Paradigm

I
am floating
in the crimson sea
of an emerald love.

You
are watching me
from under an azure sky
standing afar on the tawny shore.

I,
in a trance
swim across to you,
mesmerised by your beacon.

You
take me by the hand
and lead me along a road
stretched under a green canopy.

We
are homeward bound,
Leaving our unfading footprints,
On the asphalt of time,
For the posterity to follow.

Peace and I.
                                                                                                                   Chandni

The Retreat

The night's foggy veil
Was shredded
By her intermittent wail.
Her tear soaked rendition
From the mountain foot
Wafted to touch the heaven.

From the foliage, a bird unknown,
Rendered the sky, storm torn.

The morning peeks
To take in the vision
Of the trees and peaks
Draped in downy flakes
And  blossoms fatigued,
After the winter's fashion..

If only it was the cuckoo,
Then Spring would do well to,
Conspire with the rainbow,
The powdery shroud be smeared
With varied,not just one hue...but,
All that the sky wears after the pour.

The veil is yet to lift,
For, the lazy Sun,
Is not swift on it's feet.
However, not long,
Before it comes undone.

Not in a too distant time, later,
The spring and the summer,
Will come dancing along,
To the tune of their joyous song.

How could the Sun not come alive?
And with them, break into a jive?,
Then,where'd the fog and mist hide?
On what gloom would they thrive?
                                                  Chandni.

Partners

Together they have worked their way through their past.At present, all that they do,  at their leisure, is look at their future, making their way to the place they have already been to.They are happy to be their mentors.They have been partners.....through time!
                                                                                                                  Chandni.

Hope

The wheels of time rolled on to set the chariot of life in motion. The rest is history.....of the birth of a great civilization called humanity.Unfortunately, it has not been able to shed the darkness of the womb that had borne it for so long. Now,enlightenment waits to embrace it.All that is required is for wisdom to drive it towatds it's destination. History can't wait to be rewritten.High time! 
                                                    Chandni.

The Murderer

Like all other mornings,I walked past his cell just when the muezzin was heard over the public address system,expecting to see the familiar sight of him kneeling on his prayer mat.But this morning when I didn't see him in his usual position,I wondered why! When I peered into his cell,I knew why.He was a free man now.
     In his otherwise empty diary,all that was written was, "For the love of God,I couldn't let them take my mother away for killing my father, to save me from being killed!"
                                                     Chandni.

Irrational

They peeped from behind the blinds in their hideout,watching their house being vandalised by those who've always been like their family.But now they were their enemies....because suddenly they realised that they didn't belong with them.
     Not fear,but the shock of witnessing the hatred burning in those eyes that'd once twinkled with affection,rendered them mute.The younger brother couldn't hold back a sob.It was enough to give away their hideout.The door was flung open.They turned around.What met their eyes,was the last thing they ever saw....just as well!
                                                     Chandni.

Lost and Found

In yesterday's fire,my mother lost the tangible memories of my father,and I lost Ben,my soulmate,along with our house. I, a twelve- year- old felt completely lost without a two- year- old dog! Just when I wanted to bury my face in Ben's warm furry body, I. felt something cold and wet nudging my hand. I looked down and straight into the eyes of Ben.Next moment, he was all over me, licking and woofing.Who found him and how,didn't matter.All that mattered was Ben was back and so was I.
                                                Chandni.

One

The morning light flooded her with the memories of the previous night.Last night was beautiful.The smile on his sleeping face vouched for that.She couldn't help leaning over to brush his lips with hers.His eyes flew open and he reached up to plant a kiss on her forehead.Later, when their whispers and giggles were interrupted by hunger,they dug into an apple,....one,because they couldn't afford two.However,their entwined hearts and souls were too full to need more.They were too one to acknowledge the hunger of their two seperate stomachs.
                                                 Chandni.

Dream Merchant

Then,he couldn't sleep because his dream laden twinkling eyes never let him.He couldn't rest till he filled sheaves of blank pages with those dreams.He waited, in an eternal wait, to translate them into reality.He grew tired and oneday,he dozed off...in a dream devoid slumber.When he woke up,he found his Social Responsibilities  staring at him.He couldn't look away.
     Now,he sells them,dream variations.His dimming eyes lazily skim the buyers,hoping to catch sight of at least one,who'd look fortunate enough to live them!
                                              Chandni 

Aphotic

The scar-borne wounded sword,
Rise in protest against fleeting love,
Drunk on blood, man,on it has poured,
Death escapes, caging the dove.

The barren sky,attired in black,
Mourning the souls' demise,
The night frightened,still on it's track,
The silence,choking on it's silent cries.

When love is the harbinger of death,
Life suffocates in it's own strain,
Joy,heaves laboured breath,
Pain sings,earth joins in for the refrain. 

The trees huddled in their shadows,
Dropping a shady veil in my yard,
Light flees over vales and meadows, 
It trembles,a forgotten ray,a sliver,a shard.

