A Death Without Dignity

He dreamed of a love, that remained unfulfilled,

of the riches that he never earned,

but a family that loved him still.

He dreamed of a life that was cut short,

by the flames and shrapnel that took his limbs apart.

He was a father, a friend, a husband, a son

a man with a heart, a decent human.

He was a victim of vengeance, of hatred and ignorance

a lifeless statistic lost in the realms of indifference.

He had a name, which we may never know

memories and moments which won’t be shared.

He lived a life of which we were unaware,

now his death puts us in fear and in despair.

We will rant of him and the dead through our online avatars,

as we remain helpless as prisoners of war.

Living in fear of a painful death,

we will light a candle or two as a mark of respect.

Days will pass, and as months go by,

he will remain just a prime-time topic, a T.V dinner debate.

We will have moved on as we have our lives to live,

we will bitch, we will moan while surrendering to our fate.

There is not much we ask, and there is not much we want,

we are easy to please, we too are human after all.

We may not live like Kings, yet we don’t yearn for any pity,

all we ask for is a death with some dignity.

This Age

'Tis a precarious age this - Twenty five,

Should I behave as a boy? Or have I grown into a man?

Shall I try to get the best out of the two worlds?

Should I try to act matured as far as I can?

'Tis a crazy age this - Twenty five,

you think my juvenile heart will learn - but no he won't.

He dreams of someone special, fathering false hopes,

he still dreams of that walk in the woods, with a hand to hold.

'Tis a confusing age this - Twenty five,

as I try to forget about all those bridges I broke,

And those friends I ignore for no fault of their own.

I see their lives reflected on other people's wall,

I wonder how things would be if I gave them a call.

'Tis a scary age this - Twenty five,

as I compare lives with my accomplished peers,

their jobs, their loves, and the growth in their careers.

My resume of Life, may still look empty,

But hey, I am just Twenty-five. The life ahead is aplenty!

Tears of Dirt

They glowed and they shone

as the rays bounced of their crown.

They trickled down his sides, crawling like a worm,

slithering through his brows like snakes moving through grass.

They made a path of their own moving through his lids,

his nose, his cheek leaving behind a moist trail of dirt on his dark skin.

As they curved on the bridge of his nose, wetting the hair above his lips,

he felt their salted kiss that tasted of a hard day's work.

They slid through his chin and dived to the ground

like a watery pearl crying "Geronimo" to meet their end.

They died and were born again at his brow, as they made their way through his face.

He stopped breaking the rock as he pulled out a cloth,

a testament to his grit that smelled of his strength, and soaked with his perseverance.

He wiped away the scoundrels that raced through his face,

he then looked at the sky that burned with rage.

As an unforgiving vengeance pierced through his skin

"Is that all you got?" he asked the fiery sphere with a wide grin.

With his chest gleaming with pride, and his arms drenched

he got back to work chiseling the rock with a tune in his lips.

A Response

Her response felt strange,

strange yet true,

true yet bitter,

bitter yet right.

"Its too late now" she declared unwilling to change our plight.

"Where were you when I needed someone more than a friend?" she asked

"I was there hidden under the shadows, knowing you will find someone better" I replied.

"Why did you fall for me so late"? 

Little did she know that I had fallen for her at a time,

when she was just a friend as we spoke over the phone late into the night,

as we shared our dreams, and of the things that gave us a fright.

I had fallen for her when she cried to me of the man who broke her heart,

who shattered her faith, and tore her innocence apart.

I had fallen for her when she radiated a warmth, that can leave scarred hearts amend

what a fool I had been to treat her just as a friend !

I bottled my emotions too scared to uncork,

as I rubbished every song I listened to that reminded me of her,

I looked the other way, as she conversed with her eyes that gave out a spark.

I was a shoulder to lean on, when I should have been the hand that held her tight.

I gave her words of comfort, when I could have been the lips that kissed  and told her "Everything will be all right".

When the boundary had been crossed, when the barrier had finally been broken,

I ran towards the shore only to find that she had sailed away.

Away into the sunset.

