You’re my girl...

You're my dream,

my kiss

You're my star,

that beautiful cigar,

I never smoke,

You're the love about which I never spoke

You’re the bedside,

Where my secret lies

You’re the hope that remains,

When every dream dies,

You’re my laughter,

And you’re all those deep sighs

You’re the sun,

That never shines,

The clouds,

Which forgot to rain,

You’re all those smiles I missed,

Only to experience that comforting pain

And you’re the dance,

I can never dance,

You are the song,

I can always sing,

You’re the commotion in my mind,

You’re the only who seems my kind.

You’re the hugs,

I never got,

You’re that lucky unburnt cigarette,

When I got no money for the pot,

The one they never found,

you’re that hidden pearl

And little do they know, that 

You’re my girl...

So, are you ready?

One fine morning you will wake up from the slumber, filled with disgust towards your job and everyone you know, almost everyone. You will look at the watch, before throwing it away because schedules don’t matter to you anymore. You will directly proceed to the basin, wash your face and gaze at yourself in the mirror, your eyes staring at you with emptiness. This is the first morning you don’t care about anything.

Sitting on the bed while gazing at the minuscule particles of the sunrays, you will try to remember the dream you saw last night. Few minutes later while buttoning your shirt you will remember it wasn’t the dream, but the last thought you had the night before. You will spend some more minutes recalling it, while you continuously tap your defunct iPod hoping that it will come into life, but it is as useless as your life right now. You will remember about that old Discman lying in the corner, and as the first Rolling Stones track hit your brains, they will start functioning at their normal speed.

You will tie the shoelaces of that brand-new converse, which were lying unpacked since the day you bought them. The corporate world has sucked the life from you, and you need a holiday. You will get out your house and proceed towards the travel agent's office, when suddenly you realize that from past five years, you are going to the same holiday destination. It will not seem right, and that is when the thought from the night before will hit you.

The unplanned vacation

You are skeptical about the idea, but still unable to stop your hands taking out the clothes and packing them into the travel bag lying unused from last three years. Your mind is thinking about everything that can go wrong during this unplanned trip, as you will slowly leave your house behind, locked until god knows when.

You will hail the taxi, without knowing the destination. Every moment will be unplanned, and every direction that will come out of your mouth will be your instincts doing the talking. Turns after turns, deciding between bus stand, airport and railway station, you will finally find yourself standing on a railway platform.

You have no idea, what you are going to do next. The organized chaos is whirling all around you; they all have a ticket in their hands and a hope to reach their expected destination on time. So, there you're standing, with nothing but few of your belonging, looking at train charts with a hope of reaching somewhere new in whatever time it takes.

You will proceed towards the ticket counter, but this time you will not know the name of your destination. You will ask him to give you the ticket to the last destination of the first train out of the station. You will collect it and realize that the train is due to leave in next two minutes, from the announcements.

You will run as if it is the train to your dream destination, you will run as fast as you have never in your life. Somehow, while dodging the luggage and passengers you will enter the train just in time. After settling down on your berth, you will discover that your destination is in a part of your country you have never been to.

While sitting with passengers speaking a language you have never heard, it will remind you about your penchant for the new languages. You haven’t learnt any from past 10 years; college and job have sucked the life out of you. Therefore, you greet the one sitting next to you, and after asking this stranger’s name, you request him to teach you few of the words of his language.     

You will use those newly learnt words to impress that beautiful girl sitting across you, because what can go wrong. After a long time, you are confident while striking a conversation with a stranger girl. It turns out she is the daughter of the man who just taught you those words by which you impressed her. Before you can make amends, their destination has arrived. Now you are alone, as your fellow passengers have left.

While humming some of your favourite songs, you will stare out of the window at the mountain ranges passing by; you have never even imagined yourself coming to these parts when suddenly you will receive a call from your boss. Enraged by your sudden disappearance he demands an explanation. Miffed by this behaviour, you immediately throw your phone out of the window as the train crosses a river. You know the repercussions of your act, but you are too oblivious with fear that has been lingering inside you. You’ve suffered enough, and it’s your time to break the shackles.

"Who cares about that job?" The thought rises in your mind as you started writing few lines on the page lying in front of you. You will be writing a poem for the first time since your breakup, you've promised never to write or sing again since she went, it had been a painful year. However, you can't keep yourself from smiling, and enjoying as you feel a drop of water collide with you skin, as few more follow it and land directly on your arm placed at the window. You look at the sky, as the train will forge ahead under the dense cover of black clouds.

It will start to rain as you let the droplets pierce your inhibitions and drench a part of your shirt. You have kept the paper in your bag; it is safely clutching the first poem you have written in quite some time. Your destination is still far away, as you sit by the window letting the cold wind caress your hair.

Few hours later

After a long journey, you will get down at that obscure station you have never imagined arriving at. Except a few people, the station is embodying the calmness of that town you have reached. You will immediately fall in love with the surroundings. This is the place where you have always imagined settling down.

