Hey you, smile today
At yourself, and at the world
Shower them with love!

Don't you dare lose hope
After making it so far
This step matters most

She's my best friend
My worst enemy too
To my mind she does tend
Teaching me every day, things anew

She feeds my mind
with thoughts that shock, but also uplift
A better wingman, I cannot find
To me, she's such a gift

She is the one who shows me love
And joy in the littlest of things
The reason my heart pursues the purity of a dove
Led by her, my soul sings

I could not live without her
She'd cease to exist, without me
The girl in the mirror
She is me, I am she

Little square boxes
Keiseki, kei cars, saiku
A gigantic heart

A: Don't, it'll hurt you!
B: But, explore, I want to...
A: What if, it breaks you?
B: Let it, if it kills me too!
A: The safer route, can't you tread?
B: Safe is boring, a wise soul once said.
A: No, it spells danger ahead.
B: If fate so wishes, go now, make my bed.
A: Fine, have it your way!
B: I will now, you'll have no say!
A: Guard yourself, let emotions be at bay.
B: But experience is rich, no other way.
A: Now, there you are, broken and blue...
B: And aren't you broken too?
A: I heard the toll, this was a call for death...
B: But hey, I'm stronger. I'm not dead yet.

It's that time again
When the tides rise
In roaring symphony
Like the howls in our souls
A time for emotions
To sing and indulge
In a mad dance
That would confuse one's whole
It's that time again
For energies to take a flight
As spirits float about, exhilarated
By the rock outshining every star in sight
When our demons challenge and test
The patience of angels hiding in their heart
When he who learns to invoke a guide
And channelize intent, learns the art

Words are not needed
Not too many, not always
To touch many hearts

The way forward
From left to right
From the bottom, upwards
Version 1 to 3.0
We progress
In hope that we're improving
Enhancing
Building up
Refurbishing
Innovating
But are we, really?
We come a full circle
Only to learn
Life was never complicated
in the first place
We made it so
In our pursuit of oversimplification

Information...
is it dissemination
or confrontation
of the truth behind the lies?
They pull it, stretch it
knead it, shape it
into something
for you to believe
D'oh! We believe
in what we see
and miss out
on little but evident clues
Like doe, we run away from grasslands
towards shady woods of alternate media
pulled, stretched
kneaded
shaped
dough – our reality
something they play with.

Two hearts ignited
Over long conversations
When two time zones merged

Sometimes, for years together
we die every day, we suffer

We live the same cycle of pain,
making resolutions in vain

Then, one fine day, out of nowhere
It comes our way; we stop and stare

As if, it broke our train of thought
In reality, it helped strangle the monotony we fought

Until that day, from inside a grave, we stared outside at evolution
Our world stood still, but now, it tides a revolution

A seeming chaos has never felt more comforting, more structured
Now that we're following our own orders, untethered

You have spoken
Too many times
Only to shut them up
Each time, a little more
"It's your fault"
"Grow up, get stronger"
"Cut the drama"
"You attention-seeker"
Do you think, you're helping?
"I'm saying this, because I care"
One can see that you do, oh just how much you do
"Oh c'mon, it can't be all that bad!"
"I got out of it, so can you"
"You're NOT depressed, just sad"
"You're in depression"
"You need help"
"Go to a counselor"
"Get yourself checked"
"Learn to control your mind"
"Hush, don't talk about it. People will judge you."
"Sorry, you cannot get the job. Why don't you come back once you're in a better state?"
Help isn't help when the intention shows through
Which is clearly not to help
If you really care
If you're really human enough
Here's how to help
EMPOWER
Be humble
Reach out, but subtly
Do not victimize
Or tag a victim
Just be a friend
You'll help, their misery will end
Maybe not immediately
Hopefully, eventually
"You good?"
"I'm here if you need me"
"You're beautiful"
"I just want you to know, I care about you"
"Thank you"
"Sorry"
"I respect you"
"You'll find your way back, I have faith in you"
"You can do this, deep down, you know it too"
"You're awesome"
Smile
Laugh
Treat them like they're normal
Because they are
Just be sensitive...at least a bit
Because they're hurting
But fine, they'll be fine
They'll be more
You'll see
And smile when you do!

Seated, flipping through stories
Some cause a grin, but you're not pulled into any
A yawn, a stretch, and your eyes meet mine
The curving of your lips; butterflies inside me, so many

Sinful grin. Dark eyes.
A hungry soul, you know why
A beckon in pantomime, and I follow command
This moment. Such a high!

