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Dec 2020 · 248
Pandemic Love
those eyes
without a face,
your steps
will I trace?
time to
take off the mask,
ready to die?
you ask.
A rendition of Romeo & Juliet, during the pandemic.
Dec 2020 · 484
Art is Home/Home is Art
art, in any form,
helps deal with what is real,
an escape to a euphoric place
a way out of the sacrilege
that we now call living.

words can't often do justice
to such a beautiful place,
for even the love songs fail
whenever we embrace.

maybe the world is darker now
than it used to before,
maybe we have now raised our voices
to speak up,
our beliefs and fears
all out there
in the open now.

the world was as pure as the canvas before,
now that we are painting it
without ever knowing
if we will finish it,
tricking ourselves into thinking
we hold the brush
and decide the strokes
we decide,
our humble abode
rather than fearing
a loss of control
the world,
it is out there
for us to feel
as it has always been
through time,
an inviolate home
for those with beauty in their eyes to see.
Today, I woke up with an appreciation of art and how it helps give meaning, make a connection and save lives.

We all have an artist within us, just a matter of the medium of expression. I'm agnostic, but sometimes I think that there is a higher sense of purpose for every one of us and it can be shared through the art.

This one is for all you artists out there; never stop creating!
Dec 2020 · 290
Dreams
If they disappear,
before they reappear
would you have them?
Also applies to people.
Dec 2020 · 215
Some Days
Some days I write for you,
Some days for me
Some days with a hope,
My words reach out to those in need.
Dec 2020 · 1.6k
The End
can't take on another lover
I'm just looking for a friend,
I gaze out of the tinted window
as the night washes away
the pain in the end,
would you like to sit next to me
when all that you've held sacred,
falls down and does not mend?
while we watch chaos overrun the world,
and now there's no time to pretend.
I'm not a man who sold the world, neither am I another shoulder for you to cry upon.

When it does happen, I'd prefer front row seats to watch the end of the world unfold. Are you up for it?

PS:  Inspired by Jim Morrison's soulful vocals in 'The End', the perfect apocalypse song for me.

Apparently, he was also the first rock and roll artist to have been arrested on stage during a show.

RIP JM. LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL!
Dec 2020 · 309
Games of Luck
In these games of luck,
I've lost more than I've ever won
Don't wanna seem like a schmuck,
But this time I'll get it done.
Here's to putting it all on the line now.

This time let's play to win, shall we?
Dec 2020 · 349
The Key
In a world full of locked doors,
You hold the key to mine.
My younger innocent self wrote this about an ex.

Now I'm older and wiser, or am I?
Dec 2020 · 467
A Sincere Question
How do you expect me to
hold on to you
when I keep running from myself,
every chance I get?
Dec 2020 · 425
Linger On
I know now that
you can't be my
ray of sunshine,
yet you linger on
with your pale blue eyes.
Dec 2020 · 757
Heroes
around the bends of my mind
lies some memories
of uninhibited realism
of high fidelity
to myself
in letting myself go
somewhat joyous
somewhat chaotic
somewhat musical
but just there
to feel and see things
for more than what they mean
through my own eyes
seems rather unusual
but I go back in time
take a deep-dive
to recapture these ephemeral bubbles
of blissful euphoria
as if singing
to my alter ego
'We can be heroes,
just for one day
We can be us,
just for one day!'
Heroes by David Bowie seems to be the perfect song to relive those high-on-life moments.
Dec 2020 · 592
Chatter
It's one of those nights,
When your mind can't stop its chatter
And even the whiskey tastes like water.
I'm in dire need of a whiskey lullaby to put these voices in my head to sleep.
Dec 2020 · 127
Not a Love Poem
when my heart was
inundating with love,
I tried to fill up yours
so you don't feel vacant inside.

I thought we'd both survive
by this give and take
only you took everything
in return for false hope.

eventually, I got to know
what I had to do;
just walk away from you
while learning that not all change is good.

I used to think you'd make me whole,
holding hands together we'd stroll
but the fairy-tale jig is up darling,
don't think this as a love poem for your soul.
Dec 2020 · 454
Break Out
No matter how much I try,
I keep winding up at the same place
I keep trying to break out of my loop,
I want to learn the way life survives
By never staying the same.
What are you waiting for
A change?
An awakening?
An answer?
Dec 2020 · 952
Inviolate Abode
don't worry about fate darling,
even if she got it bad for you
don't worry about things breaking,
even if I'm not there to fix it for you
for even fate follows her foreseen immutable road,
while you push on looking for some inviolate abode.
This is goodbye, my friend. I bid you farewell. I hope you find what you're looking for.
Dec 2020 · 268
If
If
if I could just
write
how I feel
would you still be here?
Nov 2020 · 509
Your Epitaph
living in a way to
avoiding the word failure
in your epitaph,
for a foreseeable reward in heaven,
is like walking on eggshells
without ever breaking out of your own shell.
The fear of failure is worse than actual failure. Failure teaches you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and have another shot.