You will immediately get out of the station in search of a hotel. And while searching for the hotel, a poster trying to fend off the sticky paste that is holding it against the wall while ruffling in the wind, will catch your gaze. It’s an advertisement containing the newly opened paragliding centre. Adventure sports, you have always wanted to experience that thrill.

You will spot a hotel, and immediately set of for the Paragliding centre after putting your luggage in the room. You have skipped the meals at the hotel; you don't care about those clenching muscles in your stomach as craving for something delicious.

You will try your best to locate the address of the centre interacting with the people who don’t speak your language. Unsuccessful at your numerous tries, somehow, you will find a shopkeeper who understands a little English. He will point you towards a hill few kilometers away in the east direction. As you will look eastwards, a lush green mountain range will be standing, as if welcoming you with an open heart.

You will hitch a ride to your destination, and realize your favourite song is playing inside the car. And as you will start singing along, you’ll be joined by the driver sitting next to you. Here, you have your first friend in this new town. After dropping you at your destination, he will invite you for a lunch the next day instead of parting with a plain goodbye.

As you step inside the centre, the blood will start creating a chaos in your veins. After spotting an instructor standing at a distance, you will have an urge to run towards him. Because at this moment, you don't have a single second to spare in your chase to fulfil one of your earliest dreams.

"Are you ready for it?" The instructor will ask while tying the safety belt around you. The twinkle in your eyes, as you look towards the vast valley spreading in front of you, will convey your answer.

As you slowly place your palms on bars of the paraglider, you will ask yourself for the last time if you’re ready for it. A smile will appear on your face, because somewhere inside you have always known the answer. The instructor will pass instructions, and you will slowly start proceeding towards the edge, ready to experience that beautiful feeling which has eluded you.

Before taking the last step towards your first flight, you’ll look around towards the people standing nearby. Staring in their eyes and asking them if they have also left their organized life behind, to experience this happiness inducing helter-skelter And you’ll fly away….

So, are you ready?

When they'll be together...

And as she looked towards the sky

A star shone brightly

“Hey star why do you look so happy tonight?”

She asked

“Hey green eyed girl, today I’m a

messenger for someone.”, it said.

For whom?

“There’s a guy who loves you,

He wanted me to give you this.”

On a pale piece of paper, with the blood red ink

Were a few alphabets trying to string a song of his emotions

As the star went back to its twinkling form,

And the dark clouds hid moon behind them,

A drop fell on the paper, which she held in her hands.

As it started raining, she closed her window and smiled,

She loved the the rains, and the coziness they bought

She missed him, and wished for that day,

When she’ll be with him, in his arms.

Hey babe, he wrote

It’s another sleepless night without you

It’s another night when all my thoughts will be about you

I see the moon from my window tonight, 

I hope it whispers in your sleep tonight,

That how much I long for you.

“It’s cloudy here.” She whispered

while reading the letter and longing

for the day

when they'll be together. 

There he was across the sea,

Sitting by his window sill, nursing his injuries

And few of his insecurities & fears, while missing her.

He had a cup of coffee in his hands,

And the notepad on his lap.

He was scribbling something,

Thinking about one more way to make her

Feel special.

While just like her, 

waiting for the day

When they’ll be together. 

Iss raat ki bhi ek subah hai..

इस रात को अब गुज़र जाने दो, 

सवेरा जल्द ही अपने रंग दिखलायेगा

इस ख्वाब को उजड़ जाने दो, 

अब हकीकत संग मज़ा कुछ और आएगा...

माथे की इस शिकन से दोस्ती हुई पुरानी, 

अब तो मुस्कराहट को अपना यार बनायेंगे

इन् तारों की छाँव में बहुत जी लिए,

अब तो सूरज के घर आने पर नाचे गायेंगे.... 

अँधेरे में गुमनाम ये ज़िन्दगी,

अब फिर नयी रौशनी की ओर जाती दिख रही है 

आज फिर नए रंगों की दूकान खुल चुकी है,

और खुशियों की डिबिया फिर डिस्काउंट में बिक रही है....

जाओ आज खरीद लाओ उस ख्वाहिश को,

जो कभी दूर से ही सुहानी लगती थी

इस रात को अब गुज़र जाने दो,
और ओढ़ लो फिरसे उस अरमानो वाली चादर को,

जो कभी किसी कोने में पड़ी पुरानी लगती थी.... 

Iss raat ko ab guzar jaane do,

Savera jald hi apne rang dikhlayega.

Iss khwaab ko ujad jaane do,

Ab haqeeqat sang mazaa kuch aur aayega...

Maathe ki iss shikan se dosti hui purani,

Ab toh mukurahat ko apna yaar banayenge.

Inn taaron ki chaanv mein bahut jee liye,

Ab toh suraj ke ghar aane par naache gayenge....

Andhere mein gumnaam ye zindagi,

Ab fir nayi roshni ki oor jaati dikh rahi hai.

Aaj fir naye rangon ki dukaan khul chuki hai,

Aur khushiyon ki dibiya fir discount mein bik rahi hai....

Jaao aaj khareed lao uss khwahish ko,

Jo kabhi duur se hi suhani lagti thi.

