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Mar 2014 · 818
Lock & Key
Meenakshi Iyer Mar 2014
I had a key I hid
in my bed, under my pillow
it rested,
perhaps often floated into my dreams
and nested.

I knew the lock it opened
I had it chained to a bed
worn my years and time
crimson rust it shed.

I handed out the key
and watched it plunge,
and unlock,
into the air flew debris
of hopes and dreams it blocked
with sparkles of magic
that it no longer sealed
leaving behind an empty space
now only to heal.

Perhaps I should have hid my key,
Perhaps I should have unlocked it sooner,

in many ways, the path to glory,
is disguised in wanton fears.
Mar 2014 · 313
My Story
Meenakshi Iyer Mar 2014
I wish to get lost sometimes
just to have someone find me,
then I can, in a different way,
re-tell my story
Mar 2014 · 794
Unseemly
Meenakshi Iyer Mar 2014
I saw the sun set
and the birds fly south,
I sat on a rock
and killed the snake
which couldn't slide out.
With an ice cream cone in my hand
and a balloon that flew behind
I saw men march past,
looking to their left
holds knives in their right.
I had a broken look
of the mountain
that looked girly in pink
so much for its might,
I thought,
may be things aren't always
as unseemly,
as we think.
Mar 2014 · 332
Content
Meenakshi Iyer Mar 2014
the play of light and shadows
on swinging plains of green
a whole lot of meaning they carry
as they beam into the stream
that bids hello and goodbye,
simultaneously to birds flying high
the sliver of white on pools of blue
like diamonds that are found anew
and all this I watch,
and feel a clench,
for my heart knows,
what it is to be content.
Jan 2014 · 460
Blink
Meenakshi Iyer Jan 2014
Closed,
there is twilight,
and my hand is held tight,
the moon sings a lullaby
and there is a scent of promise
heavy as the air.

Open,
there is brilliance
but my palm is held open
the wind is missing
and the sound of music
comes to an end.

And I blink,
once, twice
to the ever changing
afterlife.
Dec 2013 · 537
Think of You
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2013
in the middle of the night,
at the dullest hour of the day
when i am restless,
and lazy,
and ambling out
my mind cast away,
in the middle of the ride
on my bus in eventide,
when my rage falters
and parries
with the wisdom
of my sage,
until the sky changes color
and shadows change shape,
when caught in the cold
of the lost and the unknown,
when watching birds twitter
and fly to back love home,
in the middle of a book,
after a sweet song,
when dancing to a tune
or making my face frown,
I only need to think of you
to keep going my way,
hoping against hope,
I will meet you,
someday.
Nov 2013 · 414
Poetry
Meenakshi Iyer Nov 2013
I'm writing in circles
my mind pliant
to ridiculous words
that choose to course
down any lane
in my brain
and I type constantly
and click on Backspace
defiant to relearn
the art of writing
poetry.

But it not my brain
that fails
but something within me
that refuses to place
itself where it should be
so that I can feel things right
and not keep up restlessly
flailing my figurative limbs
looking around for inspiration

wanting to write,
poetry.
Oct 2013 · 385
Stymied
Meenakshi Iyer Oct 2013
Stymied
by the crosses I wore
on my back
while I tried
to wade past
bright lights.
It got notice,
and I remembered
the battles
all over again,
but I got stymied
because,
this was my chance
to move on
to the other end.
Oct 2013 · 1.2k
Flee
Meenakshi Iyer Oct 2013
bludgeoned to believe
in ever after stories
by the endless yarn of lies
I wear in pride,
eyes shining in glee
wondering...
when does the mirror break
and the witch call an end
to my dark fairy tale?
I shall referee,
just to gainsay, I'm afraid,
that I continue
to leap
from ledges.
And flee.
Sep 2013 · 1.1k
The Staircase
Meenakshi Iyer Sep 2013
After countless prayers
and endless wish lists
I have a spot light
on the center stage,
but I am left
with broken slippers
that gave away
while I climbed
the creaking stairway.
I broke a heel,
to twist my ankle
and grimace in pain,
to only shed a tear
and cast a smear
on my face,
to count the steps
I still needed to climb
to find my place,
but ended up counting
the endless mistakes
I have made
on my way.
Aug 2013 · 856
A Girl's Looking Glass
Meenakshi Iyer Aug 2013
She stared back at me,
with a sneer and asked,
"Did you really think
that was you,
in the looking glass?
Those wild curls so lush,
and brows archly brushed
a nose so fine,
a quality it possessed!
The grace that she spent
in every silken way she went
it left woman of the old gaping
and the young men,
breathless.
And you with your spots,
with a nose, such a blot!
Hair that is smitten
to the wind as aimless!
Limbs so undefined,
nary a skirt I can find,
that would hide those wide hips
and body - shapeless!"

