Adieu

Distant rumblings of thunder
lightning streaks across the midnight sky
Tidal waves on a tempestuous sea
emotions riding an unknown high

Background scores of a haunting melody
familiar strains of a soothing symphony
Pitter patter of falling raindrops
Smoky illusions of lengthening shadows;

You invaded my solitude
jolted me out of my reverie
intercepted my lonliness,
with a baritone of gentleness

I could hear nothing, see nothing;
the echo of your heartbeats
sweeping through sounds of silence
wisps of mist blocking my vision

Your whispered sweet nothings,
intuitively confirmed deep inside
It was all falling apart, ending
yet, abiding, hoping, for a new beginning

Destiny aborting the harmonious stanza
Inhibiting the bloom yearning to burst forth,
Another dream nipped in the bud
whilst shearing a bleeding stem………..

Liquid Amber

Drowning in deep pools
of amber delight,
Weaving dreams
on a starlit night,
trapped in a rhapsody
of lilting symphonies,
the hypnosis continues;
With a promise of
Enticing moments
Entranced
Enthralled
Spellbound!!!!

Desert Tunes

Taking rapid steps on desert sands
in the hot blistering sun
Her head titled
to balance dual pots of water
with heavily ornamented hands
Swiftly rising drifts blinding her eyes
Her multi coloured patch worked skirt
swirling to the rhythm
of silver anklets,
Humming a rustic tune
A smile on her lips
Anticipating her lover’s embrace
The promise of an enchanting evening
With lingering nightlong soirees……


Simmering desert dunes,
created fresh patterns
Golden sands turning russet in the evening sun;
Faraway, across the miles
Floated strains of folk ballad music
interspersed with baritone voices
Men seated for a break from their daily grind
with their blood red turbans on heat beaten faces
like full blown roses adorning their heads,
Women pirouetting, swishing ghagras
The air was ripe with evocative medley
And vibrance of Rajasthan

Her smoldering eyes spotted his camel
She resisted the urge to rush forth;
Twilight blurred her vision
as she saw two heads
nearing the music podium
She recognized
A woman with a veiled head
holding on to him
He helped her alight
delicately carrying her down
The crescendo of drums reverberated
Dust storms blew ribbons of wrath
A million hammers pounded
Breaking down glass doors
Splinters pierced her feet
She would dance to death
The Chari Dance
For her best friend
And lover
Who were united as man and wife

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Trivia:
* The Chari dance with 7 pots on the head and a lighted lamp is performed on occasions like weddings

* Ghagra choli is a traditional dress worn by girls of North India. It is a two piece clothing comprising a blouse and flowing ankle length skirt with lots of material.

* Rajasthan is a State in India famous for its tourism, palaces, desert lands, folklore, colour, dances, tribals & more...

Black & White

A blank canvas captured
hues of black & white
hidden shadows of sinewy silhouettes
Preening dancers seducing drunken partners
in wild embrace entwined in circling vines
Entranced in rap fusion
amidst mooning soliloquies
Black satin reduced to single threads
Ripping onyx strands
his new found freedom reached tempestuous heights
like voodoo spells invoking evil all night long
exploring the Devil’s paradise
by a flickering fireplace
The night was young
even at dawn

Her faithful black hound
gate crashed inside the fence
White chiffon rustled past virgin lilies
Summer clouds turned claustrophobic
Rotten images had tarnished her virtuous home
Spotless white cushions lay ravaged
by vagaries of a sordid night
Stepping across the cold marble floor
her pearly white skin turned pale
Toxic brew like emotions
seared through her being
leaving a taste of rowan berries
A bleeding heart caught him red handed
adding the only splash of bright colour
to the picture
The wife returned to a maelstrom
she once called Home.

When Angels Wept

He was seated
at a table by the window
A lone, frail, bent figure
Other inmates were absorbed
in repeating tales often told
from their eventful past;
His unsteady hands were shaking
much more than usual
The first spoonful of soup spilt on the table
The second on to his shirt
The third, he barely managed
to get a few drops to his trembling lips
A vacant look in his glazed eyes
Looking without seeing
Tears welling up
Falling, merging with the soup
in his bowl

His gaze went back
to the window
Lunch, being the only time
He was able to walk down and wait….
Wait, wait, endlessly wait
For the mail
For a phone call
For a visit
From his children
Grandchildren
Friends
Relatives
Strangers
anybody
at least a handshake
to show that
Somebody cared
during his twilight years