Ek Din

Shelf par ek puraani kitaab hai,

Dost ek mera mujhse naaraz hai,

Office mein ek ladki hai,

Mom meri gusse mein hai,

Gaadi ek ghar ke bahar hai,

Ghar ke chatth pe ek nazaara hai,

Filmon ki DVD bahut zyaada hai,

Ipod mein gaane thode kam hain

Whisky ki ek botal Dad ke cupboard mein hai,

Bag ka ek zip toota hua hai,

Boss mera zaalim hai,

Kaam bhi kuch khaas nahi hai,

Dost hai ek meri bahut pyaari si,

Woh kitab padoonga ek din

Us dost ko phone karoonga ek din, "Abey, kaminey kya hua?" poochonga usse, Kaan pakad ke maafi maangoonga ek din

Us office ki ladki ko coffee peene bulaoonga ek din,

Mom se kahoonga "Aloo ke parathe accha banaathi ho" ek din

Us gaadi ko chalana seekhonga ek din,

Us nazaare ko din dhalte mehsoos karoonga ek din,

Un Filmon ki DVDs ko dekhoonga ek din,

Ipod mein gaane bharoonga ek din

Us whisky ki botal se ek peg chori chupe piyoonga ek din,

Us bag ke zip ko theek karoonga ek din

"Tu jaaye bhaad mein" apne boss se kahoonga ek din,

Bin bole kaam chodd doonga ek din,

"Mujhse shaadi karegi?" apni us dost se poochoonga ek din.

The Dark

    

                                               

On an open road with no soul in sight,

With no burning light, on a no starry night,

He walked alone with a tune on his lips,

And a spring in his steps, with a sway of his hips.

The quiet street and the chilly air,

The rustle of the leaves, and the sound of a hiss

He stopped dead in his tracks – “Pray, who is there?”

The slither he felt gave his heartbeat a miss.

The dark of the night crept into his head,

As he longed for the comfort of his warm bed.

The shadows of the unknown played with his mind

To run from the demons and leave them far behind.

His eyes saw visions which never were there,

The fear stripped him naked, and lay him bare.

His mouth went dry and his hands started to sweat,

He prayed to his God for he almost tasted death.

 

He ran into the night chased by fears of his own,

Ghosts, ghouls and spirits who wanted to crush his bones.

He slipped and he fell, yet he never stopped,

Sweat dripping from his brows which he never bothered to mop.

At last he saw his home with a light that shone bright,

He finally knew that it will be alright,

He ran through the gates with his life lit by a spark,

Promising himself he shall never venture into the dark.

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spookyfoto/2152978601/

The Quest

I am on a quest, on a quest unknown

They ask what I am searching for

A question that makes me wonder

For I have lost nothing, then what am I searching for?

What I am searching for has no shape,

It has no color, it cannot be measured and it cannot be bought.

I seem lost as I travel without a route map

There seem to be no milestones to read, there seem to be no footprints that lead.

There are only crossroads.

I meet people who accompany me who are on a quest of their own.

"How will I know that I have found what I want?" I ask them

"You will know when the time comes" they whispered in my ear.

I met travelers in whom I confided my deepest fears, my unrealistic dreams, my ambitious hopes.

I met travelers with whom I fell in love, whose hands I held,

hoping they never part ways when there comes a fork or a bend.

I met travelers who taught me to rise after a fall,

who taught me that getting hurt is not the end of all.

We met with nothing to show for, yet we parted with our hands full, and our hearts complete.

It was when we parted, that I realized I had finally found what I had been searching for.

"Do what you love to do" they said. "You will find what you are searching for", I was told.

I found what I was searching for.

I found recognition, I found my fifteen seconds of fame.

I realized that the people around me now knew my name.

"Cherish every moment, love with no reservations" they advised.

I found what I was searching for. 

I received memories to treasure, I forged bonds stronger than steel

I was blessed with love that would last me a lifetime.

"Keep walking, keep living. It is a long road with more people to meet, and lots more to discover" they said.

I still keep walking, I still keep living.

Now, I need no milestones, I need no maps, I need no footprints.

I meet new people and I make new friends, the road I travel will never end.

Every experience is new, and there are so many more to meet,

I finally realize that my quest will always remain incomplete.

My Judge

Will you judge me if I cry

when I see you walk away

after you bid me goodbye?

or will you wipe my tears away

and say " Big boys don't cry!"

Will you judge me if I hold your hand

and plead you to stay a little longer?

Will you judge me if I confessed

that I could never say the things I always wanted to say

only because I feared that your memories would haunt me forever?

Will you judge me if I said

that I wish we had met in a different place as different people?

Will you judge me if I said that the promises we make

will never stand the test of time?

For as time moves on so will we...

Will you judge me if I ask

if we can have a cup of coffee together for one last time?

Will you judge me when I am not there

to wish you farewell?
Not because I don't care,

but because watching you go

will make life seem unfair.