And then I took a bow
before a man and
couldn't fathom how
his presence I could digest
I was repelled so - by him.
But the looking glass wasn't far,
at every turn I saw a mar
and gave up my choice
to see
...
into a looking glass.
Jul 2013 · 2.2k
Giant's Nose
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
The sea
like a giant's snores
makes it sentinels in jade
quiver, and in haste
they shed their arms
which fall softly
on cushioned ground
with my footprints
in its wake
as I walk into
the giant's nose.
Jul 2013 · 605
Clean Plate
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
I washed my plate
thrice I rinsed
I couldn't stand
the thought
of leaving behind
any trace
of food.

I want a clean plate.
Jul 2013 · 473
Seasons of Spring
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
It was the middle of spring
when our love took root,
I had tears rolling down my cheek,
he had a smile that said he knew.
His arm was around my shoulder,
and mine around his waist,
clutching tightly to a fold on his shirt,
this was how we walked down the lane.

It was the beginning of summer
and like the blazing sun,
our passion bloomed,
days together, hours with each other
even time grew lazy with us two.
His arm was around my shoulder
and mine was around his waist
clutching tightly to a fold on his shirt,
this was how we walked down the lane.

Towards the end of autumn
leaves began fall,
our foreheads often wrinkled,
in harsh tones we began to talk.
He had plans, and I had a dream,
he was stubborn as I had ever been.
Our silences drew longer,
our worlds a shade apart,
when we did meet halfway,
the resentment followed fast.
His arm was around my shoulder
and mine was around his waist
clutching tightly to a fold on his shirt,
this was how we walked down the lane.

It was on one winter morning
that he finally left,
he carried his dreams,
on proud shoulders,
leaving behind a cold bed.
His arm was around my shoulder
mine around his waist
clutching tightly to a fold is his shirt
I wept as I saw
our photograph;
a reminder of our days.
Trying something new.
Jul 2013 · 294
Part of Me
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
It won't take me long
to rouse from my sleep
and awaken.
But I'd be leaving behind my dreams,
I'd be leaving behind
a part of me.
Jul 2013 · 306
Passing in Play
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
drawing circles
on a window
trying to capture
slipping drops
of rain:
to save them from
falling to an end
or keeping them
on an edge to fade?

either way,
they will go away -
life passing in play.
Jul 2013 · 384
Writer's Block
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
thoughts flit through my brain
gathering wool,
getting stuck
in the crevices
absorbing sense
that occasionally leaks,
and I end up
writing poetry.
Jul 2013 · 467
Hold my Hand
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
edge of the cliff
melding shadows
of water and sky

the endless delight
in the freedom of flight
is a promise that keeps
when it is only done right

momentary wane
of the strength
I will reclaim

I want to hold your hand

surreptitious fall
of the might
that will rise tall

will you hold mine again?
Jul 2013 · 580
Change
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
we are duly taught
when moved from one
to another spot
what was will longer be
and soon things will turn
to memory
and that fondness
will gladly lurk
on the shoulders
which will soon shirk
what was then,
but isn't now
it is the way
things turn about

