On the mirror water held
                                                 the reflection
                                                                           was a stranger's.
                                                                       O

"You have no reason to be disappointed"
A disembodied voice, mysterious, gently  consoles,
After a  long walk, he reaches the hilltop, stands  wondering.
The sun in a hurry was slanting  down to the western sky,
Billowing dark rain clouds have changed the setting
of the usual sun set; darkness invites quick questions
spoken in the voice of thunder, promptly lightening
answers to each question, in a  serious clear voice.

At the height
of their pursuit of elusive light,
in the inner core deep,
they set about
translating the ardors of night
in to a sublime fire
that would lead them
to a new awareness.

She had a deftness
that crossed limits and
found new possibilities
in any thing she did.
Art of body coupled with
urges of the heart
she transformed with her  magic:
a tree full of scented flowers
that are dreams of eternal spring.

He had spread creepers,
on the foliage and chunky trunk,
with his caresses,
she forgot herself  completely as the pleasure
swept over  her every cell.

Continued embraces tight and passionate,
anointed them with perfumes,
in their quest they collected star dust,
from her swelling sculptured *****
he inhaled narcotics and got high.

Sea breeze covered them
with fine grains of salt from far away waves,
and an ancient mariner's quest.
A sublime fire simmered
in their nerves.

He met her in the courtyard by chance,
though pitted against each other
in a fierce competition, both willingly enrolled,
they fell in love, at fist sight, as if by a hidden cue.

Left out, by this turn, unexpected
they felt, no spirit of competition in them is now left;
two yarns in the magical weave of life
braided in perfect design, excellently blended in quick time,
can any one orchestrate a moment like this?
It's an apparition from the womb of time,  on its iridescent wings
flew down to intervene, on behalf of some spirit, evil or noble
who can tell, except when,  time is ripe.

Life is a walk through dark and enchanted woods
we stop a while where, paths diverge,
and  take one, sometimes by sudden impulse,
most take the beaten ones, the less traveled appeal some,
holding the hand of a beloved bathed in silver light, at the moment,
will it lead to destination or not, one knows not,  that moment is decisive,
at the end as much intervention of fate, if one views that way, as human proclivities.

The vivacious little girl
occupying the table next, with her parents
counts me too, someone close to her
I don't know, what prompts this,
or why she wants to cheer me up.

Smiles at me like I am an uncle
lost for long and now found by chance,
offers a bite from her candy
with a conspiratorial wink.

Its a pity I lost touch
with that part of my psyche
that used to act like a kid
and rejoice, without a thought'
when something like this happens.

Yes, things change
you may not even sense it,
I suddenly realize.

I just look away and see
a bleak cloud fully lost all morning flush
at the corner of the sky limping forward,
dissolving little by little.

A sword, its curved blade
in an enigmatic smile shines,
concealing all dishonorable
objectives, stands displayed
on an alabaster white wall.

A sassy girl, hurriedly passing,
for a moment stood arrested
ran her thin, long, fingers over
the sharp blade, as if caressing
her lover, blushed for a moment,
then left hesitating, looking back.

A hot blooded youth,
his face arrogant and taut,
stood in front as if he owns it,
then that expression changes for this:
"I am it"

An old lady with
a million lines of pain running
crisscross across her face,
at the very first look, the universal mother,
had a rude shock, seeing this;
her disdain expresses in her voice thus:
"How barbaric! look at its hidden blood thirst"

Then, walks in the gentleman
wearing a green berret, as if he has
just come out of his olive green uniform,
marching stiffly as if it's a parade ground, he badly misses,
a look of admiration passes through his face
"What a fine piece, best for close combat" he rues
evidently he loves crude methods,
forgets battle fields are created first within warped brains.

A sprightly white lizard chasing a bug
accidentally steps up on
the cold blade of the sleepy sword,
as if struck by an electric shock,
down it somersaults,
falls on the ground with a dull sound,
looks up to see the strange attacker
that frightened him,
wanting to avoid any future confrontation.

Crazily he loved the cadaverous moon,
the goddess sans merci of his dark noon.
Heady wine of love she offered him was pain,
in all *seven stages of love, his heart bled,
turned white.
                He was laid to rest in silence, in her  heart,
               when wailing violins all, fell dead in grief.

