Saturday, January 19, 2008

Memoirs

The days of self definition,
Those days of freedom.
Living each day of our lives,
With the few, restricted choices at our discretion.

The days of casual conversations,
Intermittent, with spurts of laughter.
Those days of flirtatious admiration.

Novelty, was in all we did.
First-timer adrenaline rushes.
Gasping in horror over breath analyzers,
Post trouble-making and it's ramifications.

In love with multiple people, simultaneously,
Pouring out sighs of adulation.
Only if we could put together someone, that satiated our fascination.

The stolen askew glance to the one we desire, to call sweetheart,
Exchanging polite conversation with their best cohort.
Coffee-dates translating into endless gossip sessions,
Extrapolating multifarious possibilities one dreamed of.

Short-skirts and pleat-less trousers.
Hair styled to perfection.
A let loose, tie.
An air of confidence.
An expression, of the wannabe millionaire.

Cans of coke,
Jargon about the dame and ol’ bloke.
Slangs of generation next,
Rolling of r’s,
Struggling between British and American accents.
Alas! Contemporary hip-hop lip sync, an aspiration.

The coolest gig-
Traditional waltzing in dim lighting with a demure babe.
Driving to hangout joints with blaring tape.
Rally cars, with metallic fenders and modification.
Swatch to flaunt and mobile rescue operations.

Going dutch on fine-dining,
To afford the delectable chocolate cake.
Setting valentine’s as target to get oneself a date.
Movie romances that transported one to dream locations.

Last minute assignments!
What’s with the examinations?
Burning of the midnight candle to get a first glimpse at the syllabus in question.
Scanning the question paper for the eureka moment,
In hope to see something that trigger's our imagination,
Clenching the pen between our teeth,
With our fingers in circular motion,
In deep thought of falling grades,
Anxiety of passing and the commotion within.
Convinced we’d have cracked the paper,
Given just another day of preparation.

So tutorials will be it, parents forceful assertion.
The passport to your future millions, their declaration.
Yeah right! Like group studies were helpful!
So will be yet another commercialized educational institution.

With the best of wardrobe on display,
The best bet to break away from the school uniform, oh so mundane.
To flaunt the recent purchase of imported fragrances,
Wear streaked, treated-hair in any form,
To fall in place or apart, trained to conform.
Torn-denims, anti-fits, low-waists called the shots in the fashion hour
Tees that showcased the arduous work done.
Brief,  flashes of  brand endorsements, where one hadn't gone.

Basketball in hand, heading for a smoke on the court.
Equipped with all the accouterments, to be on the ground.
Football was incidental, cared for the crowd.

The high fives on meeting,
Hugs echoing fraternity,
Friends ganging-up  for the sneak peek of F-TV,
To ogle at the damsels walk the ramp in bikinis.
Discussion about the hottie round the bend,
A new entrant to the colony.

Geeks don’t go far was the mantra,
Have fun, the war-cry
Years from the day of school farewell,
Half a dozen batches or more apart from that day of graduation.
The thread that ties,
The days of self definition,
Those days of freedom,
Is living our life to the fullest,
With the few, restricted choices, at our discretion

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Back to Basics

Fancy a day in your life
You had no inhibitions
No one knew who you are
No one knew who you are meant to be

Broke like an old fake coin
Walking the streets at midnight
Rolling back tears
Wishing away your fears
With nothing to loose
With nothing to hide

A glum playful you
like when you were seven
pelting cobbles, knocking empty cans on the way
making deranged imitations of passers by
staring at your fingers as they take imaginary shapes
giving away your last dime to keep a poor child’s benign smile
unpaid bills, strewn clothes,
an empty house and an emptier self- unassured
How you wish to unlock the door to “your life”

And now you question me
Whose fancy, could this possibly be?

