Simple game of chess
Causes emotional stress
***** it, let's undress

Light at the tunnel's end
Engulfed in a sea of darkness
An oasis for a weary traveller

I sat on one of the park's two swings
With my left arm plastered; in a sling
I pushed the ground with my feet as I gazed at the sky
Through the air, wafted the delicious smell of fish fry
'twas the month of June and monsoon was upon us
Children were frolicking in the mud, as they got off the school bus
The sky was filled with clouds waiting to wash the earth clean
Hanging in the sky as if by strings unseen
A flock of birds flew down to peck on the scattered grain
To not run towards them and watch them scatter, it took much refrain
The lonesome dog seemed blissful, his stomach full for the day
Barking like mad and running in circles, on his own tail did he wish to prey
The trees swayed gently, their leaves still wet from the morning shower
I wonder how they've managed to withstand time's fearsome power
For millions of millenia, they've stayed rooted and spread their seed
Only to be turned to timber by man's single deed
I snap out of my thoughts as you place a gentle hand upon my shoulder
In that moment, I forget that the gaze I reserved for you was meant to be colder
You stand in front of me, frowning slightly and pleading with guilty eyes
I stand up, smile and walk away. I've never been one for goodbyes.

And indeed there will be time

For the yellow smoke that slides along the street

Rubbing its back upon the window panes

There will be time

There will be time to prepare a face

To meet the faces that you meet

There will be time to ****** and create

And time for all the works and days of hands that lift a hand to drop a question on your plate

Time for you and time for me

And time yet for a hundred indecisions

And time for a hundred visions and revisions

Before the taking of a toast and tea

I am but a passing muse
With a couple of eyes and a couple of hands
Walking, and yet not moving
And with these hands I wish to build
Not castles, not palaces
But bonds that last longer than our bodies
That will stand the test of fate
Though these eyes shall never appreciate them
As they are but blind to all that doesn't move
But once in a while they do notice the patterns
Among the endless sea of static
And I let out a squeal of joy that falls on deaf ears

The folks bring forth waves
That light up these days
These dogs, these strays
Strange are their ways

Pen, paper and burning midnight oil
Rhyme after verse, relentless I toil
This imp in my mind, his plans I foil
Soon it shall rain, I can smell the soil

Lumbering in the night is this train
We desire pleasure, but we need pain
The hulking beast has been slain
Nothing to lose, everything to gain

Inch by inch, yard by yard
Singing and dancing with the bard
Your precious soul shall we guard
This night sky, so beautifully starred

These words make little sense
At times we can be dense
A quarter, a paisa, a pence
A stone wall, a picket fence

Across a void of space and time far away from where I am supposed to be, but a lot closer to myself
Headed away from home but towards it at the same time
All I have is a select few thoughts packed into boxes
Boxes that I treat as if they're a part of me
From boxes on wheels to boxes that fly,
To boxes that clearly say, "I live as if I'm never going to die."
We go looking for more boxes, boxes that we places parts of ourselvs in
And sometime we decide it's time
To give away a box or two
After all that we've been through
Castles built of boxes tumble time and again
And yet we build, for boxes will always be available at a bargain
They say "No need to carry your own boxes, let us do it for you!"
And while you're waiting on your boxes; Here, it's on us, have a brew
Boxes of color, boxes of shapes
Boxes that distinguish us based on our drapes
Drowning in a sea of boxes, can we barely see land
But thankfully whenever you want to move your boxes, there's always someone to lend a hand

I hold my breath so as not to wake you from your sweet slumber
And stare at the ceiling with sleepless eyes
I wonder if you're dreaming of me
I want to hold you but I'm too afraid
That I won't let go if I do
I shut my eyes as tightly as I can
Until they hurt and start to water
And yet sleep eludes me
It's pitch black outside, or so it seems
Through the crack in the curtains
The darkness oozes through
It envelopes me, leaves you alone
I'm a body bag waiting to be unzipped
There's not a hint of suffocation
The pain neither comes nor goes
Alas there's light
But it's at the end of the tunnel

