Kept in front of me is a rough handmade paper Its furrows are similar to my unsettled life The thick graphite pencil I hold up to sketch My anecdotes that has made an impact on me As soon I start sketching, the graphite smudges Leaving dark and ugly patches on the paper And an indelible mark between my fingers Depicting the dark shadow that has followed me Everything I hope for, is daubed by overcast setting When I take up the erasers to wipe off the mishaps The friction creates a colossal mess on the dreams I realize that I have distorted the sketch I started But the deep lines of graphite stare at me sullenly Such indelible sketches hover in my mind Not even the best of erasers can wipe them off I tried in vain, only to be left with abrasions I have given up on drawing up any dreams No longer, the handmade paper allures me to sketch For I have used up all the graphite, drawing, failures So many failures already etched in my memory Left with nothing but the memories of defeat Like the dark smudges of graphite, hovering my mind