To Nobuyuki Tsujii

Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Rachmaninoff
sing to your fingers on the reeds
The Royal Carnegie breaks down for you,
for your elegy,
for your blindness,
for your talent
for your spirit,
for you Nobuyuki Tsujii

While all I could muster up are a few drops of tears.
and play you on loop on a sad rainy day...
  

Mahisashura slayed

The Gods deceitful as ever,
enjoyed endless spring and that divine nectar,
By subjugating men on earth
And casting their cousins Ashuras to the underworld for millenias...

But then in caves deep and dark
Penanced He and prayed to the destroyer.
Till appeared Shiva and denied Him his first boon of immortality.
Disheartened but magnanimous agreed He to be defeated by none but by a woman alone..

Armed now with near immortality
Presently He challenged the gods in open battle
Lazy and inept the gods fled like cowards into the farthest corners of the universe..

So there He now sits high on the throne at Amravati,
The mightiest of the mighty,
The bravest of the brave,
Greatest of the great,
The true rightful ruler of the three realms,
Won with the sharp side of the sword
And the blunt side of the mace.
The demon king, the leader of the Ashuras
Mahisashura!

Now met the Gods to conceive a plan diabolical.
Conjuring ancient tricks, magic and sorcery
Created a force unparalleled unseen and unheard.. Durga !
Riding then on a maned lion
From beyond the horizon,
beyond the battle clouds,
beyond darkness,
beyond time and space itself
With ten arms holding ten weapons in ancient mudras
Lurched upon the battlements of Amravati.

But lo and behold, the mighty Ashura King
The ruler of the three realms
Smitten by the celestial beauty of Durga,
Offered her a rightful place next to his
Why fight?
Why shed more blood then necessary?
When all could end peacefully reasoned the mighty king.
"Marry me and be my Queen" He proposed.

In return she slayed,
The mightiest of the mighty,
The bravest of the brave,
Greatest of the great,
The true rightful ruler of the three realms,
Won with the sharp side of the sword
And the blunt side of the mace.
The demon king, the leader of the Ashuras Mahisashura.
Thus fulfilled was the prophecy.

There be no victory of good over evil here,
Just a celestial ancient love written and conveyed in blood.

You

Who are you?
Where did you come from?
Where will you go?
I know not, but this I know,
that in a sleepless city you seek solace.
Amidst its bustling bazaars you find anonymity.
Neon-lit resturants, old Iranian cafes, overnight rains, sea breeze draw you.

You have scars but you wear hope.
You feel pain but throw smiles.
You feel cold but give warmth.
Eyes give away what your lips hide.

Who are you?
Where did you come from?
Where will you go?
I know not...

Ambition

The mist came in from the west that night, brought with it a curse.
A darkness, darker than dark,
fed on fear and on the seven sins of man.

It doesn't sleep doesn't make a sound, just grows.
Into the forgotten corners of your mind, spreads it tentacles.
Plays with it and shows things
Some true mostly lies..
It doesn't stop till it ends..but it never ends.
Its called ambition.

Au revoir

I will be where you leave me when u return.
Quite but expectant,
Indifferent but glad.
I will stand where you leave me.
While the shadows will grow long and short,
Through sleepless nights and make- belief days.
I will wait with rainy days, poems and coffee
Till then au revoir...

Where were you?

Where were you when they turned hope into despair,
When they snatched our breads from our children's mouths,
When they barricaded our lanes and bylanes with fear and hatred?

Where were you when darkness and winter were parachuted into our lives,
When black orchids were placed on the graves of our martyrs,
When they defiled our faith and sanctum sanctorum?

Where were you when they changed the colour of my beloved city?

Paris

The smoke still bellows from the walls of the Bastille.
In the backstreet cafe, resistance gets served in cups of espresso.
Maximillian slogans appear like labels on fine wine bottles.
The air still hangs heavy with the smell of gunpowder and burnt flesh.

I taste revolution in your lips,
Liberty in ur hair,
Equality in your eyes,
Enfranchisement in your touch...

To Lyric - Free Forever

Through the Khyber pass,
Through ancient trade routes and
Even older Sarai Khanas
into a world of poetry, cafes and rain
I want you to disappear.