irrevocably.
Jul 2013 · 611
Testimony
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
fingers
tightly wrapped
to comfort, clutch harder,
a single caress
to reinstate
the vows
two golden bands made,
every day.
Jul 2013 · 400
Relations
Meenakshi Iyer Jul 2013
Ripples on a steady pond
chase each other to the brink
cease to exist therein
but aren't to be denied
their try. I don't know why.
The pond remains heavy
without any recollection
of the stories that are told
by the sun's reflection
on its shallow
facade,
which never lasts.
Jun 2013 · 830
Storyboard
Meenakshi Iyer Jun 2013
A gust of wind
spread them far and wide.
Wading through blades of grass,
crawling through mud on my knees,
feeling for those jagged edges,
I place together, piece after piece.
Some caved to the power of the wind,
crumbled in the face of glory,
a few drowned, or let themselves go,
with the river that ran in fury.
There are many glaring holes
than run so deep,
the picture looks bleak,
but the ragged pieces will fall,
albeit in the end of it all,
I will truly have,
to show the world
a wonderful story.
Jun 2013 · 795
Free Falling Rain
Meenakshi Iyer Jun 2013
Free falling rain,
do we color you
when you land?
Turn your hues,
from white to blue
when you fell
with no such plan.
Jun 2013 · 566
Believe
Meenakshi Iyer Jun 2013
The man I love is broken,
my dark secret in the open,
all of me is now
revealed.
Broken stars on a crimson sky
I walked on glass bright as light
towards a shadow I couldn't deny
was a lie.
Fate decreed, I hurt my feet,
and waking up I felt relieved
under the noon time sun
my madness would ebb
and I would set free.
This yearning then
wouldn't leave me trembling
and glowing eyes in the dark
wouldn't make me retreat.
Yet there I go,
the same room again
where windows stand tall,
and he with them,
in moving shadows,
my broken man,
bends his head and stretches his hand
and I stand still,
watching all of this,
while I'm asleep.
Jun 2013 · 1.0k
Kurukshetra
Meenakshi Iyer Jun 2013
Hundred heads rolling in the dust
under a crimson sky
enveloped in the smell of musk
there stood I, victorious,
in a battle against my creed.
While I also lay dead
laden in white and a smile,
bittersweet,
losing my soul to greed.

There is no boundary
but only ego sheathed
in time,
the unparalleled truth
is a limited guideline.

And so I am false,
my identity only a clue
before the hourglass turns again
and fallen kings rise to sing
the battle won is reset
parodies made are not of me
the mirror reflects different things
scars whittle, memories mold,
and events I thought were nothing
now cost me more than gold.

The switch is mine,
but not mine to make,
but when it does happen,
it is for me to take.

Unless I roll the dice today,
and make a choice,
to only realize..
the hourglass turned
the wrong way.
Jun 2013 · 1.4k
First Showers
Meenakshi Iyer Jun 2013
Someone smoked a pipe too long
and dark tufts filled the cyan expanse,
then they rumbled and thumped too loud
startling us below, enough to crane our neck
and look above.
They must have sneezed,
and excuse them please,
for the rushing wind could have stolen
their mumbled apology.
And amidst the puffy mist,
there could have been adrift,
a downy, now wet, handkerchief.
Mar 2013 · 569
Chaos
Meenakshi Iyer Mar 2013
Too many voices in my head
too much noise when things are said
and I struggle from word to word,
to string together all I've heard
but they're relentless, these thoughts of mine
have no reason to subside
and so they scream, and mutter, and breathe
their putrid venom into me,
seeping down like angel dust,
into my soul and veins and thus
wanting me to give in, or rise,
how am I to know
when my mind is in flight?
from rage to silence,
from passion to death
I am seeing, and feeling
the mirage is to burst
and in a million little pieces
I have been blown apart,
in a million little places
i have been set to blast

if only, if only I knew
how to make this stop.
Mar 2013 · 264
If Only
Meenakshi Iyer Mar 2013
in the darkest hour
there is the longest dream
but if only we could ever remember
how it ends,
it would seem,
there wouldn't be the need
to sleep.
Mar 2013 · 522
Butterfly
Meenakshi Iyer Mar 2013
Flitting
color
mesmerizes
and
they
watch,
the
glorious
flight

unknowing
the
ugly

before
butterfly.
Feb 2013 · 756
Dream
Meenakshi Iyer Feb 2013
Let us dream
how else does one tolerate
reality?
And dream to not aspire
but to deny
every falsehood promised
for eternity.
And dream so large
and so long
that you

almost

forget...
Feb 2013 · 853
Bloody Valentine
Meenakshi Iyer Feb 2013
My constant.
In valleys and cliffs,
with a cigarette between lips
and a hand wrapped around swirling spirits,
my ever after happy end.

By my side, holding hands,
in the most starkest of moments
when I make outlandish demands
the only one who can know
the things I whisper when in shadows.

My eternity, my right hand,
the ace up my sleeve,
the winning hand,
my confession box,
my witless friend,
the most cursed,
my marching band.