My parched tongue,tastes the silent verses,
Looming large,the shadow of my sorrow,
Who,(and why) do I call to break these curses,
To shovel this stygian gloom,enveloping my morrow?
                                                    Chandni

Bat(te)ling

I am a bat.Light blinds me but not night.I stalk darkness and befriend the Moon.I fly across it,basking in its soothing light.I traverse the hushed sky and hear the heart of the night break in silence as it's darkness,though partially,surrenders to the Moon.But I rejoice.....for who,better than I can see the Earth,in her full glory, bathed in silver light of a full Moon?
I return every night,to get drunk on this intoxicating beauty and not on blood.Why can't you see the beauty stored in me?You aren't blind....or are you?
                                                    Chandni.

The Father

He sat by the road hoping that he hadn't missed the bus that came to his village to collect workers to work in towns.He scrunched up at the morning sun and somehow knew he'd have to return home, one more day,empty handed.He turned to the stretch of the empty road.He took a deep drag on his 'beedi' and watched his hope going up in smoke.
He wondered, how long he'd have to wait to see his daughter's eyes light up at the sight of food,he'd take home at the end of the day!

The Cry

The incomplete story of the red Moon,
Floating in the fragrance of the night,
Stops,on the silence of her face--
On her trembling lashes, 
Like the furled bud, waiting,
To be touched by the Sun.
The night smiles,caressing 
The light,dancing on her smile,
And gleaming on the tendrils
Kissing her unlined brows.
The Moon shares her soft pillow
Lies there a little while longer.
He stalls the day from appearing,
That rushes away, leaving behind
The jagged pieces of broken dreams.
The strain of a flute sobs in the dark.
      Who plays?The west wind?
          Is it a plea? For what?
For sleep,to weave a complete dream?
                                                      Chandni

Fading Colours

They're strangers,befriended by their mutual love for building sand castles.The little brown boy and the fair skinned one,divided by skin colour but united by the colour of innocence.Their shadows don't discriminate, neither do the blue sky and the golden sun.They speak different languages but laugh in the same.They play with the sand,oblivious of the games the adults play to drive a wedge between them.They might meet in a different time frame but will they be allowed to share a common social platform?Time races on,but isn't a racist.Thankfully!
                                                    Chandni

Insatiable

It's not a fable though,
A story,nonetheless about a crow.
Hopping branches,raving with thirst and hunger,
Ravenous,the raven's raucous,ranting desperation and anger.
The wood,shadowed by trees kissing the sky, breathes calm,
But the crow circles over it,shredding it to pieces,the air warm,
The dry stony eyes roving, to catch sight of water,if not a bite.
Sees it's tribe,encircling,perhaps a cadaver,veiled from the sight.
Swoops down and becomes one with the crowd 'murderous',
Has it's fill and takes wings....maybe for another carcass?
                                                Chandni.

Transporter

On A Treadmill

Everyday I find myself and lose a little deeper,
When my dreams weave stories unheard and queer,
Everyday I wake up to the old sun,
lntroducing me to the new light when the night is done,
Everyday the free air costs me a breath,
When all I crave is a little life,away from death.
                                              Chandni.

Souled

She noticed the stranger staring at her from across the street.The jostling crowd and the honking traffic did nothing to make him take his eyes off her.Her own eyes riveted,watched his drip laughter,as if mocking her for not being able to look away.The glint in his eyes,was setting her soul on fire.She shivered.She tore her gaze away. Without a backward glance,she threaded her way through the crowd and fled.But could she really escape those eyes that stared out at her from every single page of her sketch book?
                                                     Chandni.

Singed

Just as he lit a cigarette,after his morning cup of tea,he found himself an audience to an argument ensuing in that tea stall,over national politics.His silent observation that the diminishing length of his cigarette was inversely proportional to the volume of the argument, amused him.Did they realise the heart burn their futile rantings were causing them?However,soon,his cigarette's burnt end reminded him that his lungs needed his attention more than their hearts.He flicked it away -- guilt ridden, for depriving his lungs of a few gasp-free breaths,in a comparatively healthy body.
                                              Chandni.

The Link

   

She sat there listening to his voice.It was like a daily ritual and she's been performing it for the last 20 years.Not a day went by when she wouldn't insert the audio cassette into the player and hear it over and over again.No,it was not a song.But for her,it was the finest music she'd ever listen to.All it had was just one line,"Mamma,I love you." With tears shimmering in her eyes and a smile,she'd mouth,"I love you,too."Later she'd caress the cassette with infinite tenderness.It was her last link to her long gone son. 

                                                 Chandni.

Honestly

I'LL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU...Do you hear that?Agreed I made mistakes the first time..so? I am not giving up on Hope.God won't let me...because He loves me,I know.If at all,and ever you feel the need to come looking for me,you know where to find me.Having said that, I would like to wish you, with all my heart the best of luck.Have a great life!