Sail by sea, be a pirate, chart your own maps.
Explore and conquer,
Travel through forests, be Robin hood, bow to none,
Tame a Unicorn, ride a Pegasus, slay a dragon, love a fair maiden..

Paint, write, sing, read,
Get high, get drunk on life,
Grow no roots, never settle,
Stay free forever.

Corner - reprise

It does not rain here
No river flows through these buildings
No monuments, statues, obelix talk of heroic past.
No lovers meet over wine and cigarettes at cafes or neon restuarants.
No museum hold any twilight relic between legends and myths.

And yet here hearts still beat,
Lips quiver,
Hands shake,
Words fumble..poems get written.

Coz you bring new digital picture perfect mornings,
You bring clouds grey and solemn.
You paint these sun roasted buildings with truth,
Roads with songs.
You smoothen the rough edges of this rational city with irrational colours..

Once smoothen,
the green corners ever so hidden
Get exposed.
Where we accidently meet
Over cigarettes, wine and fine espresso.
Then this city turns into Prague, Paris, Florence..

Rain - reprise

These dark grey clouds, which hang heavy
Over this neon sleepless city
Is like anticipation personified.
Patience runs out till, almost like magic, it gives.




Then
It lives, it breathes, it flows,
It grows, it takes and it cures.
Like a careless child, nature splashes itself,
Blurring edges, redefining borders, even relationships perhaps.





Image Courtesy : Debjani Roy 

Party

What to you is a party
For me is a few hours of emptiness
Gut wrenching pain and an eternity of void
A few lamenting messages and a few rocky drinks later
Its oblivion and rudeness.

The hangover hangs like a dark cloud next morning
Apologies and a thousand joules warmth fills the void
But the hours are gone like a night train
Never to return again.

Dear

You work hard, dream harder
Smile wide, laugh wider
Feel pained but cry quieter
Family first and love later.

You walk tall, pretty and proud
Yet hide a void deep but not loud
Seek love and affection from a stranger dear
Hope time heals your heart fulfils your prayer.

Write no more

Why should I write
For what
For whom
To what end


What has ever been achieved through written words?
Has fate been decided by words ?
Have battles been lost or won by words ?
Has love ever given in to words?
Can words roll back sadness and dry tears?
Prevent death and give birth?

So I shall write no more !

'Thank God' said someone in the dark.

Want you - reprise

In between turning of day into night and night into day I miss you.
In between sunlight filtered through tree leaves in autumn I miss you.
Between words spoken and unspoken,
stares shared and stolen I miss you.
Between frustration, anger, doubts and sublime affection I miss you.
Between faith and non-faith, believing and not believing I miss you.
Between heavy make-up and a simple eyeliner I miss you.
Stranded on a divider crossing the road on a tar melting hot summer day I miss you.
Between cafes and office cubicles I miss you.
Between a house and a home I miss you.

Want you

Want you in the clouds when they gather over this dry parched city.
Want you in the morning mist when it  descends like a seductress in my dreams.
Want you in the distant morning prayers I hear across this concrete multistoried jungle.
Want you in my waking hours and sleep.

I want you in my packed schedule like a recess
Want you in my slide transitions and P&L account documents
Want you on the atm screen and money changing hands.
Want you in micros and macros.
Want you in demand curves and reach buildup algorithm.

Want you when i am young and when i grow old.
Want you when i am with friends and when I am all alone.
Want you in poetry and prose, in books and cell phones, in watsapp and Facebook.
Want you in my heart mind and soul

No
Dont do this dont do that
Cant do this cant do that
Dont see this dont show that
Dont say this dont say that
Dont touch this dont touch that
Shouldn't do this shouldn't do that
Couldn't do this couldn't do that
Dont wear this dont wear that.
No, nope, nai, nahi, never, ever...
Couldn't shouldn't wouldn't

However
'yesterday you told me bout the blue blue sky, but all that i can see
Is just a yellow lemon tree'.

Wake up

Wake up..
take those dreams from ur eyes
and do up your hair with them.
Let me sketch you while you
are at it,
arranging those dreams
like a motif unfamiliar yet beautiful.

