Lost in sound

The silent lips slowly part,
Heralding the work of art,
People huddled around,
Instantly smitten by the sound.

The pervading melody,
Emanates straight from the heart,
With each subtle note,
Stirring memories of the past...
An amorous moment, a broken heart.

Memories that with each sung verse,
Ephemeral emotions bequeath,
Like leaves blowing away to reveal,
A glimpse of what lies beneath,
For newly blown leaves to conceal.

Close your eyes you must,
Least they diminish,
The ear's sensory pursuits,
Surrendering yourself,
To the mellifluous sound,
Lost in the singer's voice,
Your soul you've found.

A tryst with the night

Stealing a moment of respite,
I keep my date, pressing work despite.

Staring up at the night sky,

Thoughts meander -

Resting on days gone by,

Shattered dreams dotting the way,
Aspirations that couldn't see the day's light,
Consigned to the perpetual darkness of the night,
Stripped of the very desire to take flight,
The moon shrouded by the clouds,
Perpetuates the melancholy mood,
And I ruminate on past deeds,
Unfulfilled promises and needs,

Lost in thought, I glance up to see,
A shooting star making its way hastily,
Streaking the skies with an ephemeral glow,
Holding out promises of a better tomorrow,
I take it as a divine sign,
And focus on memories sanguine,
The moon suddenly peeks out,
Revealing to darkness, his clout,
Bathing my surroundings with pure light,
And instilling in me, a willingness to fight,
This was an enlightening tryst with the night.

Solitude

Getting up never used to be a chore,
Yet, today just seemed to be a bore,
Slowly dragging his body upright,
He vanquished the vestige of the night,
By reaching out and drawing the curtain.

The golden rays streamed into his den,
Bouncing off motes of dust,
Revealing the form of a pensive soul,
His furrowed brows did make it known,
That he was man to whom did destiny dole,
More than a fair share of cruel hands,
And that his star now just dimly shone.

Yet there was a sparkle in his eyes - an expression of hope,
And of the resolve to live through this phase - to cope,
To weather the storm and to emerge stronger,
To not shy away from his calling any longer,
He steeled himself - he has a long way to tread,
With solitude the solitary companion.

The eyes of the 'beholden'

They beckon and invite,
Appeal to hopes and aspirations,
Offer glimpses of the future that might,
Be unveiled, if looked through their sight,
Their intense gaze, pierces the soul,
Like an artist's creation, following his every move,
He appears the sole object of their desire,
And so does their beauty don a vice like grip,
Entwining his all in their mire,
Elevating him beyond existence mere,
Intoxicating him, their presence sheer.

...

Wears down this novelty in due course,
The eyes now do not even offer recourse,
For they not be directed at him anymore,
Rather do they peer, to some far off horizon,
Eagerly awaiting someone else to adore,
His hopes dashed, his desires wizened,
Engulfed by a void that suddenly surrounds,
He finds nor happiness, neither solace around,
A part of him does slowly die,
So do the eyes of the 'beholden' smite,
One in whose eyes did beauty lie.

Of days gone by

I often look back at days gone by,
Silently wishing them nigh,
Engulfed in wistful thoughts,
Peering at shrouded materializations,
Through memories' nostalgic haze...

At your form do my eyes rest,
My recollections stand refreshed,
And memories come flooding by,
Of the starry night skies, the long walks,
The beautifully renditioned songs, the stimulating talks...

The days that were,
The days that no longer are,
The days that seem so near,
The days that are so far.

In words do I find refuge,
From the torrent of emotion,
So do I pen my thoughts,
Each line and every verse,
Be these memories etched away in rhymes,
Staring back longingly at past times.

In search

No sight of it I catch,

Frantic grows the search,

For this is no thing to lose...

Friends are consulted,

Acquaintances few,

And people who I thought I knew.

Alas, tis of no use.

Time ticks along,

I grow restless,

Almost sealed is my fate,

When, I catch a glimpse,

Rummaging through the baggage of time,

And emotion,

The byways of the mind,

And heart,

Do I find it at last,

Elusive as it were before,

I glance inwards, introspect,

And behold, it is revealed.

There it stands -

Solace...peace is at hand.

An ode

**Disclaimer** In "light" of not too old scientific discoveries, this poem may not be technically correct ;).

The healer, the revealer,
The herald of change,
Always on the move,
Striding forth regardless,
With naught to prove,
The witness to it all,
From ebb and flow of  the tides,
To seasons spring and fall,
The constant companion,
From cradle to grave,

The oft taken for granted,
Oft over-estimated,
Oft repented,
Oft enjoyed,
Oft reminisced,
Self-contained marvel.
Time...

The Happy Place

**Note to self: read when the going gets tough to get to your happy place**

** *
Buried deep in work and irritable too?
Worry not, here's what I cooked up for you
***

Do you remember the morning at the park,
I'll recount it for you,
Take you down memory's lane,
To a time when all was peaceful and sane,
Let your imagination run wild,
Imagining what follows as would a child.

Twas a memorable day,
Heralded by a cold breeze,
Indeed, in the month of May.
The flowers scented,
Swayed gently, caressed by the wind,
The morning sun streamed upon dewy grass,
And the moon did rescind.
The sky was lit with an orange tint,
The birds hopped and skipped,
From their each step, joy dripped,
The little children frolicked about,
Filled with innocence, their big eyes,
Their little hearts brimming with zest and life,
Each of them beaming a smile.

(Un)Complicated (it)

With you, my friend, I stand,

Atop this hill, overlooking our home-land,

We've been here often before, 

When we were both young, and unsure,

We catch the gently blowing breeze,
And with it, the nostalgic memories.
Of climbing this boulder, and that tree,

Of times when our minds were pure, our spirits free.

The chilly, dry winter wind,

Would carry with it a whiff of sand,

And the suddenly induced bout of sneezes,

Would give way to laughter and teases,

And together we'd sit all day,

And gaze upon what before our eyes lay:

The river meandering through the valley,

Thin plumes of smoke wafting up that alley.

The fragrant autumn winds would drift by,

Brushing gently against our faces, as we'd lie,

Tossing and disheveling our hair,

And together, we'd sit right there,

Regaling each other with anectodes many,

The only stories that I've ever found genuinely funny.

And now we're here again once more,

That idyllic state of mind we should reattain for sure,

Far from the maddening crowd,

Supposedly free from vice and self-doubt,

***

We talk at length,

Insincerely praising each others accomplishments and strengths,

Silently begrudging each other, of a life better spent,

Each finding the other's pastures greener,

Each finding the other's life cleaner.

Alas, for most of us, that's the price we pay,

A toll for the child-hood to adult-hood highway.

But is it wisdom that we gain,

When we happily happiness feign?

When we don this social veneer,

And against our wishes steer?

Grumbling beneath our breath,

Plotting and scheming in distress?

All the while our once innocent minds complain,

Why not un-complicate and be a child again?

The days that were

 

The days that were, now long gone,
The laughter echoing through halls now forlorn.
The shared smiles, the happy memories,
Bereft of them now, whom does it please?
The pain and the hurt that people feel,
Unknownst to them, to others too does fate deal.
If one were to just let go; to forget this strife,
See laughter return; so too life!