Being Happy

Happiness....the most misconstrued entity the human race has ever been offered .Nobody knows for sure what is this thing called happiness,yet we chase it relentlessly and tirelessly. Ironically,the more we pursue it,the more elusive it gets.
  The poets and philosophers have identified it as nothing but a state of mind.Sounds a good enough concept .Perhaps this is the reason each one of us has our own way of looking at it and accordingly we strive to find it in places that suit our convenience.For the starving, nothing makes them happier than that piece of bread.Their glee knows no bounds when the rich find it resting in their coffers.Besides, there are the self proclaimed  servants of God who never tire of letting the world know how they have  attained bliss in their unwavering service to the Almighty,mentioning nothing about their moral obligations to humanity.And then there are the lovers, the only breed who seek happiness in another of their kind.But the question is how!
   Our natural tendency is to possess.Very human.No matter how vocal we get about being happy in unconditional love,when it comes to practising it, we cannot deny the fact that our hearts are just not conditioned that way. Maybe,this is the only line of demarcation between human and Divine love.Small wonder that the happiness that we seek in love is so fraught with doubts,uncertainty and selfishness.
     However,once in a while there comes a great love,probably in everyone's life,which recognizes no boundaries.It attains the freedom to love in it's purest form,devoid of all negativity.Ofcourse,it doesn't happen overnight.Time plays the key part here.Happiness no longer remains confined to the self.It is sought in the eyes of your beloved and then to ensure their happiness,no price seems too high. No,not even relinquishing your claim over them if you happen to know where their true happiness lies!Ofcourse it'd hurt but then when you realize that you have just let them be, but haven't let them go,their happiness, somehow manages to become yours.The best part happens, when you admit it to yourself that you can never abandon them,for you can't utter a prayer without mentioning them,no matter where you are, how you are , whether you are visible to them or not.After all,old habits die hard!That,I think is the ultimate source of happiness. 
   I don't know if I conform to the idea of others' definition of bliss or for that matter if i've been able to capture the essence of happiness , but I am pretty much sure this is what contentment looks like.
                                              Chandni.

    
   
    

My Love

Beyond

Cradled among the misty mountains, 
Silence gushing from the still fountains,
A place, where words die before they are born,
I gather the strewn thoughts,tattered and torn.

Where the fragrance of the fleeing Sun lingers,
There I escape,to listen to  wandering singers,
I watch the dusk preparing for the night,
As the stars,stretch and yawn in the fading light.

Everyday they swallow me, the visions galore,
I look for walls to hide behind and break no more,
My screams travel to a land of corpses,
The stench of death wafts,my breath,on its track, pauses.

I hold on to the dark,lest,it too betrays my fist,
My pregnant desires scared,turn and twist,
They hear a beastly storm come to life,
The monstrous Reason,rush,flashing it's glittering knife.

Abandoned by Death,I stand at 
Life's door, shivering,
Impotent Mercy, frail and helplessly quivering.
On my shoulder tapped,the Moon on the passing,
Asked,"Do you wait? Or alone,through this icy desert travelling?"

 "Have you no hand to hold,
Have'nt you ever been souled?"
My silence spoke loud and clear,
They said volumes,my breaths sheer.

"That door is shut on the replies,
They'll hasten,for time flies,"
The eerie silence broken,the Moon laughed, 
But his eyes dimmed,after they had, for a moment flashed........

He sailed away,leaving me rooted,
The why, swirling in the pool of thought , 
The soul knows,but by the heart muted, 
Perhaps,I'll know,when, on the other side of death I'll be, by Life sought!