Every single night, death comes and sits by my side
Every  time I  shut my  eyes,  by his rules do I abide
He taught me the intricate balance of questioning and acceptance
He also showed me the innate frailty of structure and permanence
I understood the difference between wisdom and knowledge
Also why  one  must, without dismissing, eat  one's porridge
That a bat can carry numerous diseases without  getting  ill
That seasons can bring change in the colours of a bird's bill
That questioning oneself requires immense strength  of will

He taught me when to swallow my pride
Whom to  trust, and  in  whom to confide
That one must take great caution while vowing vengeance
What's done is done, and can never be undone by penance
Things I never would've learned  had  I  stayed  on  in  college
He showed me that it's but a myth, the idea we call "flawless"
That  bending  the  limits  of  one's  mind  can too be  a  thrill
That  it's  tougher to  bring  life  than  it  is  to  make  the  ****
How ever hard you may try, life's essence you  cannot  distill

I've lived countless lives and loved countless wives
I've defeated voldemort, sauron and countless others
Looted and plundered with the Vikings
Went on psychotic murderous rampages
Built floating, intricate castles in the sky, with balconies out of which I've stared for countless hours, trying to make sense of the patterns made by the constellations shining through the fluffy clouds in the night sky
Settled on a inhabitable planet with a population of only loopy straws whose only purpose in life Seemed to be to force feed me thick foamy milkshakes until the buttons on my jeans popped and I blew up like a balloon and floated away into the skies
I've lived the life of a poem, may it be joyous or pitiful, enraged or complacent, unrhymely or out of verse
An entire planet at times; tectonic plates moving to make and break the shape of continents, and have ecosystems being formed on my being, watch with pleasure as new life forms on my surface and feel the pain of billions of such life forms as they slowly fade out of existence, my core erupting at every moment is what has made my shell so thick and given me the ability to support further life
A box of matchsticks, with each matchstick's head being rubbed against me as it erupts into flames and slowly burns down to ash and cinder
I've been a macho soldier in space blowing up monstrous creatures of disproportionate proportions with gigantic claws and humongous jaws
I've been lived as the creator and guided the evolution of a sea of pebbles through their voyage and to their destination as grains of sand
A spec of dust as it floats from place to place, sits in dark attics for eons till the cleaning lady dusts me off of the rusty old lamp and I fly out of the open window, only to be caught by a passing gust of wind and swept towards the next town where I become one with the earth of which I emerged.

The penguins march
On a stretch of  snowy starch

Ignoring the onlookers
But wolf whistling among the crowd, the hookers

The sounds clearly getting louder
Is that... is that gun powder?

Gouging out the eyes to block out the sight
Is definitely not the answer to your plight

The confetti flies upwards and away
To turn into a  malleable *** of clay

Juggling the yard of goat string cheese
More after this message? Yes please!

Longing on the thought of belonging
As our not so miserable existence we seem to be prolonging

Your thoughts, i wish to sway
With my words, let me take you away

Among these endless windows
I catch a glimpse of your world
Playing the oldest of games
Your fingers you twirled

Mesmerized by your gentle fingers
As they dance to a muted tune
Your chatter breaks my silence
No longer am I immune

We can't stay apart any longer
That's my version of the truth
Glorious were our mistakes
The stupid ways of youth

It all suddenly seems to make sense
As you lie in your own filth

Naked, cold, intoxicated
Yet, happy

As you stare at a blank canvas
With quivering hands

Hoping to leave behind
A few stupid memories

Warm pieces of the soul
Torn asunder willingly
To feed the cold ego

You decide to rekindle
Your love for camping in the woods
You drive 5 hours
To get to the Reserve
The one you loved visiting when you were a child
Only to be welcomed
By a giant ******* shopping mall

These moments we share when our gazes meet
When nothing is said and yet there's a tingling in the toes of our feet