Magnetic gaze. Distances distanced.
Arms around close the bait
Pursed lips, not a word spoken
But love begins to communicate

Emotions rise, a tear falls
A thumb to the cheek, foreheads meet
A kiss on the temple, the warmest hug
A moment, forever. Could anything be this sweet?

Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Stand up, stay up, it may seem like a long night
Hold up, c'mon, don't let it out of your sight
Spring up, blow up, don't give up the fight

Dear mind, don't you teach me
Thoughts, to which, society has given birth
I know that you know
Better than that - your, our real worth
Listening to foreign voices, you've faced enough cold
C'mon now, decondition, show them all your gold
I see the sun rise...and it's shining bright, eh
Sweat it in the fight, come on

It is all pretense
That we are intelligent
Today is our day!

Two worlds collided
Two minds did tear us apart
I was left broken...

The shimmying shrubs
The gliding winds
The arm wave of the saline waters
The b-boying frogs
The popping, locking, ducking birds...à terre
Them, breaking into an allegro
The nature was a symphonic metaphor today
A dance lesson, that I did let lose and learn

Josephine, Josephine, Josephine, Josephine
I told you to leave my man alone

Josephine, Josephine, Josephine, Josephine
You did not listen, now you reap what you did sow

Your beauty was beyond compare
But now you're left with half your hair
And he seems to have lost interest in you, Josephine

I told you, "stay away from him!"
But your superficiality won him
Now, as it fades, the spell breaks, Josephine

I always knew my love was true
And without me, he would feel blue
He called several nights to say so, Josephine

Today he's back, regretting he left
But guess what happens, happens for the best
He wont leave love again for lust, Josephine

Josephine, Josephine, Josephine, Josephine
I thank you for trying to take my man

Josephine, Josephine, Josephine, Josephine
He's learnt his lesson - love him truly, only I can!

My mind is full of rhymes
Too clouded to find
A single one to pen down
Words beautifully woven inside my crown

Another page I turn, some courage I gain
But more than the ink, my tears stain
The empty white sheets that you've left with me
I pushed you away, but through my actions, couldn't you see?

I needed to hear something you'd say
That would give me a sign, hint at me to stay
Now all but your memory and this silent night remains
And more than an aching red, these heart wrenching beige stains

I made a friend
Out of an acquaintance
Or did he make
Himself my friend?
I'm glad we crossed paths
For he helps me appreciate
The magic of everyday life
When he shows me the mirror
In which I see clearer
I am not my sins
I am not my flaws
All the scars that make me
Are a part of me, not me as a whole
I am love, as he calls me
And I now learn to see it everyday
I am gratitude, that I have friends like him
I am joy, that I can experience this
Now, and every single day!

I truly, madly, deeply love you
but I insanely like him too
I wish you were both one
And not the two of you

To take a single direction
One I wouldn't regret - if only I knew
Or somehow be able to
Make a portmanteau of you two

Because it's breaking me
It's tearing me apart...to choose
Between you - my hurtful fountain of love
And a loving fountain of joy, that isn't you

I wish I could let a little time pass us by
So we all can arrive at the truth
Maybe it was infatuation, that would fade away
Or maybe, our love was meant to be doomed

I would rather take my time
For I cannot be untrue
I'm not the kind of a woman
To cheat myself, him, or you

I keep waiting
every single day
for your return
with a bag
full of memories
and good times
that we shared
Where are you?
I can't see
the slightest hint
of your presence
What about those
promises of 'forever'?
Why did you
start an end?
Now I wonder
if you will
ever come back
in good time
or will you
let me down?
Now I fear
you will return
zestful as ever
hopeful to run
but I won't
be able to
for I would
be too exhausted
of this wait
only to run
away from you.

My heart's floundering
Unwilling to trust my mind
And its perceptions

I love this moment
where time has slowed down
Your fingers learn to take a flight
just micro-millimeters above the ground
And the earth, she quivers
when you are so close
Yet not, not yet...sinking into my skin
But I love this, how love flows
Your lips merely touch
my eyelids falling with the weight of diffidence
To my sigh, my warm breath falling on your neck
You smile as a consequence
I love this moment
The vibration of your voice
reverberates through your chest
as it invades my palm, as I silently rejoice
It flows through and meets the synchronicity
of my beating heart
Oh how my name gets new meaning
when it flows from your warm lips
still exuding the fragrance of love
I love how your gaze rips me apart
into mere bubbles in the universe
How your soul kneads into mine
And are we even you and I anymore?
I love how your existence echoes every time
How I fail to decipher which thoughts
belong to you and which are mine
Do I love you or do I love my reflection in you?
Or do I love the reflection of
your reflection in me,
that mirrors through you?
What substance is this love?
I know not, but I know I love this moment
I wish, though,
I could live this moment
even when I opened my eyes