Chandni

Let It Be

She was in love with the sea.When she and her husband shifted to this house, far away from the din of the city, she felt God had answered her prayers for a quiet life.She considered herself to be very fortunate to be able to live in a house overlooking the sea.
      Quiet life.....these two words brought a smile to her lips.Looking back,she was amazed to find how much she had changed , over time.She was born in a city and grew up to be a typical city girl.She loved the so called good life and enjoyed the lights, noise et all.At that point in time, she could never imagine spending time anywhere close to the sea.No, not even on holidays would she agree to visit a sea side destination.But then, suddenly everything changed, almost overnight.
       Quite unexpectedly, she lost her maternal uncle.It was not exactly a devastating loss for her.But the thought of her distraught cousin , who was very close to her father, certainly disturbed her a great deal.So, she decided to pay her a visit.
        It was one of those sleepy little towns bounded by a sea, with very little activity , social or otherwise,happening around.For obvious reasons,she had no intentions of staying there for long.However, as soon as she landed there, she took it upon her to get her cousin out of her depresssion.It wasn't an easy task.When talks failed , she would take her for walks. Their walks would always end up  on the rocky shores. The evening breeze and the calm sea seemed to soothe her cousin's nerves.Initially,she herself had barely registered the scene around her.Gradually,everything in that place kind of started growing on her.Every evening she'd look forward to visiting the sea side.The calm blue - black lapping water seemed to beckon her.She could feel her lungs yearning for the salty fragrance.Everything,in the dusky light took  on a mysterious shape.For hours she would sit on a rock and watch the twinkling lights far across the sea.The star studded sky with the moon sailing across,and the changing colours of the water would have her spell bound.Whether her presence there brought her cousin any comfort or not,it sure did reveal an unexplored side to her being.When it was time to leave,the thought of returning to the city did nothing to either comfort her or excite her.She just didn't want to leave;and then she knew why......she was in love with the sea.It ,definitely was a revelation.She had never imagined that she, who was so into an artificial life, could be this attached to Nature!
       Years passed by and lot of water flowed under the bridge...but somehow the sea she had carried in her heart then, flooded her entire being.Now and then ,when the pull on her heartstrings would become unbearable,she would set out for an unknown destination,but invariably where a sea or an ocean would lay in wait for her.
      After all those years when she found herself so close to a sea,she just couldnt resist the urge to feel its arms around her in a moist embrace.It was not that she was not content with her life in the house and fulfilling her social responsibilities.But when she'd look out of the window and see the endless stretch of the blue waters, a sense of dissatisfaction would grip her and then she would long to break free.Everything around her and every little thing she did, would seem futile and meaningless.The calm waters raised a storm in her.
           Every evening she would make a trip down the rugged path to the sandy shores.She would stand on the edge of the water looking out into the blue expanse.While she would be lost,the little waves would sneak up on her and knock her down.Laughing,she would sink in the sand.A little game that was played between her and her beloved!She would sit ,gazing at one of the greatest mysteries of Nature.The vastness of the sea would make her feel  very small and insignificant, but she'd be awash  with a sense of freedom.The freedom to be at one with the  unrestrained spirit, in which was embedded limitess possiblities.       
       Like all other evenings, that evening too she sat there, her eyes fixed on the still waters.The sea was unusually calm that day....like a sulking child.She couldn't bear to see it brooding.She felt the need to comfort it.Without a thought, she stood up and stepped into the water.It was cold.She shivered a little.But it didn't matter to her.She started wading ahead as if in a trance.All she wanted to do was get into the heart of the sea to fathom what was troubling it.She hardly noticed that she  was waist deep into the water.Suddenly,she heard a roar.It was the thunder.She was jerked back to her senses.It seemed to tell her that the sea needed her not lost in it but there ,where it's waves could find her when they wanted to wrap themselves around her feet.To be their playmate.She stood there transfixed.Just then she felt the first drops of the rain on her and she waded to the shore and walked back to the house.
           After sometime, as she stood at the window, looking out at the sea which had come alive at the the touch of the wind and the rain, she was filled with remorse.If she had allowed herself to be buried in the waters, she'd have tainted the spirit of the sea.The crashing waves made her realise that their comfort lay in the storm....not in her effort to calm it.She would've never been able to forgive herself for imposing the dead weight of her corpse on it.She mouthed an inaudible sorry ,followed by a heartfelt thankyou.She then shut the window and  turned away , letting her beloved be in it's element in the sought after company of it's much desired elements.She admitted to herself, with a wry smile, that much as she'd like to, the sea was too huge to fit into her puny embrace!
                                                                                                                                          Chandni.

                                                                                                                       

Liberation

If it had found it's voice,
The soul would speak,of it's choice.

Shackled by bony fetters,and enslaved,
The soul seeks freedom,it's path to be paved.

The heart engrossed in it's beating,
Deaf to the soul's muted screaming.

When the darts of Love are cast,
And the soul perforated,yet it holds it fast.

When pain overflows,it sighs a complain,
"Why must I befriend the shrieking pain?"

It is,of the heart envious,
God lets it's sinews to be spurious.

The wanton body,though promiscuous,
All flesh and blood,of it,is solicitous.

Yet ,the soul lays in an eternal wait,
Before destiny finds her it's sole mate.

The body rests,when in state,
The heart halts,in the cavity of the chest.

The unchained soul then breaks free,
It travels to be one with Eternity.

                     But then,

The soul is truely free,
When it does wind,
And fastens itself to another tree,
Bearing another soul,of it's own kind.
                                                             
                                                           Chandni.

Parallels

The first time I met you,
On the other side of the blue,
The wind leapt, to a new high,
The storm, close at hand, asigh.
My breath shallow,caught in a grip,
The moment still, time, let it not slip.
You led the entourage of rain and the sun,
There was not a soul to match you, but One,
The soul of a Light, glowing, like the heart of fire,
Lent hope life, buried in the bog, in the murky mire.
"How had I breathed life, when my life in you breathed?"
I gazed and my wonder grew,until His silence,I percieved.......
                                                                                                        Chandni.

Save(d)

Be kind to it,and catch the falling star,
Gather the silver dust,trailing in from afar .

Wash not the remnants off your finger tips,
Perhaps a winged creature alights,in the dust dips!

Tell them not how the star had fallen,
Would they not want another stricken?

Teach the fallen grace the laws of the land,
Lest it should hope for the life in the celestial band.

True,the sky had unmercifully the star dismantled,
Be not the judge and pronounce it to be kindled.

The mortals that we are,know not what or how ,
His justice,though a mystery,to it we must bow.


He tells us not what fated hour it was and the reason why,
He cast the friend of the moon to the earth from the sky.

It's misfortune not withstanding,your fate smiles,
You were chosen to palm the light,of distant miles.

When the breaths rattle in life's winter,and memories dim,
Maybe a little warmth it'll lend,the illusion of that far away beam?
                                                                                                        Chandni.

