For lather or for worse

Blow

She stormed into Nilgiris
Cyan top, Blue jeans, Angel feathers
Strappy heels, Purse black leather
Fiddling hands, her Blackberry's.
Freckled face, Pixie cut
Nervy gaze, Petite butt.
Kings Lights,She demanded...
Hopes, Up in smoke, Crash landed.

Pix-elation

A pixie among pixel zombies

a handful of hearts in tow

you glide over

your non-existent competition

Your smouldering eyes

leave me no choice

but to gawk

like an awkward teenager

in the throes of

infinite infatuation

.

.

.

now I only wish

I hadn't seen you up-close

and pixelated,

you deceptacon you.

Bookstore, Enchantress

Cyberian Girl

Cyberian girl,you blow cold
week in week out driving
your icy stake
through my heart...
you blow hot
burning through barriers,
inducing,inviting
familiar anguish,agony...

Toxic arrogance persists
from irrevokable words
and now,to counter,
amnesic small talk?
The mask has holes
I see through it
there's no place here
for pretentious concern,
and yet I seek comfort
like a fool,
depraved,deprived
of your incendiary sparkle
now long gone
banished,beyond choice...

The ironic candour
that once promised hope
circulates like poison
through my veins
and time becomes an illusion
for the light years between us...
Momentary frissons
recycled,replayed
reminders,remainders
of fantastical foresight,
slain by inevitability...

Oh dusky temptress
you're long gone now
a distant vision
from a distant land,
your lingering,cruel
crepuscular charm
presides, resides
in this hopeless dreamer,
redundant,repetitive
I know...
revolution,evolution
remains quiescent
yet tense,present
future's past...

Isle be gone

...And as I turn around to look back
at the old tower now cloaked in black,
Rapunzel has shut her window
and the wind has ceased to blow,
the rain has ended and I wonder how
and then I see the empty clouds above,
The boatman waits to take me aboard
he's been rather faithful to his word,
"I'm at your command, I'll be there anytime,
anyplace anywhere,I won't charge a dime"...
And I wonder if that's what life's about
sailing around with no fixed route
giving in to the whims of the wind
and not counting the times we've sinned,
if at all one needs to remember and sigh
its worth noticing that time's gone by
but the numbers won't add up in any case
all I need to count are the scars on the face
of this wretched earth that still thirsts
for salty tears from emotional spurts,
but my taste buds tell me otherwise...
that they're bittersweet and I despise
the reasons, redundant... undeserved
as memories in jars preserved
tell stories of hopes and desires
of past foibles and misfires,
And now I take these pages
filled with verse and images
and set them free as paper boats
each a snapshot of the mind's notes,
maybe some will visit your shores one day
but most I believe will sink on their way...
"land ahoy" yells the man with the oar,

"so soon?" I ask, shaken from my stupor

"aye sir,remember we're sailing the sea of time,
and there are plenty of isles inside your mind"...

Fields of folly

I walk the fields of folly
trampling over dreams,
some belonging to others
and some my own,
and memories,fresh and old
yearning for reconciliation
hang from ugly vines
that smother the lonesome trees...
and the clouds start weeping
for the departed...
but I wasn't seeking shelter
or solace,
I was merely crossing
over to the other side...

The ancient seductress

The ancient seductress
still flaunts her wares
and beckons sailors
caught unawares
from places far and wide
over time and tide...
blind to the widening hole
in her soul,
they arrive, bewitched...
she gives and they take
insatiable, they linger...
her pride eclipses her frailty
and none bother to question
her sanity or her sanctity
and they get accustomed
to her restless nights
and her morning prayers.....
her seasons and her reasons
her secrets and her sacrifices...
and night after day
she smoothens her wrinkles
and heals her scars
all for them, who do not know
about the promise of perdition...
but by the shimmering sea,
her moondance, to songs
old and new, help her seduce
even destiny with her lust
and as she smothers him
in her bosom, she hopes
she will have her way, again

(Written for a poetry reading event held for Madras week 2008 with the theme 'cities and lust'.)