Last night I broke my heart
As I realized my road is meandering
So I decided to burn the highway
Alone
I reckon I once set out at dawn, when the sun was still
no where around
But you came with the daylight, or did the sun come chasing me, with you?
We rode through a pleasant morning
And through a sunny noon
Even through wild jungles
As the raindrops tainted our skin
Oh and when the clouds climaxed
How our thirsty lips sinned
You held me warm in your embrace
Through the coldest of nights
And as dawn knocked on our door again
We set out to burn the road, yet again
But it's been a while, I've been riding
I don't see you by my side
Or in my way, not even in the rear view
Maybe you'll meet me at the crossroads
I think, I hope...as I cross many roads
With your thoughts crossing my mind
Our paths...not yet, no
Oh but I'm closer to a turn now
It's a hairpin and I'm perhaps at 100kmph
If I see you there, will I be able to stop?
Will I skid or run you over, I know not...
Maybe I should just...stop!

We have had Batman
So there had to be Joker
He got elected

~ Chi

The one who melts you
And sets your aching soul free
Will also **** you

I told you,
didn't I?
If you don't water the mint plant
It'll die
Oh alright,
I can see it isn't dead
yet.
But plants are like love,
my love
They'll bear fruits
Even non-fruit-bearing plants
Will gift you something
But you cannot keep taking
and not give a thing in return
You need to tend to them
Nurture them
Talk to them
Give them your time
Then watch them flourish
Into something beautiful
And perennial
Spreading their fragrance
All around
All year round

As the ******* of healing herb
that made the tomato melt in his embrace
forms a perfect circle inside my cup
I sit here reminiscing the warm winter nights
When we would talk of how
I would make you some soup
Every time your body lost a battle with the weather
I reckon how you would draw a reel of our happy future
I sit here in the present, replaying, analyzing the past
And I cannot find one speck of wrongdoing
That pulled you away from me
Why, then, am I seated here, alone
giving in to the changing weather?
The temperature is rising around
But I feel cold and almost empty
Filling myself with hope
And soup

I cannot keep bearing
The fruits of love
Of joy and hope
For you to relish alone
If you don't shine on me
If you don't quench my thirst
With your nourishing eau
If you leave me here alone
To let winds of death dry me out
But I will try to reach for your light
I will try to be a sunflower...

Under the naked tree
They saw each other drenched in silver moonlight
Revelling in a mad dance of love
Echoing moans through the night

Two lost souls
Had found one another
To lose themselves
To each other

They'd found their spot
Where not a being would intervene
So there, they reunited, each night
Sparking a silent fire, in this place so serene

Under the naked tree
Revelling in each other's sight
Began a mad dance of love
Echoing moans through the night

Tides rose, and winds spooked passers-by
As from him, sweet kisses, she stole
A soul, free from the binds of its corpse
Had just found another, to make her a whole

Touch me with your philosophies
At least I wouldn't feel violated

Love me with your compositions
At least I wouldn't feel hated

Treat me with your actions
At least I wouldn't feel cheated

They said, people are strange,
When you're a stranger
They knew, and people get even
Even stranger once you dive into them
Once familiarity becomes so familiar, it irks
They pierce into your mind
Straws of trust, and leech out every bit of you
Your essence must evaporate
In the drought of love and kindness

People are strange
They crave for colour to fill up their lives
but never to seep into their skin
They want a rich friend, a poor one as much
A girl, a boy, transgender, gay, bisexual, asexual
But a lover, only as conditioning and the general tainted view of the world permits

People are strange
They say blood is thicker than water
But blood is poisoned and water
It needs distillation
They say they love when they don't
And nothing when they do
They say a lot of things
That only confuse

People are strange
All for love, no to hate
Until of course, higher motives surface
One heartbreak, all men are Gates of Defecation
One attack, entire fraternity blamed
One moment of broken trust,
A million of murdering reason

People are strange
No matter who you are
And yet, you fall in love
Because people are strange

I don't want to lose you
But I fear I would
If I told you the truth
About how I feel
Oh, where do I start?
Would you stop?
When you stare at me with curiosity
My confidence quivers
Let me speak my mind
And my heart too
Let me let you know
Just how much I love you
You have no idea
You fail to understand
The depths of my feelings
The emotions I swim in every day
You're unaware of what you mean to me
And I fear when I let you know
I will lose you
Because somewhere along
I know the feeling isn't mutual
But because I love you so much
my darling friend
I will muster the courage
To break the silence, risk an end
But I will not bend
To the hands of fear
If fate so desires that you push me away
So be it, but know, you'll always be dear
And now, hush now
Don't you say a word, let me finish
You need to know this
Let me begin, let me finish
Tell me, once I'm done...
Can't we just be friends
Without the romance of romantic love?
For friendship is just as beautiful
and there is a certain romance about pure love
of friendship, nothing more, nothing less
So why can't we be <strikethrough>just</strikethrough> friends?

