That first sip of morning coffee
The music that trickles down my ears to my soul
The mirths of laughter
that make my body come alive from merely existing
That book on the bookshelf
The warmth of happiness
that spreads across my chest
like sun
on a winter morning
when my dog runs in circles
chasing his tail
just as I do
time to time
A call from a friend
lost in the race against time
A poem
transforming a lonely night into
a gathering so magical
that now I don’t want to shut my eyes
Watch my mother
adjust her bindi
in the mirror and
tuck that loose strand of hair
behind her ear
because she knows it’s time
and dad’s about to come home
A gesture of kindness
from the one I thought needed saving
A gesture of love
I thought had no feelings
Make me wanna keep coming back
From the precipice
to witness the colours of life
and to laugh
with him, with her, with them
laugh so much that
now I want to cry
Because once I believed
very firmly
I’d never laugh
this much.
again,
or ever.
What else could I ask for?
What else is there to live for?
…
Month: October 2020
Hello? Is anyone out there?
Hello?
Hello?
Oh,
The signal is
Weak
And hell
I can’t
See
You can’t see?
I
Mean
I can
See
But
There’s
Smog
Everywhere
There’s
Haze
Or are these
Clouds
That wouldn’t lift.
The point
Is
I cannot see anything
Around me.
Are you stranded?
Yes, i am
In the
Middle of
The road.
Is there
Anyone
Else there?
I wouldn’t know
I cannot see.
Anything but my
Feet. My shoes actually.
Ya, my feet.
Where should we send for help?
It’s hard to say..
It’s getting dark.
I don’t see any sign boards
But do send help.
I don’t know what else to do.
Wait, maybe?
But how
Long should I wait?
Can’t say.
Can’t say?
Can’t say. We don’t know
Where you are and the signal is weak.
And the weather might remain as
It is
For weeks.
But that’s no help!
It is what it is.
Might as well take
a step at a time and see
Where goes.
Good luck, bye.
I feel sorry
I feel sorry
about that 19 year old
Who was supposed to be
Losing sleep over
Medicine vs engineering
Red suit vs the blue one
Manali vs Kasauli
But instead
Her butured body lies
Ashened
for some men had to
Show her her place
In this world
Which was no place at all.
I feel sorry
Because she must have
Tried to make a point
And so
Her tongue was ripped off
To give her a message
That she had no voice
She must stay quiet
And quietly must she pass on
I wonder
Even then
If she tried to take a stand
Not willing to back off
And fight for her dignity
For her spine was broken
By men who could not
Stand being stood up
By anyone but
A woman.
And though it was
Her tongue
That was pulled out
And her spine
Broken to shards
But it is the nation
That has lost its voice
And the ability
To stand up for a cause
Crystal clear as the daylight
Because you see
the people in the office are
Saying there was no rape at all!
And you must face
The pawns of the establishment
Guarding the mafia lord
Or else this time
your backs will be broken
By men in khaki
Who never had a spine at all.
I feel sorry
Because just right now
Must we talk about
Caste discrimination
Because the goons would have not done
What they did
Had she been a woman
of another household
Just as millions of women
Who walk freely at night.
The goons would have treated her
With high tea and
Crostinis
I feel sorry
Because she didn’t get the
Life she deserved
But also not the farewell,
The last rights
Because the
fascists must save
Face
Must take control
Must dictate
Must reshape
The past present and future
Because some of us
Made them believe
that
They can get away with anything
I am sorry
That her family will never get
Closure
Because the dark reality
Will never completely sink in
And the next ten years will be
Spent wondering
Did that really happen?
Did we even have a daughter?
Are we even sane?
How could a facade this large
Could altogether be forgotten?
I feel sorry
Because she wasn’t the first
and
She wouldn’t be the last.