Left, right, left, right
Change step march
Heartbeats pounding
with the rhythm
Count cadence count!
1,2,3,4  1,2,3,4
1234! Bam!

Sway backwards,
left, right
Hold her waist
Touch his hand
Pleasing the hormone's rage

Trembling knees
Uneasy eyes
Jealous heart
And lustful smiles

Those are dancing
and here is marching
Look right to the base
and see his handsome face! Hey!

They say, in the city of dreams
We only look towards the sea in the west,
The open, the surreal emptiness
amidst all the concrete realities.

The waves recede to only come back stronger
As if they are listening to our voices,
While colliding against all that is brick and mortar,
Spraying the fruit of a wasted effort,
On the children of the promenade

The bricks are here to stay, and so is the sea
Both in mutual agreement to not harbour
Any more than what they can take

Swipe in to enter
The machine said
And we did
we intend to do the same
on a daily basis,
Immerse ourselves into a fake promise called
Income, stability and a preconceived notion
called “life, the way it is”

For once the machine, couldn’t recognise
The faded lines on the thumb,

Walk away,
we walk away till we reach
the queen’s necklace
where it all began,
Dreams, hope and salvation.
The perfect place to revisit
Decisions, choices and the way forward
But we fail to look into any as we take a pause
From all that is normal.
To gaze at the surreal horizon
Ebbed in the promenade that is home to all of us.
“Swipe out to exit” Nobody says
As we dwell in the possibility of a better tomorrow

Walking along the narrow track,
parents shepherding ice cream kids,
making way for pushchairs, making waves.
The lakeside watch on ducks and swans.
The nodding smiles and genteel grins,
like a 50's Sunday promenade,
while walking sticks wait by benches
dreams die when mobiles chime.

There I was again tonight
Hoping for a chance
Wearing a gown with a touch of pink
Walking in front of you
And yet you don't even gave me a glance

Then your best friend asked for a dance
While dancing, he noticed that I am looking at you
He said that you would dance me later
I don't want to believe
But an undesirable hope ignited

I am back on my sit
Time check, eleven o'clock
I looked up at the stars
Silently praying for my last dance
When you are coming near me
Unfortunately, you asked my friend not me

Time is running,
It's already twelve midnight
Just like Cinderella,
I need to go home
You were not my first and last but my *never dance

The raindrops felt refreshing
As they splattered gently
Down my arms
That loosely gripped
My half-busted umbrella.
My shoes splished and
Splashed,
Not even bothering to
Avoid
The puddles,
Ruby red of my moccasins
Dyeing the skin on my feet
As the liquid
Soaked in.
The rainwater felt cool,
But my flannel hugged me tightly,
Breaking up the
Onset of goosebumps.
The trees and grassy lawns
Illuminated a bright green,
Lapping up the raindrops
Thirstily into their wide mouths.
With no guide,
My dampened feet lead their
Own way
Down streets and roads,
Diagonals, bobbing and
Weaving
Through the city limits.
No fear, stomach dropping,
For I knew
I would find my way.
Peaceful afternoon,
Rain dancing down from
The cloud-filled sky;
I wandered deep into a
Blissful promenade.

Today ,I am not abashed
To be who I am,

On this road of hurt
To be just the way I am,

I am not bashful anymore
To speak for what I want,

On this night of dark promenade
To speak for defence I want.