These moments we share scream of stories untold
Chapters that would've been beautiful, but shall never unfold

Those eyes shall haunt me for longer than eternity
But the thought of us actually meeting are stranger than absurdity

There was no hunger, no want, no desire
it was said that life is passion, you aren’t alive unless your insides burn with fire

Words were exchanged in full and without thoughts, second
Even when bonds were broken, within mere minutes would they mend

There comes a time when you realise that tomorrow isn’t much of mystery
don’t think things repeat? How about a lesson in history

Wise words have always passed on through the ages
wiser words yet, have perished with their sages

It is said that beauty is skin deep but ugly goes to the bone
funny, how none but them are drawn to the throne

Time was abundant and myths were told of change, spare
of our short, pathetic existence it seems we weren’t fully aware

Here we are atop a richly laden tree
one look towards the earth and you see skeletons, anything but free

The doors that used to be once open wide
now are walls with letterboxes, through which only bills and cheques now slide

Choice was an idea that truly held weight
not just a nuisance while picking a restaurant for a date

Nothing’s farther than the truth from itself
stories we shall write, into the depths of our own lies shall we delve.

I wish there were words to make you see
words to express these images
but im not a painter, neither much of a talker
i take solace in the silence
as there are sounds to shut out
no sounds keeping me from the symphonies in my head


The impulses recreating euphoria
that feeling of joy, which i wish i could share
i wish i had the words to express
but all i have is this silence
it gives me pleasure, it gives me joy
i wish i could share it


Babies, i envy the most
the only image that matters to them is that of their mother’s tired yet content face
in that little brain of theirs is imagination in its purest form
untainted by the world
dragons they haven’t seen yet, neither fair princesses
but even then they dream when they sleep
and those tiny brains of theirs explode into a billion different colours
and equal number of shapes, which none of us remember


That’s the reason for their smile
the laughter without a cause
because they haven’t been told yet how beauty is defined by the world
in their eyes everything is beautiful
they have seen true beauty
they show it to you by holding your finger in their puny hands
and you feel a sudden rush of warmth you feel when you look into a lover’s eyes

I wish there were words to tell you how I feel
words, to show you the world through my eyes

to describe the shapes I see when I stare at a wall for too long,
that  feeling of wanting to fall back into a dream
the words to tell you why I love that one particular song
the one that plays over and over in my head
but somehow I can’t remember if I have ever heard it or not

One day I wish I find a dictionary that translates thoughts into words.

The smell of freshly cooked roti wafted through the air and enters my nostrils
As I walked by the construction site laden with debris, metal, tools and drills
For the first time in a long time my mind subdues its chatter
My eyes come to a rest on a *** of soon-to-be cooked batter

The destitute woman sat by a tiny fire with a handful of pots and pans
Cooking for those whose hands would bring to life the Architect's plans
The look in her eyes wasn't that of servility or resignation
She struck me as one who practised mindful meditation

Two little ones played with a stick within their mother’s line of sight
It was hard to believe that a piece of wood could bring them such delight
Their ages four and seven from the look in their exuberant eyes
Hardly did they know that they were born to be chastised

A stone’s throw away, under the only light bulb, sat a girl in her attire from school
A few books on her lap, a pencil in hand, she sat studying on a wooden stool
She was a dreamer this one, dreamt of making her mother proud
She gave in to nothing but knowledge, for whom humbly she bowed

In the darkest corner lay the father on a wooden cot; bottle in hand
His back to the light, drunken mind wandering through promise land
He had been broken this one; no man’s free without being the master of his own will
Freedom he had never known, for since birth another’s land has he always tilled

I could not stop walking into walls
Oh, how I twisted and turned
Until the day I wrote myself over them

In a sea of eyes, that in them have no fire
Soul less entities that do not understand desire

Lost to them are the forces of passion
And when the fire dies, so does compassion

They walk and talk as if they're kings
Only to forget that anytime now, the death knell shall ring

