who also made me cry

But when I fell down & could not get up

He taught me how to fly


I used to have a best friend

Who sometimes got angry with me

Yet when we didnt talk for even a minute

He would beg and come to plea


I used to have a best friend

And though we had many a fight

In the end he just hugged me

And everything seemed so right


I used to have a best friend

And we used to talk every day

We might be anywhere in the world

But by thought, were never away


His calls fueled my happiness

His voice got me through the day

And when I was overwhelmed with work

He made everything okay


And then all changed……….


The calls dwindled & came to a stop

The mornings turned very bleak

The very reason that brightened my day

Went from strong to being weak


Sometimes I would remember some joke

Some funny moment we shared

And memories would come rushing back

As if he still cared


I didn’t know, whom to tease to

Or with whom to share my woes

I guess when best friends break up

They end up worse than foes


Death is not the only thing that separates people

Believe me, its true

What separates people is ignorance

Of a relationship they once knew


When the person who loved you once

Now behaves as if you don’t exist

And when you try to go away

He doesn’t even try to resist


I can cope with the loss of a mentor

I can cope with the loss of  a lover

But losing a best friend is traumatic

No identity left to discover


No other friend can make up

For the void that the best one has left

Even when you surround yourself with people

Forever  does life harbors; a deep-rooted painful cleft


If you have lost a best friend

You may know how it might feel

There’s no meaning to your life

How much ever you try to conceal


I used to have a best friend

I used to have a life

I used to have a best friend

I used to have a life








PA’S PRINCESS

108337-13-daddys-girl

(Each one of us, has a special person in our lives that we hail as a father-figure. He can literally be our Dad, or an older brother or an uncle or a friend or just about anybody who has made us what we are today. A person, who has not only supported us throughout our life, but taught us it’s important lessons, gave us all the time in the world and never complained. Someone, who has loved has unconditionally, truly, with so much affection that it can never be measured. Some relationships go beyond the extent of words in their meaning and so beautifully become our very reason for living.

This poem, is dedicated, to that person in my life, who has made me what I am today….who has loved me as his own daughter, as his own kid, as his own life…..To my darling Mamoo….my Pa….)

I live in a dreamy fairytale

In a distant fantasy land

And feel the purest of pure love

Where all sorrow, is banned


He holds my hand

& guides me forward

And not for a moment

does he let me stray

He corrects my stumbles

& soothes my bruises

And stands by me day by day


Although he never taught me

how to walk

Yet he could hear the sound of my feet

And even from that great distance

He knew, one day, we would meet


He smiles softly at my chattering

And never for once, gets bored

He puts with my silly tantrums

Oh, he has always been the person I adored


Although he never heard my baby gibberish

or even my first word

But in that land far away

My life, he anchored.


