.
O
•i found truth
in a saying i read•that we
start dying the day we were born
•not from life inflicted wounds from
which we've bled•not from illness or
disease that would have us torn •we
only live and breathe upon borrowed
sand•because we age; because we are
but mortal•it's only up to ourselves to
be mediocre or grand• what we'll be at
the end is consequential• it'll matter not
if we won popularity polls• or what riches
over which we covet and fuss•when asked, "for
whom does the bell toll?"•look in the mirror for it tolls
••••••••
•••••


                                          ­    for no one...
                                                          ­            but for us•
.

.
•not all
of us were born
with the gift of health
•not all were born into a
bassinet  fashioned out of
gold•but all of us here, be-
stowed with a treasure tro-
ve of literary wealth•an e-
ndowment to last a life-
time, that never gets
old•one must
take it
and s-
oar to
great-
er hei-
ghts..•
...ones
should
never...
forsake
such  a
boon •
let  the
...black-
ness of
our ink
coat......
the  em-
ptiest of
nights •
let the p-
ermanen-
ce   in  our
words over-
whelm...
the



finiteness
of the
silver spoon•
.

.
•atop the mast billows
my wind-tossed rag•grinning skull embla-
zoned proud•the starkness of black upon my flag
•piercing the encroaching sea mist and shroud•her-
ald the sight of the jolly roger • instilling trepidation
in all who sail through my turf • fuelled by the thirst
to pillage and plunder•others before, have sunk into
graves beneath the surf•my salt encrusted timber
creaks                   a frightening low                growl•
my hull                       would pum-                     mel thro-
ugh the opposing waves•    my sails bloat full trapping
winds that howl•my       deck bears the screams
of a thousan-            d slaves•know
me, seafarers... i am no legend but
truth•avast! seafarers, i am the tale
that looms•believe me, seafarers for i
am ca-        pable         of all         things


•••                                                 ­        •••
  uncouth                                                 •fear me,
seafarers for                                            i am your
doom•you could                                 sail the seas with
the world's most                    skillful of crew•
you cannot deny the
inevitable
heavy hand of fate•be-
cause once my vessel comes
within view                             •you would
know for certain                                that it's already
•••••••                                       •••••••
•••••                                               •••••
*too late•

.
            •vile plumes reaching to the
                   sky•killing the earth as days go
                      by•cutting corners, we dump our
                          waste•the easiest of solutions exe-
                          cuted in poor taste•there are many
                          signs, how could we miss•when
                               we are the ones who did this•
                               scores of geniuses and inte-
                              llects•can't come to consensus
                                   and drive a pact•to save the
                                           world for our children•
                                                  to save what's
                                                       left for
                                                            f­uture
                                                           ­   gene-
                                                        ­         ra-
                                                             ­         ti-
                                                    ­              o
                                                 ­                    n
                                                               ­     s
                                                          ­              •
                                                ­                         **IIIIII
                        o                    o                   o           I    I       
                   OO               OO               OO           I    I      
           OOOO         OOOO        OOOO           I    I      
     OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
oOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
     IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
     IIIIIIIII     IIIII     IIIII      IIIII     IIIII     IIIIIIIII
     IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

.
•••••••••••
••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••
•••••••••
ple band•   •••••   •convert-
in a sim-                   •                      ing the
mortality                                                   wishful
silver•im-               ­                                            to   the
on gold or                                                                suppo-
mounted                                                                     sed•we
nd•a rock                                                                      have co-
pilling sa-                                                                     me  full
reats of s-                                                                     circle  •
ing the th-                                                                stars we'-
ther•beat-                                                  ­         ve forged
forth toge-                                              and coun-
journey                                    ted•make
   shall we           reality out
of fable•

.

.
•my
arms point
to the sky•
a gesture
                           frozen in                 eter-
                                 nity•un-                fazed as
                                   the clouds                whisper a
        lie•                 rumours of                 rain that
  never               came quickly•            prickles
protrude             menacingly            •threaten-
ing all who          would stray         too close•      
baseless            gossip that   masquerade    
as pleasant-   ry•to deviate me from      
the path i chose•still i stand            
here...duelling the sun          
•in a land scorched            
barren•search-  
ing for hope
when there's 
really none•
here i stand...
lonely and
drought
stricken•
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
­••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
.

.
     *(              |                      •    ||    )
   (   •|               |                )
(          |||     •  |  )
\   |        |   //
\ || •   | //
•       ••     ••
•like clockwork,
  her day would begin
•pressures of life like no
one could imagine•toting the
crushing weight upon her tiny shou-
lders•responsibilities and expectations that
would overwhelm before she falters•she'd ***-
ble as she groans her duress•her skin would crack
to release pent up stress•then there would come a day
•her exhausted veins would rupture and then give way
•she has the most terrible temper•but we would still flock
to her•why?*........when time and again she offers us strife•

simply because she provides,
she gives us life•

.
  •
            sing to
                   me a  song
                           so melodious...
                               •one of  sweet so-
                                    unding timbre•let it
                                        ••   capture and numb
                                           ••             me senseless•
                                            ••        ­          take me to a
                                             ••                ­       place and
                                             ••              ­             time so
                                              ••                               fami-
                                            ••             ­                    lia-
                                           ••               ­                   r•
     ••
     ••
     ••
where fond       ••                      
memories linger free•fr-                                  
om all worldly constraints•                                    
where our ears can see•the                                      
passing bliss in heaven's                                      
godly paint•                                      
.

.
/                                  /             /           /    /           /    /
/             /                       //          /        / /        /
/           /     /    /             /                       /        /       /    /
//               /        /     ••        /               /    / /
/      /           /      •••   /                 /   /
/            /         •lift me up over-          /             /
/      /    head•for i only seek to shelter    /      //
          you•from the sun who'd scorch you red          /
•from monsoon rains that'll chill you blue•you
may at times think i'm cumbersome to carry•when
the winds of change put you in all kinds of weather•
but i can collapse and fold... i stow away easy•keep me
close and i will spring to your aid... whenever, wherever•
such           is my           pro-   ••   mise           to...           you•
•                   •                  •       ••      •                  •                   •
for
yo-
ur
lif-
e's
un-
pr-
edi-
•••            cta-                   
•••          ble                 
journey•                


soon you'll find my words to be true•
that i'd forever be your brolly•

.
•come with me on a
special trip•hop aboard my big ball-
oon • hot air from flame, the canvas would
sip•higher and higher, we won't be back too soon
•the clouds would gently kiss our cheeks • the sun
would bathe our skins with gold• mountains below
seem minute pointing up  with snow covered peaks
•turning oceans into lakes...the world seems to fold
•offering myriad picturesque views from up ab-
ove•from any angle none would lack•lastly
we'll drift...along the currents of air and
love•you could then finally say that
i've brought you on a memora-
ble trip to  the moon...
and safely back•
\         |         /
\       |       /
•••••••••••
I+++++++++I
I+++++++++I
•••••••••••