but, then

but, then
the river asked
will the tree stand still
even when i am in spate

but then,
will the shower soak
the tulips
unblossomed
even if their aroma remains trapped

but then,
will you restrain
the breeze
lest it swirls all the flags on prayer flags
and hesitant prayers get fulfilled

Sky is all I have to share

Sky is all we have to share,
indivisible and yet punctured
by our prayer,
do we not pray then?
Or do we not share?
Be there in the sky, o my cloud and bust of breeze,
I will not stint and pray still,
all I have is you
and will always seize,
breeze
Breeze
Flow so that clouds can give way,
Leave sky to stare,
share If for a while,
I like truth even if it pains
Don’t paint my sky
With any lie
Alone and obtuse,
I will fly
I will fly

When I m really gone

The stars are scattered
The river is going to be dry
But the drought will not deter
The storm will not just pass
.
rocks will resist
No matter what
Spirit will persist
Like a cactus growing
IN a drought

Will you let the the glacier melt again
Will you dam the avalanche again
Don’t do that
Don’t let the lava flow
Let the volcano not glow
Fumes. No matter how dark
Be there
Embracing the waves
Spacing the caves
Lest the ghosts find no place to hide
Let the thorns bite you waking aside
Quieten a bit
Slow down a bit
The windows sparkle
The sunlight reflects, unasked it speaks
What the waves did nt want to say
May be you need rest, lest the lender
Asks all the debt to be paid
Let me declare bankruptcy
I m now free
Of any obligation
Or IOU
Just a nudge by You, o kaali
And I am enslaved again
Let me break the window pane
Let the breeze flow again
Let me be free
So that you can see
The truth and banal truth
Alone,
When I m really gone ?

Swans in the lake

Lakes of lustrous smiles
Have many swans
Unperturbed by the boats sailing
They let waves fly
When some one desolate
Comes and sits on the side
They let the reflections
Of a setting sun, beguile
His heart, as if full of the cavities
Inside with sparkles of those
Lost moments we don’t want to remember
But will she care
Hailing from a kingdom
With strange rules
Will she care, asked the tides
of the twisted time wrench
Unable to unlock
The castle of carefree sighs
She now surrenders
And the lake still awaits
Rain
To wash the stains on its shore
Of his tears
And her prayers

When you are alone

When you are alone
With moving images and still time
I know what you miss
Do I know what I miss

Let us decorate a wall
With you painting a motif
And I making the border
Some colours will move outside in
Some inside out

Shaking hands will bring
A new resonance like the
Vibration of sitar
You may call it limitation
I call it expansion
Of the moving sensations inside us
Ever ready to take us on their arms
Like an angel flying
Into the sky
Let us fly
Together, as we climbed the mountains
And walked through the forest
Let us regain
The same moments
Caring, sharing and daring
Like the flowers we had sown
In our garden many times

Learning to live alone

Learning to live alone
Is not what I came here for
Said the pilgrim to the stone
After it was dark
And stones were awaiting
To hear the tale
But then dew had already delivered
It’s shower of love
The failure of the pilgrim
To ever been able to
Stand in
For the iron pillar
Remnant of 2000 years
Of testimony
Of peace and non violence
But the pilgrim has not finished his journey
He will create a new religion
A new world
Where dew will not remind
The devotees of rules set
From outside
Where purpose will not be driven
By one’s personal ambitions
But by the memories
Of those tears which remain undried
Still
Yes, you will
Yes I will
Yes we will
Someday
Somehow
If the pilgrim stays on course
And your prayers leave him unsettled
For Ever

Collecting all the drained water

Trembling signs
Unstable gate
Unsettled sights
And the unlimited waves
Pounding shores with Knocks
Reminders of the gates still closed
Of the castle
Built atop a small mountain
The green boundaries
Lakes in between
Collecting all the drained water
Washing the steps,

I wanted to take to the
castle
But no more now
Washed of stains of struggles
What will steps tell me
Let me stay here
Just watch
Just see
And close my eyes
For now

Woken up or half asleep

Dreams layered with ideas
Memories cemented with
Crusts
Of half baked
Half burnt bread
Like a loaf of life
Some times fed to birds ordinary
And sometimes to eagle
Who does not spare
Not ignore
Just like the echo
Of a song
Sung alone in a mountain
Laden with molten glaciers

window pan is moist still

window pan is moist still
though sunlight is beaming
through
to the inner dark core
filtered by curtains of conscience
that creeps its questions
every now and then
now time has come to
cement the cracks in the wall
lest they replace windows and
then no filter
comes in the way
of light
or for that matter
moist waves

the willow is not yet dry enough

the willow is not yet dry enough
you can try to season it
dry it with all the fire you have in your heart
but then it may crack
dont insist
on making a bench
with this wood
who knows
termites may devour it before
you will get time to sit on it
and see the sunset
or sun may change its direction
or may be the sitting is not fun any more