The Toddy Tapper

I saw him at a very impressionable age,

A vertical amphibian on a Palmyra,

Moulding clay, My tender, fickle mind,

A folded loin-cloth and prominent veins,

Distracted by baubles and saccharine the same,

I held at awe the Toddy Tapper!

Rustic with his tongue, eyes and gait,

And cooled him the mystifying liquid white,

Salivated my inner, manacled spirit,

He offered me some with a gleaming eye,

A taunt and a pinched, right cheek,

Amazed, The allure of the forbidden fruit!

Couple conversations and a couple charming cups,

An illusion, This lazy summer breeze,

Danced around like tainted, sneering harlots,

Drenched in sweat a couple imbeciles,

Carefree, Like the birds flying south,

The Toddy Tapper and Me!

To this day I try hard to recollect,

The visage, The wizened, old Toddy Tapper,

All that remains is a hazy memory,

And a mark on my hirsute right cheek.

To Cheer

Trust me not about love, O Dear One!,

But believe me, Take my hand and follow,

When I take thee to the world of hatred,

For O Dear Lady! I've overstayed my welcome!

The Shikara

A dream of mine painted a picture bright,

Picturesque, The heaven on earth,

Illuminates the scene, The full moon light,

And warms a fire upon the hearth.

On the Dal, A magnificent Shikara,

Still as night the pristine waters,

Breaks the charm the floating Shikara,

Cuts through the surface in ripples and splatters!

The green of algae, A deceptive sheath,

Underneath relics of affluent times,

Atop the carvings, A wretched man blithe,

In stark contrast, Struggles to rhyme!

He sings about the older day,

In the words of a wandering minstrel,

'To her, The red of the apples strayed,

And adorned my dreams with festive tinsel!'.

Remnants of a man and a grizzled mane,

Perched on the edge, In masterful stance,

Sparkled in his eyes, A light arcane,

He rows, His duty in penance.

Aboard the vessel, I held her tight,

We coalesced, An amorous entity,

Her velvet tresses, Black as the night,

Personified the lingering sanctity!

Straddles the Shikara with a drag,

Away from the luscious apple trees,

Aloft the mast, A tattered flag,

Flutters in vain to be set free!

Rumbles the ground beneath the lake,

And the land beyond the snowy peaks,

There a thousand innocent lives at stake,

And here of smitten guilt I reek.

Prods my side, Her dainty tease,

Clings on to me, My elusive key,

Leaves a chill the love-laden breeze,

And the tattered rag's set free!

Entwined our bodies, We breathed as one,

Rocked with the boat our tempestuous souls,

Merge as the horizon and the Sun,

Two lovers and the smudgy charcoal!

I know not when we drifted away,

Still in my head her twinkling eyes,

Transcends to real, Every lonely day,

And all my primal wants appease!

Regress

I dabbled around with playful colours,

A painter's palette my canvas life,

Disorder, Like the balding head of hair,

Tufts of black, My scattered existence!

Donned metaphorical jerseys of stubborn pestilence,

Wearing my emotions on its sleeve,

Bedazzled, Bedraggled by an angry mob,

Surging seas of permanent change!

Drunk on the intoxicants of elusive power,

Banished to jungles a flickering conscience,

On all fours I hunted for it, Ecstatic,

When my balloon ego blew in my face!

Veered away from treacherous precipices,

Sometimes a tail between my legs,

Chivalry, Maybe foolish bravado,

But I lived long enough to tell the tale!

The Ballad of Pine

The little care for her beneath my heart fluttered,

Like a butterfly my rough fingers clasped,

The rustle, A couple of unruly banyan branches,

As they sway in vain to reach the ground!

Reminiscent the idea of a constant murmur,

Before the water engulfs the land,

Biting my nails in bated anticipation,

I wait for the tremulous storm, To hit me hard!

Dreams

Dreams, A momentary relief from reality,

Elates the heart to heights unknown,

Admirable, The power of a simple fantasy,

Erstwhile fields of gold resown!

