Merci

As I wake up today with weary eyes and no fervor to face another day, I try to balance the scales, and measure in time, what have I lost? The feeling of home. The presence of a soul mate. The warmth of a known hand. The words of an understanding soul. The selfless love of an unrelated being. The dynamics of a city. The stealth of the foot. The sharpness of the brain. The unfinished desires. The steadfastness. A peaceful soul. Myself. The scales seem to be broken. How does one repair? -Merci.

Today I woke up to a sunny morning, a landscape of blossoming trees, and the blue blue sky. Today my heart woke to a blurry warning, an impressionist sunset, painted with a violet lie. ********************* P.S: Can poems have preludes? I would like to believe so.  This one is prelude to my earlier published piece  Tango .

It is during the empty moments of lazy afternoons or busy evenings, that I think of your pain, and the cause of it. The atrocity of time or the cruelty caused on my behest. Who knew life would alter? But it did. Who thought I would falter? But I did. As your despair heightens, it reaches to me. As my misery rises, I cease to see. It's a funny little tango, with tormenting dancers. I am the criminal and also the victim. Of a questionable tale, with no answers. -Merci.

Boulders, stones and pebbles. They seemed to block my way.  I treaded precariously, as I slowly overcame each one of them. Yet I failed. Each time.  I did not understand why.  I cried, frayed and distraught.  Until I realized the biggest hurdle, I needed to overcome. Was myself. 

The turtle was nearing the summit. It had been quite an exhausting journey. Yet, he was so close to winning this race. Five years on the road, struggling to make it to the end. The turtle had taken quite a many bends. Crossed forests and narrow roads. Strived through shorter days and longer nights. Endless dreams. The hare had fallen asleep somewhere at a turn, far behind. Did he wake up soon after and take a detour? Who knew. The turtle did not care anymore. He did move really slowly, the turtle had realized. So many years had passed. But for now the race for the turtle wasn't against another but against himself. And after all these odds, against all the obstacles and many beautiful pathways, here he stood very close to the finish line. Walking on the narrow ridge of the mountain range he found himself at a cliff with a narrow pit between himself and the victory flag. He would certainly have to leap over this to the other side. Or perhaps, learn to fly. Could he do th...

She dreamt of a wooden study desk with a small table lamp. Reading in the soft glow of light. Listening to her favourite music? The night falls slowly, and the trees whisper in silence. The stars peep out and watch her as she sits on her desk by the window. Writing in her diary perhaps? Sometimes glancing outside the window, staring into the sky. She dreamt of that one world of her own. Of uninterrupted silence. So simple. So pristine. It took her several years. And one ordinary moment of epiphany, to realize that the dream did come true. -Merci.

Last one week has been a whirlwind journey. So many lows and so many highs. Let's just say I couldn't catch hold of the minutes or the hours or the days. Time just flew by. Can I say that I still have control? I don't think so. Not yet. But one does tune into their favourite songs, to lose a sense of time and in this pursuit I discovered a beautiful ghazal sung by the very famous Mehdi Hassan and written by Ahemad Faraaz that goes as below:- रंजिश ही सही दिल ही दुखाने के लिये आ Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa (le t it be anguish, come still at least to torment my heart) आ फिर से मुझे छोड़ के जाने के लिये आ aa phir se mujhe chhod ke jaane ke liye aa (come, even if to leave me again) If you are in the mood for soulful music that holds the universe together for you in those few minutes, click play on either of the two that you prefer. Thank me later. Original Sung by Mehdi Hassan Recreated by Papon ...