The leaves fall off the tress
wind brings in swirls of dust
clouds have stopped turning dark
the sun retires early to the other world
water in the brook has emptied
birds sing melancholy tunes
hues of the sky
tainted with subtle colours
the guitar seems to have forgotten
it’s notes
maize has been harvested
hungry puppies cry for food
walking on fallen leaves
the floor feels colder
I am reminded
it’s autumn
an ache of lose
a joy of all I gained
autumn has set into my heart
and I shall wait for spring
Month: October 2010
The unseen and the seen
The thing I fear most
is not the unseen and the unknown
which cannot touch me
which can hurt me no more
than I can see or feel it
like a ghost
which cannot scare me
if I don’t see it
but the seen and the known
which has the power
to control me
like a confused spouse
who ridicules every step
I take
or a bully at school
who snatches my lunch
and laughs over my helplessness
for the fun of it
and has the power
to hurt me
like a harsh parent
who gives no second thought
to the tears in my eyes
or a rose in my garden
which I rear
like a baby and withers
in front of my eyes
or the thought
of a caged bird
which will never soar
in the free sky again
or a friend
I thought was true
steps back in times
of direst need
so it is well said
what is unseen and unknown
can never hurt us
as the seen and known
like the darkness
which becomes a curiosity
when it is illuminated
and frustrates us
when we know not the reason
for its illumination
[Random thoughts.]
Heaven cannot be far away
In the silence of the night
past midnight
I sat puffing a cigarette
listening to the country night
the sound of crickets
away from city night,
the roar of motors;
watching the insects dance in the moon,
television sets at rest;
fresh smell of grasses,
colognes at their sources;
heaven cannot be out of reach
as they say
high up in the sky
heaven cannot be for good souls only
like they taught
and here I was
in the silence of the night
past midnight
I sat puffing a cigarette
beside the stream
which flowed
in heaven
Waste management
There was a new meeting
I needed to attend
important people were coming
I was told
to talk on a very important issue
called waste management
I didn’t want to go but
it was very important
they said in between
I sat down to
three and half hours
between dozing off
and pinches
listened to important talks
of more than dozen people
on theories of managing
our waste
then came refreshment
tea was served in plastic cups
snacks in paper plates
water in pet bottles were passed around
so were candies in wrappers
all in a plastic bag were passed
didn’t they say plastic bags
were banned in the country
oh I blushed
were we talking of
managing waste
or did I misunderstand
unable to gather the rational
I watched the important talkers
chomp snacks off paper plates
drink from plastic cups
accept pet bottled water
pop the candies in their mouth
while the wrappers fell at their feet
I saw my time wasted
I should have had a good sleep
I thought as I walked out
and I swear
I didn’t touch
anything of the refreshment
I don’t play, I work
I am 8 years old
I dream of
flowers in my hair
dolls in my lap
fancy frocks to wear
a story book to read
enough food to eat
hugs from my father
kisses from my mother
pats from my teachers
but I don’t play
I work
tending to others flower
at the factory
mending dolls
stitching frocks
stapling story books
packing food
all accounted for
by the supervisor
a slight mistake
a slap across my face
stings the bones underneath
tears burn my cheeks
and blood tastes funny
what else can I do
I get no hugs
nor kisses
nor pats on my back
it’s heavy on my shoulders
but I have a world to carry
so I swallow my own blood
I have to finish here
to avoid
another slap
In the shadow
A shrill cry
from here
there
overhead
never ending
pain in the cry
tear-stained cheeks
pleading
nails
claw the walls
to come out
of the shadows
where beauty
burns to ashes
cries drown in the walls
prayers sway with the wind
mercy is unheard of
waiting for a saviour
who never comes
to the blood-stained shadows
while death awaits
ready to pounce for
ever
growing shadows
move in the darkness
drawing blood tears
beating up the spirit
till it snaps under torture
(of rape)
and the namesake
law protectors laugh evil
at their success
of breaking the
spirit of a human
they pledged to protect
forever
they shall remain in shadows
[Started in May, 2010, completed tonight.]
His problem?
Experience, his friends told him
experiment, he did
that’s how the coloured pills
found their way into his life
one pill, it started
two pills
three pills
wasn’t too much
a score pills weren’t enough
an argument with his mother
he swallowed some pills
an F in school
he swallowed some pills
a rift with a friend
he swallowed some pills
for any reason
but there were no reasons
to swallow the pills
were the reasons for
bright brown eyes now watery red
athletic body now shriveled
had strength to
break his piggy bank
forge his fathers signature
wonder aimlessly in shadows
falling into gutters
receding into the sanctuary
of more pills and other forms
made him see above the clouds
now he had his head in the ground
ultimately
when found dead
his problem, said people
The Coal Miner
He emerges from a hole in the ground
and yes he is all black
no no no
he isn’t a rabbit or a mouse
don’t mistake his blackness
as ugliness of his soul
even if his lungs are smeared black
he helps the world stay warm
he drills the ground like his life
he fills his lungs with dirt
to fed his wife and son
whom he returns to at night
with pride and love
without washing or dining
he blows his dirt filled lungs
at the fire place
so his family stays warm
so the world keeps moving and
you feel his presence
in your life
if you ponder enough
for without the coal miner
and his soothing face black
his family would be wasted
the world would be cold
In the path he walked
- Redon Odilon (Hope I don’t get sued for using this picture. :D)
She treks up the hill
hikes down in the vales
bounces along on the plain
wades through river
braving rain and storm
shadowing the sun
blowing in the direction of the wind
all in the same path he walked
all in the hope
to catch a glimpse of him
if she followed the path he took
she has done it before
she is doing is now
sure she will do again
she has answers to find
for all the questions he left her with
she has a remedy to find
for the ache he left her with
she has got to find a way
to stop her tears
finally
with the rise of the moon
she retires under a tree
a long journey awaits her
she has a quest to fulfill
[Inspired by some random footprints in the sand; a fatherless daughter. As I didn’t jot down the lines, I forgot most of the lines I wove in my thoughts. ]
The Forgotten Monument
Many a great wars
were fought
old and young
women and men
suffered alike
many sons were sacrificed
for the land
which bore them
memorials were held
monument erected alike
candles illuminated it
towners shed tears
placed flowers
just as the war faded
the monument
a reminder of the sacrificed sons
faded from everyone’s memories
so much for remembrance
grasses grow over it
fireflies visit
moonlight illuminates it
nature took care
of what human built and forgot
[This poem has been entered in the Poetry Potluck. Thank you Jingle.]
WordsWorthMillions 