The loud voice of the matron
And the gong announced
That meal time was over
She gave him a scornful look
Not a word of concern
that he had not eaten
Even her frosty smile
would have made him happy;
Resigning himself
to his share of profound grief
He picked up the newspaper
his only faithful companion

Others his age seemed happier
Yet, he prayed for an extension
Of one more day in his life
A flicker of hope
Among dying embers
Praying that the morrow
Would bring the visitor
He so longed to see………

Night Snow

O beauteous night, a wondrous sight
Of falling snow in evening light
Darkness grows against the white
Seems surreal, this ethereal night

Flakes gently embracing leaves on their flight
Settling on barks turning brown to white
Fairies waltzing on a silver kite
Angels treading softly, fearful of slight

A candle glows across the lane
Flickering away from the window pane
Lest a gentle wind blows the flame
To unsettle the drifting path in vain

Hushed silence, the world is in slumber
Sleep is a waste on such a night in winter
I dance with elves, goblins, and pixies
to the strains of haunting symphonies
Revelling in rapturous wonder
Till dawn breaks the hypnotic spell
Of heavenly paradise on snowbell

Sabotaged

Blowing serpentine smoke rings
into the midnight air,
her ominous silhouette
threw black dancing shadows
on pearl white walls,
as she continued
plotting
planning
manipulating
a sabotage of
the much awaited Presentation,
or a scheme to pull strings
to contest the next Appraisal,
even a Password hacking
would do, to send
her rival plummeting down
the Corporate ladder

Engrossed in scheming,
she sat oblivious
to the black cobra
which slithered into her window,
coiled under her chair,
wound itself up the backrest
Hissed
Hypnotized
Crystallized
her gaze into
Cold fear
She had found her match
Checkmate.

A Voice Unheard

Through thick walls of the membrane
and whooshing, burbling sounds of water
I hear my siblings sharing love and laughter
Playing , cuddling, sleeping
Wrapped in her warm embrace
Rejoicing in her love and tender care

She suddenly sounds cross,
Angry, pained, stressed
wanting to soon put an end to IT
I did not understand at first,
That she meant ME
Slowly, it dawned, after her visit to the doctors,
That I would never see the light of day

Why
Does she hate me so ?
wanting to see me dead,
out of the way?
What
have I done?
I want to live, to see the world
Will
they try her for murder?
Impose a capital punishment on her?
Why
is she ready to lay down her life for my siblings
Yet, hurriedly trying to snatch mine away?

She will not answer and I cannot hear
I bid her a silent Goodbye.
As bright lights turn on,
She is on the bed, the doctor is touching me
He injects her, she cannot feel me anymore
I feel a hard tube hurting me
Then I slowly fade into an abyss
As I get sucked out
the bond snaps.
I am going, going,
Gone!
Mother,
Wont you shed a single tear for me?

Illusion

Entangled in silken cobwebs
of superfine images,
Ruffling the musty pages
of an old scrapbook,
I came across a sketch
of a dream house,
Now standing dilapidated
Fenced with weeds and twigs
instead of roses and marigolds;
Memories of dreams
lying shattered,
Fragments of broken glass
On frozen ice
The lost, lonely page
In the tattered copybook,
Still cries for you!

Success

Measured by someone else’s yardstick
She walks into your life
Like a whiff of fresh air
Remains a co-passenger
on your memorable journey
depending on the time it takes
to reach your destination

While she’s around
She cajoles
Pampers
Teases
Like a flirtatious paramour,
Exciting, urging, feeling your pulse
leading you to an all time high

As fickle as the firefly
She zooms out;
Before you realize it
she is miles ahead
Meeting your rival in transit
giving you little time to recover
your steps from the last tango

Don’t try to hold on,
She will slip out like alluvium
Let her go
before she lets you down
and drops you into the abyss
Of deep despair
For she was never
meant to be
A permanent resident
on your Resume.

Midnight Mojito

Glances met across the crowded table
Instantly reviving a rendezvous aborted by fate
Pounding heartbeats matched
The crescendo of drums
The dance floor whirled

He stood up, leaving his dinner unfinished
She knew he would seek the next dance
As he whisked her into his arms
memories of lost opportunites flooded
Crowding her throbbing brain

They were both consumed by a passion
A yearning, longing, urgency
to belong, unite, to be one
In a trance she walked the Caribbean seas;
Tempestous on a full moonlit night
welcomed the lovers with open arms
beckoning them into a whirlpool of love

His kisses locked her spellbound
His touch igniting a fire not extinguished
by waves lapping their bodies on wet sands
as he savoured tiny droplets on her bare skin;
The waters turned warm, high tides engulfed their passion
Fires burned through the night
As they made wild wanton love,
desires yet unquenched
An intoxication stronger than a mojito took over
Till dawn broke, with the sunrays severing a spell
Compelling him to kiss her a final Goodbye.