In an age where the "me" wants to break away from the "we"
Alas, we shall all be buried in the same dirt when the soul does break free

Given up they have on themselves for good
Some even say that making another buck is the only way they get wood

Beyond comprehension is the utter blindness
Even the believers seem to have given up their quest for the monster within loch Ness

Now do I finally appreciate "ignorance is bliss"
Never would I've known had anything been amiss

A day shall come when the illusion shall break
For those who were once blind, by their hands, havock shall wreck

Looking on the bright side, now, it won't be too long
But for some reason, this wait I wish to prolong

Different perspectives is what it seems to be all about
Lessons in life, from mountain tops, do they all shout out

Watching and listening to everything around me
We're told to live life a certain way, while we simply wish to be

Today we look at things without forming a clear image
This lack of clarity is the cause of our rage

Time and again, we do , regret and forget
But maybe this time, we won't.

The deafening sounds of police sirens
Tear through the evening air
Leaving behind an air of indignation
Hoping, out of thin air, to create a nation

The ebb and flow of truth and lies
Turns our interests into a public pastime
And we watch on in abject fascination
As we bring to its knees, this nation

They come and go as plastic figurines
With serpent-like tongues and vice-like grips
As we promote excessive procreation
The wheels must keep turning, to this nation

Progress, Growth, Youth, and Opportunity
Are but some of the buzzwords
Abdication of thought is the foundation,
To the structure of this nation

Power and oppression are but two sides of the same coin
Without one there cannot be the other
Smothering each other with precise calculation
Just to access the throne to the nation

Storytellers stand atop podiums and enchant the masses
While they shower them with praise
Year after year, they stand in the same formation
And salute the flag, the one that makes this nation

Our senses help us grow and communicate
“This race must continue, go  find  a mate”
Saying  so,  our   emotions   do  we  berate
“Is it him or her?” 'tis  our  hottest  debate

We lock eyes, and so begins the endless dance
Call it an  experience or  maybe  even a trance
There’s  just the two of us in this vast expanse
Just to make things simple, we call it romance

Upon  us  now  is  a  turning  of  the  cosmic tide
In this scheme, We are like but fish out of water
Just under the surface, like the  truth  we  reside
As for the harvest, there must be fresh slaughter

Let’s take a  thick brush and paint this canvas
Let our colours be bright and our strokes, bold
Let them look back  at  our lingering  madness
“A millennia  before, our stories they foretold”

But   why,  when   there’s  procrastination
Would we ever envision a joyous peasant
And  why,  when  there’s  mass castration
Wouldn't we need these anti-depressants

We  store  the  remnants  of  our  memories  in  a  few  boxes
Never enough  space,  we  always  need  more  storage  units
Tiniest crevice do  we  find, “Come let us release our toxins”
We forget that they’re there, once they've lost their newness

We     come     closer     when     we     share    this     moment
A  simple  command  given  to our  pre-programmed selves
A  few  simple,  meaningless  words,  turned  into  a  slogan
Within moments, the symbols are sold out from the shelves

Sputtering from the cradle, stuttering to the grave
For  simply  living  each  moment,  we   are  brave
Even  sociopaths, while  in  a  crowd  will  behave
Never were you free, since birth were you a slave

“Find  a  prey, take  a  life.” Under  his  breath, chants the hunter
Weapons  soar  through  the  open skies, “Protect us, oh bunker!”
Here they  come, in  their cold  lifeless  selves, to tear us asunder
Wise old men say time and again, “Life is nothing but a blunder”

These buildings they rise as if to kiss the blue skies
Or dig deep into the earth where the sinner slowly fries

The cops in uniform keep prevent chaos to ensue
Not enough distractions there are for this rising impatience to subdue

Every nook and cranny of this city shall we populate
Not like that's not enough reason for any of us to copulate

Born afresh every morn and wither away in the eve
Every now and again you take a moment for yourself, just to breathe

