2023: One Life To Live

Sunday, December 31, 2023

525600

Another Year Another Sunset

And a bouquet of varied moments

That stay strewn in my thoughts

And as pages

In my memory laced books

But it was not just another moment

It was like that year

Yet nothing like that year

And I reminisce every 31536000 of it.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Hawaa ki Manzil

Dhuan dhuan dopaharon mein

Balkhaati hui raahon mein

Hawaa se pucha log tamaam ne

Bata zara hawaa... teri manzil ka pata

Muskuraake boli sehmi hawa

Duniyadari mein khwab aur

Khwab mein duniya tamam dhundte ho

Safar ke aashiqon ko

Bhala manzil ka pata kyun puchte ho

Monday, November 20, 2023

Nights That

I love those nights

Nights that transform into these mornings

Immersed in words and thoughts

Mornings where

The chirping birds and the rays of sun

Tell me of the hours

The ink of my pen engaged

In carving the emotions

That my thoughts gauged

(Well probably some of it atleast.)

For The Misfits

I write…

Of the vibrance of the rays of dawn

Of the glorious twinkling stars

Of the calming glistening moonlight

And

Of the marvels that the cosmos has.

I write…

Of the beauty of Life

Of the miracles of Hope

Of the wonders of happiness

And

Of the magic of Love.

I write…

Of the brilliance of colors

Of the soothing aromas

Of the gentleness of the breeze

And

Of the soothing strength of words

Yes…

It’s all joys and merry

Is it really so…

Has it been scary?

I have witnessed

The gloomiest of dusks

And shrouded days in the clouds

I too have seen

The darkest of nights

And the Universe with a dreary sight

There have been

Frigid dances of death

And moments of despair

With doomed breaths

I’ve been casted upon

With the curse of oblivion

Spells of Blues

And numerous moments of forlorn.

There too are pallid days

That I’ve spent in cold corners

Devoid of any scent

During storms that have been braved

And in deafening silences

The comfort of words have been craved

But I still write

Of the things that I write

Knowing they are far from

Conventionally right (relatability)

But I write

For the unconventional souls

Who do not fit

With the generic norms

For they speak a language

That barely anyone knows

And when they seek comfort

They crave for words

That are bright and light

And not the ones

That glorify treacherous woes’ might

Yes, I write for them

For the “misfits”

For those who do not relate

With relatability

Maybe someday

Some far far future day

My unrelatable word would reach them

To serve as a momentary abode

And reinforce their values of hope and love

So, I will write

Till my pen bleeds and thoughts flow

For you,

For me,

And for the ones

Who desire,

in all darkness,

Of life and a momentary glow.

Sunday, October 29, 2023

An Evening Promise

Amidst an evening of bliss,

intertwined with thoughts,

as vibrant as the colors

painted across the horizon,

The Sky blushed,

as the Sun kissed goodbye,

with a gift of the stars and the moon,

and the promise of a new day.

Forever.

================================================

A little something:

Written as a reply to a prompt : "Evening".

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Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Mystery?

They say I hide it all

Yes there are no fancy pictures

But I have bared my soul

There were aspects that

A picture or selfie can never capture

But there were thousand tales

In every word

In every chapter

There are stories and many a lore

Fun anecdotes too...from across the shore

But how would they know

For they are not readers

With a heart that glows

But just passersby

That go with the flow.

Friday, September 8, 2023

Your Story

All she wanted was to love

But how could she

Knowing what it could have done

All she wanted was to console them

But how could she

Knowing that her hug would be shunned

Love is all she was

So she withdrew to corners

Where she would be hard to find

Until You found her

And she sparkled

Like the bejeweled stars

Yes, she melted

But she melted in Love

And she loved like Love never could

She danced

And dazzled and glistened with You

She glimmered and shimmered

And blushed when she knew

That she was destined

Destined With You

That's where your story began

For she was Ice

And You were the sun

Should?

From places to places

We go

Do we move in space

Or stay still in time

Or be mere spectators

Of a starry sea

In an endless ocean

Of limitless depth

We are just but

You and me

In expanses of the dimensions

We never knew

Should we have been

Never, ever, or

Forever?

Thursday, August 31, 2023

그대의 생각: Blossoming

하늘이 웃고 아침이 붉어질 때

공기가 숨을 쉬고 이슬이 반짝였을 때

정원에 꽃봉오리가 피어날 때도

그것도... 그대 생각나게 했어요.

When the sky smiled

And the morning blushed

When the air breathed

And the dew glimmered

The bud in my garden blossomed anew

And that too... reminded me of You.

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Stay with your heart

When the walls are closing in on you

And the only door out is pitch-black...

Would you stay

Or would you take the path out?

What if the walls stop moving eventually?

What if there's a depthless pit just outside the door?

Would you stay

Or would you take the path out?

What if you traverse the deep trench

And there's a pretty garden beyond those depths

Where there's golden air soaked with the sunrays

And the fragrant breeze is colored

In hues of the beautiful flowers...

Can you leave the room

If there was a possibility of the garden?

