Ode to a Sibling
Is there a burial ground for a heartache? A deep distant corner to bury your feelings Of the sort that were suppressed Emotions left unexpressed The ache of a playmate lost The agony of a companion gone The hand that helped me walk The one who shaped the way I write and talk Never to come back again ..you're gone without a trace Every time I've thought of you I've held back Stopped myself from wondering How it would have been had you been around How you'd have felt In my moments of joy and those when I was in pain Years have passed yet the hurt remains The unsaid and the unreleased is what I pen today Don't need photographs on the wall I close my eyes... I see your face
Thank You
A chance encounter A wave of hand A familiar face A breaking smile Triggers a train of thought A walk down memory lane Vivid images of cherished times Of growing up and carefree lives Classroom pranks and innocent lies Stolen lunches and greedy bites Muddy shoes and loose hung ties Of friendships stronger than family ties The teachers who fanned our imagination With a word of praise and the occasional stick An encouraging smile for every puzzled look Of discovering a world beyond text books It all comes back each time I pass you by I find myself await another smile This perhaps is a good time to say this For its been brewing for a while Everything I've ever wanted or wanted to be For making me who I am or ever will be Thank you dear Alma Mater For being a part of me
Life In a Cliche
I love to catch the morning sun in my eye Always believed there's a cloud with the silver lining somewhere in the sky I long to catch the winter morning breeze When it rains I relish the sight of the washed green leaves Yes there's a rainbow somewhere with a pot of gold For every ending there's a story still untold I know that good things come to those who wait That there will come a day when all the work is finished or when it is not too late I still feel the bitter truth is better than a lie That belief is in saying why not rather than why Wisdom is not in holding on but letting go When the tide is against you its better lying low In my life I have not loved wisely but loved deep Never made promises I could not keep Always tried to disguise my despair as patience Looked forward to the journeys and not the destinations Chosen life (Well...considering the alternative !) Thank you Lord for all the mercies Whenever I look back at my life I would love to have LIVED it just like the cliche!
The Beggar
I’ve seen many a time, a beggar. He sits under the old oak you know, Just down the street. He sits there with his hands spread Crying out just, just a rupee for today’s bread. He is pitiable. I wonder why he took to begging. He is not disabled, that much I know And his handicap, it never does show. Was it joblessness? I asked. But to this he just smiled. My attempts to know him were futile, And he’s been there all this while. I’ve known him for ten years now And till today I wonder, why? But my questions get lost in his smile.
Time to Fly
Some pages in the book of life are best unread No point looking back nor consider retreat Got to find a raindrop that patters to your beat There is a cloud that has your silver line There're shells at a beach for you to find Spaces for you to venture into Challenges waiting for you to try Dreams waiting to come alive Go on! Turn the page Life's waiting to be lived It's not just spreading your wings But courage that makes you fly
An Ode… To Those Who Believed
It's not easy to walk a different path To set off on a journey where questions abound The doubts they flourish when you are stepping onto roads That are foreseeably bumpy, uncharted, even inexistent Risking it all doesn’t mean absence of fear The clock is your enemy and the mirror isn’t your friend When you have only yourself to blame and to rely When there are no maps or guiding stars in the sky Tis the believers who hold the torch For the explorers on their onward march No birds ever flew without the wind beneath their wings It is their belief that fuels the hope each passing day brings
The Choice
Why should life be lived On someone else's terms One needs to feel the angst Of their own itches and burns Who knows when a right may come Even if it is after a few wrong turns Happiness lies in chasing ones own dreams What good are wings if they are tethered Life is only fulfilling if it's lived unfettered
चेहरा (ज़िंदगी का)
कहते हैं चेहरा रूह का आइना होता है आइना भी मगर कहाँ सारा सच बतलाता है हँसते खिलखिलाते चेहरों के पीछे अक़सर झुर्रियों के बीच गहरे ज़ख़्म दबे होते हैं चाहे अनचाहे मुखौटे पहनना तो हम सीख लेतें हैं हक़ीक़त मगर अपनी गली ढूँढ ही लेती है लाख छुपाने की कोशिशों के बावजूद शिकन आख़िर नज़र आ ही जाती है हम सब कोई ना कोई बोझ तो उठाए दबाए फिरते हैं बस कभी कह के तो कभी सह के सम्भाल लेते हैं ग़म और ख़ुशी तो सहेलियाँ हैं कब एक ने दूजी का हाथ छोड़ा है इन दोनों के रिश्ते में जलन कहीं तो पलती है ज़्यादा देर एक साथ दे किसी का तो दूसरी खलती है ज़िन्दगी है कैसे और कब तक एक ताल पे नाचेगी ग़म लगाम है तो ख़ुशी चाबुक फ़ितरतन वो भागेगी
दंगल
वाक़िफ हैं तेरे हथकंडो से ए ज़िंदगी फ़िर भी उलझन पैदा कर ही देती हो लाख़ जतन सम्भालने के करते हैं मगर बख़ूब धोबी पच्छाड़ लगा पटक ही देती हो थेथर मगर हम भी कम कहाँ दंगल में तेरी उठ के फ़िर कूद जातें हैं थके पिटे कितने ही हो भला ख़ुद पे एक बार और दाव लगाते हैं तुम्हारे अखाड़े की लगी मिट्टी नहीं छूटती बहुत चाट ली ज़मीन की धूल गिर गिर कर ये विजय नहीं स्वाभिमान की ज़िद्द है जो लक्ष्य नहीं चूकती अब निकलेंगे अपनी पीठ पे या बाज़ी जीत कर
चौथ का चाँद
एक ऐसी ही चौथ की रात थी जब एक चाँद बादलों में छिप गया फिर लौट के वो दिन आ गया एक चौथ फिर से आ गयी फिर आँखें यूँ ही नम होंगी यादें फिर क़ाबू को तोड़ेंगी वक़्त थमता नहीं किसी के जाने से फिर भी कुछ लम्हे वहीं ठहर जातें हैं लाख़ आंसुओं के बह जाने पर भी कुछ मंज़र आँखों का घर बना लेते हैं यक़ीन बस यही है के एक दिन समय संग पीड़ ये भी कम होगी फ़िलहाल नैन ये भीगे विचरते हैं एक झपक में एक बरस यूँ बीत गया किसी दिवाली दीप फिर जलेंगे उन दियों में रोशन फिर ख़ुशियाँ होंगी छटेंगे बादल चाँद निकलेगा जब इंतेज़ार अब उस चौथ का है