A Walk By Streetlight

Stepped out of the nest to take a walk,
The soft sound of distant traffic in my ear.
The night felt fresh somehow,
A little friendlier than usual,
A little more clear.


As I traced my way down the path, going nowhere,
My lips spread into a smile, and I began to wonder.
What is it that makes this night so different?


Maybe it's the cool breeze, which rarely blows now,
Maybe it's the jovial little dance
Of the leaves on the trees up so high.
Maybe it's the dappled light from the streetlamps,
Playing hide and seek through the trees.
Maybe it's the smell of the rain-kissed earth,
Caressing my senses as it fills me up.
Or maybe, it's just me...

Through the Looking Glass

She gained my trust over time,

And over time she broke it again and again.

She promised me the earth,

She promised me her faith,

And she showed me how little she cared for them.

I tried to resist,

But succumbed to her abuse.

She set me up

And she put me down.

She brought tears to my eyes

And to those of whom I loved.

She drew my blood

And mocked it.

I gave her my world,

And she threw it away.

She choked me, she burned me, she spurned me…

She killed me.

But somehow,

You hurt me more.

By The Waterline

Here comes the moon,

Getting slowly brighter, as the sunlight

Fades away…

Here come the stars,

Smiling down at the world.

The heat of the day rises up in waves,

As the waves of the sea break gently ashore.

The wind whispers its sleepy melody,

Each night, more beautiful than before.

And she waits…

Her hair dancing with the wind,

Her lips gently trembling,

Her eyes rest on the silver sea,

In a melancholy stare…

And she waits…

Who is it you’re waiting for,

Oh Lady of the South,

With cinnamon skin and honey breath,

Who is it you’re waiting for?

Do you know that I’ve been watching,

Waiting for your gaze to settle on me,

Hoping for a look,

Hoping for a smile…

Did you know…?

Hey, It's Me Again

“Who are you?

What are you doing here?”

Silence…

“Answer me.

How did you get in here?

What do you want from me?”

Silence…

“Speak up, come on!

It’s my head you’re messing around inside,

It’s my soul in which you’re trying to reside.

It’s ME you’re messing with over here,

Stealing my joys, replacing them with fears.

You’re hurting me!

Why can’t you just leave me alone?

Speak up, come on!”

“It’s me, don’t you remember?

Ritwik here!

Maybe you couldn’t recognize me.

You haven’t seen me in a quite while.

I don’t blame you.

I used to live here before you kicked me out.

Apparently, I was an inconvenience.

I just came to visit after all this time,

To see how you’re doing.”

“Well, I’m doing fine!”

“I’m sure you are.

I see you’ve redecorated too

And it used to be a lot warmer in here,

In my time.

And I noticed the absence of ‘guests’.

Why did you shut them out?”

“I don’t need a guest.

I don’t WANT a guest.

Don’t tell me how to survive.

I know how to stay alive.

Breathe in, breathe out,

Let no one in.

Your life is yours,

Only you can win.

Keep others out,

You’ll be happy.”

“Is that what you think Life is?
Well, I am most amused!

I still think life’s about the…

I can’t really put it in a word.

There’s so much more I see than you,

Your views on Life, I don’t think they’re true!

You threw me away,

Told me I gave myself pain.

But that’s Life!

You had no downs,

But where are the ups?

Are you happy?

Or just…not sad?

They’re not the same, you know.

Let me know when you want me back.

I know you will, soon.

Your version of ‘Life”...that’s just an excuse…

Tell me when you’re ready to see reason.

Until then, ‘live’ on…”

What I Had Lost

I thought I’d get back

What I had lost.

I thought Fate would be kind.

I believed time repeated itself

And that I could be young,

Innocent, once again.

Travelled to that world

To the place I’d dreamed of going.

To a girl I may still be in love with,

Whose touch, a mere graze,

Could caress away my worries.

Travelled to the place I could see.

The heat that I could feel,

The smell that I could perceive,

Thinking, hoping, believing

That that Me was still alive,

Just dormant till then,

And that Her was still the same.

Returned to the emptiness,

The deathly silence of my prison cell,

Having learnt a lesson.

One that may not

Have made me wiser,

But one that was thrust into my face,

Jabbed into my heart

Like a branding iron.

They are fools, who say

Friends arrive only in times of need.

Fools, who believe

Friends are to be ‘beckoned’

In times of trouble.

Friends…

Beings, fragments of your soul

Parts of your body.

Present in times of need,

In times of pain,

Of sadness,

And in times of joy,

Of jubilance,

Of pleasure.

Multiplying happiness,

Diminishing, annihilating sorrow.

Always there,

Need them or not,

Organs, functioning to keep you alive,

To keep you healthy.

I lost a friend yesterday.

Or maybe I never had her

To begin with…

And all that was,

All that is,

All that seems true,

Or false and vile,

Is you.

It’s all in your head,

Little child.

It’s all what you want it to be…

Fight

Get up.

Get on your feet.

Step outside and walk

With the wind in your face.

Smile.

Smile for those you love,

For the one who lights up your life.

For those who care, and

For those you don’t.

Remember.

Remember the times.

The good and the bad.

The times you fell on bloodied knees,

The times you reached for the skies.

Learn.

From mistakes of your own

And those of others.

Learn to grow.

Fight.

Fight all your woes.

Fight all your foes.

From what you learn,

Form how you grow.

Remember to believe in yourself.

Get up with a smile,

And live.

Fight…