SHE FLIES...

As the wind blows
A leaf breathes a dream
A dream to fly sky high
And take a dip in the stream.

A dream where it reaches a faraway land
And meets the red oak tree
A dream where it rides on a dancing cloud
And brushes through the sun kissed sand

A dream where it will fly
And go for a long day’s ride
Little does it know that the lightening will attack
To make it fall and finally die.

There will be hands to pick it and tear
There will be the thorns that cut they don’t care
There will be pain that she will endure
But the leaf says I will fly, I will for sure.

There will be bad and good and bad
There will be shocks & betrayal to make her sad.
But the leaf is pure and she doesn’t care
She knows her destiny will take her there.

Away from the fears of dust and storm
There is a land where happiness is born
Away she flies to that much awaited land
Where the leaf will smile and rest in his caring hand.

WE CAN ONLY BE...

We live together…We shall die together…And its ok if we are not Lovers!!!
Those words rang in her ears once again.
They were together. Through their toddler days and finally the graduation years. Hinting the possibility of a secret relationship to the world and then quietly laughing about this trick they played. Friends, truly, sincerely- Just friends!
A day came when they were walking through a not so well lit road and she was about to get hit by a car when he just pulled her back and saved her. It looked more like a super hero on a rescue mission to save the heroine…but then he was always like that. She was convinced about it and happy in his shelter. Knowing fully well that love was taking place of friendship in his heart. But then, it was unsaid and lay untouched. But that particular day after saving her and taking relief that she was in one piece, without any wounds he gave her a moist eyed look and said- You know what… ‘We live together’. She didn’t know what to say in that tense, intense moment. So all she muttered was- ‘We shall die together.’ He looked deeper into her eyes and then finally gave a blank stare a wink and an unexpected reply- ‘Hey! And it’s ok if we are not lovers!’
She ran home. Angry, annoyed, confused, sad. Unable to understand why was it like that. The next 24 hours went brooding about that one single moment. Then finally she gave up and accepted that her first love story, if at all it was, had succumbed to time. And this was it.
They didn’t meet for many days after that. She saw him but hid away, though continued to look at him through the corner of her eyes, struggling to control the flutter in her heart that his presence still caused. From friendship…to almost love…to nowhere.
The next year brought wedding bells along. She looked like the princess of the world in her red outfit. The rites done, the blessings taken, her groom by her side, as she walked towards her car, there was a pat at her shoulder.
He stood there. Dressed in classic black, with a bouquet in his hand. Yes, he looked better than most in that room.
He said- ‘Hey beautiful! You will always be happy. I know that now. Do tell me if you need something.’
She unaffected by the people around returned saying- ‘You should know about what I want. Remember, we lived together.’ To that he reacted with a smile and words she knew well with an added question mark- ‘We shall die together?’ The satire in the way he said it made her laugh and reply- ‘Ya...and its ok…we are not lovers.’
Years passed. They weren’t living together anymore. Responsibilities pushed way into life and she forgot those words. Only one day when she was sending her daughter to school she heard about a badly injured major serving the Indian Army, lying dead in the hospital.
She recognized the name. The photograph. There was no one to claim his body. He didn’t have a family. Just a few belongings. He was a great soldier they said. Fighting till the last minute. The true hero Well, she knew, he always was one.
They didn’t find too many belongings. Just a diary. With his work schedules drawn. His rules written. His important things listed. His goals carved. Nothing of any importance to her. Except the last page where he had scribbled in red-
We hardly lived together
I know we won’t die together
Still…we are, we can only be Lovers!!!

BARED

I cannot write,

My words fail;

I cannot always offer,

My demanding senses sometimes prevail.

I cannot always be truthful,

Though I regret those lies;

I cannot smile forever,

I very often give up and cry.

I cannot create the perfect home,

There will be loopholes I know;

I might not give you the most beautiful baby,

I shall try very much though.

I cannot lose the love I was gifted,

I know I am a coward deep inside;

I shall be a loser in need of support,

More often than the strength by your side.

All this and much more in hiding,

I conceal from your sharp probing eyes;

I just bared the secrets of my soul to you,

Just stay and listen to its silence…don’t ever utter that last Goodbye.

Lovely Questions...???

How would you see love?
Its one vibrant color,
No painter could ever paint.
How would you hear love?
Its one soulful tune,
No musician could ever play.
How would you read love?
Its one true language,
No author could ever write.
How would you smell love?
Its one embracing scent,
No fragrance could ever ignite.
Never close or ever close
Never far or the faraway star
The most complicated riddle
Or the simplest fable ever narrated
Love is just an expression all carry
Or is it an emotion that stays hidden, in the very depths of every living heart?