Heart of the Matter

Love....nobody knows where it comes from, but strangely enough,  when it happens  to pay us a visit , we cannot help but realize which way its heading.The knowledge itself is a heady feeling.It doesn't believe in knocking at your door.It's too impatient.All it knows is to break walls,no matter how high or how strong.Even as our defenses crumble, one inhibition at a time , it has it's army engaged in building a bridge....from one heart to another.
         Does it ever rest? Apparently, not.When it is not building, it is breaking....if it's not a wall, it surely is a heart! But, one thing is for sure.....it does nothing by half a measure.It is love...therefore, it loves....in abundance and with abandon.
        Does it ever build it's home in us? The poets don't think so but the philosophers opine that it does, if you let it! Who knows? I , for  one don't, because I am neither a poet nor a philosopher.All I know is, at times it gets caught in the mesh of doubts and uncertainties. If we can manage to unentangle and  rescue it , it's laughter  rings ever so true! However, fear and pain are lurking around; forever crouching, to pounce on it.Once they have love in their clutches, they cage it and toy with it.Even then it struggles , fights tooth and nail.And then it bleeds and we with it! At such times, the only hope is Time--to save or not to save, Love. Or is the onus on us?
Chandni.

Nameless

When they sit, the old limping nights, 
On their haunches and hardly move,
When the  bleary eyes, with hazy sight,
And the yawns stuck, on the mouth's roof -

The wind travels from distance afar,
Lifts dust from memories,shakes'em astir,
Them, the sleep deprived nights beckon,
They seek company in them, I reckon.

On the murky sky,the fragmented clouds hover,
Around the star-forsaken confused moon-
Along the earth the serpentine roads stretch forever,
Wondering, where they'd meet and how soon!

Moments from a time gone by, gather in a flock,
A time, pierced and riddled with excruciating pain,
When desires unfettered, indisciplined ran amok,
Dreams sired, but aborted with utter disdain.

Voices travel across  seas and oceans,
That had sung of deaths and demons,
The terrified silence screams; they're no notions,
Gnawing at the bones, coursing through the veins.

The wind , into gale turned, 
The sky , in God's ire burned,
The storm vented it's rage,
Howling, like a beast in a cage.

The earth trembled, every rain drop a tear,
The trees lashed,each leaf,shaking with fear,
The deities of the dark scrambled,no place to hide,
Thunder roared and rains on the panes did slide.

My dreams horrified, shook me awake,
Startled,I sat up to see the dawn streaming
Through the mist; no not a mistake-
I smile at God,as I watch His Sun beaming.

It was only a dream, 
Or was it my soul's scream?
The buried truth, perhaps not forgotten,
It was in the past,or is it just a delusion?
                                                                           Chandni

Longing.

I love you too.

(Maybe it's not me)

But ,it certainly is you.

Asked.

If life were a question what would be your reply? Would you spare a few moments to give some simple answers to some complicated questions? What do questions really mean to you? Do you think you really need to answer them? Do you think your reply would depend on who was asking them? What if the questions were a little too uncomfortable? Do you think you would be brave enough to take them head on? What if you thought your answers might hurt someone? Would you care enough for the truth to still go on? What do your tears mean to you? Do you really think their tears taste the same as yours? What if you were asked to mend a broken heart? Do you think you are well equipped to put the pieces together? What if you are asked why? Would you reply to how? What would you tell the silence if it wants to know  how not to scream? Would your reply be a better sounding silence?What if confidence asked you to help it  find it's lost self? Would you help it  find the old one or build a brand new shining confidence? How do you tell the soul to retain it's faith in its heart? What is the exact procedure of not making them feel ignored while you are actually avoiding them?Can you convince the nights not to die every single night? Can you help the day remember how to be itself? Do you know how to make the memories forget themselves? Do you think assumptions are normally too presumptuous? Do you think emotions are fools? Can we not invent a device to turn off feelings? Do you think each one of us has the right to know where we stand? How much do you care to let care know that it has all your care? Do you think playing second fiddle could be considered a sporting event , sometime in the near future?Do you think you can hear the unasked questions? Is it foolish to  want to not ask but to be just told?
                      Chandni