The context seems rather relevant now with what has happened this year.
Here's to hoping you never give up and find the strength to start again.
Nov 2020 · 685
Happiness
you were just having fun,
within a day your feelings were undone,
happiness is a warm gun.
How does it feel 'killing' your feelings every night?
Is it almost the same as avoiding get in too deep all the time?
Do the residual feelings influence you anymore?
Nov 2020 · 830
A Beautiful Lie
Why do you even cry,
When your first instinct
is to simply lie.
Are you a proficient liar or a crybaby?
Nov 2020 · 702
Midnight
in the night
all by yourself,
with some tunes
in the background
to hit you with the memories,
they all seem very real
you'd thought they
would simply disappear,
but a lot of time
has gone by since
and now here you are
where even the walls have ears,
having heard many stories
over the years
so what's it going to be tonight?
'hold my hand',
says the hour hand to the minute hand
of the wall clock,
tick tock!
as time seems to pause
and you deep dive
into the music,
lyrics and instruments
with their own
ups and downs,
yet in perfect coherence
the harmony taking you places,
feels like a nightcap
for some midnight nostalgia
coming back,
you snap out of it
as the sound waves
fade way
in distance
'well, that was a nice little adventure...
onto the next one!',
your mind goes.
an ode to a little midnight nostalgia induced by great music.
Nov 2020 · 392
Up in Smoke
If the spirit isn't broke,
Yet all your dreams are up in smoke,
Whose ego will you now stroke?
Was it always a joke?
The famous saying goes - If it ain't broke don't fix it. Sometimes there are imperfect pieces to a perfect puzzle. The human spirit, though imperfect, has the power to change almost everything unless ego gets in the way.  

Your spirit vs your ego - Who will win?
Nov 2020 · 257
The Ventriloquist
Coming out
Into the world,
After a sure start
With nowhere to go now
Almost choking
At being an adult
Living life,
As it was laid out
By nature and nurture
Unfazed by my own religion
Or the world outside,
Never talked
To the guy upstairs
But living used to be sacred,
Is now all but sacrilege
If it were always
My plan versus his
I never stood a chance
But there's a sense
Of burdened freedom
Along with a sense
Of joyful realism
To be happy
any chance you get,
A fine ventriloquist
He's got his ways
Makes you admire
The work he does,
While pondering
The meaning of life,
The fine line
Between right and wrong,
Trying to get some
sense of control
Thinking of pulling
One up on my destiny
Of saving my soul
Not selling out
To this facade
Of what we call progress
But maybe I should
Just stay a while
And enjoy this blissful anaesthesia,
Monitored by the man himself.
Does God always have a plan, good or bad? Or can we be in the driving seat for a change?

Maybe it is a mixture of both - my faith in his ways and my faith in myself, that will be the answer to the questions I've been pondering.
Nov 2020 · 387
The Old Tales
A trip down
The memory lane
Of simpler times
And happier days
Rekindling those vibes
With a few pals of mine,
The old tales of summer
Jumping around,
Even in pain,
Chasing ice cream trucks
On our bikes
For our favourite flavours
The old tales of winter
Trying to look cool,
Cracking lame jokes
Exhaling,
What we used to pretend
Was smoke
This conversation was special
I was out of touch
But not out of time,
For the very first time
I think you may consider yourself lucky if you are still in touch with your childhood friend(s); like talking about nothing substantial but the glory days of summers and winters gone by. I think we have seasonal associations with some people, some stay for a season and others for a reason.
Nov 2020 · 636
Dualities
having the audacity
to accept the duality
of man, of time, of life
rather a causality
in itself
of things, of people, of emotions
you can finally let go
the loss of innocence
before you even know
not hopelessly muddled anymore
like the grey colour
in the middle of black and white
no more under the pressure
now off to where the air is fresher.
Accepting the duality is accepting yourself - as you are. Just like we live in the grey between the black and white of HP.
Nov 2020 · 271
Words
For things that may come and go,
words will always be there to make you flow;
For though the words make things easier,
emotions are still on show.
Only words are constant, everything else just flows.
Nov 2020 · 499
Mistakes
Life could either be
defined by your parents' mistakes
or solely yours,
only here to live and learn
with the hindsight
that you may well be
one of those mistakes too.
Living and learning are intertwined, go hand in hand. In between are the moments of laughter, grandeur, thankfulness and thrill.

