old dreams

old, faded, worn and torn
I pack them all to be discarded
but my foolish heart 
clings on and weeps
wistful tears
for those  wasted dreams 


188

He Just Was

I had seen him by the temple wall
the saffron robed man
for hours he sat, with open eyes
looking at everything, seeing nothing
saying nothing, doing nothing
in the stillness of his existence
in the silence of his being
like the tree, the rock
and the flowing river
he just was

176

The Tavern

I have heard stories and stories

of a tavern full of drunks

where at the door, with tender hands,

they wipe your sorrows away

where they welcome you in with words of love 

the likes of which you have never heard before

as I walk carrying the unbearable weight of my heart

eyes blinded by tears, no longer can see

my ears seeking sounds of drunken laughter

lead me on my way

Mystery

a thousand births
a thousand deaths
a thousand names
a thousand masks
a thousand stories
that never ended
flow on in this 
mystery of me

Heartbreak

I walk on heartbreak. Broken glass.
My feet torn and bloodied.
Someone within me, smiles.

walking together

when I walked with you, in your darkness, girl

some of the darkness was mine

when you stumbled and wept in anguish

some of your tears were mine

you were lost and when I reached for your hand

my despair found some solace

when the red sun rose in your bosom

some  light shone on my face

when you found your way home, girl

I came out of the maze

beauty

I love you
not just for
your fragrant beauty
but that you
have lived and grown
with thorns

Icarus

Icarus, I think of  you

the boy who had flown
too close to the sun

foolhardy, you were said to be

with  wings of wax

you had dared the impossible

Icarus, I hear

the beating of your wings

molten wax falls on my skin

for I crave the impossible too.

riverbed

tangled driftwood

blanched pebbles

forlorn on thirsting sands

forgotten riverbed

waits for the

river to return

damming

damming of rivers

is no easy task

ask those who 

have not wept 

for years

the craft of living
with barren eyes

and inundated hearts

drought

In seasons of drought 
one feeds on hope

in seasons of drought
one learns to make peace
with hunger's eyes
glowing wild in the dark

in seasons of drought
sun scorches shadows
with nowhere to hide
one lives in truth

in seasons of drought 
one understands well
why the doughty cactus
grows thorns galore
flowers are rare

in seasons of drought
one finds one has
roots running deep
tapping into
monsoons gone by

in seasons of drought
one tells stories to oneself
of slush filled puddles
mud splashed clothes
drumming rain
birds singing forgotten notes

In seasons of drought
one feeds on hope

caging

birth in the family

celebrations begin

I think of waves

that rise and fall

coming into being

formless in form

"It's a boy!" I hear.

"and oh, he's fair!"

"Think of a name, will you?"
 I witness the caging

of freedom's bird.

Seed

I know no book.
I know no faith

I know no guide.

I know no god.

I am the seed 

of infinity.
All roads begin
and end in me.

uphill

higher and higher up the hill

closer and closer to the goal

changing view with every step

feasts my eyes can't behold

words leaping, falling back

on the wayside, in despair

futile in their foolish bid

to capture what they cannot hold

oasis

I am the seeker

the search and the sought

and you, I meet 

on the path

are the same

caught up that we are 

in this strange pursuit

this fanciful play
that knows no rules

lets rest for a while

in each other's shade

lets look for signs

in each other's eyes

lets slake with kindness
each other's thirst
for we are the oasis
we are looking for

seed

love took root

I wondered from where

the seed had come

love took root

tenuous threads

spread far and deep

breaking earth

in quiet ceaseless

purposefulness

till one day

hardness crumbled

wounds blossomed

wild fragrances stole

my senses away

and then I knew

I was the seed

I am love

Stranger

We were just talking
of random things,
when he suddenly asked
How many people in your life know you?
I mean, really know you? Inside out?
Two or three, I answered.
That's a big number, he said.
I thought a bit. One,maybe. Or none?
He laughed.

********************

I don't really talk to strangers, I said
but I liked talking to you
though you are a stranger
or were one..
He laughed.

Holi !!

this year

I'll shed

greyness of long

this year

I'll throw

abstinence to winds

colour laden trees

around me beckon

this year

I'll wear 

colours on my soul !

Holi comes !!YAY!!

whispers

fat dictionaries

full of words

yet no words

bridge you and me

din of voices

drowning out

hushed whisperings

of our hearts

Spring !

flower strewn streets
colour splashed lanes
her extravagance
steals my breath
wistful sighs follow
gasps of joy
spring's fragile ephemeral
gift of beauty