Muted

When was the last time we really had a real conversation? With the electronic gadgets and social media occupying each and every little space available for communication,we have been reduced to mere conveyor of short and cryptic digital messages.Gone are those days of one to one ,heart to heart talks.They have been replaced by the so called chats through various internet messenger services,where you have no way of knowing how fake or real the emotions , that travel across, are.True,the world has shrunk.No two places are too far away.But what is really distressing is that two people occupying same space within the four walls of a room are set so far apart in their own digital worlds,that they could easily pass off as being invisible to each other!They are too occupied to give their tongues the freedom to do what they do the best.They believe more in exercising their fingers on the keyboards of their not so little phones or not so cumbersome computers.
   They say,a lot can happen over coffee.Sure thing.But certainly no meaningful conversation ever happens,any longer over a cup of coffee.Whenever a thought or an opinion tries to get itself voiced,the electronic gadget makes its powerful presence felt,one way or the other.Our abject slavery to these devices,literally make us dance to their tunes! No sooner do our phones ring or we get a  message alert,we behave as if our very life depends on that.The happless thoughts shrivel and die somewhere in the dark recess of the mind.Thus,a conversation dies  a foetal death!
           The saddest part is that we are a part of that generation which is more comfortable in conversing with themselves.It's not that we don't converse.We do..with strangers and imaginary people and the best part is we do it with so much ease!Nothing much wrong with that....except for the fact,somewhere along the line we are losing touch with reality,getting detached from the world around us.More so,the ones,who are at a more impressionable age!
            As if all these were not enough,television adds a little more to the malady.Our addiction for daily soaps, interspersed with sports and news programmes, keep us absolutely glued to it.Try putting in a word then,the piercing glances from all those eyes riveted to the screen would be enough to kill you hundred times over! Wonder which is the bigger idiot...the box or us, who have shunned our real social existence for a non existent imaginary world !Well, as things stand, this is not going to change any time soon.
     I just hope a day dawns, when we will all be thinking aloud while walking down the street or enjoying a cup of coffee.In the process, we might just manage to catch an interested ear and an opinion or two might get exchanged, resulting in the revival of the lost art of conversation!
P.S. I unabashedly admit that I am very much a part of this no-real coversation culture.More often than not, I love to indulge in these imaginary conversations.They help me escape unnecessarily real questions. Let me  also tell you that my imagination is as strong as my sight is weak. Hence,I dare to visualise this  most romantic and fantastic scenario!
                                                                                                                                                    Chandni.

The Flight.

A tale of a little dark plumed bird, I write,
The winged creature,not much of a sight.

The red beaked,a frail little insignicant bird,
Amidst the leaves,at day break she stirred.

Her songs spoke of no melodious tune,
When others sang,her voice drowned,all too soon.

But the bird unconcerned,paid no heed,
She hopped and skipped,happy indeed.

One fine day,of the sun she caught sight,
She was drawn,moth like to the spectrum of light.

She could no longer hold the forest dear,
Her eyes fixed on the sun-kissed sky,clear.

She soared to take a closer look,
In anticipation,like a wind swept leaf,she shook.

She sang all the way up,wind borne,
Imagining,to her,the sun did beckon.

Alas! her wings singed,she fell,
She spiralled down,from heaven unto hell.

She lay in Nature's breast,
Uttered no cry,heart to the earth pressed.

The clouds rained drops benign,
Unmoved,to her fate she did resign.

She hobbled around,shorn of wings to fly,
Her wings healing,or at least giving a try.

Maybe the little creature,
Oneday,again in the sky,will feature.

But that is only Time's call,
Before she can rise,perhaps,for another fall!        
                                                                      Chandni.

She

                   Gentle by nature,
               So graceful a feature,
          Epitome of love and affection,
                That is you,my lady,
The brightest star on the human horizon.

           A concerned daughter,
                 Ever so ready,
     To shoulder their responsibility,
         They,who had enlightened,
    Her  parents,no less than God,to her.

        The sister,a benign figure,
         With a mind crystal clear,
           Her affection transcends,
                For her siblings,
 All other emotions,she harbours and feelings.

                When she is a wife,
     She walks and with him she stands,
                With his in her hands,
     Steadfast is she,in moments of strife,
 A choice,consciously made for this devoted life.

                 When she a mother,
            She assumes a character,
             That of a fierce protector.
            She enfolds her offsprings,
                     In the warmth
              Of her unfurled wings,
           And shelters them from,
    The silent and invisible predator.

    A deity of immeasurable strength,
     Toils away, for time,at any length.
             Bears pain and pleasure, 
                  In equal measure.

        Daughter, sister, wife, mother,
      She plays well, each of her part,
Dedication couldn't  find herself in any other,
 Endowed with benignty, she,such a fine art.

         But when teased and tortured,
        The tenderness she'd nurtured, 
                    Takes a turn,
  Transforms,she to a tigress from a doe, 
        Dreadful, a fearful entity to her foe.

  You carry the man in your womb,lady,
         Divine is the spirit you embody,
       For all your affection and concern,
            To you,the sky writes an ode,
        And the earth breaks into a paean.
                                                           Chandni.

Destination

Someday I would love to live in a cottage set in the middle of the woods,where the door would open to a brook gurgling by and windows,to the wide expanse of a blue sky.Where mornings would be awash with golden light,afternoons a white shimmer,and evenings the colour of the dying light,in darkness aglimmer.Where the night would be basking in the moon's arms and stars lost in a divine dance.Where music would be the birds singing to the morning sun and the rendition of the chatteting brook accompanying the cool evening breeze,engrossed in frolic and fun.Where peace would drip from the quiet hills and the voice of tranquility by it's silent smile,thrills.Where spring would break into a riot of colours and summer rains swell the edgy rivers.Where the autumn would make the woods shine yellow bright and winter turn the cottage and the tree bending over it,white.Where time wouldn't be in a hurry,where moments would be happy and never sorry.Where oneday I'd grow old and grey,and with death I'll be gone,but my soul tethered to the cottage,will continue to stay.