He puts that sound in my laughter

He lights my face with a smile

He covers me with a blanket of happiness

And brightens me up in a while


Although he hasn’t always been a part of my joy

or a witness to all my mirth

But even in that physical distance

We got connected at birth


He wipes my tears with an instant ease

He drives my sorrow away

No worry, no tensions can touch me at all

He protects me night & day


Although he can’t shield me from all misfortune

Or see my tearful face

Far away, in his heart, he knows

All sadness in my life, can he erase


So, this person that I truly miss

who always listens to my blah blah

An image of a big hug & sweet sweet kiss

Is my darling Pa


He taught me whats right & wrong

And still teaches me  the lessons of life

How never to lose my self-respect

How to be cheerful & rife


His gifts are not material

They are the stepping stones of success

How to practice self-control

And live life with finesse


His lessons are inspiring

He taught me how a young woman should be

And though sometimes I missed the point

He explained that ‘patience’ is the key


He always made me realize

that helping people is fun

Never to think ill of others

And never from problems, to run


He made me face my fears

And stood strongly by my side

Yet he let me learn my own lessons too

And saw that I surely tried

I listen in wonder to his achievements

I am proud of all that he did

He has always been my hero

And I, that awe-struck kid


You might have such a person in your life

It may be your Dad or some other

A favorite sweet uncle or an older brother

A father figure that makes your life

And fills it with love & care

A man who carries you forward

And drives away all despair


I love you Pa for what you are

I am your number one fan

I always want to be your little kid

You are my superman


And I want to live in your great big arms

Where I know I’ll be safe forever

I’ll be showered by all sweet things in life

And feel lonely, never


Not all people become parents

Just because they have given birth

Pure affection has no boundaries

Some people are more precious than their worth


A solemn circle, this love

Connects people in mysterious ways

And forms lifetime relationships

Sprinkled with never-ending joyous days


So, I thank you for what you are for me

You are my beating heart

And even being on the opposite sides of the world

We could never be apart


I cannot touch but I can feel you

I can hear your comforting voice

I would run up to you and give you a hug

If  only I had the choice


One day, when you’ll be frail & old

I will take care of you as mine

I’ll sit by your bedside & love you so

And tell you all his fine


Then, I’ll be there for you

as you have always been

A friend, philosopher & guide all the way

Though you remained unseen


Hey Pa, stay with me forever

We have lost too many years, so to say

And though we can’t bring them back

Now, you cannot go away


Although you never witnessed my milestones

Or  figured in my childhood

Now you are a part of me

And this is just as good


So, I look at you & proudly say-

I am Pa’s princess & his girl

Who will grow up to be his constant support

And his shining pearl…..

THE LONGING

1708531994_f77f937174

(The worst gift that you can give to the person you love the most is that of “waiting”. Because an eternity passes away yet you do not know when “the wait” will end. You do not know for how long it will stay. You do not know whether it will let you come back or force you to go away forever. Never to return. Never to look back. Never to rekindle the hopes of the ones waiting for you. The longing of being united..the longing of coming back…the longing for memories shared only in dreams….the longing of relationships that could have been……)

I wait for the time to pass

And come to that particular day

A day I had lived in the past

A day that took you away


Now it will repeat itself

Now it will live again

A day as insignificant as any other

A day that even time could not contain


I set my eyes on memories so old

An emotion so complex that words can’t hold

A separation that tears apart the very existence

A ballad of sentiments that remained untold


A touch of hope and that of despair

A joy unlimited yet bonded by care

A love so strong that it consumed all

Of protected instincts that were laid bare


A voice of sadness that trickles from the lips

A scarlet river like the blood that drips

A pain so profound that it perishes all

Like an unknown destination of many a ships


I still stand by the window

and count the stars

A lost memory

that we proclaimed ours

Left behind are

the broken threads

Left behind

a handful of scars


I am wiping out the proof

of pleasure and pain

The insolent dance

of sunshine and the rain

And withhold all happiness

till I reach that day

Till I gather the smiles

yet again


I thought waiting forever

had made me strong

Had took me beyond

what’s right & wrong

Still, as moments

come to close once & for all

I feel as if

I’ve forgotten the song


Years so many

were easy to pass

But months so few

I can’t outlast

And when the countdown

reaches to days

I will be left picking up

fragments of broken glass


I am here physically

but my mind’s elsewhere

I hear voices but pretend

not to care

It isn’t necessary that I indulge in

common things

Of everyday happenings

I don’t seem aware


I live in a world

fueled by imagination

That seeks out paths

to lost destinations

No language to express

just kingdom of silence

Yet I hold

perfectly sane conversations


I know nothing now

except the very end

A longing of

a distant & dear friend

An affection that surpassed

great understandings

So there’s nothing left now

to comprehend……



A SOUL-MATE

best_friends_51

“Soul-mates are people who bring out the best in you. They are not perfect but are always perfect for you.”

