A poet and a poet meet in a café
Striking up a conversation
About everything and nothing
About love and lost love
About the dark side of the moon
And the nurturing side of childhood memories
About that one time they were both at a hapless poetry event
And about mirrors and magic and moonlight
And mice and men, terrible men
And about women, gentle, dangerous creatures
Who broke their hearts in many pieces
And how they turn innocent boys
Into almighty, all-knowing poets
They talk about their ego
An ego that has become huge
Despite the fact they are not read
And don’t make any money
They talk and talk and banter
And slander and meander
Verbally that is
Until they’re lost for words
And the secret code of life is cracked

I swallowed her and now
She lives inside me or I live
Through her, we are alive.
I’m her friend, her teenage
And fantasies, a sixty year old-
Hair and books she ever read
Long distance phone calls
And delight matched our
Love for Sujata, Mr And Mrs Iyer
And I sat on her couch on my
Despised vacations sketching
Letters to Milena, Quabbani
And we spoke of her brothers,
Generations and cafes I went.
I’m Delhi, Bangalore and
Endless conversations-
She never met and she’s my
Lost Malayalam, postcards and
A world so familiar, a childhood.

Hold your breath and relax
I’m going to stay and listen
Till you are out of stories and
I repeat, remind and you smile.
I’ll get you melodies and 60s
Harold Robbins and Nutan,
Your weirdness and aloofness.
You don’t grow old with me
I’ll live, I promise as your fonts
Visit places you walked and
Write to you all, deep- blue
Letters, deep- blue-letters.
You are my first high-heels
Strawberry fields and music system
I’ll recite you a love story
Picture him as our classic heroes
And giggle as girls sixteen and
Seventeen. You swallowed me
And I live through you, we’re alive.

Darling, I love you.
Oh yes I most definitely do.
And I know
Somewhere deep down
You love me too.
Its in the way you hold me
So tight
So close
The way you play with my hair,
Your deep sighs.
"What are you thinking about?"
I ask,
Time and time again.
Your response?
Always simply
"You."

"I am not a good person."

You came with a warning sign
A police line do not cross
Victims sprawled on the street
Entering a war zone
Armed with a limping heart and an idle threat

The moment you opened your mouth, I was a goner.

You set off explosions with a twist of your lips
A razor sharp smile
It all goes down - whiskey smooth
And the white flag goes up.

I never stood a chance.

"I am not a good person," you repeat.
"I know," I say.
"So am I," I leave out.

Sand castles and the noise of the water hitting the rocks,
Shells and the sand grains that carols the summer dusk,
There was laughter and memories and the endless- restless sea
There was him walking on the coast with prayers on his lips.

He doesn't know who he is, he was in quest of peace
He had a scar which haunted him, but was lucky-
To dye it with music and holy rites and endless dreams
He’s the holder of the thread of his kites today and he’s flying.

You’ll not rot and rust and return back heaven like dust
You’ll sing the songs, long exiled master pieces of yours
You’ll heal insomniacs, meaningless souls and corrupts
You’ll be what you always wanted to be, a happy man.

You were a stranger yesterday and today a pal
Tomorrow you’ll be remembered for the footprints-
Melodies, conversations and your 200 year old piano
You’ll be missed someday, but today you’re my friend!