I admit, I am guilty.
Guilty of keeping quiet
When I should have spoken.
Guilty of raising my voice
When others remained quiet.
Guilty of allowing my feelings
To get the better of me.
Guilty of standing out
When I could have merged.
Guilty of being honest
When honesty was question-marked.
Guilty I am, your honour,
Of being true to myself.
If that makes me criminal
Then criminal, I am.
I am me and can’t be you
That is the eternal truth
And however much anyone tries
It just refuses to be altered.
Chittering and chattering
Gibbering and jabbering 🐒
On and on and on and on
Went on the boys yester night 🌚
Commenting, provoking, insinuating 😈
Pulling everyone in their fight.
Revealing secrets and known fact
They kept all entertained with their act.🏃
A ‘lion’ who hid under the bed,
Who lied about his cooking prowess 🍲
Discussing wife and the wife giving tree 🙎🌳
Sparing none continued the three 3⃣
Invoking my name again and again
While I was not interested in this game 🎭
Causing utter and chaotic confusion
They went on with this inane conversation
Press delete for all their he-he ho-hum 🚮
But the ‘mystery couple’ 👫 remains a conundrum.
As the memories tumbled out of the yellow bus
Am reminded of my dear old red bus.
Oldest of the fleet and snub nosed
I was last to get down and first to board.
Picnics, saturday movies
football matches trips
We all took rides on these buses to various gigs.
Fights for window seats and stolen glances
Romance on the back seats and some unwanted advances
And Fr. Keogh sometimes driving the blue bus
Oh! how I miss those special friends of my bus.
So many memories from those years past.
If only they would forever last.
Love is a four lettered word
So say quite many.
Loaded to the hilt
with meanings untold.
Overflowing with emotions
that few can control.
Venerated by all
scorned at times too.
Enticing everyone
at some stage or other.
Many hued and splendorous,
Heart breaking and yet
Lasting a lifetime.
Unrequited or reciprocated
Touching many a lives.
Adding the much needed zing
To oh-so boring life.
Celebrate the love of your life
Whether husband or wife
Sibling or offspring
Friend or neighbour
Or someone you secretly admire.
For to be touched by love
Is to be truly alive.
Wishing you all a life full of love.
कट्टी बट्टी खेली बहुत हमने
कहा सुनी भी काफी हुई
खेल बहुतेरे खेले हमने
लड़ाइयाँ भी कम न हुई
बचपन की खट्टी मीठी यादों में
है खुश्बू दोस्ती की समाई।
जीवन की राह पर चल पड़े सब
अपनी धुन में अपने लक्ष्य की ओर
छूटे साथी पता न चला कब
बँध गई जीवन साथी संग डोर।
दाल रोटी, मकान, बच्चे, माँ- बाप
चहुँ ओर जिम्मेदारियाँ, और एक अकेले आप।
जब मिली फुरसत, याद आई वो गलियाँ
वह संगी साथी, वह रंग रलियाँ।
जुड़े फिर से वो ताने बाने
गुनगुनाये फिर वह गीत पुराने
खिलखिलाये फिर दोहरा कर बचपन
सच दोस्तों से बढ़ कर न कोई परिजन।
उम्र भूल आज बन बैठे फिर बच्चे हम
वही हास- परिहास, वही मनुहार
कट्टी बट्टी खेलें आज भी हम
गर गुज़रे किसी की बात नागवार
चुप्पी साध बैठ लेते हैं
जैसे सुनी ही न हो गुहार।
जीवन के इस मोड़ पर छोड़ो शिकवे गिले
आज जो फिर से जो बरसों बिछड़े मिले
इस पल को मिल मिल कर, बार बार जियो
दोस्तों के नाम दोस्तों, दोस्ती का प्याला पियो।।
When we left school
We never turned back
Eager for what future had in store.
Some scaled great heights
Some just scraped by
But all continued
With barely a backward glance.