Reflections, in-verse

There you stand , time on your mind
here I stand, mind on my time
There you stand, power in your hand
here I stand, handing in my power
There you stand, dreams in your eyes
here I stand, eyes on my dreams
There you stand, truth in your lips
here I stand, lips on your truth
There you stand,heart out of love
here I stand, love in my heart
There you stand, fear on your face
here I stand, facing my fear
There you stand, hope in your soul
here I stand, soul in my hope
There you stand, time out of mind
here I stand, mind out of time

Dead Man Walkin'

For those of you who know me,
I'll miss you badly…
for those of you who don't,
you never will.
For those of you who like me,
you'll miss me,sadly?
for those of you who don't,
you weren't part of the kill…
I'm a dead man walkin',
yeah I'm dead but not yet buried…
and I'll leave you all,
with something to worry…
if it was something that you did,
or something that you didn't…
and I don't care
if it was measured or hurried,
its too late now to be gracious,
or to offer your apologies,
your times up and so is mine…
and now as you read my many eulogies
I'll hope you are honest, if not kind

Dreammaker, Heartbreaker

Farewell pretty girl, you've wasted your time
and I've wasted mine, but hey its no crime
Farewell pretty girl,you've aborted our collective dreams
and I sit here crestfallen,seeing them fall apart at the seams
Farewell pretty girl, there's nothing left to win back
and I'm the fallen king , now dethroned, a mere Jack
Farewell pretty girl, your fears were premature and weak
and I will now wait, curious, to see whose crown you seek
Farewell pretty girl, there's nothing left to talk about
and I find myself in square one, a mere roustabout
Farewell pretty girl, your memories will remain etched
and my heart will cling on to them, blissfully wretched
Farewell pretty girl, I'll miss your kind voice
and you'll miss my wit, but that was your choice
Farewell pretty girl, I'll miss the magic of your eyes
and you'll cast your sight on someone who's worth the prize
Farewell pretty girl, I wish time and space had been on my side
and I'll never know for sure, if that would have turned the tide
Farewell pretty girl, I've lost my favorite tune
and I dont think I'll find another one anytime soon
Farewell pretty girl, I'm grateful for the time we wasted
and I'll move on,the blood of heartbreak,tasted

Sin City

Lets assume I am riding with Travis Bickle in his Taxi and we run into Dylan with his placards for 'Subterranean homesick blues'… and I decide to take notes…what follows is one of my more bizarre attempts..don't expect any finesse in it :p

Sin City

Killer dogs roam the streets at night
and darkness seeks silver moonlight
rotten leaves traipse in the wind
the night sky wears an emerald tint
the righteous few have been laid to rest
the living dead start to infest
the winds of change have aborted
our collective vision is distorted
the weatherman's been slain at his game
we fantasize our rise to fame
the street walker flaunts her wares
the night stalker seeks to scare
the wedding bride burns her gown
the groom's chosen to flee town
the sunset warrior bleeds into the night
he's lost his battles and his rights
the manic preacher's left his soapbox
the last ship has left the docks
the lonesome gunner takes aim
at the estranged wife who stakes her claim
the minions of dusk seek to slay
as the keepers of faith kneel to pray
the gloom chugs into dawn
ignoring prophecies that have warned
the concrete jungle goes up in smoke
the firemen are busy playing poker
the morbid midwife conspires to abort
the newborn's life is cut short
the gambler fights against all odds
while the bookmaker smiles and nods
the copper cocks his semi-automatic
but his CB picks up only static
the crazed strangler's on the loose
armed with his dangling noose
the hooded avenger fires his gun
sanity spirals into oblivion
the legionnaires of the sea raid the shore
as the lost ark comes in for more
the piper blows his clarion call
the hordes run in panic and fall
the vulgar games draw to a close
its time to clean up the shores
vultures circle the city square
stuck in the middle of nowhere
city of night, city of pain
to wash your sins the heavens shall rain

Mariner,reborn

As the hungry horizon swallows the waning sun
shadows of fear curl around the walls of his mind
peeling the paint, with its acid caress
causing soft agony that seeks surreal sedation
as he drifts, into unconsciousness
and quiet dreams sail an iron sea
aided by a moral compass
promising direction,its needle pointing
toward a distant undertow that beckons below
to blinding depths where rusted portholes
of ancient flagships lie in sacred solitude
harboring chronicles of past vanguards
and their voyages that inspire rebirth
to transcend waves of doubt and crystallize hopes
that promise him eternal liberation,he,
the shackled mariner,the jettisoned survivor

Quicksilver Woman

Was it sanity you lost
when the forbidden line was crossed
or was your mind's eye open all along
that separated right from wrong
Was it pride that you swallowed
when you begged and borrowed
or was it merely staged
like the time the war was waged
Was it pain that you felt
when your naked soul knelt
before time and truth
stripped you of your youth
Was it love that you killed
when your chalice was filled
with wine from grapes of wrath
that promised a bitter sabbath
Was it fear that you embraced
when you were faced
with choices that hailed
for walls to be scaled
Was it hate that you spread
when your ego wasn't fed
and the mirrors spoke
of truth that'd awoke
Was it jealousy that arose
when the doors had closed
and wisdom beckoned
every wilting second
Was it change that dawned
when your hope fawned
and you turned back time
hoping to find your mind

