The City of Hope

The city of hope,

The city of dreams,

The very heart;

This city never sleeps.

The sea by which

Promises are made;

People sit watching,

As the sun’s rays fade.

The streets chaotic,

Never a dull moment;

The night sky

Turns a cynic ‘to a poet.

The underworld and

Underhand dealings;

The endless wait at

Official court hearings.

The crowded trains

Are used by lakhs,

No thought for others;

Babies crammed on laps.

Yet there is something

About the eternal city;

It’s boundless love,

It’s versatile beauty.

Amid all the mayhem

You won’t be alone,

There will always be,

Another weary soul.

Of the city herself;

She doesn’t grow old;

She may be tired,

But she is still bold.

And if she loves you,

Be assured, my friend,

Your hard times are gone,

Your luck is on the mend.

She’ll look after you while

Bursting at the seams;

This city of hope,

This city of dreams.

Calm Waters

Calm waters,
Stormy skies;
Can there be
A bigger lie?

With the human world
Such is the case,
Where of humanity,
There is scarcely a trace.

A flutter of the breeze
To raging winds turns,
Bringing with it emotions,
Acts and thoughts that burn.

People are transient,
Never here to stay long;
Remember that always;
It’ll help you remain strong.

The sea brings calm,
It makes me forget men;
But there is always someone
To ruin this perfect zen.

A cackling group of girls,
A noisy lot of aunties;
Fat, well-fed businessmen,
Jogging, ogling at women who catch their fancy.

Thoughts abound,
The spirit soars;
As I find myself,
By the shore.

Oh, and how can I forget;
As I think about my wishes,
The self-same aunties,
Sit next to me and discuss dishes!

I try to tune out,
Gazing up at the sky;
Where the moon and a lone planet,
Near the horizon lie.

From where I sit,
The moon seems to throw
Its light on the sea,
Which is aglow.

No romantic ever could resist,
Such a view,
Which is enough to turn
Even a cynic into a lover anew.

The moon has replaced the sun,
And I’ve had my fun;
I’ve even managed to ignore the ladies,
And their talk of curry and patties!

As I leave for
A more mundane destination,
In my head,
I carry only one question:

Calm waters,
Stormy skies;
Can there be
A bigger lie?

AIRBORNE

I was born out of the air,
Meant to live free.
So don't come around now,
Telling me it's not to be.

You don't know me at all,
Know nothing about who I am.
You don't even know from whence I come,
What is my next plan.

Into the future no one can see,
But one can certainly hope;
Hope to make a difference,
No matter on how small a scope.

I learn from my mistakes,
Making amends as I go,
Don't put me on a pedestal,
I'm not a piece to show.

Every little dream of mine
I preciously hold to my heart.
I will do whatever it takes,
To give myself a start.

I'm on my way to glory,
Over the years I've grown;
It won't be too long now,
Before I'm airborne.

She was scared

She was scared to try out new things,
For she thought she would fail,
She never would have imagined,
That her ship, too, could set sail.

She had lived like a loner,
All her life,
Most of which had been,
Laden with personal strife.

She used to lie to people,
And say she was fine,
When, in reality,
She was always out of line.

She had friends whom she loved,
But she couldn’t tell them that,
And one fine day she found
Herself, alone on the field to bat.

She loved a man, too,
But she didn’t know it,
She thought he wasn’t worth it,
And so she didn’t show it.

Then he was gone,
And she knew it was for best,
But her cruel soul,
Wouldn’t let her rest.

She knows that he now has a life,
Which doesn’t include her,
And the thought hurts so much my friend,
That it makes me shudder.

“Today”, she thought to herself,
“I’ll let it all out,”
“I’ll make myself free somehow,”
As her heart thudded loud.

And she knew she wouldn’t sleep that night,
Not with her heart brimming,
But the ways of the heart are strange for sure,
And soon, she was dreaming!