Awakened By Rain

Walking down Park Street,
On a rainy Monday morning
Waterlogged…slippery… yet an unique appeal
A taste of forgotten life suddenly on my mind


The rushing city of booming economy
The air full of smoke of cigarettes and cars
Suddenly smelt sweet…
Kolkata, has been brought to a halt…


Rain’s adamant refusal to listen to the demands of globalization
The curses of technocrats notwithstanding
A subtle touch of nostalgia
A whiff of fragrant air…reminiscent of a buried past


Walking on that morning
I looked at the city of my love
Remembered her…admired her
Forced by Nature…glad that I did so…


Everyone thought I was crazy
Or maybe a KMC fan, trying to prove a point
Who cares…I was strolling…gliding by…
Wiping the mirror of my heart clean


I do not know why I took that walk
But, I enjoyed the water’s gentle caress
I reveled in the feeling of time stopping…
I realized with a rush of joy…I had not forgotten her


My rain, you brought everything to a stop
But I awoke in your presence…
Awoke to a beauty, I had forgotten existed
On the rainy day, when I walked down Park Street

Birth And Death

Listening to the song of life
In the silence of the rain
Trying to find the unchained melody
In the depth of the clouds

Soaring alone in the azure sky
Riding the crest of a wind swell
Rolling in the fragrance of the wet earth
I gave birth to my love for you…

But…I was not the one…
Not the embodiment of your dream
I was not what you expected me to be
Not good enough…for you…

Looking for the essence of life
In the lap of death
Searching for a ray of sunshine
In the eye of the cyclone

Lost in sea
Caught in a whirlpool
Still defiantly facing what lies ahead
I bury you, my love

Useless Dreams

I watch a slice of the sky
Through the small window of my room
Crippled by a helplessly drunk driver
Yet I dream of flying in the blue sky

I stare out at the street
Eagerly looking for the familiar car of my son
Dumped in an old-age home by him
Yet I dream of going back…he coming to fetch me

I patiently wait
Anticipating the one call, that will never come
She has gone far…far away
Yet I dream of her coming to me

I slog harder everyday…trying to earn more
To pay for the treatment of my wife’s blood cancer
She will leave me forever…soon
Yet I dream of conquering the black disease

What is the use of such dreams?
Why do we want to lose ourselves in vain hopes…
Is this a life…where the sole thing we hold on to…
Is a lie…A useless dream…

The Homecoming

I have woken up while the dawn is still dark
The night engaged in the last desperate battle with light
I can’t see you, yet I feel your presence
You are coming home …at last

I remember, as if it was yesterday
The silent parting of ways…
Not a word was spoken…yet so much was said
The eyes still speak…will you understand them?

Its been a long time, my love
Long has been the wait…
I have stumbled and slipped…but never fell
’coz deep down inside I felt your touch…

You come to me at last…
Returning from the unknown quest…
What did you get?
Did you find a substitute…for my love?

Yes, it is the homecoming
My lover returns from a distant land…
But is it really my love returning?
Who knows, after all… long has been the wait

Souvenirs

The dried rose…
A silent testimony
Of a lost fragrance
Of a memory lost in time
Of love locked deep inside my being…

The torn letter…
The sole letter which you wrote to me…
Ripped apart in a moment of anger
The ruins protected by years of love…

The pen…
You gave to me…
The ink long since over…but it still writes
The language of our silence…the language of unspoken words

The card…
Of love and a hug
The cute teddy bear still smiles at me
A smile frozen with the burden of my love…

These souvenirs of my life
Mementoes of a memory I want to forget…
Till I find them…again in a locked up vault of my heart
Reminding me of what was and will never be…

In Pursuit Of Happiness

Why do I tend to sink…
When all I have learnt is to stay afloat…
Why am I sad
When all I want to be is happy…


The blinking neon lights of the city
The deafening silence of the night
The unheard cries of millions
They all seek happiness…


Happiness --- the sweetness of the soul
The purity of the heart…
The ability to buy…
What is true happiness?


I walk alone in the crowded street
Crashing through life like a blundering madman
Running…in the unending futile search
Trying to bring back home, a pinch of happiness


The drudgery of life is unbearable…
Yet I stop to admire the wildflower by the road
I get out of home dejected, yet I look forward to getting back
Is this happiness?


Life, they say, is unfair
Grief, they say, is what we are surrounded by
Hope, they say, is a fool’s paradise
But I am in pursuit of happiness…


The bleak skyline still stares back
The everyday life still stings
The heart still cries for you…
Yet I am in pursuit of happiness…and I may find it still…

Idle Statements

Have you ever asked yourself a question…
Have you ever searched for someone in the clouds?
Have you ever sought a meaning in your incoherent dreams?
Have you ever glanced into her deep eyes…

Do you ever wonder why white flowers blossom in the black night?
Do you ever ask why we adjust to corruption?
Do you ever write a poem when you want to run away?
Do you ever tell her that you still love her…

These are idle statements…
Made to the skies…
Do not think about them a lot…
Just let them whirl in space for a while…then fade

Why did you compromise on your dreams?
Why did you sacrifice your love?
Why did you bet your life…
Why did you let her go…

Is your desire to live still with you…
Is your dream of making a difference still there?
Is it right to always choke the tears?
Is she still there where you left her…

These are idle statements…
Made to myself…
I do not have time to think about them…
So I’ll let them be for a while…then fade