An Autumn Stroll

The time of the golden-tinged sky,
And the flight of the fair-winged birds,
To capture in words, My awe I try,
The picture paints a thousand words!

Strewn across the path the autumn leaves,
Untrodden by feet the tender flowers,
A carpet for her feet the nature weaves,
A flowery rain, A flaky shower!

There was none, But my fair maid,
Who walked hand in hand with me,
Mere words for her would never have said,
What just a glimpse would be!

Pearls the lips, An unearthly hue,
Dreams of a thousand onlookers they slew,
Missed a beat when her delicate hand,
Was held in mine with a steadfast stand!

Mirrors the eyes, A pristine charm,
As around them flowers, Honey-bees swarm,
Intent gazes followed in vain,
And none but mine was wholly sane!

I know not if it were a dream of mine,
Or an illusion of my biased eye,
But never before a dame so fine,
Pampered my being with a prudent eye!

And then I walked on and on,
Across the beauteous autumn scene,
A hunger and a love forlorn,
As I kissed her in the becalming breeze!

Another eventful day begins.....

The nimblest hands,
They held the door ajar,
A night of unhindered passion,
An armistice of strongest emotions,
Nears an end,
A moist display,
An amorous weakness,
The sweaty sheets,
The night a familiar facade,
A tepid stream hits his face,
The egg,
A singeing frying pan,
The shades drawn,
The warmth of the incredulous Sun,
A pattern from a cast iron mould,
On the marble floor,
Multiplied by a weak tangent,
Another eventful day begins.

An Exercise in Futility

Set afoot to carve a niche,
Blisters and burns hardly deterred,
Thorns and beds of nails,
Pierced the foot but not his will,
A punctured heel and higher spirits,
But so soon left a tired soul,
Left him in darkness to reminisce,
No stone unturned, Another milestone,
Mossy, No doubt, But brought a cheer,
Victory of a special kind, Uncelebrated,
Like the death of a true martyr,
Buried under earth without a name,
Flickered a flame ever so fickle,
Elixir of hope, for the aching heart,
Nothing amiss, her heaving bosom,
Deep in her eyes, embedded dreams,
And lips, ever so full,
A mere mention, A million repercussions,
A gentle tap, And drenched in perspiration,
A little care, Was all the yearning,
The once stolid heart now irrevocably unstoic,
Meanders down his cheek, Tears and more tears,
Till it leaves a salty trail,
An exercise in complete futility,
For the time leaves a man sadder and wiser,
And he wonders what a subtle redefinition then,
Would have done to the constant murmur,
In his head, this persistent battle,
Him against Himself.

Man - I

Clad in clothing almost uncustomary,
Incognito, It seems like Robin Hood,
Into the town, The Sheriff unwary,
But no Sheriff, no cop, anywhere stood!

II

Incredulous like the stars, the human mind,
But I doubt if equally selfless,
Definitely in them a little spite I find,
Unlike the stars who equally bless!

III

It is impossible, for pigs in a sty,
To even think about another sty,
So placid, these wretched beasts,
Are they clever enough to teach?

The Lotus Blossom

A decayed, withered lotus blossom,
Once a succulent, pinkish hue,
Half buried now in cemetery sand,
The grayish tint of death.

Now crawl on them, little bugs,
That feast on dead human flesh,
Once adorned like bling, the glorious flower,
Little worms that fed on life.

Together with our lone blossom,
At least a dozen there were more,
Now strewed along like sandy dunes,
A bouquet once they were.

When full and red, they signified,
The full, quivery lips of the One,
Whose shaky heart then ached in vain,
Now alongside, they rest in peace.

Sweet Poison!

In my hand the nectar of life,
Not exactly, But my clouded mind,
Hardly differentiates, The sweetest poison,
From the bitterest drug!

Employing all the brute, teethy force,
Open it with a feel of froth,
A little blood tastes redundant,
Like the little life the poison sucks!

I

Weep not, O little child of mine!
Bask in the warmth of the generous sun,
Dwell in my arms, Safe and cosy,
I'll shield you from the blight you fear,
Partake with you emotions thine!

