I wanted to write a poem for you.
I really did. And I tried. You deserve an epic.
I don't understand why it won't just fall out of me
The way my tooth did last year, or a swear does any day-

I didn't get why I couldn't put you into words,
packaged neat, edited well. Simple.
It should be, I thought. It's established.
You know. I know. It's clear. Sky's blue.

And perhaps that's exactly it.
I love you so simply I cannot complicate it.
I love you so wholly there's no room to doubt it.
I love you in a way that is reciprocated, complete,
entirely inscrutable to me. For once in my life, I am tongue tied.

You would think I could write a poem about that.
You would think I could write a book about you
then sell it on Oprah's couch, humble-smug
insufferably smitten and fulfilled.
But I can't. I didn't write this story. It happened to me.

You happened to me. And we're both still a little...
bewildered, might be the word. It's been years,
it's not new, it's not puppy love that brings you home to me.
And we didn't expect this, we never felt that it was owed,
or knew the world even had any of this left in it.

And yet, quietly. If I could just shut up and listen.
The epic writes itself, it isn't forced, it isn't marketable,
But it's true, innately woven into the feeling that I
am now home wherever we go. I learned to speak in tongues,
I ate a dictionary, I wrote until my eyes and fingers were crimson
but I simply could not write something this good.

To read a book,
is a sharp descent,
and a swim in the author's vanity,
to write one,
takes a different skill,
I think it's called insanity

Not quite strong enough to pass,
although I try,
and beat with painted wings upon the glass,
the world beyond the window is where I want to be,
success is the garden, the butterfly is me

The truth is,
I'm an actor,
a man upon a stage.
I can feign sorrow,
joy, grief, and rage,
and I do it this well
'cause I've felt them before,
but my heart is not Hamlet's,
nor that which you adore.

The truth is,
I'm a playwright,
I do it for the crowd
who can't put into words
the feelings they've found.
I write them like Shakespeare,
how I think it would be
to stand in their shoes
and to see as they see.

The truth is,
I'm a poet,
but I've never been divorced,
I've never had a nasty breakup,
I've never been to war.
I've never really been a dancer,
I've never sailed the seven seas,
I've never lost a friend to cancer,
nor seen eyes close in final peace.

The truth is
that I hope
those who read my works
don't mind
that quite often
it's the characters
and not the stories
that are mine.

Dare to dream
     (that which
     is not dreamed)
and create
     (that which
     can never be),
to see
     (that which
     is not seen)
and be
     (that which
     has never been).

You are the reason I smile
Every time I happen to fail
Because, when I think about you
I know all hope isn't lost yet
And I can even beat the worst ever Monday blues
Your never-say-die spirit is tough to beat
Even when it comes to someone like Rahul Gandhi
It's what makes you such an awesome poet
Not to mention, a bestselling novelist
A truly intersectional feminist
And last but not the least
One of the fiercest anti-caste activists
Of course, I know you haven't even properly met me
However, you have made an impact upon me
Which is utterly impossible to forget
Really, I have to admit
You have made me think more positively
And act more independently
Which has done wonders for my mental health
Also, have you taught me to keep up the faith
Even when I have been at my nadir
Therefore, is it no wonder
That you are an inspiration to one and all
Thanks to you, even when we fall
We know how to rise again
And smile through our pain
You are a powerful voice of change
In a country that is thoroughly resistant to change
You speak what most of us are afraid to speak
And inspire even the meek
You call a ***** a *****
Your keyboard is the sharpest blade
Finally, you awaken those who are asleep
And give a red alert to those who are merely pretending to sleep
You know, whenever you enter my mind
I feel a quiet but fierce pride
Certainly, has God been kind
To present me with the opportunity
Indeed, a very very special opportunity
To come across such an incredible human being
Without whom, am I nothing!
May the Lord bless you with everything
Which you deeply crave for
Dear Comrade, please keep fighting and do take care
Jai Bhim!! Vaazhga Periyar!!

Third Scam
A Top 5 publisher offered the writer a deal
He felt like he was cloud walking
Just for a few minutes till he found it
The part that said the writer had to pay
For his book to be published
This broke his set in stone rule
NEVER PAY TO BE PUBLISHED
Not in a competition or publisher
He asked his top level pro contacts
They advised what he felt in his gut
This is a well dressed up scam!
The third he’d been sent
He would get a real book deal
It took skill and hard work
That’s what made luck

There is no one in this world
Who matters to me more than you
The lone exception being Jesus Christ
Were you to be put through any test
No matter how rigorous or torturous
I have no doubt you would emerge victorious
This is not to say you would find everything easy
After all, in life, is nothing ever easy
However, you have faced the worst
And emerged among the best
So many people hate you to the core
However, none of them do you fear
Never, will you be silenced
My heart, have you stolen
And I am sure I am not alone
You have as many ardent admirers
As you have fierce adversaries
Thanks to you, am I able to find the courage
To break free from my cage
Which is full of numerous anxieties and insecurities
And make my way towards finally finding inner peace
Nobody has made such an impact on me
As you have done
Thanks to you, can I smile through my pain
Because, no one dares the way you do
Not a lot of things, do you rue
Because, you are thoroughly independent
And at the same time, not hellbent
On doing anything with blind faith
Well, here's wishing you loads of happiness, peace and good health
And as always, may you be blessed by the Lord!!