Do you know...
What families are made up of?
What cousins plan to do to you, behind your back?
With whom father was having those long conversations over the phone?
What happens with some of the best friendships?
Why loving a lover almost always only hurts?

Maybe we fail to decipher this world
Maybe this world fails to express more s*imply

Lara woke up with renewed zest
As she did every day
Concluding morning things
As she did every day
She waited by the window
As she did these past few days
Mark didn't return by noon
So she waited another entire day
The sun had visited and long gone
Darkness soon came to stay
Tired eyes filled with dried tears
Lara wondered why Mark went away
But soon, came Morpheus to divert her attention
Into sweet reveries of Mark, of happier days
Lost into temporal reality
As dusk progressed towards dawn
Found herself waking into Mark's sweet arms
the zest in her was reborn

One fine morning, as the sun looked swell
A bunch of kids decided to head to a newfound beach
Enamoured by sea and sand
They chose to accompany the sun and the moon there
They tested the sand, mixed in some water to hold
Resumed the moulding and holding
The sand together
They kept the turtles at bay
And flicked away any baby ***** that showed up to claim their homeland
They shot the black birds that came to rest by the castle
For this beauty was theirs to relish alone
Some doves were entertained with food,
But no menace tolerated
Except for that of these blond brats
Yet, the day seemed swell
And fair
Then came a boy, big and bullyrag
Who twitched, punched, threw a tantrum
For this was his playground
He seeked power, and have it he shall
Just like every rowdy, stubborn, spoilt kid
And when rebellion surfaced, he stomped
Killed the *****, and turtle blood spill
The boys left aghast, he messed up America
Or did he...alone?

Your soul is a deep hole within my heart
You've been messing with my head, from the very start

Why do you inject me with so much life
that your absence causes me much strife?

It's deceiving, your face, that look of calm
Your evil, intense eyes that cajole with charm

Your words, they fester at lightning speed
My garden of thoughts is abundant, yet another seed

Now my bleeding heart is aching more
Don't leave me here, yearning and sore

Let me dive deeper into you
Exploring every tide
You've ripped me apart, explored
Now let me, why do you hide?

Why fear peeling your skin
do you think I'll run away from what's within?

Don't you know, we're both made of dust?
There's nothing that repels, beneath the crust

Open the door, I'm knocking hard
Let me, if I can, soothe what's marred

Alone. Still with you.

I retire alone on the bed that could be yours too
Yet, not alone, I feel, as your thoughts sit up and watch me sleep
I wake up to an emptiness brimming with emotions
That you've left me with, to keep me company
I sit by the window, hapless, tired, in tears
For those memories barge into my space
I sprint down a pathway, smiling like an idiot
As many more memories surface
Sometimes I catch myself humming tunes
To songs I never knew of, before you
Sometimes I notice my habits
That have changed, under the influence of you
Voice notes have filled my music library
Sped up heart beats, my empty spaces
New revelations, my mind, light crimson, my cheeks
You've opened doors to a room I didn't know existed
You've taught me things I'd have to unlearn
And relearn what you made me forget
If you're not coming back
If I have to keep walking without you.
But no, I'm not complaining
I thank you, my love
For you've left me with so much
So much yearning, for you...

She danced in the downpour
Her feet enthused, but eyes were sore
Her head spinning with thoughts galore
Blood rushing away from her core
Trying to erase thoughts that tore
Only to fill up the mind with more

In an attempt of distraction, aloud she sang
And swayed, tapped, increased tempo, whoosh whoosh, bang bang
A swing of hand...crackle...clink, clang clang
A gasp, pause, and an "oh dang!"

Picking pieces, knowing they won't amend
She realized, it was wasting time trying to mend
So instead, she chose to fix what she can tend
In the face of fate, determined, not to bend

The glass nothings she'd picked, threw back the little lot
"For some things can't be fixed", she thought
"And some things can", she fought
And just like that, she found courage, previously unsought
Scattered pieces, gathered thoughts

I fell, hapless, when our souls first met
Just how it happened, oh I will never forget

That wicked one, he worked his charm
Barging into my life, without an alarm

Returned to my senses, when broke, that spell
Trapped as guinea pig, I was, I could tell

His everlasting embrace, it chained my soul
Battered, shattered, half from whole

He left me all alone, but he left me strong
Oh wait, I left him; to say he did, would be wrong

He was but a voice, a frail one, in my head
But I was so affected by all that he said

"You try, you fail, you'll never be good enough
You love, you're hurt, life will always be this rough"

But then I heard my soul so meek
"May I?", he hesitated; I enthused, "sure, speak!"