Deliberation

They said,"Song of the rain",
I said,"Golden light,sun's stain"
Rain,drenched night 's winding lane.

They said,"Oasis in the desert",
I said,"The palms,the sands fostered",
The sky has the earth in it's arms gathered.

They said,"Death not as great as life",
I said,"Death,the freedom from all strife",
The old breaks,all new in the River,dive.
                                                                Chandni.

Call

She didn't know what to make of this strange episode in her life.Logically speaking ,there was hardly any substance in it.Though she had spoken a number of times with him,but always over the phone.She neither knew his name,nor his address.All she knew was that they lived in the same city.She had no clue ,whatsoever,of his identity!Everyday,she would think of at least asking his name,but each time she would back away,thinking that she might be intruding in his personal space.She was ready to wait for him till he was ready to open up.
  As far as she was concerned,he knew everything about her.Not that she had told him about herself.He made conjectures and she confirmed them.She couldn't help it,they had always been so uncannily correct! Even,regarding things like her favourite flowers,favourite colour and favourite perfume ,his assumptions had been near perfect. Oneday,when he,in his usual calm manner had taken up her challenge and almost accurately described the colour of her dress,she had panicked.She was scared that he might have had her within his range of vision.For a while,she even thought,he might be a creep!However,it didnt take her too much time to dismiss those 'far fetched' thoughts. What made her so confident about his character?Why was she sold on the idea that he couldnt be a crook?
She had asked herself.But there were no definite answers.So,she thought it best to repose her trust on her womanly instincts!
  Though she knew,she was treading on dangerous grounds,she could  not bring herself to put an end to to this rather bizarre event.It was her call,literally.In the last two months,since they had  this chance telephonic 'encounter',not once had he tried to contact her on his own.It had always been her.Sometimes,she wondered if he would ever make an attempt to contact her,if she happened to disappear!She,even tried to put him to the test a couple of times.Unfortunately,she ended up failing the tests miserably.He never called and she couldn't stay away,she didn't know why!There was something in his voice.It was nothing like the deep  barritone  that women generally fall for.It was a quiet controlled voice.That sort of a voice from which emotions could not be gauged.But somehow,she could almost detect a faint hint of melancholy in his voice.That probably,was her undoing.She couldn't tell.Nonetheless,it kept her drawing to it like the night draws the darkness towards it!

  These telephonic conversations never failed to draw out some unknown emotions in her.What disturbed her the most was his ability to read her thoughts.He seemed to know exactly what she would be thinking at a given point in time!Everytime that happened,she could distinctly feel  a smile lurking somewhere in the words he spoke.It would rankle her to think that he might be mocking her for being so transparent!Many a time she had  rudely hung up on him for being so infuriatingly condescending.But then she would spend sleepless nights .Then she would barely allow the morning to settle down, when she would make a beeline for the phone.To her utter disappointment, she would find no trace of anger or hurt in his voice.On the contrary,he would tease her for being so childish!The hapless female ,tied up in knots ,would wonder,what next? Fortunately or unfortunately,she didn't have to wait long,after one such exasperating episode.
   One morning,out of the blue,she saw his number flashing on the screen of her phone.Her initial reaction was like,"It must a beautiful dream!"But the persistent ringing of the phone snapped her out her delirium.He didn't seem to be his usual self.He was curt and cryptic.He expressed his wish to meet her,if it was alright with her.She didn't know what hit her.In the last couple of months,quite a few times she had dropped,not so subtle hints of her wish to see him.Each time they were met with extreme diplomacy.And now this!She should have been elated but the tone of his voice indicated an impending storm.However,the question arose how was she to recognise him!.She recieved the reply,"Don't worry.I'll find you."
 On the appointed day and appointed time, she arrived at the appointed destination.Barely had she stepped into the restaurant, an elderly person greeted her.She was escorted to a table in the far corner of the room.The table was occupied by a gentleman, who seemed to be in his late thirties.She didn't have to be told who he was.She knew.Surprisingly enough ,he didn't seem to be a stranger. The picture of him in his mind was not too different from the man who was sitting right before her.The only exception were his eyes.They were not what she had pictured. She had always imagined his eyes would be full of life and dripping with smiles.But in reality , they were lifeless and unsmiling.
   As she was watching those eyes fixed on her, suddenly she realised that they were not looking at her....in fact they were not looking at all.They were unseeing eyes. He was blind!Involuntarily, a shaft of pain pierced through her.She audibly sucked in her breath.A short mirthless laughter startled her.He had sensed her reaction.He pushed his chair back and stood up.He introduced himself....ironically to someone who was no stranger to him.He gifted her a bunch of white carnations, her favourite flowers and offered her a seat.She took the chair oopposite to him.Her throat felt parched and her hands were clammy.She was dying for a glass of water.But she controlled the urge to drink the water from the glass on the table.As always he could easily guess her discomfort.He told her how his other senses were sharp enough to sense things more accurately than others.He paused for a while and she tried to say something.But he stopped her and requested her to listen to him.Then whatever he told her, left her in a daze.
     The first thing he told her was , he was leaving town to undergo surgeries on his eyes.The chances of his regaining his lost sight were 70-30.If  the 70% worked in his favour, he would give her a call.If not.....he trailed off.He  stopped and waited for a while, as if he wanted to hear her say something.But by the time she could gather her bearings and utter a word, he had already summoned his attendent, preparing to leave.He reached out and took her hands in his in a firm grip.He held on to them for a while and then let go of them.In that brief moment,his touch told her all that he hadn't been able to say.She immediately knew what she must do.She walked across the table up to him and taking his hand in hers, in a quiet confident voice , told him,"I'll wait for you.".A smiled touched his lips and he stood up ,ready to leave.With his man, he strode across the room and just before stepping out in the blazing midday sun, he turned back to wave at her and then they left..
   As she walked back home, she felt  pleasure coursing through her.She knew she couldn't have said anything else to him.She knew she couldn't have made a better choice.She knew, it wasn't going to be long before she got that,much awaited call.Or did she?
                                                                                                                                             Chandni.