******* rocks are singing a mellow song,
emanating from the warmth  daylong,
received from the sun, that left them behind,
melted in to a red haze and gone in to ocean.
The dusky night moving on tip-toe is pleased
all ears, discerns and imbibes its meaning
for her to join seamlessly at the right moment.
The  stars, gentle still, are thrilled by this musical's
complex emotions, join in with their contribution,
subtle notes of winks, gleams and twinkle.

"Stop thief" I yelled out chasing her,
            she stopped, hugged and kissed me deep-
                                                   consummating her theft.

don't
                count
             calculate
estimate
       waste;
live
      your
              time.

He touched
           a woman
                        once,
   she gave him
                         a look,
                                              he took it in his heart for ever.

therapeutic tour,
through stunning night sky’s lures;
enlightenment strikes!

Acrobatics of mating bats,
gaping hopelessness,
of half eaten fruits,
restlessness of chirping
birds of different feathers,
ants; red, black, brown
countless of them
in a state of perpetual motion,
apparently for no reason,
up and down, and
on to the branches, leaves;
squirrels, like ringing bells
complaining about
the dominance of the birds-
occupying the branches,
a golden serpent, slithering
through the scaly dark  trunk
to steal eggs kept hidden
in the motherly warmth of nests,
huge green cover of leaves,
thinking itself as an umbrella,
shielding, the sky's eyes
and rain's intrusive wishes,

*but
the tree,
a universe, where
desires, wishes and frustrations
act out  their own plays,
is oblivious
of everything,
and meditates
on the sun.

Fecund tree, winds from all directions find refuge on it,
red flowers make it look like a flaming torch,
beetles, bees and  fragrant breeze pretend
it belongs only to them for all the days to come;
when the flowers are  all gone, the tree isn't their own,
but when ripe fruits swing in the wind, new relations begin again.

I learn the  the lessons of life from all this, but the tree seems equanimous.
Never ever thought which family it belongs  or what gender,
for a weary traveler its graciousness is what  touches the heart,
every time sitting below it,  I thought how kind it was.
Meeting below its shade, my girl never forgets to remind
"This tree is kindness personified, made us lovers wielding its power"
under its blue shade, we sat, gazed at each other's eyes
found out love is a fragrance that emerges only at such moments.
Bless the soul who put the seed in earth, watered it,
made love live in our lives as the fragrance that never fades.

Blue hills yet again beacon
in a language
my spirit understands
so very well.
I trek alone,
prompted by
the  most sublime love
brimming in my being
that makes my life
less of a puzzle.
dreamily I move
following in my mind
a subtle music
that seems to me
is the greatest reward
above all else in this world.
No method
to value its worth
is yet invented,
is there a need?
The path winds up
I drink  foaming green
with my eyes,
jungle orchids of various kind,
play their orchestra
blending fragrances
with finesse.
the music
playing in my mind,
merges with it;
real magic is within us
yet again I realize.
Two jungle babblers
catch my eye,
cuddling closely
preening each other
In a world so deceptive
I cannot but wonder:
a love so mature
or a parting gesture?
I ponder a moment,
in silence
about the vagaries of life
before my ascent.

Her lubricious bikini has full of criss- crossing fancy strings,
the central idea indeed, seems to be not concealing any skin.
when you pull at any one,
the whole becomes undone,
can you blame if the focus of the action shifts to other things?

daunting nonstop rains,
such mayhem landslides and pains;
rain: boon if not bane!

Wanton lad, tamed a bit by time, is still game for anything,
the girl, sober and cool decided she too for once will fall in line,
the waterfall, a quaint sight, foamy, milky flow gushing,
ecstatic, they melted in  the pool at the  fall where waves  are churning

After dark, energies flow in manners that pleases them most
braided together in lust, two king cobras were seen spiraling up
when darkness like a camouflage sets in thickly around,you're
the  marijuana of my mind, seeking far horizons of pleasure.
I willingly seek oblivion, when pink pointed goosebumps
like tarantula's love bites, results of mating time cruelty
infest all over my body's landscape, signatures of ecstasy.

I feel your lips become, moist, soft, honey from each drips
never enough,for me, is it possible to get inebriated more?
Your sighs and moans speak the vocabulary of a forgotten
ancient language love hurriedly resurrected for us from past,
brevity is the crux of that lingo of erupting jets of desire,
it teaches you to moan in fifty different tones in all;even more?