Mourn not, O light of my life!
The murkiness in the sky shall pass,
The days of sun and toasted wine,
Fresher than ever, in the annals of mine!

Trust me, I swear on thy fair breast,
Not far the times of the ebullient one,
Greener pastures there will be,
No doubt, O love! You have,
These bearded loons will cease to be,
The freedom bells will ring!

God forbid, If there should be,
As much as a rustle in the bush,
Hold my hand, Devoid of fear,
We'll let the moment pass!

II

Leave me not, O fair one!
Don't let my poor heart burn,
Life, What life it would be,
A life for none and, just for one!

III

If one dark, grey, gloomy day,
A bullet should pierce my breast,
Don't cry, Don't weep, Don't even mourn,
Keep in check emotions thine and,
Console your fickle, finicky heart,
Just cherish the smile on my numbed face,
And that is all that I could say!

Cock-a-Doodle Town!

Life at the Cock-a-Doodle town,
Reinforced like concrete on bars of steel,
Up they go, Then they go down,
No dreams their eyes reveal!

Clickety-Clack the hooves of the prudent men,
Hypnotised, Their spiral eyes,
A noose, at the end a foolish ten,
Around some cheese, Excited mice!

Bang-a-Bang his pistol sounds,
Scattering the country bumpkins along,
Ignorance, He finds abound,
Whistles and breaks into a song!

Now the time of lighted lamps,
Activity abates, Voices down,
Yawn-o-Yawn his authority demands,
Such is life at the Cock-a-Doodle town!

An Ode

You! Yes, You! Every artist's nightmare,
We run hither-thither the fear you bequeath,
A helpless, hapless beast into a snare,
Inevitable your grasp, Not one you spare,
Swell the pride of the phoenix-few,
Catch by the heel of the escaping flock,
Inherent misery, A dead sea beneath,
The pain, O sweet pain! The incredulous virgin,
Know not, just heard the veteran blue,
Know not will he till a good, fine day,
You grasp him with your steely fist,
And to his little child he says,
'Rough was the road that I trod!',
Glorify you, You shameless thief!
The wheels set in motion for the vicious circle!

A Poet Once There Was!

Forgive me, Sire! For a mere poet I am,
Animate in the inanimate I see,
The minuscule in the grandest charm,
Attain bliss at the slightest nod,
As nudges my bare skin the breeze,
Stare at the sky, the nameless stars,
As they float the unknown vacuous realm,
With a frown on thy face thy memory scars,
Recollects the name, Thou overwhelm!
And I spirited, and a smile so broad,
Watch the nectar drinking bee,
As it frolics through its floral fate,
Behold! How beautiful the nature mates!

Last Caress

A silent tear on the barren sands,
My heart, the stone, now a pulpy mess,
Shaky legs and quivery hands,
No time as much as a last caress......

Greed

Oh my lord the giver of all,
On whom does the fault lay,
Through an eye a sea of suffering,
Heaps of gold through the other!

........

Life for me the raging sea,
Time the waves that it bequeath,
And the place the sun meets the sea,
Bereft of spite the sea beneath!

Surfing through the watery realm,
This spectacle a frequent thorn,
Voices abate, Spirits overwhelm,
Another one swallowed with scorn!

Switchfoot till the waves recede,
A sigh of momentary relief,
A wayward mind and a haggard heart,
Now prepare to drown with grief.......

Gluttony

A smile on my face, this spectacle I see,
The luxuries of few precede the necessities of the rest,
Spews blood at the stench of the acrid fumes,
Richly manacles on the poor man's breast!

On the anvil strikes the blow,
Wields the weapon the gluttonous few,
Like in the jungle the once frivolous doe,
Now looks in vain at the luring dew!

Angels from heaven.......

The verdure of my barren lands,
Hearts as selfless as pure gold,
Longish coasts of cogent sands,
All my dilatory instincts sold!

No claque at a sold-out show,
No man at the political helm,
Profound to know and a pride so low,
Angels from heaven, spirits overwhelm!