exacting in love
possessive by nature
volatile in temperament
and raging like flames
you are wild and untamed

nothing like docile padma!

the strategic placement
of each kiss on
your voluptuous body
you so unashamedly demand
is provocatively seductive

drawing out
from deep within the soul
of this simple flute-playing cowherd
a brazen but besotted lover


© 2019

‘tis the tail end
of the blue hour

taking meticulous care
i string an empyrean necklace
studded with millions of shy stars
from our spiraling galaxy
around that blue neck of yours

enough of  these
moody celestials
playing dice with
the collective fate of billions below

‘tis time for your dance...

© 2019

as the shimmering stars
in the scorpio skies
samba in syzygy,
here on scorched earth
the sparkling eyes of this silk rose
become stress’s antidote to soothe body and soul.

feeling sanguine,
even a tad sangfroid,
i smile,
scribbling sultry muses
sauced with sass and sibilance


© 2021

although
you’ve never been
in my bed,
why do my sheets smell
of that lingering fragrance of you?

© 2021

the inexplicable lightness
of pure being
comes from subtly discerning
that the moony mind
is your nemesis....

silencing it
the stairway to heaven


© 2021

looking down
to spot my shadow,
i glimpse
your slender silhouette instead.

my orange tip butterfly!
this ain’t a sleight of light,
as dreams merge
our souls unite,
leaving our tanned bodies tangled
in a titillating state of tantric union


© 2021

the astrologer within
has made a prediction....
this heart has about
a billion beats left

so dance Kali
dance
fully dressed
or naked

not in the amphitheaters of Rome
but over my corpse
in the ghats of Manikarnika
where my cremated ashes
will be dissolved
in that same river
you so heartlessly condemned me to

as you cut a rug in ecstasy
with bloodied eyes,
forget not that
this body of mine was your theater
my eyes, the showcase lights
my in and outgoing breath
the music of the orchestra,
my heartbeat
the tintinnabulation of your anklets

the candle of love
that i lit and housed
within me
kept your id and ego
in perfect balance

this candle is fast melting
but it’s my tears
which now run like a river
that will remain forever

this show is closer to its end....

the sound that you now hear
which fill the moribund skies
emanate from the cosmic drum
which beats louder and louder

©2019

‘tis almost a full moon
yet again,
the sands of time slip-slide away
leaving her to contend
with a plethora of gray.

as the sunset glow lingers
drifting across a blue sapphire sky,
loneliness yearns company.

this wine has softened
during these intervening years,
laced with a maturity
that now speaks the language of wisdom.


© 2021

yesterday
nowhere to be seen,
tomorrow
just the occidental’s dream,
all there is, is the now,
my not so shy, oriental dove.

for the sage,
his day is your night.
your perceived reality, his dream,
this universe merely an illusion.

appearing to be real
existing
outside of the mirror,
as though a reflection.

living this indeed
will be your second coming!


© 2021

here,
by the bustling west side
a vintage Rothko in the making!
as the setting red sun
smooches a shy, dark-tanzanite sky.

her succulent strawberry lips,
seemingly
nowhere in sight.
there’s gotta be a portrait of this rose
somewhere......

the search now
ever since this bird has flown,
is for the missing piece of me,
which i keep scrupulously looking for
on every street


© 2021

on this sensual night
of the clementine moon...
to write or not to write
her dilemma

this tender heart
carrying burgeoning weight
and heavy pangs from burdens past,
needs to be set a-free
into the flying world of poetry....

remember
where that golden key resides,
deep within
that inverted pink lotus,
not gray matter
atop
as often intellectualized

let go
that need to be in control
and take a deep dive
into the ocean of uncertainty,
only then will this white dove
soar
to the heavens of ecstasy

thus the sage has spoken....

© 2021

true mantra needs
a seer
a meter
and a presiding deity

cleansing
that fickle mind
with a haunting rhythm
of neatly arranged syllables

a giant
strike anywhere match
which triggers
that fuse of devotion
in the lotus-like heart
of the true devotee


© 2021

with
an accepting smile
i embrace
those two invisible friends
knowledge and death

the bliss gained from true knowledge
seldom taught at any college,
that vantage point
from where
the lingering fear of death,
is vanquished

then
both of you
hand in hand
stealthily become my left and right half
as i merge
with the macrocosm

© 2021

white lotus
now stung thrice
by a self centered bee,
could you ever forgive me?

don’t say a prayer
for me now,
as three roller coaster trips
down unknown uteruses
await

more skulls
for that crescent bearer
adorning a blue throat
to wear as a garland
as he waltzes
his way through
the raging funeral pyres
of the cremation grounds
in soul filled Varanasi

© 2021

this oriental rose
textured with occidental precision
desperately seeks perfection
in all things worldly

nature’s true signature
wreaks havoc instead:
in the rocks of the grand canyon
in a mole on a cheek
in the dried but fallen leaves of autumn
even in the scribbling of our children

embrace wabi-sabi
where wafting moments of melancholy
transform to sheer joy
in the subtle realization
that coexistence with incompleteness
the proven path to release one
from the chaining bonds of perfection


© 2021

just knowing you’re back
in time for the falling leaves,
perks up these pink roses in my room.
this city’s tap water feels a tad wetter,
even the meek new moon seems a lil’ brighter.

as the evening zephyr waltzes
across this moody park,
it seems to carry with it
a message of love, a beaming smile and knowing’s silence,
spruced with a whiff of those black orchids.


© 2021

sharing this tiramisu ~~
the one more in love
gets a little less


© 2021

inspired by the japanese haiku poet keisanjin

nestled within
this ocean of tranquility
with its zen-like decor
they sit for hours
in total silence

a smiling Buddha
sole witness
to the arrow-like exchange
of amorous glances

each glance
an implicit confirmation
of intimate liaisons
from lives past and present

the odd tap
of wooden chopsticks
picking up sushi
the only music

time
dare not enter
this oasis of love....
as eyes keep
rapidly exchanging words
while lips stay silent

© 2019

for this trip
you’ve chosen to take
far away from me,
let the world be your oyster.

pick any place to hide
and wipe clean
all of my finger prints.
with it, the hate too
from the pain of knowing
the various ways,
you love me.

when the dust settles,
most trails you’ll take
with or without
that autumnal moon,
will surely bring you back to my heart.

seductive yellow rose
waltzing
beside the green lake
in this city of sin,
are you tempted
by things forbidden?

steadfast
steel cut
spellbinding
you indulge in nothing
except
this dark chocolate croissant
which seemingly melts in your mouth

© 2021