Your sharpened nails etch cave murals on my itching back
that has the searing taste of blood, in hot hot chilly red.
my taste buds of lust, begs for more and more of it.
You are the marijuana fueling my narcotic flights that land
in your misty land, enveloping my senses as a whole.
"The night is still young, hear what the darkness whispers"
I hear you speak like an oracle, on things about to happen.

On the
extended palm
of a lotus leaf,
falls
a drop of
untimely rain.

water drop
runs around,
refuses all
attachments,
takes refuge,
in the cupped palm of
the supple leaf.

The leaf
in its kindness
receives the drop,
as it's own,
feeling responsible,
the leaf keeps it
safe from
malicious winds;
protects it
from spilling over,
till the sun
proposes to the
water drop,
requests to be his own.

It goes up
as invisible vapors.
The drop,
as vapor
takes the form
of a cloud,
hovers above
the earth,
sans
attachment,
but realizes
sun has her heart
for ever.

ascetic's attention
got stolen !
                reason-
                             mellow maiden
                             in maudlin yellow.

They both wandered in to the night,
unaware that the other one too,
was in the dark labyrinths prowling,
itching to bury so many lies festering,
painful it felt, not even letting the stars
know that what it meant for their love,
that was a wild red flame creating hopes of permanence.
the stars twinkled above with fervor
night was the marsh, convenient for them to hide
every dead dream deep in to its slush, the past
but they knew this night, they would never walk past,
the stench of dreams forcefully buried would haunt
even if they pretend everything is pushed
too deep in to the mud and they are clean hereafter.
when they came out one by one, unaware of the other
drained and ridden by anxiety-
a pale moon was waiting for them to reappear from the quagmire
on her face was a quizzical look,
the moon has her rays driven deep in to their darkened psyches
yet he thought his secrets weren't exposed,
he sat looking at the melancholy moon,
and sang that song that pleased his love, without fail
it sounded like a ritual for the dead ones, dreams in fetus.
then, she approached on tiptoes as if she is a form of death
out to steal unfortunate lives
they stood face to face, everything was revealed,
the cadaverous moon looked on them both
they were felled as if eaten by past, a sleep that will never let them go.

A
cloud,
         urgently
                       descends,
                                      s  l  o  w  l  y
­                                                           *d    i    s    s    o    l    v    e    s.

Can't wait any more,
darling,reach out,
just touch my lips
with your index finger,
red hot with desire.
I am ready to melt
as convergence of
lust, passion and love
happens in that order.

വയ്യിനി കാക്കാന്‍

തെല്ലും വയ്യിനി കാക്കാന്‍ പ്രിയേ,
ആസക്തിയാല്‍ രക്തവര്‍ണമാര്‍ന്നോരാ
തുടുവിരൽത്തുമ്പാൽ ചുണ്ടിൽ
 മൃദുവായ്  തൊടുകെന്നെ നീ.
രതിതൃഷ്ണയും ആസക്തിയും
പ്രേമതാപവും മേല്മേല്‍,
തിരമാലകൾപോലെ വന്നെൻ
ഉള്ളത്തെകലക്കവേ,
ആര്‍ദ്രനായ്, രാഗോന്മാദാൽ
നിന്നിലലിയാൻ കൊതിപ്പൂ ഞാന്‍!
(Malayalam Translation)

Her cunning eyes
he spied, slyly write
the usual evaluation note
any guy is familiar:
"His eyes are right there
where the difference lies
grazing my curves
as if it is all his;
on the edge he is, I am sure
his eyes are heavily laden
with lust".His eyes,
are they any less?
"She has decided
in an instance to extract
a big price, need to conceal well
emotions like an unfinished sculpture,
till the exact time to unveil"
he gets his report, immediately acts,
her face falls with a thud.

The band
              keeps
                    mysterious
                                       silence.

Ying and it's yang
felt inside a surge
to sing their song;
being witness to this
immortal  moment,
we stood up and said
'The accompaniments
please let's contribute'
space, sea waves, clouds
earth, fire and sky---
all at once felt the need
as much as us. Aum
The orchestra
sounded so divine
the voices did merge
like milk and honey
a symphony
incomparable,
like a river seeking ocean
emerged, everyone
was aghast,"Where
are the audience
for such a jazz?"
And when the moment
of delight unfolded
it voicelessly chanted:
"The singer and the song
are one, bliss eternal"

All of it started with the  smile of a flower,
which was an  answer to my wink to her,
then a wind brought her scented thought, to me
to mull over, smile again was the answer, I gave.