In the midst of all chaos, laughing at yourself is a way to live by.
Nov 2020 · 847
Stepping Stones
Every step I take towards living,
I'm stepping away from my calling
I'm stepping everywhere
end up getting nowhere
in search of stepping stones,
to move up the ladder
without grasping the idea
that these stones,
in due time,
will be steps I climb
up the downstair.
Am I trying to climb the ladder to nowhere?
Am I stepping up or down?
Am I kicking myself around?
Nov 2020 · 586
Intoxicated
Intoxicated,
With my ego inflated
Lights out, I'm faded.

My thoughts are clouded,
A blurry vision
What a lonely season.

I don't know why they say
"It's better to have loved and lost,
Than to have never loved at all."

All these emotions come at a cost,
The writing was always on the wall;
Long before I dropped the ball.

It was all more than I knew,
After all the chances I blew
I can't even remember to forget you.
People don't ever wanna be lonely; even when they are happily intoxicated they pine for the one(s) they miss. Love is a mystery, but people also want a certified mind-blowing love they can drink dial to!
Nov 2020 · 367
Night
Morning sun comes
Nowhere to hide with the lights around,
Always waiting for the night.
This goes out to all the nocturnal animals, who are at one with themselves only at night.
Nov 2020 · 529
Confess
living by myself
gives me time to confess,
no more fooling around
my heart
once a training ground,
is now a fortress.
Oct 2020 · 229
Truth
You're thick but you try,
Often the truth makes your blood thin
Stars die,
Like a whisper in the wind.
There are those concealed truths to control yourself, even forgive yourself and ultimately help yourself. Sometimes getting to the truth ain't ever worth it.
Oct 2020 · 599
Portraits
Portraits lying on the old shelf,
Reminds me of a time
I used to do a good impression
Of myself
They say people never change,
It's rather quite strange
That there's a world beyond that door
While I was stuck sleeping on the floor,
Trying to diverge the bold arrow of time
Is in itself a crime?
Things seem unreal
Like a one-hand clappin'
Things take time to heal,
Just let it happen.
The journey of a portrait through time.
Oct 2020 · 193
Weight of Love
I want to show you some beauty,
Before the damage is done.
Could be too big of an ask,
To give yourself away,
To this weight of love.
Oct 2020 · 860
Silhouette
She watched a silhouette disappear
Beyond the cold misty mountain
There was no turning back for him.
He said to himself
'I have my freedom,
but I don't have much time'
Oct 2020 · 332
Dreams
Things that might be keeping me awake,
These tiring nights
Hypnotic dreams making connections,
Way beyond my comprehension.

Are they meant to keep you on your path?
Or grow out of it and fly above the clouds?
An illusion of control?
Or a way to fulfil your soul?

Perplexed at those vivid pictures,
Of places and people left behind
Maybe sometimes just stuck in your mind,
Turning me into a beast of burden.

Wake up from my somnambulism
To find me back in bed
With sunken eyes, holding my head
No meaning to this pretence.

A lullaby went wrong,
A state of trance
A voice inside my head,
Speaking to me like I still had a chance.

'I know you know your pain,
Here's a ticket to hop on that train
The path is treacherous with mist all around,
But have faith, you are heaven bound'

Till the morning comes and the sun is shining bright
Still ******* in my fictitious knots,
I wake up from the slumber
Realizing it's not up to me to join the dots.

Was never great at reading signs
Been living with these feelings somehow,
At the end of the tunnel, there's a light that shines
Time to face the music now.
Oh dreams, what are you?
Coming every night,
Most of the times I don't even remember
Is it good news or bad?
All I know is I need you
For where the world would be,
Without people who had dreams and acted upon them.
Oct 2020 · 317
Work
Greatness isn't for those,
Who gets satisfied merely by seeing their old work
And think 'This is it!'
But instead for those who observe their own work,
And think 'I wonder how I can top this'.
Being a born genius would have been great, life would have been somewhat simpler - maybe, who knows?