Yes, there might be an endless stretch of trenches

And immeasurable depths

Where there's no concept of time or space

Yes, there might be the rumblings of the walls

And the pressure well enough to crush a soul

There's a possible garden beyond the dark

But it just might be too good to be true

Whatever you choose

Wherever you stay

Or whichever paths you explore

Stay... With your heart

It may bleed but it will heal too

Stay with you, just once more

For there is a light breathing in there

There's a beacon forming

That shows the path

The journey is still there

Stay with your heart

Just one more step

When you can smell the dawn

Bathed in hopes and dreams

It will shine on you with the smile of sunflowers

Just stay once more

Stay with your heart

Friday, August 25, 2023

That is also me

That no one knows

The one with mystic intricacies

And an equivalent framework

As any other me

But this has been special

In ways that

I never really could apprehend

That is also me

That knows the shades of the cosmos

And believes in every dust

For that is what stars are made of

And moons and stones and home

Yes there's something beautiful

And vivaciously precious

In every granule that that sees

That is also me

That chooses the light

And also glorifies the night

For there's an enigma that each beholds

And thousands of microcosmos

That breathes life and everything glows

There's a universe and many such more

That flavours every dream with adore

Yes, that is also me

That's so hopelessly romantic

That finds hope and beauty in everything I see

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Like An Epiphany

There are days like that

When every moment

Feels like an epiphany

When every breath of air feels extremely cold

As if it is hellbent to pierce your lungs

And reach your heart

To see if it cracks yet again

To see if the blood rushes

To heal it once more

Or give up and finally freeze

There are days like that

When every moment

Feels like an epiphany

When you realize the abyss from before

Is struggling to get a new meaning

One where nothingness never ceases

But was there anything to begin with

For there can be nothing

Only when there ever was something

And everything feels like a myth once more

There are days like that

When every moment

Feels like an epiphany

When communication is just an obligated model

Its roots rooted on the root of i²

For it is nothing

More than drab oblivion

If not sparked by you

For there never really was a language or literature

And a mere void had more elaborated meaning

There are days like that

When every moment

Feels like an epiphany

Friday, July 28, 2023

Don't Fall For The Words

There are emotions

Undefined and unnamed

And feelings so abstract

Even dimensions cannot capture

But there's still a desire

To let that essence percolate

So they weave with heart

A sentiment

Which even words can't fathom

Poetry, they call it...

But all they see are words

Don't fall for the words

For they are but just a tool

To create an approximation

Of a dimension

That may lead you to feel the emotion

Not of the poet

But of your own

That you might have suppressed

From time unknown

Don't fall for the words

If you wish to know

The poet's sentiment

And the dreamy universes they sow

For words are meant to hide

But pretend to show

Poems encase a cosmic weave

Of thoughts, whims, and notions

That exist and rest

Beyond the "normal" comprehension

So, don't fall for the words

For the poet's heart

They will never know

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Is Earth Flat?

Of the many photographs

that I never posted

and some that were never clicked

Of the many drafts

that I never published

and some that are still unfinished

Of the many stories

that I never told

and anecdotes that have never been recounted

And

Of the many travel diaries

that I never disclosed

and some lands that are still unexplored

Should any be unveiled

When the dawn shines

Even when

There are clouds still in the sky

Holding the immenseness of the ocean

Some day they may let go

But then

Where should it start

And where should it stop

For there's never been

An absolute end

Or beginning

That was ever there

The earth has never been flat.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

This is a story about a friend of mine. For convenience, let's address this friend as T. I would have kept this story to just myself. But I figured, we need to share certain things... even if it may look trivial.

I met T in the summer of 2019. I had decided to enroll for an additional course in an institute which was far far away from my place. Everyone who had enrolled for that course were staying in the same accommodation provided by the institute and hence many members would meet for meals together, by default. Because I had a different schedule and arrangement of my own, I wasn't able to meet the members as many times during the meals as I would have liked. However, on the first day of the session, when I did have breakfast with few of the members, I met T. I remember walking with T for some distance towards the classes and exchanging pleasantries.

But the few discussions that I had with T were memorable, interesting, and felt worthwhile.

From the very first interaction, I found T to be a very sincere and generous person... someone you could rely on. I remember T's gentle and sweet smile everytime we had a conversation. T, too, was a person of few words and thus we didn't have very elaborate or many conversations. But the few discussions that I had with T were memorable, interesting, and felt worthwhile.

Though I would like to refuse, my personality may seem a bit aloof sometimes to other people. And rarely anybody has that much time and patience to understand others these days. But T... T spoke with me. T's questions and interest about someone were marked with genuineness and it felt that T did care. And whatever little I got to know during my time in the institute, I knew how gentle and gracious T is.

T's questions and interest about someone were marked with genuineness and it felt that T did care.

After the sessions ended, we have stayed in touch. But the entire credit goes to T for this. T has always responded first. T would send me appreciation and feedback for my posts and poems. Though it might sound trivial, each feedback means a lot. Simple things like "I read your poems" matter and really do mean the world. It tells you that someone is listening to the words you have voiced through your writings.