Angela

Her hand held mine in a tight clasp
The nip in the air was chilly
Our evening walk had to be shortened
Dusk was drawing near;

She hesitated a moment to sit by the lake
A slight smile twitched on her lips
She sighted her friends by the water,
A flock of geese flew past
her wistful eyes followed their flight;
I made a fleeting wish
To release her from this plight
grant her the freedom of a bird
The chirpiness,
happiness
peace;

Footsteps behind us startled her
She grew pale,trembled, tightened her grasp
Hugged me and looked up for comfort
my eyes welled up, I choked
how long could this go on
her fear of every human but me;

Will he ever be traced and convicted
for his heinous crime
Will the beast be imprisoned
for assaulting
raping
abusing
scarring
A six year old, for life

I had a million questions
Unanswered;
Will justice prevail
Will it replace innocence lost
Will she regain her lost childhood
Have a joyous youth
Are wishes granted
Prayers answered
Do miracles happen?
Will I live long enough
To comfort
Protect
Soothe
And love her
Or will she remain the lone survivor
Who lived but merely continued to exist……………

Orchid Magic

A floral tribute to you I pay
As our paths crossed along the way
Your favourite treasure, the orchid
Adorned every corner as I did
Seek your attention undivided

Reflecting the rosy blush of our first meeting
Your shy gaze held mine for a moment fleeting
Pink petals with two shaded hues
Gave me no significant clues
That your hands were trembling beneath the clusters

Pink soon made way for the purple fringed flower
Bathed in passion, violet blooms on you did I shower
Wooing you in a style so uniquely obsessive
Making me relentless jealous and possessive
Of even the lilac stems vying for your attention

We moved from purple to white, sealing our love with a kiss
You looked so ethereal in lace and satin, a vision of eternal bliss
As the wedding march ended and your veil I lifted
The hair band of orchid I’d specially gifted
Coyly became a part of me, already being a part of you

With joy and content as our home we fill
flames of orange, yellow, purple on every sill
The magic of orchids remains in our life
Cheering us in moments of undue strife
Our floral friends privy to our secrets rife

The Summit

Pursuing excellence in a quest for glory
stirred passions, amidst chasing dreams,
A crisp offer letter, harbinger of challenges
Promising positive changes sent ambitions soaring
Reaching out to shooting stars in the daylight sky

The journey got tedious, tasks arduous
Competition more fierce, ethics perfidious
Flight schedules, itineraries replaced marks
and Grades in children’s Report cards
Board meetings gained priority over summer camps

Along the way quality faded, life got jaded
nerves highly strung as tempers frayed
embellishments adorned shelves a plenty
collectibles burst forth a score and twenty
Status symbols changed with fashions in and out
Their value nothing worth writing about

Friends distanced, family fragmented
achievements hollow as bonds disjointed
the last leg of the journey was an uphill task
The winding path got narrower ; A hand to hold I asked
your grasp was fragile, the clasp was broken

I did not look back, as mists blurred my vision
remained isolated, even two became a crowd atop the ivory tower
Having reached the summit, my echoes resounded
No elation, just deep regret matched profound sorrow
knowing that all laughter had died, eons ago.

Eclipse

The yellow flowers were blinding my vision
As I hurriedly crossed the daffodil fields
trying hard to ignore their brightness
which reflected the rays of the setting sun;
why did I sub-consciously compare
their yellowish hue to your jaundiced eye
reviving memories of dark suspicions;
blatant accusations and stinging responses

Why did I hasten my pace to get to the fence
longing for the evening shadows to appear
and engulf my thoughts;
to bury my face in the embrace of the twilight sky
I waited for the clouds to envelop the faint rays of the rising moon
For darkness to sweep over the night sky to hide the stardust in my eyes

Why had I ever hoped that you would accept
my olive branch which had dried, withered
and swept away with tons of autumn leaves
into the water creek,
I had stood on the edge of the slippery precipice
unsure if I had to take those steps down to the bridge which now lay burnt;
its ashes washed away in the turbulent rivers below

Seven long years had passed;
many a White Christmas had come and gone
your suspicions had grown deeper I was told,
the distance between us had doubled
You continued to count the thorns in the
Stems of the white roses I sent you
your sinister calculations had eclipsed the truth
I have since made peace with myself
But you continue to look for imaginary footprints
On sheets of falling white snow…….