(Everyone in this world longs for a friend. Lucky are those who have someone to call their own. You don’t need tons of people as your mates. Only a few ones, those whom you trust with all your life, are enough to battle any sorrow and enough to share any amount of joy. A friend can be anyone who is dear with absolutely no restriction of age, status, caste, relation. That is the beauty of such a person. A BEST FRIEND! The best thing about friendship is that it can co-exist with any given relationship in the world as well as survive alone….

To my best friend, with love and gratitude, here’s something that has been written with you in mind……….)

You seek a shoulder in pain

Pray that your call does not go in vain

You wait for that lovely smile

That makes you happy in a while

A hand to guide, a hug to say

That you are loved in more than one way


Someone who will not judge you ever

But stand by your side forever & ever

Someone who will care for you even when you are lame

Someone who will cheer you in every game

Someone who won’t get bored whatever you say

And with some silly joke can make your day

Someone who will bring you in, when others kick you out

With whom, even for a moment, you are never in self-doubt


A BEST FRIEND is what each one wants

To shield from misfortunes & protect from taunts


Yet, is that friend  some person totally new?

Or someone old, with whom you grew?

Do you choose him from one so many?

Or do you meet him suddenly on any day sunny?

Is that friend a familiar face?

A person so known that you can’t replace…

Or is he stranger who seems so dear?

Its as if he has been always near…


Who exactly is a BEST FRIEND?

Someone to support & someone to depend

A mirror image of our own self

A helping hand as well as a plea for help

He is an answer to our every question

A pill to combat any depression

A ray of light, a chunk of hope

A bunch of roses, a tool to cope

An innocence that sparkles, in the eyes

A relation even stronger than the blood ties


A FRIEND is “trust” in oneself and all

A soothing ointment after a great fall

Of love and care he constitutes a shrine

A soul-mate, with powers divine!!!



UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE

people_.jpg

Understanding people is perhaps the most complex of all arts, being well aware of the fact that sometimes we are not able to understand our own selves.

Many people and most Aquarians may be well-acquainted to this acclamation as any person falling within the limits of the Aquarian sun-sign is as unpredictable as the Indian Weather Bureau, which seems to predict the weather for other countries rather than India for their every forecast seems to be unreliable as any Indian Prime minister’s mind, who has a tough time deciding whether Pakistan is a friend or foe!

Among many such unreliable issues is that of any Indian batsmen batting, which seems to go on fine (in fact, exceptionally fantastic) when batting against strong teams but ridiculously falters against weak ones. As if Tiger Woods is taking his first practice lessons with the bat (instead of the golf club), painfully crashing the hopes of millions of Indian cricket team fans who love to watch the ball being hit, ‘high and far’, instead of ‘low and near’. (Maybe, that’s why Indians have never been able to understand golf!!!)

So, don’t you think it is difficult to understand oneself and others when such unreliability is corrupting  this entire country. These days even I go on interpreting people’s words in the exact opposite way and am surprised as to how I succeed, as, people do tend to change or rationalize their thoughts so often and begin to curse exactly those ideas which once, they themselves regarded as epitomes of truth and maturity.

Ironically, I may be wrong to some extent accusing Aquarians of being unpredictable when, we Taureans nurse our obstinacy as carefully as an injured body part; faithfully stating that ‘stubbornness’  is the most essential virtue conferred by God on mankind and it’s a privilege to have it running through your veins!

But then, we can never have a Caparicornian diplomacy, or a Cancerian smoothness or not even a Piscean confusion…

Our lives have become just like everyday newspapers. As is the 365 days (sometimes 366) of the year repeat themselves over and over again. Just as a sizzling news, situations remain the same; only people involved and the time and place differ. History, does repeat itself!!!

Making way through all these current problems, ‘humor’ may be the only solution to them, now that even ‘prestigious’ people like ‘us’ try to take things as lightly as possible ultimately realizing that, it doesn’t matter whether world changes or not, but there is always going to remain an element of HOPE which will faithfully support our imagination and careless attitude.

Now that I know, surely Life isn’t a bed of roses but then, it isn’t a sea of thorns, either!!!!