तेरे बगैर.. माँ

कई सिरहाने बदले है मैंने
पर वो सुकून कही मिला नहीं
जो तेरे गोद में सर रख कर
सोने से मिलता था, माँ

देखते है, सुनते है
अंगिनत किस्से-कहानियाँ
उनपर मगर अब यक़ीन कम होता है
वो बचपन की तेरी एक राजा और
एक रानी की कहानी
अब भी सच्ची लगती है, माँ

डर जाता हूँ, मैं सहम जाता हूँ
जब भी बुरा सपना कोई
आँखों को ढूंढ़ लेता है
तू दौड़ के आएगी सहलाने मुझे
पल भर को ये उम्मीद रहता है, माँ

कई बार की है कोशिश लेकिन
चुटकियों से मात खा जाता हूँ
मीठे का मिठास, नमकीन का नमक
अंदाजों में घुल जाते है
जुबां पर अब भी ठहरा है मेरे
वो स्वाद तेरे हाथों का, माँ

दिल को बहलाने के बहाने कई है
मगर ऐसा कोई मिला नहीं
जो तेरी तरह तेरी कमी को मिटा सके
जैसे टूटे खिलौनों के रोने पर
तेरे एक छूने से
मेरी हँसी जुड़ जाती थी, माँ

ऐसा कभी सोचा ही नहीं था
तेरे बिना भी कोई ज़िन्दगी होगी
ये और बात है की
तेरे बगैर मैं अब
जी रहा हूँ, माँ

Diwali No More

Banana trees standing guard..
Lighted lamps glowing in the dark..
Smiles and laughter
Happiness and cheer

Under the moonless sky,
a family of five
gather for celebration

Those were the real Diwali...
It's just lights and crackers now...
nothing else!

Wild Run!

Umbrella flying!
Bare-footed, Free-spirited
Wild run in the rain!

It rains down the lane
Then I think of you. And now
it rains in my eyes.

This rain reminds me -
of the freedom of childhood
or of some lost love!

Mid-life Crisis

In the middle of an afternoon rain
I take my silent walk to nowhere
Treading with care on the wet lanes
Avoiding puddles here and there

Children run around dancing on the way
Splashing water, playing with each other
They laugh and smile invitingly as I lay
Waiting, standing cold under a shelter

Wrapped in each others' arms, young lovers
Ignite their passion in the falling rain
They pass by leaving me to remember
All my past lovers and their love in vain

‘Life is for the young and the restless’
A deep sigh, then I walk on nonetheless

Your Yesterday…

It’s another day in the making
I am going back to your yesterday

I see you only in bits and pieces
Let me hold onto your yesterday

I am sinking in my nothingness
Come drown me in your yesterday

In your dreams I fall asleep
Wake me up in your yesterday

I could have died in your arms
But I am living in your yesterday

Temptation

When the foreplay
last longer
than the act

and the after-effects
felt for days on end

It's an affair
doomed
for failure

bringing down everything
you had build (till then)
on its way out

Dust

Dust of Time
falls on everything

the shelf of books
unread
the rack of shoes
worn-out
the table with stationery
disorganised

No dust settles
on the memories

The Return

I had walked alone the long mile
Traces of my travel you can see
I am here at last, I see you smile
But my countenance lack glee

The man whom you bid farewell
And the man who now returns
The stark difference you can tell
Only in you the flame still burns

You walked away, I said nothing
I thought too deep for too long
I knew I was losing everything
Yet I knew I had to be strong

'You let go when you can't hold on
Even if you know you can't live on'

After You

The pieces broke loose
I was complete in your arms
Falling apart now

Prisoners Of Hearts

Such longings! Such dreams!
Never lets go or moves on...
Prisoners of hearts..

Luck, Life

Luck and all His friends
Masters in the art of Time
Life hopes in their midst!

Grief

Five stages of grief
Is it the first or the last,
when it never ends?

The Act

Role-playing


I was the Charmer
and you
the Charmed!
I was the Devil
and you
my Lamb!

I fed you promises
I fed you hope
I fed you things
that you craved for

You swayed to
my tunes
You danced to
my beats
You grazed on
the meadows
I created out of
dreams!


Role-reversal


Tired eyes and tired
bodies
retire from the game

Behind the masks
Behind the curtains
After the play
After the lights
are out

Incoherent heart,
mind and soul
Entangled in a web
of illusion and reality

Seduced by the act
Teased by the touch

The Charmer becomes
the Charmed!
The Devil is now
the Lamb!

Love You Not

I could not love you
I knew too much already
Too much knowledge kills!

Mind Games!

Dark red corners
Stimulating lanes
Playful alleys

When the mind
plays the game,
everything else
cease to
exist

Believe

When you believe...
everything seems fine...
when you don't, it's not...

Sleep

Why sleep eludes me?
Elusive like love can be...
But soon I will fall...

.............................................

I just had a 'fall'...
I cannot even recall...
how I 'fell' asleep?

Goodbye Summer!

The hills beckon me
Lush greens, wet lanes, monsoon rain
Goodbye, my Summer!