Wild Ones

There are spells of whirlwind distractions

As trophies of the semi ordinary lure me

The winds change constantly

And these Wild Ones want to fly away

I ride a wave sometimes

And at times I drown

There's water in my lungs and

Tears in my eyes

And these Wild Ones want to dissolve away

On rare occasions I stumble upon

What I think is the love of my life

I build castles and palaces in air

And these Wild Ones want to settle in those

I tussle at home and fail some more

Hurt hundreds and struggle to redeem

I boil in sufferance of the torment I inflict

And these Wild Ones want to mellow down

It gets harder still

When the skies break apart

And oceans dry up

And these Wild Ones might atrophy to zilch

It's a tough job, isn't it?

Making these Wild Ones,

Holding them, Growing them

Nurturing them, Fighting for them

And guarding these Wild Ones from falling apart

I got this job. And you got it too.

And if our paths cross, we must step back..

For sake of the Wild Ones we've so nurtured..

I must break out of your loving embrace

I have no option but to steer out of your infinite eyes

I cannot tame your Wild Ones nor hold back mine

And both our Wild Ones might simply deadlock away

Wield I must, tame I must

Master I must and control I must

Love I must and grow these Wild Ones I must

For this job of mine is an optionless choice

For better or worse, I have this job

For better or worse, you have it too..

Being the Guardian of these Wild Ones..

Being the Guardian of Impossible Dreams.

Night

Do you sleep in five?
Or does it take eternity?

Do you hear them crickets?
The buzzing mosquitoes?
Or is it your headphones and a/c?

Does your pulse fall
Or does it race faster than horses?

Do you get dark circles?
Pimples? Rashes? Cold sweats?
Or is it bed hair and supple skin?

What colour is your ceiling?
Or would you tell me of your linen?
Do you lean left or prefer right?

Does the darkness embrace your thoughts?
Does it bring out your worst fears?
Do you hope for tomorrow
Or do you bury your yesterday?

Tell me if you dream
Tell me if you don't
Tell me if you remember your dreams
Tell me if you are creating one

What do you think most of?
Or should I rephrase to 'whom'?

Is the night your sanctuary?
Your shelter? your foster home?
Your nightmare? Your personal hell?

Can you think at all?
Or has your brain frozen?

Do you recall your day?
Or would you rather bury it?

How many pills do you take?
Or how many glasses? Is it drags instead?
Or needles? Or hugs?

How many tears has your bed seen?
How many smiles? How much love?

Do you plot? Do you conspire?
Do you regret? Do you thank?
Do you pray? Do you care?

How much of you sees the day?
How much of the night sees you?

Tell me about your day, darling
But let me into your night..

Bookworm

It called out to me..

in the lanky, lonely lane 

I had to go in.

With every step I took

It felt as if things fit.

The slow, dull smell

of paper and books

that beautiful, slightly irritating

olfactory sensation

I touched one..

And the warm old

feeling returned

One no mechanical device

could ever whisper back

At the end of the aisle

A sharp, alluring smell hit me

A blend of coffee and chicory

Pulling me towards it

Enchanted, I stepped

in the direction of that 

lascivious smell

I saw a pot boiling

And a man tending to it

With the love it deserved

I was desperate

The smells, the touch

from a very familiar past

My desperation was pointless

And I walked away

Hungry for books

Hungry for coffee

Hungry, so so hungry..

Cup of tea

Wind breaks my pane
And the rain pours in..
I watch entranced, drenched
My tea gets sipped
My room is showered
And I stay
Unperturbed

Wasn't it like this?
When we walked under an umbrella
The first time ever
Awkward teenagers
Mindful of personal distance

So near yet so far..
And then when across continents
Our currents drifted
So far yet so near
Remember, darling?

A story across cities
Countries and continents
Three years and a decade
You emptied me
I exhausted you

Wind breaks my pane
And the rain pours in..
You break my heart
And the tears pour in..
My teacup is dried
My walls are down
I left
Broken a lifetime over

Do you miss my mind..
My heart, my soul?
Does your tea smell
Like my memory?
Does it loiter sketchily
Like awkward teenagers
Under an umbrella?

Does it zoom away
Like a bullet train?
Does it zigzag
Like a moped..?
Does it taste rich
Like camel milk sweets?
Does it scare sweetly
Like a kid in a park?

Does it matter?
Does it not?
Rain brings in the pane
You bring in the pain
My kettle boils again
The tea aroma drenches
A silent tear crawls

Don't look back
Unperturbed,
Pick it up and
Sip my memory
Let it steal into
That cup of tea

Denial

I can't contain
Subside or hide
I can't refuse to
acknowledge

I was many things
All but what
You wanted

Sprawled in a town
Sleeping in another
Shopping in third
Trapped enroute fourth
Sulking in fifth
Fighting in sixth

You know how
The list goes on

Sheepish, hawkish

Loving, scary

Resolute, insecure

A story over

A decade

Half a world

Now ended

Dried up tears

Remain

And a tsunami dies

In my throat 

Pack it

Lock it 

Run away

Grieve 

Embrace

Leave..