Beasts of Bedlam

We're beasts of pain wandering in desolation
through imaginary deserts to an infinite horizon
we're lost mortals of the unseen maker
nomads seeking an eternal place in the sun

We're beasts of lust wandering in degeneration
through shallow cesspools as black as hell,
we're vain and naive in our stunted evolution
zombies programmed to think normalcy is swell

We're beasts of unrest wandering in desperation
through burnt prairies in search of salvation,
we're masked pretenders in one long masquerade
under the spell of the pseudo-shaman's incantation

We're beasts of greed wandering in disjunction
sailing on a frozen sea with contrived zeal,
we're chronic misfits on this lonely planet
fuelled by neurosis to destroy everything that's real

We're beasts of bedlam,conspiring high pandemonium
on this ancient paradise that we never owned,
The horsemen of apocalypse are lurking around the corner,
storm riders who will strike from gateways unknown

Carnival woman

My little child woman, remember when the carnival came to town
and you said you'll truly feel at home with all the jugglers and clowns
you ran gleefully after the pink cotton candy trail to stuff your face
but they tricked you and you fell under the spell of their cheap purple haze

My little child woman, remember when the carnival came to town
you thought the bears and the monkeys would help you wipe your frown
you were fooled by the phoney ringmaster who feigned bravery and power
and you ended up driving around circles in your broken bumper car

Remember the mad hatted uni-cyclist and the ferris wheel that made you tipsy?
the dwarf that walked on stilts and the scary crystal ball gypsy
Did you find joy in that masquerade of make believe and pretence?
why did it take you so long to realize that none of it made any sense?

My little child woman, remember when the carnival came to town
and you wanted to paint your face neon green at night and swirl around
But you never quite glowed in the dark because you never wanted to dream
how could you, when you were busy throwing pies coated with whipped cream

Remember the house of trick mirrors and the old sailor's talking parrot
they all had you running blind after a dangling half eaten carrot
and you ran into the top hatted , raven caped magician with his bag of illusions
your ecstasy vial was running on empty and you had to fight your delusions

My little child woman, remember when the carnival came to town
and you climbed onto the high trapeze, lost your grip and came crashing down
Alright , they all signed your broken arm cast and then you beamed with pride
but when the time came for them to close shop, you had no place to hide

Remember the tiger skin clad strong man on dope and the siamese twins
the acrobats on the tight rope and the worn out trampolines
Was that really the photograph you wanted to be framed in?
Aahh, but then it rained,oh how it poured and the center tent caved in…

Bohemian wanderer

Did you go chasing after wild horses?
you Bohemian wanderer,you lone ranger
the land of Giants beckons,with its forces
Are you welcome,you awkward stranger?

Or did you go swimming in turbulent waters?
in search of an island paradise,
seeking the hands of King's daughters
Are you awake now,are you wise?

Did you try flying among eagles?
were you trying to reach for the sun?
with your measured ascent,slow but regal
will you keep soaring,or are you already done?

Has the ego finally landed,will you stay?
have you gotten rid of your blinders?
'cause judgement day isn't far away
and you would'nt want to end up as an organ grinder.

Black and Light

The solitary flame's flicker has gone out
here I stand, shrouded in silent darkness,
the blind man no more,I think see much better now
doesn't it sound absurd,this ironic prowess?

The burning embers of the past settle softly on the floor
forming a black carpet silhouetting buried memories,
the acrid air around me burns my eyes ever more
I feel a stream of black in my swollen arteries

Now I'm trying to seek tranquility in solitary madness
I'm learning to balance the scales and find equilibrium,
No testaments to assure me that I'll get through unscathed
these superfluous scars I'll heal,with truth as my numbing opium

The solitary flame's flicker has gone out
here I stand, warped in static space and time
but I'll dust off all those clinging fears and doubts
don't need an artificial flame,I'll make my own sunshine...