An iced tea,
a single shot espresso,
two chairs and a table wait.
So wake up now

Corners

This city does not need more concrete,
Or glass or steel or flyovers
Or metros or cars or odd&even.
This city does not need any season
Any flower any migrant nor any expat.
Neither does it need breweries or neon lit seductive night clubs.
It does not need farmhouses or big fat, soon to be broken, weddings.
No need for school, colleges or multi speciality hospitals.
It does not need BJP or Congress or AAP...

What it needs are corners.
Corners where fireflies serenade the darkness.
Corners where I can bump into you every alternate day and fragrant night.
Corners where I can get to know you a little better... perhaps a little later.
I want to call them Green corners,
Islands, oasis in this sundried compulsion, called a city.

Silence

There is a mystery in silence,
An anticipation,
A wonder of what might be revealed at the end of it.

I do not know if like a promise, silence should be broken
Or left on its own like a poisonous snake.
I do not know if the sound of silence is louder than a thunder clap,
Or softer than an early morning prayer.
Should silence be embraced like a friend or scorned like a foe?
Get drunk on silence or get sober instead?
Should I read about silence or write about it?
Is silence love or hatred?

Lets stand up and observe a minute of silence in memory of silence instead.
 

To a pagan Goddess

For forty days and forty nights,
I smear your marble body with turmeric and vermillion
Wash it all clean with waters of the first monsoon rain...
Lillies,  Hyacinth, Lotus and  exotic orchids
I lay at your feet.
Decorate your hair with wild rhododendrons.
Burn frankincense and sandalwood,
While humming ancient hymns,
Perform rituals as per rules laid down a few millenia ago.
Then with folded arms, bended knees, I beseech you to grant me three wishes....


Image Courtesy : Debjani Roy 

Truth be told

Spending my days going through an almanac,
Trying to figure out days of total eclipse
when the cosmos will very kindly paint our existence black with a thick brush stroke.

For under such cover of darkness I feel comfortable with my myriad weaknesses.
Debauch, base, pevert...and their cousins.

Rest of the bright sunny days are eclipsed by oscar-worthy performance of high socio-cultural value.

Avoid

Ok... So be it... Lets just avoid
All that's true but uncomfortable,
Uncomfortable but makes us feel alive
again...
But then we have our lives to be lived, lies to be told, smiles to be faked.. So why not
Lets just avoid.

FAQs

What secrets do you hide
What metaphors do you use for life
What make-up do you use to cover your insecurity
What assurance do you seek
Which marks do you hide under your clothes
Which path do you take
How do you pray , to whom do you pray
Who all pray to you and for you
And how do I know what thoughts surround you?

What guilt haunts you
Who appears in your dreams, your nightmares
In your waking hours and in your sleep who praises you, loves and hates you, envies you?

I wish to know but the answer is not blowing in the wind.

Neel

Blue of the ocean,
Blue of your mood,
Blue of a star light...
There is a calmness in the colour blue
Like a child sleeping
Like an incense burning,
Like a silent prayer...

And in this blue all that exists
Is the blueness of my desire,
Your sky blue sighs,
And a deep blue sadness...

Blue breath mixed with the colours of early dawn
Runs through our veins,
Like an addiction, intoxicating and immoral but overwhelming..

And in all this blueness what shines are your lips, mosaic-ed with my thousand kisses,

                                                    Blue...  Neel... Bluish...

Image courtesy : Debjani Roy 

Onset of (in)sanity

Nowadays I spend entire afternoons
searching for CDs I am not sure I ever bought..

Nowadays I spend mornings recollecting conversations I am not sure I had with anyone..

I spend a better part of my nights dreaming of coffee I am sure I had at an in-transit airport I have never been to...

Nowadays I dont always recollect when or where I bought the shirt I wear, things I eat, faces I see, music I hear, books I read, feelings I feel, hands I shake...

Nowadays I often argue with the mirror on left and right, right and wrong, veg and non-veg, straight and gay, black & white and eastman colour, Tom and Jerry, us and them, science and art, Dylan and Beatles, Euclidian and Non-Euclidian geometry, odd and even...

Nowadays I have difficulty in defining my relations, my religion, my belief, my moral, my weakness, my diseases, my address...

And yet I have no diffculty in recollecting
wrong equations, wrong numbers, wrong colours, wrong  people, names, places, animals, things...