Death of loved one
Is difficult to endure
But death of love itself
Is impossible to accept
At times
Just like a bird
It simply flies away
No reasons given
For some death of love
Is slow and painful
Resentment just grows
Like cancer
For others it is a sudden death
Heart simply stops beating
For the other
It leaves behind a void
A wasteland of promises
Love may seem a gift
A burden, a nostalgia
A baggage or a lesson
Just like life itself
Love can grow at unusual places
It can grow roots
In most hostile ground
And bloom like a wild flower
Love is a life breath
Breathe it in
As long as it lasts
Cherish the illusion
It often brews a storm
Out of mere flapping of
A colourful butterflies
On a lazy afternoon
Just like a storm
It rages and ravages
Dazzles with rain
Light, colours and rainbows
For those who claim forever
It becomes a habit
A known rhythm of heart
That resonates
Till the vibes lasts
Then there is that rare Love
Whose beauty lies in its brevity
Whose grave you build within
Which gives you strength
To endure its passing
Hate stands no chance
In comparison
Love lurks in nooks and corners
In that gentle pat
Love has life's back
Tag: death
Time Portal
Time portal
On some days I wish
Time portal did exist
Just a familiar knock
Would lead me to its door
To another time, another space
More than the Time,
I miss the familiar spaces
With loving faces and embraces
That are forever lost
I wish to go back to a time
To enjoy long walks with my father
Have ice creams with my mother
Or to get into arguments
With my grandmother
about ungodly behaviour of gods
(While savouring her ladoos)
I wish I could go back
To just be a naughty giggling
back-bencher in school
Or climb those Sahyadri hills yet again
To reach dilapidated fort premises
Just to lie on my back
Under open night dark sky
Beholding the starry night
Or maybe go back to a time
to be held
In a long tight embrace
by my very special little nephew
His eyes conveying fears
And a promise that
he would always
Be there to hold me tight
Wish he could return
Through that portal door
To me yet again
Sometimes dreams
become that portal
They take me back to time
That’s when I wish
I don’t wake up
To this hideous reality
Of an unsafe world
That teaches us
Only to doubt, fear and judge
I wish there existed a Time portal
And a familiar knock would lead me
To another world
Another time and space
Where I could be me
Throwing all cautions to the wind
Embracing or being embraced
By those I have forever lost
Best not Taken
Thud – will that how it will sound?
Breaking lazy monotony
Of a rainy evening
Ensuing a chaos
Miraculously
Things will be taken care of
Strangers will curse,
blame and pity
And so will
family, friends and colleagues
People who never paused
To listen or understand
Will dissect your being
For hours
Gaslighting the departed
Absolving themselves of guilt
Everyone will move on
Within a day or two or years
Presence of a life will be erased
Unloved life would be lost in vain
Is that all there is?
Pause and look up
Behold the bird
Soaring in the sky
Flying into the setting sun
Birth is never a choice
But when death seems at times
The trick definitely is to
Keep breathing
Wait for the moment to pass
Look beyond
Outside your window
There is a life that awaits
That wants you to live
Take the pain in stride
And marinate your life with it
The last desperate step
Will definitely be
The best not taken!!

Farewell, Gabo
Prevail under the Sun
Disbelief
We stare in disbelief
At life that slips away
Who knew just a breath
All that it takes to be alive
We stare in disbelief
At all the lives
Washed ashore
Becoming nation's memories
We close our eyes in disbelief
When we cannot take it anymore
Confined in our safe homes
We turn into living ghosts
We stare in disbelief
As humanity fades away
We who love wars and winners
Are the tired vanquished lot
We stare in disbelief
As leaders trade away our lives
And our deaths
To build their empire of glory
Just Like a Driftwood
Don't behold me
With contempt
Because I floated in
Just like a driftwood
I had a name
Born to someone
Isn't it enough
To qualify as a human?
Do not fear me
Do not hate my folks
Simply they couldn't afford
- love, pyre or a grave
They probably thought
Water should be my grave
Instead of fire or earth
River being the river
Did what it does best
Buoyed me back
Just like a driftwood
I had love to give
But there were no takers
In the land of hate
River could have set me free
But it returned me to you
As a nameless corpse
To be counted among
The countless
River will remember me
Even if you don't
This beloved river is
Our memorial!
#CovidDeaths
If Dead Could Speak

If dead could speak
I wonder what would they say
To every
'Rest in Peace'
They gasped for breath
They waited for beds
They trusted
They hoped
They left behind
Mounting sorrows
And bills
And plans
And dreams
They simply got erased
Without farewells
They got dumped
They got duped
Don't ever think
They are
Resting in Peace
If dead could rise
From the ashes
And graves
And rivers
They would certainly
Rise in rage
Waiting in the Dark
When will it be dawn?
I ask in desperation
Peering at the night sky
Stars too seem grim tonight
After the endless wait
There is a dim light
But, someone whispers
Hey, you missed the day!
What arrives is another dusk
Followed by the dark
Moonless night
Stars without their shine
Another endless wait
For the dawn
That never arrives
A dawn
That never arrives
Time
Sometimes I wonder
whether I lose track of time
or time loses track of me
Forgotten, erased, demonised
I lurk like the dark shadow
Waiting for the spotlight
To reveal that I exist