Requiem for a Dream

Does it ever make you wonder
why some people are just passing through
those that you long to hold on to, just for a lifetime longer
choose to engulf you in their cloak of warmth, only to bid adieu

You marvel at the magic they’ve weaved over you
leaving you enthralled and entwined in its magnificent splendor
but only to turn all that golden brilliance to hues of dark blue
leaving the canvas unfinished with no masterpiece rendered

The random forces of destiny conspire to give you temporary wings
leaving you in total awe of its undecipherable patterns
random acts of kindness perhaps, these littlest things
but powerful and intense like an eternal glow from an unquenchable lantern

You then try and learn to admire without desiring, as a wise man said
and so you try and untie those gleaming fetters of possession
but then paranoia strikes to leave you cowering in apprehension and dread
as you are all too aware of the cruel smirks of Time’s undulations

Does it ever make you wonder
why some people are just passing through
perhaps they were only meant to make you ponder
what could have been if only marvelous dreams came true

Robes of silence

The lady's wrapped in robes of silence
I can see her ring finger's bare
the words from her lips are rare
mystic metaphors lace her parlance

I'm learnin',I'm still learnin'
to find out what her cryptic words mean
my patience is being stretched lean
but the flame of hope it keeps on burnin'

she's got hair of auburn,blazing
she's got eyes as black as coal
when she stares into my empty soul
I feel alive and a new hope is rising

I'm learnin,I'm still learnin'
to read the language of her eyes
she's as unpredictable as a pair of dice
the roulette wheel of time it keeps on turnin'

The lady's wrapped in robes of silence
she refuses to unveil her thoughts
she's left me to connect the dots
and picture what lies beyond her fence

O beleaguered pretender...

O beleaguered pretender,snap out of your trance
let the sands of remainders slip through your hands
your clocks stopped ticking, it needs to be wound
and stop scrounging around in lost and found

your mirror reflects the hole in your soul
the stained marble 'neath yer feet,aint it cold?
are you Rodin's Thinker,what're you contemplating?
sweep away burnt clinkers,stop hallucinating

O beleaguered pretender,snap out of your trance
dont you dare cast another backward glance
your past baggage will only pull you down
your shady visage will linger on low ground

your mirror reflects the man behind the mask
he's got the answers to the questions you seek to ask
help him unmask and break out of your shell
then you'll talk of the demons of fear that he fell

I'll keep walkin'

I've walked past hollow graves
got nothin' to look back upon
like a new song hitting the air waves
I could be a king or just a pawn

I'll keep walkin',till the end of the day
no cops on duty and no thieves
its just me alone on the highway
trudging through fallen leaves

I've walked past burning bridges
no need to cross them again
I've trashed all those crumpling ledgers
it seems I'm on uncharted terrain

I'll keep walkin',long journey into the night
I can hear the lone wolf howling
but I'm past beyond caring or fright
my mystic shadow's gone prowling

I've walked past tumbling towers
they never were really tall
fallen out of favour with masked powers
blind fools who've seeked my fall

I'll keep walkin',till another sunrise
I can see a new dawn awaken
bright sunlight wont blind my weary eyes
shallow dreams I've forsaken

I've walked through rumbling rainstorms
fallen into puddles and drenched to the bone
yearned for a lovers embrace to keep me warm
I'm gonna take her by the hand and lead her home

Fly beside me

Can you feel that wary frisson
I wish you were more lissome
when the twain does meet
ya gotta be up and on your feet
you think yer playing safe
and you treat me like a waif
but you know that yer wrong
to keep me waiting for so long
old scars ache,you start reminiscing
for heaven's sake,NOW is what yer missing
you think you'll get hurt again
but you wont,I know your pain
ya gotta learn to trust me
dont leave me alone or encrust me
I've got you in my sights
when I perch in my lofty heights
like an eagle from the sky
when I see you I soar high
the air on top is lonely
but that'll change if only
you decide to fly beside me
dont let the clouds hide me

Rap-sody in Blue

Trippin' over little things
hopin' for wondrous flings
quittin' in the boxing ring
gropin' like a blind king
life's gettin bitter how
I feel like a quitter now
trapped in this slaughter pit
deserted and I've lost my wit
there's a glimmer in sight
in this moonless night
the stars decide to bless me
they send you to fetch me
you throw me a rope
you fill me with hope
but I've afraid to grab it
are you the mystic white rabbit?
will you pull me out
will you slay my doubts
take me to your wonderland
my ships been flying unmanned
let me ride on your train of thought
and linger in your parking lot
but I find your air of silence
and your picket fence
quite unnerving,dont you feel
ain't I deserving,dont make me kneel
when you pass my way
check to cheek I wanna sway
see, the music's just begun
girl, you know I'm the one
Is this the song you need
to hear to make you heed
don't think I'm just flirtin'
ya know that I'm also courtin'
girl,walk into my life
I need you be my wife
we'll make a lovely scene
me the king and you my Queen

