Love

He wakes with a shiver

Takes out a pocket mirror

Combs his hair down

Gets the bus out of town

Starting a lonely day

He thinks of Bombay

When along comes dawn

Erasing the days gone

Reaching his barren site

He starts digging with spite

And doesn't think of bread

Till sun is overhead

When it's time to eat

He puts up his feet

Gets himself renewed

With a little dry food

From Noon to dusk again

He sweats the hours in pain

In his mind a measure

Of a small, little treasure

 

Back in his dingy room

Reality to resume

He closes his one eye

And dreams of Aishwarya Rai

Misha and Sony

Misha and Sony, two grey kittens

Thick as thieves, picked them them off the streets

Given a home, they learnt of love

And loved each other like nobody known

Prowling along roofs

Was the fat cat Red

On many a cold night

He cast his evil eye

Looking at the kitties 

He thought of meat

Sketched a vicious plot

In his cruel head

A deadly hour in March

Saw fat Red descend

Upon Misha and Sony

Like fire from heaven

The greys huddled close

Pawed and hissed

Glowered angry eyes

In heads small as fists

A fierce hour later

Red had fled

But in its wake

Misha was dead

Sony now learnt

Of a grisly pain

With Misha not around

She went a little lame

Eight straight days

She refused food

Now that Misha

Was gone for good

Times she raised her head

From a sleepless nap

Looked to the left

And fell back on the lap 

Morning of the ninth

Sony left too

Killed by loverly dreams

And a heartache too

Now remember this kids

When a cat cries at night

Think of this sorry tale

And never fall in love

Cos Misha and Sony, two grey kitties

Thick as thieves and lost in love

Met big, fat Red and his evil eye

A bloody fight to the bitter end

Shadow and reflection

Long and dark, they cover your tracks

Changing nature as sun sets down

In this house, many a sin

Scrambling past a world slowed down

Lurking away from cautioned ones

Setting foot in dark corners

Tales of horror they tell no one

What part of you is this?

Same as you on the other side

In its chest no pounding heart

Life of glass can crack open

Look at you like look at me

Hide it away at your will

Move your eyes, left to right

Would be tragic to see no one

What part of you is this?

Death

Teeth as pearls and eyes as beads

Bloody heart knows what it needs

Silken hair and a trembling frame

Out of it a guessing game

Tender arms and iron fists

A thousand wants my heart lists

Petals for lips and tearful cheeks

Forgotten night of which it speaks

Frozen fingers and cold toes

What happened here nobody knows

A cured mind in an empty head

Along heart's lanes, it's all red

Cut-a-tut

Along a cold calm corridor

Close to complete chaos

Down the dirty damn drain

Dwelling on the dark

We could cut-a-tut

Even as the evening eases

Effortlessly enduring excesses

Fall, fail and fear

Fools in fused spheres

Wouldn't you cut-a-tut

Grief gives us all

Guts of good gold

In hearts that know hurt 

Hollow hangs horror

We could cut-a-tut

 

Sleep

As days whiz by

Night shuts her eyes

Loud as a drill

Silent is her sleep

Fullness of time

She empties by her bed

Drawing dark curtains

Retreats into her shell

Pin on a balloon

Out of her bed

Quiet hours behind

Old time ahead

In place of black

A sun undead

Counting by the side

The hours to her bed

Poverty (1)

Three friends share a red umbrella

Soft raindrops touch the earth

Leaves swirl in the wind

Yellow, green and brown

Gentle thunder brings with it

Whiff of a day long gone

When she raced paper boats

On momentary streams of gold

Now picking up her bowl

She looks for shelter from the storm

Looking back and now

She dreams of things unknown