anil gupta's blog

willow leaves
battered bat
not possible to play cricket any more
field has been pulverised
stumps
have been looted
rules have been changed
but i can still feed
the willow leaves to goats
which will
sit around,
and
fertilise
your garden
and help you absorb
the aroma of flowers

for many years, many years
when i will not be around

ek saubah kuchh shaant thi
ek raat ki mehmaan thi
ab na aur mujhko rulao,
na kisee chidio ko uthao
maan jao, maan jao
keh ke wo hawa, thodi aakrant thi
ek subah kuchh shaant thi

kaisey wo jaaney, kis kadar
kin kin kinaron ko kiya tha usney
baar baar bekadar
ab usee ki awaaz hai,
aur thode tootey se saaj hain
mat kaho, ki aur gao
mat kaho ki aur gao
eksubah kuchh shaant thi

did i not submit fully
with no reservations
no hesitation
or even
thinkingly
and yet
you wanted more
always
without ever
thinking of all those
who have surrendered to me
and their rights over me
why should their submissions be less precious than mine

Tilted frames, distorted view
Why should we take for granted
Those whom we respect,
Are we naive
Or too clever

Friendship is not
About opportunism
One can have only as much
After all
Sooner or later
Sedimented
Truth will precipitate

Don’t give up
Yet
Move on
The sustenance may be sought
From
All the weaves
On the broken loom
That you painstakingly tried
To put in place
May the weft of love
And warp of sacrifice
Create the fabric of future

Moon
Was tired
Of waiting
For pelican to fly
So that in the shadows of its wings
It could let the fishes dance
In the sea below
But pelican didn’t fly
The day is over
And
Waves are feeling uneasy
Naturally
Will they not?

Yes, it is my problem,
I accepted
When you insisted
That it didn’t matter
The feathers
Of a bird
Fallen on your way
Didnot deter you
For a moment
To ask,
Is the bird injured?
Today when the cage is open
Bird has been asked to fly
It doesn’t want to
Fear of control
Has gone
But do you wish
To be controlled
Tell me
O nasty
Bird

a stream
flowing through the mountains,
overcame many hurdles on its way.
but it kept on flowing
till it reached the valley.
not sure,
whether to flow again,
or become a lake,
it spread itself thinly
amidst various ravines and cracks.
the peaks don’t miss it any more,
valleys thank it
for nourishing
the roots of wilting pastures……