i hope the poem that rests on your tongue,
vibrant and lovely, speaks your truth.
and that this truth is all your own and knows
your love in its wholeness; anxiety, fright,
happiness included.

that the object of your desire, human
and beautiful, meets you where you rest,
and loves you with the same heat
and kindness that you deserve.

and that you grow from the experience
of wanting beyond your selfish heart,
into something that only wants the best
for another, for no reason
other than their happiness with
or without you.

Slice the sun
Wield Its nucleus
Feel the throbs
Of its light
That's me
Part of you
No half-life
Me and you

When I met you for the first time
It could hardly be called "love at first sight"
But I thought you were a very decent human being
Someone whom I could trust
And after meeting your family
That feeling only deepened
And once we began speaking over the phone
On an almost daily basis
I felt as though we had established some sort of understanding
Therefore, I agreed to marry you
Our engagement was a very simple affair
But I got to know your family better
And after we took you on a tour, the very next day
My emotional attachment towards you only grew
And slowly and steadily
I began to like you in the romantic sense
In fact, I even helped you financially
And it was quite a significant amount
Then we met again
For the purpose of marriage registration
I took you out on a date
And we really enjoyed each other's company
Then the pandemic struck
And things were never the same again
Our marriage was postponed indefinitely
Naturally, you were very upset
But to start ignoring me and my family completely
Was way out of line
Nevertheless, we thought you needed some space
Hence we didn't complain
However, after you started speaking to me again
I noticed a significant change
You were not as enthusiastic
As you used to be earlier
And you were free to talk only after 9 PM
These were all red flags
But my heart couldn't acknowledge that
And I thought things would eventually work out
After we finally got married
How wrong I was!
I gave you as much attention as I could
Which included watching serials along with you
Frankly speaking, I have never been a fan of Indian serials
But I made an effort, just for your sake
I even combed my hair the way you suggested
And grew a beard and moustache
Even though I usually prefer to be clean shaven
I did all this
So that we could develop a deeper bond
And more importantly, you could be happier
But did you truly care?
Every time I made an effort to start a conversation
You told me the same thing
That is, we would eventually talk more over time
Your coldness was killing me from inside
But I kept mum
Because I thought you truly cared for me
The way I cared for you
Again, how wrong I was!!
You spent more time on the phone
Than talking to me
You even had the nerve
To mock my tummy
Usually I am very sensitive about such things
But I controlled my feelings
Again, for your sake!!
You were in bed most of the time
Of course, that was understandable to a certain extent
Because you were pregnant
But to protest every time I called you for dinner
Was simply too much
Nevertheless, I truly loved you
Hence, I made excuses for you
From time to time
Even after the shocking results of the ultrasound test
I believed that you were innocent
And that you were being discriminated against
On the basis of class and caste
When my best friend tried to open my eyes
To the hard and cold reality
That lay before me
You got super possessive
And forced me to stop talking to her
Meanwhile, your best friend tried to brainwash me
As to your innocence
And both of you did your very best
To try and turn me against my family
Because of you, I was trapped in a prison
And had no idea how to escape
Until you finally admitted your wrongdoings
But you still had the nerve
To ask us to take you back
After all that you did
And, worst of all, you lied about me
To my mother and my best friend
And played the victim card
I loved you and you betrayed me
But that is only the tip of the iceberg
You took advantage of my autism
And manipulated me in such a manner
That it destroyed my self-confidence
I was in a state of depression
For more than a month
And had to go through a rather painful divorce process
During which, you played not only the victim card
But also the caste card
And on top of that
Your cunning lawyer tried to deceive you
In order to obtain a truckload of cash
And it was us who set things right
By convincing you to go for mutual consent
Nevertheless, we still had to pay you four lakhs
On "humanitarian" grounds
And you never returned the jewels we gave you
Anyway, you may now be leading a normal life
Like any other person
Who knows, you might even have got married again
There is absolutely nothing to stop you
From telling people a pack of lies about our divorce
However, as long as I live
I can never forgive you
For using me the way you did
And throwing my love back on my face
There is a famous quote
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"
Well, it applies to men too
Especially me

thankful that
the promised storm
did not arrive
umbrellas were collapsed
used as walking sticks
or were discarded
as unwelcome rain
and clouds of grey
drifted apologetically
stood in expectant awe
we were rapturous
as blue skies stretched
from hillock to tor
to witness a cowboy
dressed in white
the hero-in-waiting
with a sunset
      to ride towards
his happily-ever-after
a pastoral beauty
in flowering green
inseparable thus far
tradition be ******
now adorned with
a bonded eternity
on their fingers
to match that
which is long-rooted
in their hearts

We look like marble

lovers on a tomb, being --


married for so long.

Across the hall
We stand, greeting and
Pushing souls
Overcome by hormones
Toward their destinies,
Hopefully to find
Fifty-five minutes
Of knowledge.

I was out of my league,
Clearly,
Not a very good teacher,
Farther from home
Than you.

But there you were,
Beautiful,
Just naive enough
That I could steal a furtive glance
At you,
Tall, too slender, wearing
Your favorite blue
Paisley dress
A little too often
For coincidence.

In my poverty
You were all I saw,
The lovely
Pearl of great price.
10,000 days, more
Have passed
And I still steal those glances,
Furtive and longing,
Hoping that I can
Will you
Into my arms.

Even today, I see you,
The object of my
Desires,
My heart's goal,
Wrapped in blue paisley.

Roses, we never...
Stations of man...
Seasons of women, lover...
The promise of cares to know elan...

The personality of curiosity
The passion of consciences need, me
Actual live and lets live, is patience's heed?
The voice of causes in love with the sea...

Prepare a friend for a choice, in silence
In a careful our, the times to share a challenge
That lowly, is a seldom seen force, that comes to ends
Like us, but in the portion of beauty, is a stone to many...

Finish your daydream with a salt...
Majority's and meager kind, waits with a palpable goal
Prevailing upon a coping house, we conceive of liberty's all
As a welfare of stigmata, like a child of quiet to fulfil strength's, of  old...

Archaic sensibility's, the role of service
To an ideal, adding wishes, of privilege to step forward
Thirst and communion of hunger, has become a beauty's sigh
With but a kindred to assume a whole chance, of a needy star?

Resolute, lovers remind, the sincerity of ambience
Is like the back of the land, a halo of voice to share, the new
And then, the silence of composure broken, with a stare to bless
The rosey attitude of health, that worships a pace of peace to come soon

Fed with liberty, and the tooth of summation
A body will know the lingering shadow of timidity
Shall, tows of waiting powers, the keep of intuition...
Is my fury at secrecy owed, or is my cause a saving identity?