Thus began a chain, animals, birds and words,
soon became the links creating lilting tunes,
stars at night chimed in, their magical words
crafted by many hues of pulsating light, delighting us.

Even pain had a heart rending rhyme, a dying star
in the candor of that moment told us truths concealed,
a telescope distant would take her moment of  glory
for records,she fell, showering in to cosmic chasm, magnificently.
I whispered this to her ear, she was willing to join the chorus,

"Aren't we like the elements of nature, braided together,
just reach the core, through many ways possible,
make yourself  this clear for ever; we together make one,
it'd naturally dawn,  if you've nothing to jettison,
those unwanted baggage  stuffed, does nothing for one,
when one gathers this truth  much delight dawns,
love travels at the speed of light, you are just a beam."

Enchanting twilight hour-this is!
A Tiger spider of lethal
allurement,she is basking on
this hour's sweet ambivalence,
while,drinking me with her eyes --intense.
To be her mere companion
for the  night,or be the purveyor
of delight to her continuing forever?
A choice  depends upon her
kaleidoscopic  predilections,
than me a hunter in a disguise,
a time traveler from far galaxies.

We weren't merely talking business;
her eyes said something else,
I strained my ears.Listened.
Soliloquy.Whispers.Fluttering eyes.
("Need to bring her around and sign the contract")

She is silent, eyes on papers
"wind on the waters..................
rustle of the leaves" mind sings,
I got it now, no doubt, we are attracted!
i am now a man with a heart that sizzles,
"she is of course a cut above the rest,
a fine mind, amazing number cruncher,
not to forget that pert posterior,
she makes me melt, I cannot be a hard nut"
my thought train stops to her whistle,
a lovely smile, as if to say
"Things would  start to move
between us, when this is over"

                    A man and a woman,
both,  business intentions, in mind's focus,
when together such a long time could
decide upon a course of action,
but i hear a buzz in my ears--

we  seem to sway in a charged atmosphere
all i could think is this; "our business
doesn't reach anywhere.."

When--
every obstacle fell and crashed,
relaxing ****, sniffing each other, like dogs,
in the cozy confines, of her hotel suite,
she said, the reason for the obstacles,
was pretension-
she had the need to feel in total control,
(till attraction, made the difference)
"Man and woman role reversal"
"I understand" I said.Executive privilege;
she is the senior and she deserved to feel good!
decorum in business deals must be kept.
We reversed roles
and felt more elated (we thought)
too little to do
when you properly decide, to divide responsibilities
(even in bed)
                             The deal was done,
                              she put her seal,
                              and outside the protocol,
                              a parting kiss and an invite:
                                                      Is it to be Venice?
                                                      ( or Brazil?)

1
*Gongs and drums sound rambunctious,
a wild rhythm tears the silence of the night,
a slow number first, then in quick time
racing fast,everything ends in a blast.
his self control lost, he dances like one possessed,
in the moon lit places and shadows alike.
This angst is not his alone, he feels,
as if mad at the way the world these days is.
Freedom of a special kind, it was, catharsis,
drums sounding mysterious, made life different.
                               2
Once when he and his girl were making love
deep in his veins drums rumbled,
and he couldn't but stop and listen,
she was curious,"What is this, what do you listen?"
smiling, he resumed his dance
thorough the valley and plains, like wind,
to the tune of temple drums,
his hair flying and sweat pouring  like rain,
she could catch the change of rhythm
intense love was there, in the depth of fury.

Then, they ended up panting,then lying quiet.
holding each other tight,she said;
"you are like one possessed, fantastic,"
but he had felt the presence of a third,
he felt in his bones,
a benign female presence, who is she?
                      3
The oracle holding a sword with a shining blade,
wearing a red silk turban and a white **** cloth, told:
"It's the possession of a woman, a wild spirit,
her songs and dance were snuffed out
at a young age, when it slowly emerged,
it happened at a time we don't know when,
a kindred spirit, your tumult suits her soul."
the oracle was in a trance when he opened his eyes,
"Not a curse, a blessing, symbiotic it is"
the oracle  threw a bit of holy ash on him and said:
"Well son, in you Devi, the mother goddess
is pleased, this spirit will survive,
her speakings will come out from you,
all will be just fine, being kind you received her,
so pleased and contented she is, wouldn't disturb"

They walked together, the woman without a body
to fulfill her dreams or sing her songs,
at times of loneliness the drums sound,
she comes in to his tumultuous soul, he makes her alight,
in their entwined destiney, he sings her songs, they dance.