You wish away others expectations of you
When the only person left to live for is- oneself

Reach out for that dumped, cob webbed haversack
Throw in some clothes
And a pair of keds to match your stride
Hitch and ride your way
Striving for menial work to earn your daily bread
Small talk with strangers
No place to stay
Unabashed about, seeking out
Admittedly you smile more often than you cry
Perhaps more often than you ever did in you past way of life
Each gesture of generosity, a pleasant surprise
An adventure story, each day to summarize
A comfort with uncertainty
A calm, composed centre of locus
A strength to see the world through the most beautiful eyes
Clutter seems to vanish, vanity dies

Only if we could undertake this journey
Travel back to basics of our lives
A role play, with no restraint
Unsurpassed anonymity by our side
We will fancy each day- “every day” of your lives

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Biblical Seven Sins of Life

In the shadow of grey
One toils with profligacy
Let's introduce ourselves to the dark side today.
Step back and push common perception aside
I am going to walk you through the biblical seven sins of our lives.

Pride and vanity antithesis of humility
In the garb of ‘I’ and healthy competition
Caught up in the web of comparison
Feeding the gratification of dignity
Proud of what one is and whom one has.

Avarice and greed contradicts generosity
Cloaked in want for one’s fair share and a little bit more.
Whose yardstick do we use to define a true altruist
Can one give more than what one seeks ?
Can one manage expectations when they peak?

Envy is everything love is not
Disguised and huddled in the hearts of all
Impatience destroys the love inside
Too much of love is the shard of envy that pierce’s one through
Numb and immobile, selfless love.

Wrath and anger destroy the acts of kindness
Flaw of the human mind
It remembers what it listens to last
A look, a touch, a word so harsh
Revoke at will, one cant.

Lust to placate sensuality,
Desire insatiable, for power, money and lovemaking ruthlessly
Pleasure of uncontrollable adrenaline rush
Stifling for the lack of sobriety
Overwhelmed by opportunities of extravagant lifestyle

Gluttony pushes the limits of temperance
Hankering for debauchery, regalement and social vibrance
Certitude in morality and responsibility , an extinguishing flame.
Appetite to challenge faith
A path easier than forbearance

Sloth is effacing the zeal
Blighting zest for life and the spiritual inside
A sense of wasted-ness,
Stupor of mind and thought
Accepting without questioning, subscribing to existing schools of thought

In the shadow of grey
Toiling with profligacy
Living with the dark side today
Common perception pushed aside
The biblical seven sins of our lives.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Spiteful Calm

Am I the same?
Do u picture me any other way?
Is it wry? Are you dismayed?
I pretend to peak in confidence
And you think it is high
It is nothing more than a display
No one knows who I am, not even I.
I am not the one you believed in
Am I shattering your belief?
I am shattering mine.
I know I am not who I wanted to be
Far from love and far from life of others
Untouched by complexities
May be that’s all that I care for
Are those beliefs mine?
My verdict against yours
My truth against love and life
It is not for fear of pain or that I foresee life as dim
It is all those anxieties one faces when there is hope and folklore
All things I’d care for and all those moments I’d deny
I’d see the time skim through me and realize that it leaves us all bare
To show the face of nostalgia is to bare your face to the world
And as it fades colors, blurs one’s opinions
Surfaces the unknown
We are to witness this exposure,
We are born to experience
This life in its verve and dynamism
all that it brings to the limelight
Random thoughts and random patterns
Leaving us vulnerable to the inevitable
After a storm calm will reside.

World of One

When worlds come together and destiny does us apart
There will always be a smile on my face that your memories will bring back to my heart

When there will no sunshine, and there will be no hope
I will feel the warmth of your palm slip into mine and guide me through the dark sorrow.

Connect to me today as you did yesterday and will tomorrow
Be with my soul as we have never been apart

In your presence, I am inspired to live in a fictitious day
In a moment, that is as fulfilling as strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce

A tug between the mind and the heart
You convince yourself with beautiful thoughts
The last dance I danced with you on a fateful night

An aroma of romance, in the nip of star spangled sky
The gown I wore to waltzing with my love
And you called me sweetheart
My toes pointed, arms rested on your shoulder with pride
You held me close, you held me firm in your arms
You led me once again
You led me to prance around the floor
with kindergarten delight
The twirls and turns
The enchanting music and mesmerizing eye lock
With nothing to hide
For the world to delight
The world of one

When the worlds come together and destiny does us apart
There will always be a smile on my face that your memories will bring back to my heart
I know you will be home to me before I call it midnight, my love.