Interrogations

Life filled with myriad colours
Imbued by varied hues, intensity and ardor

What heart craves, yearns, desires
May not be always what it acquires

Maybe less, maybe more,
Life has got for us so much in store

Interesting with its quirks and surprises
Either apparent or in disguises,

Must face it squarely,as it comes
Is there any need for questions?

Rancor about life? Inquisitions?
Does life need any interrogations?

Short Poems

Ripples

Pond; Still, calm, serene,
Plonk!! Pebble thrown in
…………….Ripples…………



Confusion

Poem; simile,
Metaphors, symbolism
For a novice, layman…
Utter confusion!!


Bliss

Wealth, possessions, power,
Pleasure unmeasured
But dreamless sleep
…Sheer bliss!!!!





Barren

White sheet of paper,
Unmarked, unblemished, chaste,


………..……………..And barren.


Demon

Bush attacking
Iraq for WMDs
At his own whim

But how will he
Escape the demon
Inside of him???


Pondering

Mind, body, heart, soul
Makes as whole
But who is going to plug
The Ozone hole?


Footsie

Strangers across the table
Studiously ignoring all ongoing babble
…………..Playing footsie….!!!



Frog song( A poerm written for a small child!!)

Come rains;
On my lawn
I observe
Frog spawns

Under the water
Behind the poles
Jumping around
tiny tadpoles

Here and there
Hop the frogs
Chasing around
Does not rid the rogues!!!

Acceptance

Angst, grief, misery
Beyond these,
I could not foresee

Finally he was gone
I had lost,
Fate had won

Prepared I was not,
As the heart has
A mind and wont

Glancing at the
Vast emptiness,
I comprehended living death

Hugging my
Children at last,
Tears fell furious and fast

Go on living, I must do
No matter what,
No matter how

Accepting at last
His parting as real,
I arranged for his funeral………

Illusion

Different cultures
Different background
We were yet to
Find a common ground

I had felt him here
But how could he
He never intended
To be with me

He holding me
With passion and ardor
I giving it all back
Finally mindless surrender

Had I imagined
Was it my whim
Was it my illusion
Was it a dream

Looking around
I knew I was wrong
My feelings had come
So very strong

He was standing there
Love shining through
With tears in my eyes
I could barely move


We had walked across
Life’s mazes and mires
Will take a lifetime
To douse all that fire

STALKED

After a long harried day at office, I was negotiating the traffic with impatience. I had worked so hard on that particular presentation to pitch our sales, which had been sliding downhill. Despite my best efforts, the buyers were not convinced. There had been series of meetings throughout the day to discuss the ways and means to save our company. We tried negotiating with the bank. But for no avail. If this continued we would go bankrupt. Not a nice prospect. Finally we decided to call it a day at 9.30 p.m. It was a long drive home for me. I was not looking forward to it.

Here I was waiting for the lights to change, tapping at the steering wheel, the day’s event passing through my mind like a bad movie. Lost in my thoughts, I did not notice the lights changing. The car behind me honked. I moved, slowly turning towards the left. A yellow Chevrolet, followed behind.

It started to rain yet again. It had been raining intermittently for 3 days and had stopped for a while. The dark clouds made my mood even bleaker. Barely glancing behind, I kept on my lane. Rains make it so difficult to drive. I felt my car lurching. The yellow car was still behind me. I kept driving straight ahead. The car behind me turned right and disappeared from sight. But after some time, I noticed it following me. May be it had taken a wrong turn before.

But it was uncanny; the Chevrolet followed me closely wherever I turned. I too noticed the driver of that car making wild gestures. It was unnerving. I accelerated, so did he. I slowed down to let him pass but he too slowed down, waving at me to stop.

Without warning I swerved to the middle lane, but so did he, waving menacingly at me. I shook my fist at him and accelerated away. But there he was, faithfully following me, shaking his head and pointing towards me.

I again felt my car wobbling but as it was raining I did not give it much thought. Now my mind was on the car following me. I kept changing lanes, without notice. The car followed me wherever I turned. I speeded up and took another detour. But there it was behind me. I was getting scared by this time. It was pouring. Not another vehicle in sight. Occasionally, a car passed by. No one had any time to glance what was going on. I tried calling the police but no network on my phone.

Suddenly I felt my car shaking. I must have drove over a pothole. Before I could react, the Chevrolet speeded up and stopped in front of my car. I had to brake suddenly to avoid hitting him. The driver got down. He looked so forbidding. He came towards my side of the window. I kept it close, stared ahead resolutely, avoiding looking at him. He tapped and said something, pointing towards the rear end. I could not hear him in all that rain. I saw another car stopping behind. A woman got down. Came and tapped. But I did not want to open the window for her either. They looked at each other, shook their heads and then kept looking at the rear of my car. Throwing caution to winds, I opened my window and asked what was wrong. She said my left rear wheel was on the verge of coming out. Then she drove away. Getting alarmed, I got down with a jerk and checked it. It would have come out in a few more minutes if I had been driving. And if I had not stopped when I did…………!!

I kept staring at the wheel like moron, my mind blank… Without asking, he got down to the business of fixing up the wheel. That made me break away from my stupor. We both worked at it, without exchanging a single word. I was grateful for his help. I wanted to thank him but he brushed aside and drove away, taking a U-turn, without glancing at me.

I started the car, changed the gear, and progressed slowly. My grim mood had disappeared. I was lucky to be in one piece. Switched on the radio. Suddenly interrupting the song, there was an important announcement……….. I braked, went numb and sat there for a long time, my head on the steering wheel, thinking, thanking my stars and that man in the yellow Chevrolet. The old bridge ahead had partly washed away some time back taking a few vehicles with it……...