T went to one of the book exhibitions.... and my book was there too. T not only searched for the stall where it was displayed, but also sent me photographs from the exhibition. It must have been difficult to find the stall because it was a big exhibition with hundreds of stalls... plus getting photos for me because I couldn't be there... I could not be more grateful. You could actually sense that sweetness in T's voice as T told me about the experience there. I couldn't believe how caring a person can be. And then today...

Though to others it may seem just sharing a photograph, but it is more than that.

Today, T sent me a photograph of a moon. That photograph had a note on it about the spots on the moon which were related to a poem I wrote months back. Someone had shared that photograph and T still remembered the discussion we had about the moon and fables related to it. Though to others it may seem just sharing a photograph, but it is more than that. That little note says a lot.. about the nice and considerate person T is... about the vastness of T's heart and greatness of T's character. It is not easy to be so mindful about others these days and we need to certainly celebrate moments and people like T. Though we do not talk too often, I always feel very inspired and positive whenever I talk with T... even if it's just a couple of words.

The number of words you speak do not matter.... as long as your thoughts are aligned the right way. I was deeply moved by T's gesture because of the thoughts that were put into it. I could not find the proper words that could convey my gratitude... but it surely did make that moment for me and I hope the thoughts were convened back to T. T, if you are reading this, please know that I am moved beyond words and I have always appreciated your gestures and generosity. Thank you for being a great friend

You too might have someone like that in your life. Someone who always cheers you up, even if you do not communicate too often. Appreciate these small gestures in friendship. If you too have a friend like T, value them. Keep them in your thoughts always. And if you do not have someone like that, be a T to the people around you.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

I and U

There are moments

when I transform to You

And moments

when You translate to I.

Ultimately, it's

I and U

that matter(s).

And, we meet midway.

12/2=6

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

June

A moment of transition
And of moments...
When history seems to
Repeat itself.
Is it time enough though
To call all these moments
That have been...
History?

For there are many more dawns
Yet to witness
Many more blossoms
Yet to smell
Miles to go
And paths to walk
Still many calming moonlights
To share our talks
And lie upon
The twinkling sand

Smiling starlight and
Warmth of the ocean breeze
Still waiting to feel
The chiming smile
That came across from
Thousands of miles

Dreams of those glories
Wrapped in silk
Are treasured in a place
Where time stays still
Aspirations of now
And Desires of the heart
Upon a warming smile
Present their shining part

Wishes gleam and Love beams
Under the silver moon and
In these days of
A magical June

Monday, June 12, 2023

Upon Love

I wished upon a velvet night
For a dawn, vivacious and bright

I wished too for that uplifting smile
To stay forever, and for an extra while

A day of memories
And moments to cherish
I garnered thoughts and hope
And enlivening feelings

A blessing for happiness

From the cosmos above

And a dream for us

I wished upon Love

Sunday, June 11, 2023

Tales of Nice Times

The evening breeze whispered

Tales of the nice times

When the Sun danced

And the wind chimed

Oceans sparkled

With the glory of a Delicate Warmth

The dazzling stars

Shone and bestowed charms

The moonlit meadows sent wishes

In every fragrance and hue

Upon witnessing feelings anew

Monday, June 5, 2023

Fire and Ice

It was a play of fire and ice

A play of sand and sea

Opposed and oddities were

Only a matter of perspectives

For when the forces symphonized

Magic oozed with sparks of gold.

Friday, April 28, 2023

Destined

It was probably
Just another afternoon sky
But every aspect of it
Reminded me of You
Smiling preciously
While nonchalantly stroking Your hair
With a blushing warmth
Adorning your eyes
And I realized one more time
You are the destined journey my smile takes
To find a home in my eyes everytime.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Words

Meaningful English Translation:

I have great reverence
for words
I treasure them
But when it is You
Words too feel irrelevant

How do I express
Everything that is felt
Or the emotions that are evoked...
In the mere frivolity of words!?

*Initially composed in German, translated to English

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Loved?

After a brief pause, a pause which felt as long and as short as the time one waits for trains to pass near a railway crossing, she said as she took a long breath,

"I loved him.

More than poets could love the moon. More than the parched summer grass loves the afternoon drizzle. I loved him more than I could have ever imagined. More than I thought I was capable of."

"Loved?" she thought while trying to find something unnamed and unrecognized in the tresses of grass. She asked her, still looking at the grass,

"Did you say you loved him?"

"I did, yes," she turned towards her as she replied.

"Past tense?"

"Yes," she replied crunching her eyebrows quizically, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just didn't know that the past tense of love existed... though grammatically it is a concept," she said as she turned her gaze from the tresses of grass to the sun across the sky. And thought, "Loved?! And do poets have to love the moon always? What if it's the sun they love? Was it ever Love if it transforms to Loved?"

And the pause continued once more.

Pages

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Monday, November 20, 2023

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Friday, September 8, 2023

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Friday, August 25, 2023

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Friday, July 28, 2023

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Monday, June 12, 2023

Sunday, June 11, 2023

Monday, June 5, 2023

Friday, April 28, 2023

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Saturday, April 15, 2023

About Me