Sitting across
my eyes study you;
a painter taking
in his model, to mind's portal:
you sit hunched
over the dining table top,
a work of art
"The girl in a hurry
taking few quick bites"
                               I am a picture
                               yet to be attempted
                              "The man in agony"
                               would have  just dark hues,
you left in a huff
to catch the inter-city train,
I work at night,
so went to lay down,
                                 When my eyes drooped
                                 I leaned against  you,
                                 your scent has such
                                 soporific touch
                                 that bring longings
                                 soon to the fore.
And in my sleep I remember,
you'll be lying in my bed,
with in your lonely mind
all through commuting,
rocked by the train.

Is there a kind war?
happy dying star?
Isn't love without sacrifice-
a rose devoid of scent?

A deep realization,
that perfection is the
fragrance of resonating hearts-
can sustain bond; love would burn
even in times of intense pain,
then we would forget,
anything that would come between.

When I began the walk, down the path of life,
you joined hands without knowing what to ask,
what is that awaits us, how would we  know,
taking your hand, I vowed,
everything is for you till the end,

The winds may change,
the path could be strewn with thorns,
fraught with adversities,
in this journey we may falter, even fall,

I know this in my heart,
still you'd whisper soft:
"we were united by sacrificial fire
how could we ever separate?"
a Vedic right passed on to us
through millennia, we still embrace,
Can just a chant be that magical,
make hearts meld together?

Am I limiting my chances , of pain
by putting a blind on your eyes?
Even if I tell that you won't take it
not even  for a moment.

*Every time your eyes flood,
your lips tremble like dragon flies,
a stab in my heart I feel, it bleeds,
I hold your hand,tight
I hear my lips whisper
" Sacrificial Fire is our witness"

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

Gray fluorescent sky
Sharp, crisp, cutout horizon
Autumn colours pop
I stop, savoring the view
People hurry past, unmoved

His hands
Paint her delicate, bare skin dark colors
The painful brush strokes
Splash ugly marks across her body

She tries to disguise
The acrylic stains
Hide her shame
So others
Don't question about the artist

But eventually
The canvas will mend
And be restored
Time
Will wash away the abusive paint
Leaving the canvas blank
The artist
Anxious to create his next masterpiece