But once you've had your breath of fresh air, when its all said and done
You just can't keep away can you, and just like that again it has begun

As drops of sunlight trickle down through these cloudy skies
I search for a hint of affection in your misty eyes

As these they sway poignantly to the melody of this lust filled breeze
They tell mute stories of those who came before, they do, these trees

The silence between us swallows the rumbling oceans without thought
As the silence is at an end, to keep it that way, countless battles I'd have fought

Songs play in the back of my mind that would've been fitting
As words I try and utter through these teeth I've been gritting

Reminds me of AstroTurf, it does, this patch of grass
To end this maddening silence I wish to blurt out something utterly crass

As the sun departs and leaves behind a fiery trail, the mood steers towards the glum
I pick up those tattered old shoes for I can tell when our time has come

Post-it notes are a breath of fresh air
The remind me that I should care
Of things little and big
Like my dreams of buying a wig

They seem to be the epitome of innocence
But at times, they ooze wicked essence
Intentions are what post-its are about
The truth it is, without a doubt

They look fancy even when stuck to a tree
Or when thrown on top of a pile of debris
When pen touches paper, on its journey does the post-it embark
Like pollen, may it cross the seven seas, stuck to a majestic lark

Post-its in and of themselves are quite sad
'Cause most of them are but reminders of resolutions gone bad
It's existence is nothing short of poetic
Except when used for cheesy love notes; then it's just pathetic

It is wrought upon some, the truthful worries of our world

The rest suffice to say that they are but weak

Survival of the fittest, an excuse used to trample the within us humans

They have but disgraced mankind with all the shoving and pushing

Look around you, open your eyes

“No man’s an island”, a wise old man once said

His words will probably be lost forever

For those who read, suffice with the act of doing so

And not all who do, are gifted with the ability to read

We reach the point of evolution where complexity overcomes all

The one that oversees is now but lost

There might be glimmers and slimmers of hope that we might see

The strong ones might stand up for what might be right

But who am I to judge what right truly is?

Mistakes I shall make

Numbers I shall fake

Climb atop this metaphorical mountain I will

Shout from its metaphorical top I will

Just to show myself that I’m not weak

My presence shall always be felt

From stacked decks shall hands always be dealt

Argue, will I no longer

No longer will I survive

There is but one thing that this world respects

And for it to respect me, will I show it that I can thrive

Let us revel in these sleepless nights
And wonder out loud whether
Another millennia shall pass by  
With us at the centre of the universe
Or shall shall we burn away
As a bonfire by dawn

The long awaited day may come
And there shall not be a soul awake
To watch the sun rise
Over the smoky skies
Shimmering away
As if to say

"Come yonder or don't, it's all the same
Time, like everything else
Is precious yet abundant
The ink blot sinks into paper
And stays there
Until the end of time"

Seven seas away, waiting on a glimpse of a face

Trying to keep busy with mundane things that do not intrigue or interest

Closing my eyes and watching you as you sleep with your lips slightly parted

I kiss them, you move, you know, you pull me towards yourself

Your embrace keeps me warmer than the heat from a thousand suns

Your pixelated smile on my laptop makes me happier than i possibly think anything can

Wishing that the days would simply fly past without bothering me

Or wishing that you would simply fly right into my arms

As i wait here, thinking of times past

Has it really been that long i ask myself?

It feels like yesterday that i sat on you chair eating that omelette you cooked with loving care

Talking my heart out, knowing not that someday i would walk into that room by myself, close my eyes tight and wish that you magically appeared when i open them

