A Figment of my Mind

Questions often come to my mind.
Neither are they black, nor white.
They lie somewhere in the middle,
occupying a shade that can
only be described as grey.


Why does the Sun glow?
Perhaps it is supposed to provide light
to all those in need of it.
Perhaps it is supposed to be the centre
of all things that bow to it.
Perhaps it lies just there, waiting
to die a slow and mournful death.


Why do the oceans span so vast?
Maybe they are supposed to quench
the thirst of every creature that breathes.
Maybe they hide the lands, and
the treasures they hide beneath them.
Maybe they exist only to vanish,
to end before time itself ceases.


Why do the mountains tower over us?
Perhaps they are supposed to protect
all that they shield on the other side.
Perhaps they stand so tall to
seize our interest, with their splendour.
Perhaps they stand just as a path
to the Garden of Eden, a city of paradise.


Why do the rivers flow?
Maybe they are supposed to feed us
with the burdens that they carry.
Maybe they are there to cleanse us
with the water in their hearts.
Maybe they are just like a guide for
a lost soul to its destiny.


Why do the forests breathe?
Perhaps they are supposed to be
the storehouses of a million things.
Perhaps they are the abode
of a million different creatures.
Perhaps they are just a blessing
in disguise from God Himself.


Why does the human being exist?
Maybe it is supposed to tame
all that it can lay its hands upon.
Maybe it takes care of the Earth,
and the other dwellers on it.
Maybe it exists just to be vanquished
and consumed by its mortal self.


Questions often come to my mind.
Neither are they black, nor white.
Answers to these questions are intricate
and often obstinate in coming.
Sometimes, they come just as easily as
the bird twitters, or the bee buzzes.
Sometimes, I try not to look for the answers
to the questions, but I look at
the questions themselves, and reason.
They lie somewhere in the middle,
occupying a shade that can
only be described as grey.

A Royal Meal

‘Twas the fifteenth day of March
and spring had set in whole and in a hurry.
The King and the royal lineage sat
down for supper, which was always a flurry.


The plates were set and napkins laid
in shapes splendid and smart;
Servants and cooks ran here and there
trying to satisfy the family’s hearts.


Snacks and salad arrived first,
with soup to complement.
The prince left it as it came
and back to the kitchens it was sent.


There was a look of satisfaction
on the faces of all those royal,
all but one, the King ‘twas,
whose face was close to boil!


“Come here at once!
Whoever is responsible for this.
I detest the snack lying in front of me,
All the spice is amiss!”


‘Drop silence followed the King’s bark.
All looked as though they were
breathing their last breath then,
they could not utter a single whisper.


The snack was replaced at once,
two men carrying instead of one.
They had become a nervous wreck,
They knew not what was to come.


The King cried once more,
“Bring me the veal at once, hear you?”
Men dashed to the kitchen in haste
and brought the meat in platters new.


He dug into the flesh like a glutton
and the family began to feast again.
They had been stunned into silence
by the King and his bellowing.


Seeing the King satisfied now
the servants breathed sighs of reprieve.
“The storm’s down” one whispered
into another’s ear, a voice of relief.


The Queen ordered away the dishes;
The King and his kin had finished.
A last course, however, was left
to be served, the sweet dishes.


Mango cake, blueberry pie and lemon tarts
were brought in gold dishware.
They were finished in a jiffy,
and the table again lay clean and bare.


The King rose first from his seat;
The Queen and children rose, and went.
A meal of royals it had been
and the meal came to a denouement.

The House by the River

'Twas the seventh day of September;
autumn had arrived fast,
browning the greenery around me.
For full three months it would last.


A river meandered through the land;
a bird flew above it,
and the river looked to the bird like,
a majestic blue serpent.


Cedar trees adorned the hills,
and spruce and pine and fir.
At sunrise the land livened up
and at dusk stopped the stir.


There stood a house by the river,
meshing into the green.
Made of wood, and nothing else,
oh, it was a splendid scene!


The Singhs occupied the structure,
a family of five and no more.
A mother petite and a father strong,
and the three children they bore.


Two sons and a little girl they were,
who played all day long.
The mother would sometimes play along,
but the father was never home.