"Her other name must be Peace"'
Doubted  it was writ large too, on that face,
Yarns of tranquility waved her dress
In it's tight drapes her shape does express
More than expected within that gentle grace.

For a moment he held the reigns, took stock,
Deeply inhaled the scent of musk, she exudes
Sensed a turbulence, an effect opposite, yet sweet
"Need to initiate a change, a bend in the flow, quick
Amble to her and shake hands"his other murmured
"Otherwise you wouldn't forgive yourself,for the lapse
Letting slip a rare glowing moment, from your hand"

Alter ego's prompt, was carried out with such ardor,
She briskly met him halfway and gracefully asked:
"We sure met before once, didn't we some time?"
"Certainly, but in some other life time, it was"he says
She smiles as if his was a seductive move, she liked it.

But these waves that reach him has an intense warmth
"Will you give me a hug?" emboldened he ventures further
She did more than what he could expect, tight was the embrace.
Yes, that's right, appearances are deceptive,pleasant surprise!
One needs to expect the unexpected,make serendipity work.
It was too fast, he couldn't see what really was  happening,
She perhaps leads him to a timeless space , he imagined
That volcano camouflaged as a green  island of tranquility!

honey bee stung hard,
driving in its venom deep,
arresting my pain!

Watching alone, the world in perpetual motion
from the view point on my balcony,I see  the beauty!
my eyes catch her and her's mine,I say this to myself
"Some thing humane in these days of stares and scares"
While she flies a kite from the high rise opposite,
the protest,challenge and the revolt in that act was evident,
she made sure,that  I didn't miss the political point.I am sure.

Her kite, navigated with such consummate skill,fell near me,
My eyes read this message on her face "Rescue me from the beast"
wasn't it really an expedition to find the beast in question!
Fascinating specimen was he!I was taken in by his narration.
As a better narration commands merit,I did honor, kept quiet.

A girl dressed in a diaphanous gown,

spun  from the ethereal combination of

dollops of moon shine and star light of the past,

visited me in secret, spent together one long night.

We had memorized each other's heady scent

smeared all over us in an earlier journey together.

like two trained sniffer dogs on a robber's trail.

We were overwhelmed by the wish fulfillment

seemed like we are in a life within a dream.


No way we won't meet as the hearts beat so close

and I was having visions of her all the time day and night.

On those encounters I wrote two poems with my blood.

As I was addicted to the  recounting of those moments,

I wanted to smelt it  in my imagination's golden crucible

thought that would make the alliance immortal

but forgot the fact that human follies never end!


"You are lucky,a rare flower she is" they'd tell me

and make  me feel elated calling me a poet,

on account of just two poems for which,all  I was worth.

Should I have known it's a dream,that takes a lot to go on.

On her strong wings she flew back to green hills above.

If I weren't a love fool, I'd have seen it coming from a distance.

after abandonment and the long night after,sun still reigns.


They still call me  poet, I am hesitant to respond to it,

a melancholy poet of grief's wonder land, in non stop dance

with the experiences that illuminate transient existence?

Still do not know what to make of this two poem life!

Dali's brush, she has
in her expressive tongue;
his cubist sensibility,
laps up that dense macabre
as if it's cadence par excellence.

Some stories find no reason ever to end,
eternity is all ears throughout  the length.
On a plane different,some do not even begin,
possibilities sowed in  stardust lie in wait.

ചില കഥകള്‍ പറഞ്ഞു തീരുന്നതേയില്ല,
അനന്തത അതിനു ചെവിയോര്‍ത്തിരിക്കുന്നു.
മറ്റെവിടേയോ, ചിലകഥകള്‍ തുടങ്ങുന്നതേയില്ല,
നക്ഷത്ര ധൂളിയില്‍ വിതച്ചിട്ട സാദ്ധ്യതകള്‍ കാത്തിരിപ്പൂ
(Translated to Malayalam, a language of south India)

fallen autumn leaves,
color the desolate path.
dreams dancing in breeze

Rows of trees burst out,
Symphonies of violet.
High notes of fragrance.

Tender,purple,leaves abound,
avenue mango tree adorned,
like a comely bride,
unfolds poetry in life!