But alas, my childlike mind still believes in miracles

heres to another night spent writhing about in bed
like a serpent in the vast cosmic ocean bearing its fangs at each tiny source of light
a plethora of thoughts come to mind right when the head hits the soft stack of pillows
the trees and the leaves rustle as if sandpaper being scraped against a human face

and it leaves behind a deep unhealing **** that will last till the end of each sleepless night
be healed by the time the head leaves its nightly resting place to go out and take on the world
and the wait for the endless repetitive cycle to begin will begin once again
trudging through miles of globulous bile will again have the same lasting effect

as that of half eaten railway platforms and ground up browser tabs
elongated letters as they appear on the windowed capillaries of one's ignited violin
repossessed keyboards that belonged to aspiring writers who could never fill a page
with words that failed to even capture the imagination of the wittiest troll by the bridge

more words will flow through the sphincters present in half alive lighters
it seems this one needs to rhyme, so raise one to the brave baby fighters
streamlined thoughts finally arise as the mind clears up a little
here's another rhyme, this one might come off as a bit brittle

henceforth thoughts shall be placed with greater precision
there are ants residing in the laptop; sleeping with the laptop, a great decision
back into the depths of insanity shall we delve again
sleeping with a colony of ants equals terrible, piercing pain

I spend my days in front of a screen
We're all entitled to our own illusions
The chicken or the egg

A while back i was carefree and unburdened
undeterred by the state of my own being
i looked into the distance and saw more than nothingness
more than joy or sorrow, wisdom or ignorance
but i didn’t see the death of a teenager


I saw imaginary beings
some with wings, some without ears
i saw creatures soar into the clear blue skies
dive into the depths of the dark oceans
i was reminded of the lion king whenever i thought of the circle of life
but i didn’t see the death of a teenager


Swimming in the sea of fast food and sweetened water
i lost myself in many a fantasies of worlds unseen
but somehow i didn’t lose sight of this world that we live in
the chains of balance never made sense, but somehow always felt right
i did see the difference between right and wrong
but never the difference between law and justice
neither did i see the death of a teenager


They say, from the ashes rises a phoenix
there is light in all this darkness
but isn’t darkness just the absence of light?
is the phoenix blessed or cursed with its immortality?
was it the death of a teenager i saw? or a birth of a man?

The night sits heavy on us all
As the well dressed persons leave the ball

There seems to be joyous celebration in the air
And a moment's silence they cannot bear

The ruckus floats away through the night sky
Tonight ain't a night of goodbyes

The pristine eyes now filled with lust
Inhibitions are lost, found is inebriated trust

Numbers exchanged among mostly glances
The night fondly reminisced, retread the dances

Some leave with friends, others with strangers
Forgotten are the daily fears and dangers

And yet the night sits heavy on us all
As life suddenly slows down to a crawl

The absence of your fellowship is felt severely
My friend, here and now, you're missed dearly

Maybe we were wrong, maybe we were blind
Teach us in your absence for we may be kind

Let me forgive myself as I watched you slowly bleed
For I am responsible, no matter who did the deed

With whom do I now share this off-colour joke?
With whom do I now share this 4 am smoke?

I was sure someday we were meant to part ways
Never did it cross my mind, numbered were your days

My mind screams when I think back and see the smoking gun
Brother I never called you, but forever you shall be one

Dwindling down to the last morsel
And yet we cannot stop
Losing men left, right and centre
And yet another pawn we shall plop

History has to be written
Stories, another must
Forgotten will be those who died, frostbitten
Their medals now gather rust

Clearer waters have flown between these banks
That time has past, and will yet come again
History will not celebrate these hideous tanks
The ghost of their memories will be washed away by rain

Philosophers gather and discuss
The heavy sitting toll
As the commons turn away in disgust
And take a leisurely stroll

You live out your dreams
I dwell within mine
I'm but a part of your world
You've made mine

Once there was this little tree
Whose soul was completely free
Branches like willful souls
Fill them in tropical bowls

Whisked onto a sea of pristine canopies
The world itself slowly atrophies
Every word itself an apostrophe
Not even trying to avoid a catastrophe

Wondrous flights shape the continuum
Swallowing speech by disarticulating consonants
What will be the clouds departure
To see that the rain falls through the aperture

Come to see the creations so dexterous
With a resonant jewel in their necklace
Underplaying the quickness of the wind
Just with a dash of feeling chagrined