Iss raat ko ab guzar jaane do,

Aur odh lo firse uss armaano waali chadar ko,

Jo kabhi kisi kone mein padi purani lagti thi...

A collection of short ones

Sometimes I just want to cry,

so that she could smile.

I hope she’s smiling right now.

 ********

Hey friend,

I know you’re there

Hiding behind the desk, aren’t you?

Hey friend,

I know you’ll come out anytime.

Look I am hurt, and I need you.

Hey friend,

I know you’re coming out anytime,

I know you’re going to comfort me now.

Hey friend,

I know you’ve died but your memories are still there,

you’re still by my side; you’re still making me smile.

*********

The old pine tree,

it still stands there, behind the park.

It still remembers our first conversation,

and it still recalls the story of our first kiss.

That water fountain at the city center,

it is still the main tourist attraction.

But it misses our small fights,

at 2 AM during the starry nights.

The last desk in the class,

yes our names are still carved on it.

The scent of your shampoo is still present there

where you kept your head down,  just to stare

at me.

That house is still empty,

where the tears which fell from your eyes

when we made love for first time,

are still flowing down the slanted and creaking floor.

That bicycle is still rusting in my backyard,

which I once used to bring flowers

to apologize for every mistake I made.

I still use that cycle to carry those same flowers

every day at 9 AM to the grave,

Where from past 10 years,

you’ve stayed.

*******

Those memories,

I’ll burn them all and smile.

I don’t want to cry anymore,

I don’t want them to be my

emotions’ turnstile.

Those memories,

they’re all gone.

Now I don’t cry,

but I also don’t smile.

Smiling doesn’t make sense,

now that the emotions don’t

have any fence.

********

My guitar and me,

I don’t know how to play it.

But it still loves me.

I just strum it and hum a random tune,

it loves my fingers caressing its strings,

it still hopes that I’ll learn its tunes.

My guitar and me,

we have stayed together during hard times.

And now that the good times are near

it looks at me and smiles, whenever I sing.

My guitar and me,

it wants me to learn a new song today.

It says to me, “I know you love that girl.

Won’t you play a song for her.”

My guitar and me,

we’re the best friends.

We might not know each other perfectly

but we’re still auto tuned to each other.                 

*******

Bless them all,

Bless the smile on his torn lips,

Bless that eye which can’t see

Bless that tongue which can’t speak

Bless that ear which can’t hear

Bless that knee,

which misses its other partner.

But most of all,

Bless those who still smile,

despite their fears and troubles.

Just bless them all, God. 

15 din waali mohabbat...

15 din ka pyaar...

ya sapana tha woh? bolo.

Mujhe toh kuch nahin pata,

na hee kuch pata karna hai aaj...

Lagta hai abhi so kar utha hun,

par neend badi pyaari aayi thi.

Ek pari sang meri yaari thi,

ab toh woh gayi, bas ye ek hassi de gayi....

Achcha lagta hai aaj

ye 15 din ka pyaar, dosti ya tha kuch aur,

mujhe toh kuch nahin pata

na hee kuch pata karna hai aaj....

Uski awaaz, uske bolne ka salika

woh na chahte hue bhi mujhe daantna

aur fir daant kar aur jyaada pyaar jatana.

Ye sapna tha kya? bolo

Pata nahin achanak mil gayi thi

laga jaise kabse jaanta hun.

Fir ek din alvida keh kar boli

‘I will miss you’

Achcha laga tha,

bade dino baad koi sachcha laga tha....

Maine bhi toh miss kiya tha usse

aur fir dil ki baat bhi bol hi daali.

Pata chala aag dono taraf lagi hai,

lekin kuch tham se gaye the hum.

Par humare dil, woh bechare kab thame hain....

Kehti thi mujhe gaana sunao

fir sunte sunte so jaati thi.

Kabhi kehti so jao

aur khud gaake jagati rehti thi.

Pagal si thi woh, bilkul meri tarah...

Kehna chahta tha bahut kuch usse

nahin keh paaya par main.

Aaj chali gayi woh...

Keh rahi thi kuch din baad ayegi

par aise vaade kab pure hue hain.

Aur unn kuch din baad toh,

mera bhi kuch pata nahin hoga....

Hawa ki tarah udd jaunga

uski khusbu lekar apne seene mein.

Na jaane fir kab milenge

hum do ajanabi, iss bheed mein...

Milenge bhi ya nahin

Kya pata?

Mile bhi toh aise hi dil dhadkega

Kya pata?

Ye 15 din waali mohabbat

sahej ke rakhunga,

dil ke kisi kone mein

ek haseen sapne ki tarah.....

Suno,

Keh ke toh gayi hai ki aayegi

par chalo agar nahin bhi aayi,

Toh bhi ye 15 din waali mohabbat

zindagi bhar hasayegi.....

Ye alvida ek muskurahat waala

jo de kar gayi hai mujhe,

bas yehi dua hai jahan gayi ho woh,

mujhe yaad kar aise hi muskuraye...

Hum do pagal ajnabiyon ki

15 din waali mohabbat....