When confronted by truth
my resilient spine,
I am my own ******
valentine.
Feb 2013 · 710
Prism Eye
Meenakshi Iyer Feb 2013
Crooked
needle
rightened

               (straight)
when
changed
the
angle

               ... wait ...

movement
puts
things
in
place?
Jan 2013 · 629
Reclamation
Meenakshi Iyer Jan 2013
On an isolated strip,
sheltered by them green,
the wind ruffled my hair
and time moved gently,
I heard a sigh,
that was swept away in a roar,
in the land of his shrine

I think it was my soul.
My first visit to Sri Lanka has been overwhelming. Recommend this quaint and beautiful country to all those who love to travel. Reclamation is about my visit to the Kothduwa temple located on the Kothduwa island.

More to follow.
Jan 2013 · 346
Slipping Words
Meenakshi Iyer Jan 2013
So
simply
will
I
slip
words
that
rhyme
like
down
a
palm
would
ice­.
Jan 2013 · 1.7k
Schrodinger's wasp
Meenakshi Iyer Jan 2013
a wasp flew a straight line
from its nest to me
cloaked in puny sunshine
it thought itself to be free
unheard was its buzzing
unseen its rainbow wings
untold was what it carried
i only felt it sting
the suspension like a drawn sword
cut through the silence within
the absence of feeling retrieved
was healed by the relief of loss
an epitaph if to be given
would affirm the infinity of the end
a promise given in portions
partitioned to satisfaction
make one see through the gloss
to the plainness within
that grieves in honour and truth
shedding tears of blood
it tastes the purest fruit
in the acceptance of its pain
lies the moral of our story

- Sneha Iyer & Vijayalakshmi Harish
   04.01.2012
   Copyright © Vijayalakshmi Harish & Sneha Iyer

Co-written with my akku Vijayalakshmi Harish :)
Jan 2013 · 592
Snort
Meenakshi Iyer Jan 2013
Snort,
like
when
water
wrestles
with
your
nose,
when
someone
steps
on
your
toes.
Dec 2012 · 521
Another Beginning
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
I'm letting go.
to be somebody
I don't know yet.

I'm moving on
to greet somebody
I often hear about.

I touched the sky,
twinkled beside a star,
flew by the gushing wind,
to touch down, gingerly.

I changed colors,
shook the frost that held on,
threw on a mantle with
smiley badges,
and battled a storm in spring.

I grew a few thorns,
kept friends at bay,
took a solitary sojourn
reminiscing yesterdays.

but...

now..

I'm letting go
to be somebody
I don't know yet.

I'm moving on
to greet somebody
I often hear about.
Had a tune in my head when I wrote this.
Dec 2012 · 858
Rolling Stone
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
Rolling
stone
           tum-ba-ling,
           trem-ba-ling
down
to
the
stream
wide
           leaving
           green
           aside
Determination
boy!
Dec 2012 · 1.2k
Birthday
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
I was and will be
ever after,
a story

written by candlelight
in the presence of a kitchen knife,
laying idle, by the ribbons
twirling around chandeliers
and a pink hearts envelop,

telling you of the day,
music played
and I was there
with a smile.

And they all sang,
"Happy Birthday!"
dedicated to my family & friends!
Dec 2012 · 852
Computer Class
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
Check
your
settings!
Thoughts
can
be
a
pop-up
blocker,
denying
yo­u
a
new
window.
Pop-up is one word!
Dec 2012 · 1.0k
Sweet Buns
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
Flicks
of
a
tongue.
              Licks
              of
              fun.
                        Coming
                         undone.
Pardon
my
pun.

Sweet
buns.
Dec 2012 · 1.9k
Mother & Daughter
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
I chased down the bustling road
when I caught a glimpse of her walking down.
Today I stand, impatient;
my finger thumping a pithy tune,
as she climbs down the stairway,
one step at a time.

Time capsules are concealed
in objects that we rarely see,
and only notice when silence visits
and sits in the middle of the room,
unpleasently.


Today was on such day,
when my foot accidentally brushed
a tea cup that had bravely withstood,
the anomalies of my childhood,
and leaning back on its broken handle
took delight,
on my sudden emotional plight.

After years of unrelenting boundaries
the yearning to jump over,
turns into the ultimate goal.
Definace, with a vengence,
and fury so grave,
mars conscience by its senstaions,
makes it depraved.


Forgone was the leap
that bound my heart with rules
of love, loyatly and frienship,
for it now only understood,
the twinge of ache it gained
whenever it recognized,
a then familar face.

In a world fantastical,
there is order and right.
And mistakes are begotten
to only be forgotten
and set some memories aside.


I held my hand out,
on the last stair, she looked up,
and in brown eyes, just like mine,
I saw days that now defined,
our relationship,
as mother and daughter.

