I saved them!

It has been two years

Since the world lost its smile

Behind the shield.

Many an ‘infectious’ smile has perished

Crashing against the wall

That claims to protect us.

So these days I save my smiles –

My rare, precious smiles.

Instead, I just shrink my eyes at them.

My foggy brain frowns

At my absurd, inapt gesture.

But man, look at all my savings!

My Files

Thus I was born with
those few basic programmes.

As voices and visuals poured in
I felt I got access to more.

Later I had my own words
Making me edit, delete,
Update and add more.

More faces, words, deeds
Knowledge, experiences –
The evolving continued.

Then the teenage rebellion!

The ordeals of life
Overhauled them often.

At times they were futile
Making me look pathetic.

Now here I am today,
digging into the enormous,
tangled pile of life files
searching frantically for
my disaster management docs!

‘Alarm’ing!

I hate him –
the rigid precisionist
who axed the climax
of my thriller dream.

I tried feigning sleep
but the unkindest cut
was too loud, fatal,
leaving me ‘clueless’!

Now who will tell me
what happened to me
after I came out of
the palace-cum-barn-cum-mountain?

 

 

 

 

Anarchy

Control – iron-fisted!
Power – absolute!

Perspectives mutate,
Priorities shuffle,
Focus shifts,
Vision blurs,
Mind shrinks,
Greed roots,
Anarchy thrives.

His heaven
Our hell!

Windows and messengers

Her post inspired me to look
out the window
And enjoy the greenery.
So I did look – knowing
No treats awaited me.

Ah! Sky! Cloudy,
Not the sign of an impending rain,
They say the roaming choppers
Chop the pregnant clouds
To save all the million-dollar constructions.
Some say they are ‘poisoned’, aborted.
Anyway, they seldom deliver – anything!

Ah! The next apartment block,
where our ‘neighbours’ live.
The windows shut forever
never frame any face,
because they had given up long back.

Ah! The narrow empty space
around our building,
Where a garden could thrive,
Where we could have some benches.
But all I can see are the ghosts
Of the industrial sewing machines
Abandoned by the cobblers all around.
Sometimes I hear the cats,
but today no cats even.

Now, reluctant to surrender,
I repeat the exercise.
Ah! Two pigeons on the neighbour’s A/c unit!
They are not green,
but they are at least full of life!

Julia, did you
send those messengers for me?
I wish to believe you did.
So, thank you, dear!

Escape Velocity

It’s almost an hour.
I am speaking to her.
Trying my best
to get to the core.

Discuss, motivate, encourage,
beg, empathize, sympathize,
agitate, provoke, admonish.
But nothing cracks through.

She’s so calloused.

About to give up,
Desperate,
One last question
out of the blue!

Voila!

The escape velocity attained.
Tears, disclosures, confessions.

Two souls
Over the moon.

Tell me your secrets

I could hear Wind roaring
In languages unknown to me.

It was lonely –
Lonely as the cold desert!

Sometimes loud and scary
At times silent and creepy.

I could feel
His dry tears of loss.

I was weather-beaten,
And my brain – tired!

I tried and tried
Oh, but Wind
Never let me
Know his secrets!

SOS

(STORIES FROM THE SCHOOL – II)

Girl 1

She couldn’t answer –
Today too!

Meet me later.

What is the problem, dear?

I’m sc..a..r..ed..

Hmm… no more questions.
Let me know when you are ready.

Girl 2

She was late again-
Third day in a row.

Why?
No reply – as usual.

Her shabby uniform,
Skinny frame,
Terrified looks
Were no good signs.
Time to poke my nose.

Contaminated

In those moments of peace
There was nothing to stir
the tranquility of her mind.

Bored by the stillness and monotony
the mind had curled up somewhere.

Then the message beep!
Surprisingly she decided to check.
OMG! How come?!
Did he…? How can he…?

The mind woke up
Contaminated!

She could feel
the pressure build up,
the breathing quicken
the stomach cramp.

She read it again, to confirm
before the explosion.

Only to realize – her prejudices
had pulled a prank on her.

Cruel revenge!

 

 

 

To those who build walls

I have never seen
the fluffy snow,
the meandering rivers,
the undulating deserts,
the towering mountains,
the dark depths of the oceans,
the carnival of northern lights.

In short,
I haven’t yet
stepped out of my pond.

Some day I may.

But the walls they build –
they worry me.

What if, when I’m ready
the walls are way too high?

Remember,
I have never seen them.