The river currents heart
beats to the salmon tails
as both must keep time

Dear Granny,

I saw someone
a week ago,
In the streets
on my way back home..

Her wrinkled skin burnt by the Sun
Her attire frayed and patched with dust
An empty oil can of crumpled tin
A humble sum peeks shyly from within
Her hand stretched, a cup formed from her palms
It shakes too furiously to beg for alms
She speaks a language alien to me
Yet her eyes tell me a universal story
A tale of a debt that was never paid
Kindness was dealt a hand of apathy instead
And the care with which a seedling grows
Was not returned as winter crept close
Because fall came and went, and the old leaves are spent
Shed across the city streets, with none to speak for the dead

Like the world around me I know not
why I should care
Her face is that of a stranger to me
Yet I keep waking up
on account of these dreams
A similar picture, a similar scene
And at the heart of it
The face is yours,
Granny.

Love,
Soham

सिर्फ़ आवाज़ सुनकर
अगर कोई हाल जान जाए,
हम कितना झूठ कहें कि ठीक हैं
पर वो न मान पाए।
जो धड़कन सुन ले
दिल को देख ले,
जो दूर से ही
दुखती नब्ज़ पकड़ ले
अनकहे लफ़्ज़ पढ़ ले।
महसूस करे
जो दर्द छुपा हुआ,
समझ सके जो तबियत को
जान ले जो मिजाज़ को।
कभी कभी ऐसा भी कोई आता है
ज़िन्दगी में,
माँ के सिवा ...