There was never a dull moment
in the lives of these strangers,
until the seventh day of September came,
and brought with it looming danger.


The dam up the river broke,
water furiously gushing down.
It seemed as if Neptune was angry at them,
for the house by the river was long gone.


Some sort of semblance came
on the thirteenth day of September.
It was quite ironical you know,
on the thirteenth the flood went to slumber.


Nothing of the house remained,
not a nail or a piece of wood.
The Singhs it seemed had vanished,
for not a single one ever again stood.


They came, lived there and went away;
for Nature took their lives in haste.
And the house by the river was reduced
to nothing but a mound of waste…

"Murder!", I Cried

The clock struck eleven
and out came the cuckoo-bird,
whistling thrice and going back in,
and a gunshot I heard.


I ran out onto the street,
into the cold, still dark.
I had heard, but seen nothing,
except for a faint little spark.


He ran as a ghost glides,
his cape following, like a shadow.
His face was as vivid as the night sky.
“Murder!” I cried, in a voice shallow.


She fell, the bullet passing through.
White had turned brown and crimson.
She raised her hand, as if in a dream,
and then it fell, like the setting sun.


I chased the man, eager.
Bullets he kept aiming at me.
I dodged each one of them,
until one of them hit my knee.


I could not do a thing about it.
He had vanished into the night.
I limped my way back to
what was a sorry sight.


Calling an ambulance, I sat beside her.
There was something wrong.
As I stared at the face and wondered,
“Did I know the one who was gone?”


It hit me with a sudden jolt,
like thunder and lightning had struck.
I had seen her earlier today;
her car was right behind my truck.


The ambulance came in haste,
people walking here and there.
I looked down at my hands
and all I could do was stare.


After giving the police all I had,
I went inside the quiet of my home.
I couldn’t sleep till four in the morn’
the thoughts just refused to go…

A Walk Under The Stars

She rose up from her seat,
Declaring,” I’ve had a lot today
Lets go someplace else now.”
And all I could say was,” Okay.”


The bill was paid in crisp green notes,
We tipped the waiter well.
We walked out at ten at night,
And started a walk swell.


The warmth of her hand I could feel,
Our shadows following us behind.
We walked at a leisurely pace,
With no single thing on my mind.


I said after sometime into the stroll,
“I really want to go to bed.”
In reply she stood mum,
And didn’t even shake her head.


The winds rustled the leaves,
Hardly was there a soul in sight,
There was hardly any talk between us,
Try as hard as we might.


A sudden chilly breeze blew,
I offered her my jacket at once,
She smiled at me and I felt proud,
Nature had given me this chance !


We kept on walking, not wanting to stop.
The time had, by now, crossed eleven.
The stars shone far above us.
Sparkling from their nest in Heaven.


“It’s late I think”, I remarked.
She did not stop looking at me
She shook her head furiously.
My heart was then brimful with glee!


She halted in her path, all of a sudden,
Turned around and stared,
Stared with an aura about her.
I knew then that she cared.


She closed her eyes slowly,
And moved closer to me.
I followed her, our lips inches apart.
I think it was a deed of Destiny.


We reached her home late,
She fumbled for the keys.
All this time I was
Trying to find my knees


A walk under the stars it was,
The walk had come to a finish .
I said goodbye, and kissed her cheek.
The smile on her lips did not diminish…

Angel

Have you seen her?
The look in her eyes?
Like a walk in the park,
Like a light in the dark,
Like a magical spark.


Have you seen her?
The mystery that she exudes?
Like a glistening diamond ring,
Like the times when she sings,
Like the most beautiful thing.


Have you seen her?
The aroma that surrounds her?
Like the smell of a newborn,
Like the rose above the thorns,
Like the crimson of the morn.


Have you seen her?
The earnestness she possesses?
Like a warm sunny day,
Like staring at the endless bay,
Like the words that I say.


Have you seen her?
The innocence of her soul?
Like a sapling growing new,
Like the good in men few,
Like a feeling of being so true.


Have you seen her?
The love she has for me?
Like a clear moonless night,
Like a star shining so bright,
Like the purity of the color white.


I covet her wonderful presence
In my life that is incomplete.
The day and moment she arrives,
Will the two hearts finally meet.