The Crimson river

'neath the campus grounds runs a crimson river
the lone gunner sought to take them all
the vengeful Class warrior, forced to pull the trigger
his aim was clear and final,the devil had called

these virgin lands of sacred learning
now blackened by this tragic crime of hate
not long before you see more stakes burning
up in arms they'll all be, oh cruel arms of fate

a wordsmith was he,but one engulfed by rage
the gun dwarfed the pen ,he spoke of being cornered
and now as the cops survey the bloody wreckage
they find he'd harbored delusions of a martyr's honor

32 rang the toll of dead,and plenty fighting to survive
the gunner scared of life,decided to take his own life too
'morrow these horrors will be recalled by those who're alive
only to find them being repeated,under another blood stained hue

The guardsmen have departed

The guardsmen have departed for a reason
deserting you in your hour of need
you think they oughta be tried for high treason
you shoulda stopped exploiting them for your greed

"you'll get by fine", one of them says
"but but ya gotta open your eyes",says the other
your smug faith has led you to decay
you gotta confess to your blood brother

the lone ranger , now you gotta stride
in search of truth ,to find your salvation
passing by strangers,to find your bride
yer riding through the sands of starvation

the guardsmen have departed for a reason
deserting you in your hour of need
its gonna be one long and lonesome season
but your gates are unwatched now,you've been freed

"call us when you need us" ,one of them says
"but weigh them with care,lest they're trivial", says the other
yer sails are ready for the seas, anchors aweigh
yer the captain and the crew,both as one and not another

the solitary sailor, now ya gotta sail
in search of honest shores to find your soul
your keel may get dented,but you shall not quail
your mortal flesh may flinch, ya gotta face the cold

the guardsmen have departed for a reason
deserting you in your hour of need
the crown of glory,it sure ain't free,son
the league of honor,ya gotta be worthy of its creed

Hope

What good is hope, when all it causes is intemperate hurt
when of all the things you seek,you are denied its comfort
what good is hope, when all it inflicts upon you is pain
when you seek eternal joy and only end up with refrain
what good is hope, when all you hear is its silence
when you seek its aural tingle but are left asking "whence"
what good is hope, when all you behold is its darkness
when the image of the love you seek is only an illusory mess
what good is hope, when everything you've craved for is denied
when the promise of amelioration decides to withdraw itself and hide
what good is hope, when you have lost your faith in Hope itself
for its elusive charms will someday smile upon you to help you find yourself

On the road again

Once yer past the gates,yer free to fly or fall
you'll probably end up getting stonewalled
go to her,she calls to you in silent whispers
but watch out that it don't cause no blisters

you've got miles to go before you cross the border
you've got plenty of rubber to burn,highway fodder
dont race too soon lest you swerve off track
but dont slow down yet,else you'll fall way back

there're signposts erected all along the footpath
watch the traffic,you dont want no bloodbath
better get yer blinkers fixed,son,they've gone dead
gotta let her know the direction in which yer headed

your highway's leading straight to the truth
can you feel the heat beneath your boots?
doesn't the hot leather make you squirm?
ya know yer on trial, ya gotta stay firm

Flying High

I'm flying high,high over these lonely roads
passing over uncrowned treetrunks
high over fallen hedgerows
I guess my fears are now defunct

I'm flying high,high over these misty mountains
soaring past eagles,brave and proud
high over these barren sands
I guess I've risen above the crowd

I'm flying high,high over ravaged meadows
passing through clouds,white and pure
high over these deserted shores
I guess I've found my cure

I'm flying high,high over these stormy seas
soaring past those false horizons
I've found serenity and peace
I guess a new dawn's sun has risen

Call to arms

The pipers at the gates,sounding his final clarion
you're running late, but you've got to carry on
there're unfinished deals waiting to be sealed
forgotten promises to be kept and faith to be healed
the hourglass is running on empty,slow down oh sands of time
things to do aplenty,your indecision is but,a punishable crime
past glories have been laid to rest in search of fresh battles
fear not the hot iron brand,run free among unherded cattle
revel in those frenetic moments over uncharted realms
feast in the meadows of evergreen hopes and dreams
and feed those famished desires till they come to life
the august harvest is at arms reach and the time is ripe
to spring into shoots from subterranean roots of fear
let not another chance pass by,for it will cost you dear
for the hallows of past regrets will haunt you, perennial
and you'll find yourself battling against constant denial
for what is a victory if not laced with loss and harm
never hesitate to loudly answer the call to arms
as the hour of glory draws closer,the battlelines have been drawn
courage and might shall take you through to see victorious dawns