We talk of  far shores and setting sail,
with our two feet firmly rooted in the bay.
The anchors aren't pulled, the rigs aren't checked,
we are rarely ready, if ever,
at our fancy's behest.


In the seconds that she took to step down;
seconds in which I re-lived a lifetime,
I ran down the same road,
the bustling street with the same goal.
I held my mother's hand
and let go.
Dec 2012 · 1.5k
Lovelorn
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
Whimsical
lips
and
closed
eyes
can
pretend
              the
              passing
              breeze
              is
              a
              kiss.
Lovelorn.
Dec 2012 · 681
The Legacy of Truth
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
Beyond the tightly drawn silence
the truth lies resolute.
The silence;
disguised by nomenclatures
like an elusive smoke wave
disppears; so mystifying,
in our everyday.

Who is watching, but the wary?
Evoked by fear, sometimes impatience,
the eyes that wandering.
And some cower, secure under the shield
of substantial fashion it gleams;
the easy retreat.

Should I fight?
Dawn the lens that zooms in
to clarify the tomes I carry
that boast of the legacy of truth.
Unknowing if it will sooth.
Or should I just nod along,
turn the page and carry on,
without dwindling about circumstances
that shape or uproot.
Existence.

But, why do I question,
when I have already begun,
listening to silence.
Dec 2012 · 1.1k
A Curse
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
A
curse,
this
compulsion
to
fill
blank
pages
with
an
imprint
of
my
mind.
Dec 2012 · 869
Coffee & Life
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
Impish foam that rests
on the brim of a thing delicious
to fade away in one gentle swipe
of an invisible tide.
The crusty bits that sweeten
a bitter concoction
drown under the burden
of a dark swirling mesh
but remain a heady delight.
Stirred within a diameter
is trouble with joy
and laughter unrestrained.

Sipping a hot mug of coffee incites
thoughts, that vagaries of life
and coffee, are perchance,
the same.
Dec 2012 · 696
Detour
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
I took a detour,
gave in to the allure
of the bending road
half in shadows
beckoning.

Full bloomed flowers draped
the ivy that fell from the sky
surrounded by mystic elements of
a natural life,
I thought this is the place to be.

And I walked away
from the constant to the foretold,
from the legends to the myths,
wanting to relish
the myriad phases
that in a darker place
exists.

But, it was a detour,
not my decided road,
for though the journey
is what they talk about;
they are mostly, lost souls.
I am for that one goal
I set off to first find,
I came off the detour,
to leave the glory behind.
Dec 2012 · 1.1k
Silent
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
Before the storm,
after they are gone,
giving the cold shoulder,
under the fallen boulder,
under blooming spring,
idle wandering,
watching them sleep,
heartwrenching grief,
going home from work,
dinners with family,
reading that book again,
watching that movie,
eating on the sofa,
cooking a meal for one,
afternoon paintings,
written ramblings,
browing for random words,
clearing cluttered drawers,
on a crowded city street,
in a random group meet,
nod when an acquaintance greets,
but,

silent.
Dec 2012 · 992
My House
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
I have the keys,
but I ring the bell instead.
She opens the door always,
peering from behind,
wary, irritated eyes.

He stands behind her,
holding a ladle, most of the time,
with a soft smile on the face
he greets,
which I meet,
then set my bags aside.

The living room is a tidy map
of corners sectioned as per need,
a corner to pray,
a corner to store,
a corner to watch TV.
Hidden inside drawers
is a room for memories.

But this is not where I live,
but away in a room confined
to sleep, dreams, and reflections,
and one black rectangle
that keeps me aligned.

It is my escape route,
from the noise the vessels make;
in the kitchen when they thump,
on the table where they clamour,
from chasing footsteps that chase each other
to and away in tantrums.

I have one window that slopes
towards a paradise that chirps and glows
I have a door that remains closed
to the only house that I ever had,
love, but cannot adore.

I restrict myself to that one room,
in the end, the darkened corner,
and pass through the clamouring kitchen
and the rumbling living room
every morning,
to step out of that door.
Dec 2012 · 366
Perfect House
Meenakshi Iyer Dec 2012
I open doors.

Hunting for the perfect house.

I dislike their colored walls.

Rooms too big, too crowded, too glum
the feeling is wrong;

undone.

mistake.

I close doors.

Looking for perfection.

I like plain walls I can paint.

Too much? Too little?

I am counting days

walking from the street to street

finding my way.
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