But since it is not, we might as well learn and improve ourselves on this journey - the payoff would be much better. Maybe, who knows?
Oct 2020 · 449
Thinking of a Place
I was stuck in a rut,
Not in a place I knew.
I had my heart shut,
Through and through.
If you are someone who often gets stuck in places beyond their comprehension, you just might relate to this. Places where your heart stops working and you don't know what is real and fantasy. I've heard people facing a war against addiction often experience this and also in some cases it can be a medical condition, often beyond their control. But in the end, I think the human spirit is stronger than these places and it is what will survive. We just have to believe and have faith in ourselves, often the most difficult part but well worth it.

PS: The title is inspired by a song of the same name by 'The War On Drugs'. One of my personal favourites and highly recommended :)
Oct 2020 · 1.4k
Grandpa
I'm often reminiscent of times,
When my grandpa used to
Take me out on his bicycle,
We were just roaming around
His tunes always left me spellbound.
But it was so pure
He was one of those people for whom
Money held no allure
He was a man of passion and music,
He was a poet
But I didn't know it
He gave, not just with his words
But also his soul,
Even when he didn't have much control.
I would always ask him for a candy
I remember once he even gave me a sip of brandy
He never said no to me asking for a toy
He often considered me his blue-eyed boy
He would stop all his work and writing
Just to play with me outside,
Whether clear skies or lightning
Now that he's no more
I miss him and the lessons he tried to instil within me
But more than that
I often miss that genuine connection
With someone who understood so much,
But still cared enough to smile and laugh along
The man with a golden touch
With him, I was happy as the day is long.
The world will be a much better place
If we all could learn to live our life
With his grace.
A simple tribute to one of the greatest humans I've ever known. I'm not such a big fan of writing for someone specific, but he was a special person not just for me but for a lot of people. He always lived life king size before it was cool!
Oct 2020 · 419
Selfish Happiness
I've met so many people,
Seen so many faces
Yet here I am
Sitting by the tree
All alone,
Often Pondering
What life would have been?
Had I not cut off
People who reminded me of
Simpler and happier times,
Singing together
To the tunes that barely rhymed,
Had I not cut off
The things that always seemed so real,
And some feelings that I tried to conceal.
But here I am
Learning to be happy,
Even if it seems sloppy
Maybe God's watching over me,
As I walk along my path carefree
Maybe I was playing with my sanity,
Just by sleeping in the arms of destiny.
Will I be happy about being selfish?
Or is treading the longer path towards gratitude something I'd relish?
Sep 2020 · 374
Why do I write?
Maybe I am following a light,
A junction from where I took right
Some days I'm just chasing a high,
Is it just some words arranged tight
Or is it chastising yourself through the night?
For when the sun is shining bright,
I love taking my emotions for a flight.
I'm not hunting for any limelight,
Nor do I have any foresight.
I'm just driving through the misery and the plight,
Knowing I will always stop at a red light
Like a deer in the headlights
I'm trying to be my self-guiding light,
Try as I might.
Sometimes we don't even need a reason, but for days when the reasoning is strong, it must be upheld and respected. Cheers to all kinds of poets :)
Sep 2020 · 301
Scars
I knew that scars
Will never take me far,
But if I learn some way
To live with it
And heal somehow,
I could be my very own star.
Sep 2020 · 467
What Is Poetry?
Is it just another perspective?
Or is it a much broader lie?
Is it what makes you fly into the sky?
Or is it that something that helps you through the night?

Is it just an expression of thoughts?
Is it just some feelings that you bought?
For someone, from someone?
Or is it everything that you sought?

Is it like writing your life script?
Or yet another piece of paper that you ripped?
Is it just some words you could gather?
Or is it out there forever,
Once you pieced those words together?

Is it just a combination of phrases and words?
Or is it expounding on a fairy tale that you heard?
Is it just a mysterious experience?
Or is it something more serious?

Is it an escape from this cruel world?
Or is it a declaration of truth with a banner unfurled?
Is it like God speaking through you?
Or is it always within you?
Maybe in different forms and styles,
Something that makes you stop and stay awhile?

Is it a catharsis of a tragedy?
Or something to help you keep steady?
Is it ever hostile?
Or does it always makes you smile?
What is poetry for you?
Sep 2020 · 334
Ten years
Two years ago, I was still in love.
I was trying to build a new home with someone, upon the clouds above.

Four years ago, I was leaving my home to head to a new city.
I was trying to make a name for me, in a place of immense complexity.  

Six years ago, I was turning eighteen.
I was trying to make big plans so that my mother is proud of her gene.

