Come And See

It’s quite disturbing to watch someone wither away,

Souls changing into wisps of smoke,

What was once a vivid, colored painting, is now a mere sketch,

Outlines remaining; silhouettes trudging around, less the shadow,

It’s a tad bit painful to watch someone break in front of you,

Raw emotion tumbling past like an avalanche,

The things left unsaid, now being told; but just not to the right person,

The solution was a moment away, a tiny word so overused,

Oh it’s bad, to be shattered into a million pieces,

The shards drawing more blood than the actual wound,

Just as you start to pick yourself up to walk ahead,

The pictures in your head change drastically,

Scenarios shuffle in this sick exchange,

It’s hard, to stand through all this muck, to watch the happiness seep away,

It’s harder when you say to me- come and see; an understudy to the world,

I see the cracks, I hear the noise; I can hear and see you wash away,

I cannot turn, the tides, just as much as you wish,

Then you smile, and then you laugh, muffled and tentative,

A change of heart and a spark in the eyes, realization or just remorse?

It signals for me to vanish back into the shadows,

Not to hide, not to cower, just to hold back in plain sight,

Only till I hear those words again, come and see.

Thirst

The bottle clanked to the floor, followed by a heavy thud,

The stench rose in swarms, fogging the air all around,

The surroundings paled away, as the eyes closed,

Oblivious to the wave setting in, consuming all in its way,

There was a new red in the atmosphere, deadlier than ever,

Everything seemed to melt, when the hot current gusted,

Nothing remained untouched by this blistering fog,

Adding to the furling fumes, dancing in the heat,

The bottle swirled in the blowing wind,

The remaining drops rising to the sky, not touching the ground,

The shadow rose from the ground, mumbling and croaking,

The need was visible, the want was evident,

The throat was dry, and the head heavy, legs laden with lead,

He struggled to his feet, stumbling in the forest of hotness,

All he needed was a drop, not more, to rid him of all troubles,

The bottle had been his third, but to no avail,

The search had been in vain, so far, and ahead it seemed too,

Drops glistened on his skin, burning in the anger of the sun,

So close to him, yet so far away, there was not a drop to drink.

Questions

As my hand moves across the rough paper,

The nib scratches, etching my words, after long,

The stroke of midnight, completing the revolution it started a while ago,

Is it the sign of a new start, or the signal of an end, I wonder,

I just wish for some silence, but nothing gets fulfilled,

The day passes in words, the dead of the night in thoughts,

The rest goes along in the cheers, pushing me back into the race,

Just life; it comes, it follows, and it walks past, all in a hurry,

I can see the lights buzzing around on the asphalt,

Far away in the dark, like ants scurrying for food,

We are quite the same, tiny beings, hungry, greedy and desolate,

I can hear sirens, and my eyes go wide; my heart starts jogging,

Is it a circle of sorts, with the beginning same as the end,

The drop of a pin, the ignition of a matchstick,

The cry of a baby, and the silent wails in the dark,

Actions so small, yet very impactful, like words?

A smirk, a coy laugh, the hint of a smile, as I dot the mark above,

The ink on my skin is drying, the letter sketching making my hand itch,

It ends here, for today, as I stroll into dreamland,

Why is it that we have so many questions, and answers…?

Fires

I walk through the dead night into the flames of tomorrow,

Cringing past with only the weapon of hope in my hands,

It’s a plan, an idea waiting to materialize in form, with time,

The stage is to be set, layered with enthusiasm and energy,

As the emptiness casts a shadow of doubt intermittently,

Two paces forward, and then one back, sometimes it’s all square,

Slow and steady wins the race, but never against the clock,

Its hands faster than imagined, tracing the circle over and over again,

Lifting me to heights, but, only to fall?

A threshold to cling to, a parapet to balance myself on,

It’s a battle of minors, but for a prize so major,

Lined with laughter, interspersed by feuds, and with no sleep,

There are always reasons to push on, this time its coffee,

Mountains to move, new heights to scale,

Momentarily the single thought plaguing the mind,

My heart’s thudding so hard, racing along pleasantly,

I’m afraid of speed breakers, expecting the sound of screeching brakes,

Thankfully unheard, and the sighs echoing, with jubilant celebration,

It all comes together, at last, and so do the eyelids,

As I sink into the depths, with another fire to light, or to douse.

Paranoia

It started off with a spark; gradually it was a flame,

Raging like a forest fire, tearing apart everything in its path,

Flames emanating from everywhere, we resembled dragons,

Our eyes could wound, and your words could make me bleed,

It was from the heart, just not passion, not the right red,

Our shields remained where they were,

Though we said we had them down, paranoia,

A past to hide over an uncertain future, all spoiling the present,

Our hands slipped into each other fluidly,

It was all like a dream till I felt my scars tingle,

New scratches opening older gashes,

Flooding the happiness with a sense of foreboding,

I wanted to see you smile, like you never had before,

I wanted to write a story with you, unlike any other,

I slept through the first time, and I felt a prick the second,

I woke up the third, and then I didn’t know what to do,

A hand on your back, the other stanching the tears,

That shall remain forever, yet only with your smile,

Trying to break free from the bond we share,

Straining at the chain holding us together,

Afraid to dirty your hands, the mess remained as was,

Is it really you, you ask of me the moment you vanish into thin air

A ploy to snuggle in closer, or a wish to walk away,

It’s a kaleidoscope of possibilities, until I’ll give you just one,

Darkness shall fall again, the clouds shall return,

It won’t be the first time something hot made two people so cold,

You're a spark in the forest of my heart,

I can feel it burn, I can feel it hurt,

But you’ll know when I feel it breaks, 'cause I’ll make sure you feel the same.