Oasis

Sometimes in the dead of the night,
when darkenes shrouds everything in sight,
the chaos of daylight is yet to leave
I let the whispers of my heart
do all the talking.
And in moments as rare as
black pearl in an oyster
I find
I hear melodies
like someone just orchestrated
all that noise
that drowns my voice out
and clouds the insides of me
filling me with a music,
lending a whistle to my soul,
lifting that veil,
dissolving the mist,
till I can clearly see
All I need is some waking.

Hear a little less,
listen to it more,
so I can run the entire stretch of dunes
before me,
I can do all my walking.
Every now then
when the whispers grow louder
I should let them do all the talking.

Rest in Peace

Walking past the rocks

leaving flowers

Picked from the very gardens

you planted and tended,

Waking me at times

with tender blossoms

as I looked on in wonder.

In blooms then

In disarray now.

In your memories

Buried 8 ft under.

No, this is not your grave.

Not this soil.

Not this ground.

Just the part of me

That is at peace

Because it knows

The whole of you

Is not here and

Will never be around.

Today that side

Of the bed when I woke

Was still made.

Everything still

And quiet.

Unsettling as it was

Not a sound.

My face all creases

From all night of crying

Into the pillow

You are not here

And will never be around.

You dint leave right.

There were no good byes.

You left me to find

my own closure

And answers to

All my why’s.

My anger and weeps

Sighs and hate.

Tended those gardens

Singeing everything in sight.

Till they all wilted and died,

And wiped it all clean,

Off the sullied slate.

I move my lips

And my soul sings

I open my heart

And they takes off

On these

new found wings.

Why remember

And be sad

When I can forget

And smile.

Lost in times

I lost count of.

It has been a while.

feels like a lifetime

but still,A while.

This very moment

Under these very skies

You may walk,

But you are as good dead

To me since the day

You stopped being nice.

And now that you are

No longer here

And will never be around

I shall sleep on the

Unmade bed all alone

Thankful , finally, for

I will sleep sound.

Said they,

the eternal

Quest of man is to seek.

The truth. The new.

The reason for our being,

perhaps.

Yet mine ended the day

I had all for myself,

Why seek another world,

When I have you.

Of lies and

of all things old

I cherish dearly

that single moment

you wiped the past clean

of demons that

waged littler wars

in my head and my body

ridden with reminders,

of wounds and scars.

You became the reason to

start afresh,

A chance

so criminally rare

Accorded to so few.

You are my truth.

You are my new.

Bigger purposes.

Greater conquest.

For power. Or fame.

In glory and in shame.

The world has seen

Them all.

But none come close

To finding one’s true self

That’s willingly lost

in another soul.

In life and death.

Together or apart

In you my love,

My capricious soul

sleeps deep,

in a peaceful rest.

All my losses and

all that I lost

dint' go in vain.

For the only battle

That mattered,

I won you.

To you I bow

To you I surrender

Truly.

Unconditionally.

This lifetime.

And all of next

To you I bequest.

Wide awake in your love

I sleep, I sleep

in a peaceful rest.

Wish my love!

On a night as clear as tonight,

Under this spangled tapestry

Lying besides you,

Awash in all its moon lit glory

I wish you'd ask for the stars

Then I would borrow

and melt

Some of the radiance around

And bathe you in it.

But no beauty on earth

would match

The glint in my eyes

That's come to be forever

Each time there's a smile

On your lips and

that beautiful

face of yours all alight.

Just as my heart soars

at the sight of you.

Wish my love

For all our dreams to take flight.

I wish you ask for a song

Then I would make you an anklet

Of stolen sounds from

The rustling of leaves

And swish of the wind chimes

That breaks through this quiet.

I would read the words

On your lips, in your eyes,

Unspoken. Unsaid.

And all that is my heart

Whispering them softly

to you as you hum along.

Just as the each dying star

bring with it a little faith.

Wish my love

For us to forever,

in one another, belong.

I wish I had died because

Then it indeed would mean

I was in heaven.

Where else would an angel have

sought my hands, entwined,

as we walked on clouds.

I counted my blessings

On my fingers.

But my hands are full ,

with your love,

Nestled deep and tender

in the puddle of my palms.

Then there's you by

my side,inside.

And I counted eleven.

Just as I got my wish

Wish my love,

May all that your

Hearts's desire be granted.

Amen! Amen!

BlackOut Tales

The flicker caught my sleepy eye

half shut in the middle of a dream.

And I let a smile escape, a smug one,

as surreal as it may seem.

Like a happy child with

colored candies all licked,

lest you had to share and

a sound beating be risked.

And then the curve inverted

as the flame died.

The dying aroma 

of the scented candle

Lingering on,

in an abyss dark deep and wide.

Annoying,

like the ringing of an alarm

That's gone off,

just when your snooze

slid into deeper waters.

Bathed in serenity and

in the embrace of calm.

And the clock far enough,

out of reach

So you have to move an

inch onto colder sheets

When it has taken

all night of warming.

Like sand arts built

and swept off at the beach.

Now I wonder

of the rough territorial wars

That predators fight.

It's the sense of belonging and

what's yours

Not a question of might.

The want to keep it all

for yourself and to shield

wandering off will only

dilute the power you wield.

I won't light another match

And I sure as hell won't wake.

