And so it goes

Today I met a girl in liquor store
In her hand, there was a book titled 'how to save yourself'
And I was half a mind to tell her
To ditch the book and buy another beer

But as usual I kept my silence
To let her understand how it goes in  real world
No matter what you plan or what you do
Knowledge bows before ignorance

And so it goes
The dreams, desires and endless despairs

To the Neighborhood Singer

Like mourning Arwen, she sings of old worlds and lost love
A certain melancholy which no word can capture
As the cacophony of the world wanes
The cold night awakens to listen to her song

Oblivious to the world around her, she sings to lonely stars
And to chained souls bound to their own illusions
Her ethereal voice clears the clouds over the moon
And even in the harsh winter remind flowers to bloom

And one wonders, what is this life
Nothing but someone's song , someone's tune
We all live and die , never knowing what it means
As long as someone remembers us and sings

In the Mood for Love

Behind the curtain of right and wrong , unspoken words hanging in the air
Masks replace the true faces and their masquerades become their identities
When two hearts wounded in love meet on the secret lanes of desire

All was needed; someone to take a leap of faith
She into his arms or he into hers; And yet they kept a safe distance
Like everyone else chained to own convictions, fools pretending to not care

For some roads there are no ends , they run forever!

Beer cans waiting for Nirvana

Standing on my balcony, as I scan the city at night
Midst the dissolving lights, silhouettes of thousand others looking at the clouded sky
Closed shops claiming 'easy recharge', 'real estate', 'water supply' on their shutters
Abandoned vehicles on road, tired footsteps returning home and empty beer cans waiting for nirvana

In such a night like this, a long time ago, when I was waiting for the Sunday night movie
My grandfather, half asleep in his rocking chair, told me ;
Each unfulfilled dream become a cloud on the sky and each time rain comes it brings someone some joy
And as I look at the sky, only clouds can be seen signifying almost nothing
Maybe only Sunday hangover and horror of Monday mornings

To the girl who sells flowers at the mountain temple

In the late afternoon, clouds move like cows returning home
At the mountain top, you can listen to their soft hums
And there she sits in front of the age old temple
Selling flowers and listening to the cloud songs

Rain appears at one end; everyone runs for a shelter
And the mountain God, safe in his sanctum, dreams about evening offerings
Unperturbed by the vicissitudes of world around her
She sits there listening to mischievous raindrops

Her soaked hair seems like threads that keep the world from unwinding
And in her wet lips lies the answer to all whys of humankind
Untamed like the mountain where she lives
In a corner of her mind, thousand world begins and dissolves at same time

But it rained

It rained again
leaving behind droplets on electric wires and window bars
And spark of your absence

Cleaning the city of last night's sins
The world around takes a different shape
A fresh & wet look for a change

I wonder whether it rained in my village too
And what happened to all those paper-boats
Did they reach some other country or drowned in the way

Travelling salesman problem

Packed my suitcase with new samples, polished my old shoe

Coat needs to be mended, but may be some other day

Have a quick breakfast and I run to join the race

To tread my sweat and my soul to maintain pace

Have mastered the fake smile

Now am able to sell to what-not-to-be-sold

I remember the boy sitting in the moral science classroom

But with time you learn to trade conscience for a hefty commission

I know tomorrow is just another day

But some breaths are still left to be wasted on my destruction

Every Time We Say Goodbye

Here is to the time spent between the raindrops
Of unspoken words and incomprehensible glances
Cheers to the silhouette of you dancing self against the night
As your dark hair causing havoc in my memories

Here is to the freedom you have
Of your devil-may-care attitude and your smiles
Cheers to you and your invincible spirit within
As you unknowingly bring me to life

Hope we make a story of our own at the end
Because every time we say goodbye, it hurts so bad

An affair to remember

Do you still come in my dreams
And sit under gulmohar tree and watch butterflies fly by
Do you still walk on this earth with your measured steps

And hum the song of time gone by

Do you still close your eyes and think about me
A smile arrives unannounced and move to corner of your lips
And you unknowingly let your eyes tell our secrets