We had milestones to reach
And miles to walk
So we all marched on in a hurry
With some we still had contacts
With others a passing hi
But at that time it did not matter.
What mattered was the life ahead.
Now a pattern established
Kids ready to fly the coop
We clutched at the straws offered
To go back and visit
The memories we had,
And remove cobwebs,
To renew old tied anew.
How happy we were to discover old mates,
Never mind that in school
Never a word was exchanged.
It was enough that we were once in the same school.
We gush and exclaim
We laugh and praise
Happy to be connected
Forgetting that with whom we engage
Did not exist for us then.
That we hardly exchanged a hello
Or that there was a sector divide
Or that he was brilliant and she a failure
What matters is now and how!
But have you ever thought, its easy to connect
When you edge in a word or sentence sideways
When everyone speaks a multitude of tongues
It is so easy to be a part of the game.
But what if when we finally meet
And have nothing to say beyond a hi, hello?
What if old prejudices
Raise their head
And show us as hollow?
What if when we meet
This connect that we feel
Is missing from the word go?
What if I call and no one comes
Will I be able to bear that sorrow?
The first poem I posted
Was written long ago
The purpose was to reconnect
And it rightly did so.
A flurry of reminiscences followed
Connecting all in one go.
But one fallout was that
It awakened the poetess in me
Now I keep posting all that I churn
Be that as it may be.
By the dint of being most prolific
Am certainly not the best one
So why does everyone ask me to lookout
Whenever there is another one?
This is not just my forum
I write because I know no better
If others write better than me
Why should I be all aflutter?
So many keep their passion private
My passion is on display
Please don’t disparage the group’s talent
By comparing the wordplay.
The words hit hard
The onslaught goes on
Harsh words are bandied around
Name calling abounds.
You are struck dumb
So much vehemence
Hatred and vitriol!
You recoil instinctively.
Is this the real world
You had been warned about?
Where friends behave like enemies
When your silence becomes soft target
And you are hounded, for being you.
As you face the barrage
You become numb.
Numb with fear, numb with loss
And numb with sadness for the innocence lost.
You spew venom, you rave and rant
Pointing fingers at everyone,
You find fault at every step.
You call names and deride each one
Anyone who disagrees with you
Is against you, you doubt everyone.
Your vision is all black and white
You tar everyone with same brush
Your trust has taken a beating
You condemn everyone in a rush
Right and wrong has no meaning
Your beliefs turn you to mush.
I wonder why so much angst?
Why this urge to always prove others wrong?
Why this sense of alienation?
Why you chant this devisive song?
Why others can’t have their thoughts
Why should they always tag along?
Were you ever ridiculed for your beliefs
Do you think others are responsible for your grief
Why can’t you accept others for what they are
Calling them traitors you go so far.
Why should they conform to every definition you have?
Drop all your baggage free your soul
They are not your enemies but fellow citizens,
They too play an important role.
Though you stand on opposite shores
Peace should be the only goal.
Lighten your soul and embrace multiplicity
You will see this world as it is meant to be.
When the sun meets the horizon
And the breeze is warm,
The ochre hue splashed across,
Warns of an unsettled calm.
The glassy sea hides in its womb
Seeds of calamity and harm.
The cacophony of the birds above
Indicates a restlessness
The eye cannot perceive
Nature chafing at its harness
The innards start rolling
But the surface reflects calmness.
Suddenly it loses all control
Wave after wave and another
The sea’s fury is eventually
unleashed
It is partial to none as it rumbles louder
Relentless in its pursuit of prey
To avenge wrongs wrought forever.
On and on it crashed and shattered
The wounds inflicted unabated
Humanity stood battered
Shorn of all it possessed
Beaten and thoroughly defeated
Faith irredeemably tattered.
The predator was now preyed upon
In the justice of order
Men stood bereft of all possession
Clutching each other
The sea returned unrepentant
Finally it had restored order.
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