Freedom

There was a parakeet on my terrace -
Colourful, chatty, caged.
It looked not sad;
In fact, it looked content...
A little resigned perhaps.
So, a fine day in spring,
I thought I should set it free.
It cooed and cawed and,
Perched on my fist,
Towards freedom
We marched.
The sky was a frothy blue,
A heaven for avian flight;
And yet, on my fist,
The parakeet sat,
Gazing up,
Sans a flutter...
Until it dawned on me,
That freedom was a lesson,
My pet had yet to learn.
And I stood staring at my bird
Wondering when 'I' had lost my wings.

To Friendship

So moved am I by random things,
That barely do I pause,
To reflect in sync;
Order has lost it's music:
It is much like the broken string
On my father's old violin,
Left to it's piteous fate
In a room which used to be his.
A thought,
A pause,
Another thought...not quite siblings;
But I feel their smiles -
They are friends -
And friends make music,
Even when
They look for none.

Some thoughts...

Some thoughts trickle down my window pane,
Hand in hand with the monsoon showers.
The rain I can touch,
The thoughts I cannot.
So, with blind eyes,
I feel...
Until, with the rain,
They disappear
Beneath the blue forget-me-nots
At my window.

A Little Piece of Heaven

You were a tiny bundle in my arms
When you smiled your little smile
A little lopsided to the left
Your eyes were still closed
That's how I knew you were dreamin'
And my heart turned over in my chest
That's when I knew
You were my little ray of sunshine
My little piece of heaven
My little piece of joy without fail.

You grow up a little everyday
Taller, smarter, bigger
How long before you leave the nest?
You'll find love and laughter
And a little heartbreak too
But know that it's all for the best
Just always remember
There's a little cloud of doubt
And a little rain of love
But a little wind of laughter tips the scale.

There'll be days in your tomorrows
When you'll have paths to choose
Cross mountains that seem too tall to climb
Choose right and be true
And you'll reach where you want to be
You might stumble but you'll have your time
And I pray this day
For little hugs of comfort
For little words of praise
And moments of hope to help you prevail.

There'll come a time in life
When you reach out your hand to hold another
A time to know where you belong
A lifetime of promise and trust
A lifetime of love
A little note of music that holds a timeless song
And I want you to remember
With a little bit of laughter
And a little rain of love
You can build your own heaven of joy to sail.

Oblivion

Harsh lights in a pub
Amber liquid in my glass
I dance the night away
With a few people that I know
And some that I never will
It’s a crowd where no-one cares
Me neither
So I dance the night away
Embracing a precious few moments
Of oblivion
The music is loud
Loud enough to hurt
Loud enough to drown all thoughts
A couple of hundred limbs
Sweaty…tired…and a little numb
All ready to dance the night away
All ready to drink the aches away
To live for just a few more hours
In blessed nowhere
Without care
Without feeling
Tomorrow will come soon enough.

Dear Stranger

The street’s deserted,
The lamps staring at us
As we try not to look at each other
It’s been a few years
A few years too many
Of hiding behind virtual doors
Until polite indifference
Replaced the angry fights

The wheels screech on the wet street
Breaking the uncomfortable silence of emptiness
Used to be love
Or so I thought
Perhaps this is love’s fate
Or most love anyway-
Some promises made
And most of them broken

Just a few moments more
Until I search my purse for the keys
Should I tell you tonight
That I did miss you…
At least at first?
But then there was someone else
To soothe my hurts…to heal me
To make me whole again

The door’s unlocked
And I turn…to look at you
Wondering why it’s so difficult to let go
Although there’s nothing left to hold on to
A thousand questions
Did we try hard enough?
Or did pride take over
Until all the rights became wrong?

You look back at me
And I see it in your eyes
The same doubts…the same questions
About a life that wasn’t meant to be
The same fear
Of the years yet to come…unpredictable
I know you feel the same emptiness
So perhaps it’s time to let go…to move on.
(Composed - 09thFeb2010)

A Promise

The whisper of fingers against skin,
The breath of a smile against tousled hair,
The lines in the corner of your eyes
As they hold mine;
A shiver, a tremble
And a million goose-bumps
First love, first touch
And a first of so many
I hope…I fear
And I hold on
This one will be my today…my tomorrow
And my always.

(Composed on 29 December, 2009)