What if?

Twice……….

Her World......( Short story)

Reshma checked herself in the mirror. Having scrubbed her face clean of make-up, she looked like an ordinary girl. None could think, let alone say, she worked as a bargirl.

"Reshma, your taxi is waiting," her friend Khushi called out.

"Coming," she said, stepping out of the bar and hurried into the taxi.

"Andheri," she told the driver. It was almost 2.00 a.m. She wanted to get to Aditya fast. He had been restless and restive lately. The very thought of Aditya made her smile. Soon she was home. She paid the cabbie and without waiting for him to give her the change, rushed into the lift and was in the flat in a jiffy.

"Mallika.." she called out. Her friend came out of the bedroom. "Aditya is sleeping, he has no fever now." Mallika, who lived in the flat next door, left Reshma alone to be with Aditya.

Reshma went inside her bedroom and checked on Aditya. He did not stir. She showered quickly, getting into her robe. Before getting into the bed, she loosened her robe and lay down beside Aditya. She put an arm around him. He stirred, smiled and nuzzled her breast, latching on to one. Utter bliss, she thought, her love flowing through her, sharing an intangible feeling with Aditya. She kept caressing his head and smiled contentedly. He was the very core of her existence. She could not imagine her life without him. She held him closer... he had come into her life only a short while ago......





………………………………………………Aditya was her four-month-old son.

Aaye Nahin Tum.....................

AAYE NAHIN TUM.............(Hindi translation of Ashilena Tumi.........)



Yug beet gaye, rahte tum antarman mein
Aaye nahin tum………..


Palkon ke pichhe, sirf tumhe dekhti hoon
Aaye nahin tum………

Sabhi palon mein, tumhe chahti hoon
Aaye nahin tum…………

Kab aayoge, man se poochhti hoon
Aaye nahin tum………….

Khamosh raton mein, kitni akeli hoon
Aaye nahin tum…………..

Bole the tum, saath leke jaaoge
Aaye nahin tum.

Aayoge ya nahin, aake hi kaha jaate
Aaye nahin tum…………..

Christina's World

http://www.jssgallery.org/Other_Artists/Andrew_Wyeth/Christinas_World.htm

CHRISTINA’S WORLD


Looking up the manor
With thoughts of injustices done to her

Battered, broken and bruised
She lay there angry and sad
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Sudden hatred sweeping through her
She violently wished the Lord of the manor dead!!


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Another take on CHRISTINA’ WORLD


“Christina……….Christina…” She broke off from her reverie. But did not get up. It was her favorite spot lying on the grass and look longingly at the villa far away.


“ Christy, my sweety, your mama is gone. You will live with me now.” She had distant memory of her aunt Caryn telling her when she was four years old. Unable to comprehend, she had snuggled into her aunt and gone back to sleep. She barely knew her mama, who was sick and was in a sanatorium. Aunt Caryn had always been around and loved her.

Now eleven years old, Christina was a happy enough child. But felt something vital missing from her life. Her papa. No one talked about him. In her mind, she conversed with him all the time. She wished for him to come for her.

“ Christina? Where are you?” She heard it again and turning back saw her friend, Timothy, running towards her.

Without a pause, he said, “ there is someone at your place. You better come fast. Aunt Caryn is crying.”

“Who?”

“ Don’t know.”

Both trudged along to the village without saying another word. There in front of her tiny house there was a bogey standing. Timothy ran back to his house. Christina entered inside and saw a tall gentleman holding her aunt. Hearing footsteps, they broke apart.

Christina looked at him. He was a pleasant looking man with kindly eyes. “ Who are you?” Christina was not one to mince her words.

“ He is your papa, David Thorndike.” Caryn replied just as directly.

“ And she is your mama,” he said looking at Caryn.

“ How?” My mama is dead.”

David and Caryn had been childhood sweethearts and wanted to marry each other. Both their parents disapproved of their relationship. So David married Caryn secretly and before he could tell anyone, he was sent on a secret mission to a far off place. While coming back, he was ambushed and left for dead. The local people had taken him in, cared for him and saved his life. As he had lost his memory, he could not tell them about his background or his family. He, with his good bearing and pleasant manner, had endeared himself to those village people and had been with them, working for their betterment for so long. While working one day, he had fallen down a horse and regained his memory. And he was back for Caryn as soon as he could.

As no one was aware of the wedding, Caryn had to pretend Christina was her sick sister’s child.

Christina ran towards and hugged them both.


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As it turned out, David Thorndike was the owner of the villa.

Jab Pehli Baar

Jab pehli baar dekha unhe
Kaise kahen kya hua
Zubaan par lafz sil se gaye
Kuch bhi bayan kar na sake
Nainon se nain jaise mile
Dil ke gulshan mein phool khile
Yeh kab hua kaise hua
Waqt ko naa ehsaas tha
Kaise, kab kareeb aaye
Lamhon ko kuch pata nahin
Saanson ne saanson ki toh li
Phir aapas mein mil se gaye
Ab dil ka haal kis se kahen
Jab khud hi khud se kho gaye
Jagne ki chah hi nahin
Aise hi ab ji lenge hum

Student's Musings

Why do I have to ask?
What to do and what not?

Growing up is all I want
Without pressure and instance

Why can’t I learn naturally?
Do I have to memorize all fully?

Please let me grow in my own pace
I do not want to be a part of the rat race!

Don’t live your dreams through me
Whatever comes I will still be me!
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…………………I will still be me!!
…………………I will still be me!!