"You feel like you're dead inside, but look how alive
you sound as you respond with zeal, like you're only about five"

And there released a giggle, a tear
'I found her again, but will I lose her?' I feared

"No, woman, no! The little girl will always be alive"
He said with such credence, "I know she will survive!"

I was falling again, this time, to rise
I turned around to say goodbye, to the one I despise

That voice in my head, refuses to leave
But now, his balderdash, I refuse to believe

He talks, he jabbers, often on mute
I'm lost in sweet spiels, of this new beaut

Now listen, carefully, my stranger friend
If that spiteful voice finds you, shift the trend

Rush out, reach out, to YOU, your soul
protect it from him, maintain your whole

Arduous, it may be, but that voice, do seek to find
For that's true love, not the demeaning voice in your mind

You've been away, a while
I didn't miss you
You promised to stay
But I didn't kiss you

You held my hand
and my neck too
Hello again, you return every while
Why do you?

After all the lows
You've put me through
You still think you'll win
You have no clue!

I listen to my heart
But to my mind too
I listen to my soul
To ME, not to you

You think you're special
Special, you are, my dear
Look in the mirror,
You're one in a million
You have two eyes, a nose
Oh, and a mouth too
That spits venomous fire
Onto every soul that disregards
The beauty of your mind
The logic they cannot find
In your thoughts and your speech
But, oh, how you mind
Everything that makes sense to you, is beautiful
And all that fails to, non-sensical
Of course, you're one in a million
A copy-paste of a different kind

Their eyes met, as her key united with the lock
Cajoled by his gaze, she changed course
And as she followed command, two pairs of lips
Curved, his demeanour turned coarse


As the door banged shut, unease flooded her mind
But from her heart, these clouds did glide
That thundered lustful thoughts
Which she failed to hide


He pulled her high, onto her toes
Bent to draw some passion, from her lips
Surrender she did, with her heart and soul
And followed course, her arms and hips


Sandwiched between his chest and the wall
Her heart surpassed a tempo she had not known
He hushed her gasps with his pursing lips
Causing a rhyme of moans


But just then, the mind resurfaced
Unable to stand, but had to run
Kissed goodbye, headed to the window
"See you soon, you were fun!"

Look into my eyes
When I look at you
Do you see darkness?
Do you see me too?

Do you see the void
That I try to fill?
Through little exchanges
Killing silent moments that ****

Look into my eyes
Try to read more than you see
You may learn a thing or two
But can you, really, know me?

Do you see a soul
Who is as lost as you?
Do you see a friend?
Do you see an enemy too?

Have you noticed lately?
How people diss everything big and small
Things they cannot relate with
Things they cannot comprehend
As if, the onus lies on others - people and things
To be self-explanatory, to spoon feed
As if, a mystery should as though unravel itself
As if, we have no part to play here
As if, everything is for us to enjoy
But never to be pursued
As if, life should come easy,
And everything in it, everything that comes with it
As if, death too, should come easy
And maybe this makes sense to everyone
This fashion of thought
Maybe I'm the only one who cannot fathom
The depths of stupidity in thinking so
Maybe, I cannot relate
To the ways of the world
It's a strange world,
As if, the onus of becoming comprehensible
Is on the world...

I'll write you a poem
Another day
I'll write you one
When I can
Right now
I'm just too lost
I thought the poet in me
Would die when something
Terrible would happen
And not something
Terrific!
But then here I am
Swimming in numbness
Drowning in mush
Feeling so much
That I feel nothing

I'll write you a poem, my dear,
Another day
I'll write you one
When I can
When I feel a little less intense
Right now, though,
I'm just too consumed
Let me be here
Let me be...

Another dab of red on her lip
A final spray of fragrance
Baubles cuffing her dainty wrists
And a spring in her step

She steps out and steps into the car
Their eyes meet, a sparkle across one of her 32
He nods with a giggle, "Finally, the day has arrived..."
Zestful fingers turn the key, the engine revs up

And like always, she completes his sentence
With a bright one across her face
"Yes, the day we set each other free."
And together they burst

While little Macy and Phillip
Make promises, young in love
From afar, below the cliff,
They see light shine so bright, like fire burst

And perhaps, they were only firecrackers
Thinks Phillip, his innocent mind
Unable to tell a blast from a burst
But Macy knows, for she caused the brakes to fail