The buzzing suckers

can have a field day

I'll be the sloth and

won't even swat,

Those blood mongers can

Take the cherry

and while at it ,eat the cake.

I solemnly resolve to not

Relinquish .

My warm bed

And comfortably fluffy pillow.

A battle of will.

Even if it means my dreams are now

Black and white in the dark.

Like the night sky bereft of its moon

The hour is nearly up and

The power should be back.

Anytime.Soon.

I wish. I wish.

Rewind to Unwind: The magic of NOW

This was one of those moments that one wished stayed a little longer..like the lingering aroma from the emptied vase, like the crushed petals tucked away in between sheaves of paper..unread, unopened , layered thickly with dust. Until one day its chanced upon , drunk in nostalgia, delirious with yearning for times gone by, the mirror it holds reflect the memoir of our old selves.

You wished to live this moment a little longer, stretched to its capacity like the rubber band drawn with force in between those lithe fingers, unleashing harmless paper bits onto unsuspecting heads, now turning missile like, a weapon of choice, and upon the projectile finding its target -laughing uproariously.

One wished the moment remained as pure, drenched in innocence, dripping with simplicity like the time you saunter off at the beach like a million others, stooping to feel the lump beneath your feet and behold! An oyster. Pregnant with a pearl. The journey of a sand grain ending in your palms. The songs of the ocean humming in its shell. The tryst with a tempest etched in its designs. Held to light and marveled upon and maybe the resting on a slender ,delicate neck drawing admirations and envious looks alike.

Moments. The beholder of a story. A journey. A timeless tale. An epic. A tragedy. Of strings spun delicately, round and round into wondrous web , woven around a thought. Like the hands on the face of a clock awaiting it’s next tick , a story lurks just beneath each of these moments. A thousand words behind each curled lip as if waiting to be told.

So, what’s “special” in this godforsaken moment I am talking my head off about?

NOTHING.

This moment is just that…a moment of my life. Of a life well lived thus far. This moment is nothing out of ordinary than the next or the one that zipped by. Still it was a part of me. So , why does one pressure themselves into seeking that one special moment to do, to say or to celebrate? Why not NOW? What’s’ wrong with now? Too ordinary for your liking? Why obsess with something that’s yet to come?

If ‘feel’ had a reverse osmosis of its own , would it then rid one of all which feels bad and wrong? And leave us with just those wanting to be relived and rejoiced.

Like in movies, the excruciating and agonizing times when the giant pendulum is swinging between life and death, the protagonist before slipping away in an endless sleep experiences a slideshow of his life that’s melting away before he can reach it.

Now that I think of it I don’t know if such a .ppt session appeals to my mojo (considering I will be dead after that) , still, I would want to bell that cat in the bag and would want enough Kodak moments to feature in the ppt, if only to know which ones made the cut. After all, I am the director of my life. Surely, I get to wield the edit scissors in my very personal documentary. Right?

Instead of mopping around waiting for the day iPhone10 whips up inter galactic frenzy or when chips implanted in human brains emulate the workings of your own brain plus control those of others I would rather seek comfort in a happy today i.e. soon to be past tomorrow. I am tired of a world turning increasingly futuristic. And I am tired of the world which clamors on about doomsday and then is dismissive of it too, just like everything else. Too quick to write off. Too quick to let go. Too quick to replace.. Newer. Better. Faster. Smarter.

Frankly, me thinks the world is going the Benjamin Button way. Regressing.

The fastest of jets beating velocity of light and sound maybe. That won’t be of much use , would it , when the rivers run dry and oceans flood main lands?

Right now, in your head I am probably being categorized as ‘pessimist’, ‘escapist’ or some random adjective from that ilk. Or is it that you are far too creative, hyperactive, restless and eagerly anticipative of the next moment for my types.

While the NOW will soon be a thing of past, you NEW will just as well. Funny how a single vowel can bridge the vastness that lies between these extremes. So maybe it wouldn’t hurt to pause the constant ff mode and rewind. Will you make the time for it NOW? Maybe then you could discover color of water, sights of the winds, tastes of the flowers and smells of dreams.

In the name of Valentine

It’s the time of the year,

Yet again.

Anticipated, indulgent

Longed or unrequited.

The very air’s breath

Smell of romance.

Love lost, love gained

Like a game it may sound,

 but for the

finder it’s a keeper.

The seeker of purest

intent wins

this game of chance.

 Like they prophesize and preach

That a heart’s one wish

- truest and deepest-

Is granted by the forces inside

and around the expanse.

Maybe one will be forgiven to

Not be in love and still be in love

With the idea of romance.

Flirtatious courting,

Crinkling laughter aside

the magic is spun

behind fluttering lashes,

and awkward, stolen glance.

While winter withers away

and spring engulfs us in its

warm embrace

May even the most stoic of heart

feel the urge to dress up

And while at it

do a little dance.

For once, ditch the cynicism

that exaggerated and glitzy

Modern day affection feed.

Let go the control you so love

To lord over life.

Let it run a course,

Uninhibited, unbridled,

And not shy away from aches

They shall undoubtedly breed.

Let the magic wash you over

And fate conspire

To unite two souls

A silent cheer to the

Cause of valentine

and the spirit of romance.

So, are you ready to give

love a chance?

And ask in earnest,

Will you be mine?