The Questions
Again the moon comes up in the night
Again the stars
They stir up in me some questions
Without letting me know
Where the answers might be
Nor is the sky helpful
Soon it will be dawn
And the most useless guy to ask
When it comes to such questions
Will be there, giving life to us
But not the kind of life we are seeking.
I and U
I love her still
Who I loved
40+ years ago.
Did she love me
Back then
Though I know
She does not now.
Are We Worthy?
That we can love
A boy a girl, a girl a boy
That we can learn
About volcanoes and the stars
That we can cry
At the most trivial of losses
That we can laugh
At the silliest of antics
That we can help
Whether a friend or a foe
That we can sacrifice
Our very life
Does it not give you hope
That we are well equipped
To find the Truth, too?
Bruised But Not Broken
The supercilious smile
The unmistakable smirk
Have taken their toll
Yes, I am bruised
But I am a smart guy
Smarter than others reckon
So, I am not broken.
Sam ki Shayari Ya Shaam ki Shayari
Jis shakhs se mujhe milna tha
Afsos toda bahut hoti hai ki
Woh mereko tab aakar mili
Jab meri shaam ho chuki thi
Lekin khuda ko maaloom hai
Ismay bhi kya meri bhalai hai.
Where Am I Headed? Where Am I Supposed to Be Headed?
Where’s life taking me?
Where’s my heart taking me?
Do they think they know me
Better than I know myself?
Who is this I that asks the question
What is his relationship
With life and heart?
This Thing Called Acceptance
Eckhart Tolle talked about it
Much before him, two more talked
Much, much about it
JK and Osho, naam toh suna hoga
But, damn it guys, I accept myself
Easily without breaking into a sweat
I can accept life also, whatever turns it takes
But, it is the “other”, who does not
Who looks at me askance
And sometimes the “Not Other”, too,
And thus I spend my life here on earth
Not knowing what is “acceptable”?
The Lips
A poet tells me
Lips are meant for kissing
A sage tells me
Lips are meant to be zipped
Confused, I take out my laptop
And start typing.
Past the Midnight Hour
Under the cover of darkness, emboldened
Many a memory makes its appearance
In the theater of my mind, one after another
And I who have had delusions in the past
Can no longer trust which memory is genuine
For instance, one memory is rather persistent
And keeps appearing every now and then:
A girl smiling at me; what to make of it?
Should I start taking that antipsychotic?
I’d rather not, lest my psychiatrist say
“I told you so”, with that stupid grin.
The “No”
The no
Falling from some lips
Is far more problematic
Than from some other lips.
The Contradictions
Somewhere in this quest
To make a living
To live and love
To find the truth, sometimes
Life lands a sucker punch
When we are least expecting it.
All the Good We Can Do in This World
It is good to be laughed at
It is good to be made fun of
It is good to become a lughing stock
What a wonderful way to be
Where we are so useful to others
And Bentham’s soul would rest in peace.
Know Thyself 