The Urge

When the clouds cannot,themselves contain,
They are restless and find peace in the rain,
My sedate heart mirrors their turmoil deep,
Beats with a strength,drawn off a rested sleep.

The pounding menace threatens to revolt,
If my fingers ,by their urge,are not troubled.
My soul,a co-conspirator of a scheming heart,
Drives my mind and bends it like a reed,to art.

I fix my gaze on the blank pristine sheet,
I will my imagination to make the lead bleed,,
The wooden tool breaks into a graceful dance,
Sketches lines dark,on the page,as if in a trance.

I watched my heart leading my fervent finger,
Filling up the sheet with the song of a divine Singer,
My secret desires uncoiled,stretched on the page,
How I had yearned  but squashed them in a rage.

My fingers had hungered for the feel of those locks
Now my pencil traces the strands,the feeling shocks
How I longed to smoothen those lines of worry,
My eraser, gently wipes them,the tales sorry.

I had so wished to touch the skin of the face taut,
Stretched  to define the contours, fraught
With a brooding gloom and unknown misery,,
I felt it, as my pencil  shaded the untold story.

The dreams in those eyes I wished to capture,
My lips trapped a song,raring to break,in rapture
An unspeaking mouth,but full was carved,
Maybe a bit parched,a little kiss starved?

Tiny shivers  through  my veins coursed,
My thumbs brushed a smile,the lips endorsed,
The pencil nib planted kisses on the lines bold,
My breath shallow,face aflame,palms grew cold.

I stepped back,beneath the brows watched the eyes ,
A world of grief unfolded;,there escaped my sighs,
I held the sheet close to me,taking it in a hug tender,
I sent up a little prayer to Him,to them be a little kinder.

                                                                                   Chandni.

      




SUNSHINE


 

Youth and Wisdom

A clear stream of  life,simple and uncomplicated,

To their cause,they were completely devoted.

Their mind keen and ever curious,

Was unaware of all that was spurious.

Heart burning with passionate endeavour,

Harboured no hesitation,a ready receptor.

The door to their soul was left ajar,

To usher in the Light,filtering in from afar.

Bold hearts,strong willed,they knew not fear,

Unfaltering steps marched on,with their peer.

They lived quests,each moment a journey

To the new,treading paths cobbled and thorny.

Eyes sparkling, aglow with a crystal vision,

Raring to go,attend to the call of their mission.

Hours glided on through the sands of time,

Each grain of sand, was divinely sublime.

Time moved on,but their wheels of motion arrested,

Of youth,suddenly the blessed souls were divested.

Their passionate youthful deep throated roar,

Lost its voice,and gave way to whimpers,sore.

They were stripped of all their desires and dreams,

All that remained, were their wasted skeletal frames.

They sought solace in the words of some ancient sage,

Wisdom visits in the winter of life,when ripe,the fruit of age.

A comforter devoid of comfort,for, this truth is just a myth,

Undeniably,Wisdom,even in the youth,itself does sheathe.

                                                                                             
                                                                                               Chandni.

Muse Inks

A thousand thoughts clamouring,
Seeking release,wild and fluttering.
Words mute,but animated....writing
Themselves,no laws of verse abiding.
Haphazard thoughts,fragmented,fervent,
Desperate in their efforts,to be coherent.
Drunk on the beauty,dripping off the sky,
Call on the dreams,their spirit,on a high.
An unchained melody,wafts from afar,
Is it the voice of God,or a joyous star?
The beautious vision casts a spell,
They soar,to touch the orb,celestial.
Riding the moonbeams to the milkyway,
Determined to find themselves,not stray.
Infected by the spirit of thoughts...words
Find voice,strive to touch numerous chords,
Unfettered,like birds,they take flight,
My love,on your threshold they alight.
They dip themselves in bright warm claret,
Paint in hues,stolen from your pallette.
With you in them,like a river they flow,
With each inked word,a little I grow.
I carry them, like a mother surrogate,
You lend them grace,design their fate.
These words that flow,all yours,not mine,
They'll glow,let your sun,on them ,shine.
                                                               Chandni.