Sing

You, here
know that while
you are here-
you will be watched
by the silent gaze
observed by the ticking clock
inside the heads
monitored by the heart-beat
and one day
explode
taking with it the remnants
of these words we write today.

Insert (title)

There is no respite
from this
and that
From him
and her
From them
and them
Words fail to rest
to put me to rest.

Hyderabad Burning, 2014

The city I love burns
Burns those nameless faces
whose sweet memories lurk
in the corners of my heart
Burns the shops of fading age
Burns the tiptoe of the infinite sage
Burns me
Burns You
Burns the kindly souls
Burns the hands
the face the head the heart
the groin the feet the toes
Burns the caps of Gods
who like you and me
are no different than you and me
Burns the two eyes
the nose the mouth the tongue
teeth the spinal cord
Burns the children
Burns tomorrow
Burns today
(Burns yesterday)
Burns the whole world.

Green

Green is a shadow
warning us
with a sense of eerie
Cassandra's prophecy
that life is not yet still
but will be
when sharks come to life
tearing the limbs
chewing away the eyes
whispering songs of death
in its ears about impending doom
of humanity and
tickle the tongue annoyingly
disapprovingly trying to make a point
of how fashionable it is to rob
while Robin Hoods make calls
Anonymously.

Chants Hover Over the Sky

Who is liberated?
I am not
Who is liberated?
I am not
Who did you find liberated?
None, at all
or maybe a few, whose names
you cannot recall
Who is liberated?
I think, I am not liberated
yet and I doubt that I will be
so soon
Who did you call liberated?
That little girl who enjoys her
coffee-flavoured ice-cream
with bliss
ignorant about the blues
that love is
Or maybe not at all
Who did you see liberated?
So many out there
who share the same stories
anecdotes experiences pain joy tears smiles
Do you want to be liberated?
Yes you do
Do you want to be liberated?
No you don't
Am I a perpetrator?
Yes I am
Am I a traitor?
Yes I am
Am I a loser?
Yes, I am
Do I chant rhymes?
Yes and No
No and Yes
Behind the liberated walls of myths
Behind the liberated unreal dreams
Who is liberated?
No I am not.

3, 4, 5

What can I say
when words fail to make
you consider 'another chance'
because you see that
'another chance' does not exist in reality
or even in dreams
for dreams are unreal for many like me
and even you than you care to realize
You are caught up in details that do not materialize
out of thin air nor do you believe me
even if you say you do
and promises have been broken again and again
by me and me alone
as I stand here to witness you crumble brick by brick
inch by inch in a never- ending frenzy of trust.
Please do not forgive me as you suffer
and please do not make amends for they fail to hide
the scars you bear and the tears I shed
in our loneliest hours which
tell us to move on till we rise phoenix-like from the ashes
we create in our hope and momentary joy
that seems to last
until the next big adventure that shines like the Sun
welcoming the new dawn you promise yourself
each time you fall and rise like the great tides of the Moon,
speaking to your self
saying that you are the Ocean
and the rest, mere drops in your contained self
who will fade away sooner than you think
as I keep chanting numbers.