Eight years ago, I was still in high school.
I was trying to survive through it rather than looking cool.

Ten years ago, I was a completely different person altogether.
I was trying to build bonds and friendships that would last forever.

Now that ten years have passed, I still feel the same.
Time has gone past like a flash, but there is no one left to blame.
Sep 2020 · 748
Piano Keys
Piano keys are like humans,
Both black and white
Alone as notes,
Just producing sounds
But together as chords,
They produce symphonies.
Every one of us has the potential to create harmony in their lives, but that often takes a great deal of collaboration and working together.

Individual sounds won't give you that pleasure and harmony that a musical chord can.

For a colourful life, we must appreciate all colours.
Sep 2020 · 408
Desire
If I could smoke away all the pain,
I'd never stop setting the fire.
Even if it'd wash away in the rain,
I'd never stop chasing my desire.
Don't let the old sins turn yourself into a lifelong tragedy. The past is there for learning and not overbearing.

To quote David Wooderson from Dazed And Confused -

"The older you do get the more rules they're going to try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin' man, L. I. V. I. N. "
Sep 2020 · 291
Maze
I'm trying to trick my brain to be happy
Although it is hard to face reality,
Carrying remorse and guilt from my past
It's stopping me in my tracks to run away fast,
But everyone is running away from their paths sought
The only question is for what?

I'm trying to lie down and take a break,
But there's always this urge to stay awake,
Just trying to give my heart a rest
From this unfair pain in my chest
Used to think I was clever
Are we going to do this dance forever?

I want to run the clock back to the good old days,
When I was carefree and outside the maze
Here I feel stuck with my feelings,
Does this prison have no ceiling?
Maybe the time I stop lying to myself,
Is when I finally start trying for myself.
Sep 2020 · 297
Autopilot
The time when,
The self-belief system is down
And you are running on autopilot,
Is the time to start asking some real questions.
Sep 2020 · 287
Those Three Words
Those three words,
That you were so desperate to hear
And I was too afraid to speak,
Are now the difference
Between pleasure and pain
Between lightning and rain
Between effortless and strain
Between pride and shame.
The value of those three words is hard to comprehend unless you are very sure but, once you are there, it is very pure.

Have you ever spoken a lot of words but don't know if it is true?

Sentiment always triumphs the number of words spoken, unless those words are 'I love you'.
Sep 2020 · 159
Flying
Flying into a sea of clouds,
Makes me realise, as I look down
Upon how small the world is
And how I'm big enough to influence things,
To take charge
Hardly seems true in life.

Maybe I'm missing the patience required,
To make it large
Like the sun, I must rise everyday
Especially after the darkest nights
Radiating rays of hope and peace to everyone around.

It's a feeling of control
Over my life, over my flight
As I leave the runway
To take the jump,
Away from all that I despise
Hope I don't crack under the pressure
To live a happy life
And fly away into the clouds,
Where I will thrive.
Aug 2020 · 345
Expectations
Expectations,
They take their toll
Some are hard to fulfil,
While the others are just stories untold.
Things that are just way beyond
Your wildest capabilities
Diving deep into it,
Can sometimes hurt your worth.
Sometimes we often judge ourselves,
With the number of expectations met
No matter how far you go,
You will always be in debt.
Life feels like a plethora of experience,
But a dearth of emotions.

Maybe I am too young
To be feeling this old,
But the burden of expectations
Takes me down
And makes me feel cold.
This is what I'm feeling
Now and then
That in all of the universe
There is nobody for me,
While everything is changing
and there's nothing I can do.

My world is turning pages
And I am just sitting here,
wondering
How do people live without fear?
The fear of failure
Is it the lack of expectations?
From themselves or others
Is that the answer
To a simpler and happier life?
Maybe I should just drop it all,
And follow my heart
Cross some lines
and just feel alive.
Honestly, expectations from yourself are the only ones worth keeping and sometimes it serves you well to take a break from it too if needed. However, most of us, at some point in time or another, are often bogged down by what is going on in the world around us and what people expect us to do. We often look outside rather than inside and we all have different ways of dealing with it. May we all find the strength to set and fulfil the right expectations without losing everything in it - for that isn't worth the cost of your happiness.
Aug 2020 · 215
A Simple Question
Do you always feel the words you write or always write the words you feel?
Not such a simple question at all, is it?

If you'd go through your poems again at different points of time or different phases of life, you may feel differently about it.

To quote Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven -
"There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings"

So, how do you feel now?
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