Poem: The Runner

mornings or afternoons
opening that door
sitting across at a diagonal view
he sees her
imagining she did too
or maybe just imagining

large monitors
cover his gaze
past those walls
he wants to talk
shy as a butterfly
he just does not

she is away
in a new land
far far away
chasing her dream
running with passion

tired and jet lagged
sleepless and unsettled
she writes innocently
a 2am email
perhaps unusual
how he sees it

delighted he feels
dreaming the impossible
wishing it were
a reason beyond reason

nervous and impatient
he waits for hours
screen refresh
screen refresh
days and nights
with wishes not despair
another 2am moment
never does arrive

Poem: The Untold

silent dinners
late nite walks
lake side views
lying under the stars


deep dark lines
shaping her eyes
without a word amidst
the fish smiles


lost in her
in the untold
he revels
silence still prevails


lips dont move
with words waiting
she knows
he knows


a strange feeling
yes its a feeling
only the beginning
it has a fragrance


fragrance not known
not to anyone
just the two


brings a breeze
lends a voice
never stays quiet
never stays hidden
still remains untold
the secret of life
the secret of love

Poem: Root 3

i fear that i will always be
a lonely number like root 3
a 3 is all that's good and right
why must my 3 keep out of sight

beneath a vicious square root sign
i wish instead i were a 9
for 9 could thwart this evil trick
with just some quick arithmetic

i know i'll never see the sun
as 1.7321
such is my reality
a sad irrationality

when hark! what is this i see
another square root of a 3
has quietly come waltzing by
together now we multiply

to form a number we prefer
rejoicing as an integer
we break free from our mortal bonds
and with a wave of magic wands

our square root signs become unglued
and love for me has been renewed

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PS: if you can let me know where you've heard this, WITHOUT doing a Google search, i'll buy you a beer. Women get martini.

Poem: Her favorite steel tumbler

she woke up
morning birds her alarm
this sunday
was no different

nowadays she was
used to the rhythm

prepare
deck up
new batch arrives
stand straight
genuflect
sit gentle
sing devotional
serve coffee and snacks
listen to elders jabbering
ancestral connections

nothing made sense
hot and bothered
acted with obedience
she held her emotions tight
never spoke an extra word
in her own territory

the hand had moved
a few degrees south
in some time she thought
life will be normal

with anger and hatred
she looked
at the kitchen sink
tumbler and plates
put to wash

for,
the seventeenth time
a stranger's lips had
left
another dirty mark on her
favorite steel tumbler

Poem: That moment

like a princess from neverland
in front of his eyes
she rested there
in deep thought

he looked at her
that pin drop silence
her eyelids opened
he imagined
lotus petals unfolding under the sun

their eyes met
no word spilled
still volumes were spoken
the magic had happened

clasping her body close
to himself
he felt her breath
warm and heavy

lifting her chin
she closed her eyes
his lips on hers
that first kiss
he stole her breath
a new journey of love began

Poem: Your innermost desire

when i asked you,
you told me no
i refused to believe
coz' it was not you

i was sure
you didnt want that
your heart told yes
the lips told no

now tell me yes
tell me what i want
really really
tell me what you want

Poem: His Pet

Without any fear
and immense delight
he found his new friend
who'd be his best companion ever!

every morning
at the call of the birds
he would run to the door
and shout - "Blacky!!!"
at the top of his voice

only to see
the thumping of the tail
one big hug
to the patient saint bernard
for him, this big buddy
was just like a soft toy

lazy afternoons
were always at the doorstep
with a parle in hand
he'd place his head
right on its neck
thinking it was a bolster

Spark of Fire

I have been listening to Bharathiyaar (the greatest tamil poet ever) songs lately, especially "Suttum Vizhi Chudarthaan". I have this CD that I got - Sikkil Gurucharan's voice with Anil Srinivasan on the piano. When the song begins, it feels like a pleasant rainfall in your heart.

I think its more to do with the lyrics. Non-Tamil readers please excuse. This song has created such an impact over the last few weeks that I decided I must write a post to try and bring out, perhaps the untold.

It brings out feelings of love and passion in such a beautiful manner, you'll understand when you read till the end.

suttum vizhich chudardhaan kannammaa sooriya chandhiraroa
vattak kariyavizhi kannammaa vaanak karumai kolloa
pattuk karuneelap pudavai padhiththa nal vayiram
natta nadu nisiyil theriyum natchaththirangaladi


The poet usually takes the reference of Kannamma, who in this song is young lady and a graceful lover.

He is amazed by the gaze of her eyes - compares that with the sun and the moon. The light from the orange sun during an early sunrise which is comparable to fire or the bright moon on a full moon day - both bring so much brightness to her appearance. Her round black eyeballs, for him, reminds of the darkness of the skies. Her sari, dark blue in color also signifies the night, but studded with diamonds is like the stars that decorate the beautiful night. In effect, he tells that her appearance is as enthralling as a sparkling night sky.

soalai malaroliyoa unadhu sundharap punnagaidhaan
neelak kadalalaiyae unadhu nenjilalaigaladi
koalak kuyiloasai unadhu kuralininimaiyadi
vaalaik kumariyadi kannammaa maruvak kaadhal kondaen

The colorful flowers in the garden. Imagine the sunflower that glows in the spring when the rays of the sun fall on its petals. Now imagine her smile - it brings out a brilliance and refulgence. The waves of her heart is now compared to the sea. Here it refers to the fluctuations of the thoughts. Her voice is sweeter than the sound of the koel. Oh virgin beauty, I am charmed by my love. Here, the end is a flawless declaration of love. Its the nascent love that when told, reflects on her smile, makes her heart waver and leap with happiness.

saaththiram paesugiraay kannammaa saaththiram aedhukkadi
aaththiram kondavarkkae kannammaa saaththiram undoadi
mooththavar sammadhiyil vadhuvai muraigal pinbu seyvoam
kaaththiruppaenoadi idhu paar kannaththu muththam onru

You speak of rules, but why do we need rules? Rules are only for the people who are impatient. The inner detail here is - our love is full of passion, so why should there be a boundary. The poet questions Kannamma and ensures that he gets her attention completely. Under the auspicious presence and acceptance of the elders, the marital procedures shall be conducted, but that will be later. Will I be waiting, look here, a kiss on the cheek. We can see the shift of impatience here. The poet initially tells that rules are for the impatient. Kannamma is aware of the poet's impatience and hence she has her rules, but the poet calls her twice here and tries to change her mind. For him and his deep love for her, she is already his. The wedding is just a ritual for the sake of the society.

In all this, we can see that the poet wants to express just pure love for his Kannamma. He is not bothered about the society because he has made up his mind already. His love is uncontrollable and flows like a stream as the song begins.

Poem:The intruder (In Hindi)

The same poem in Hindi. All credit goes to my friend. She writes at: Dhiiti

tum meri zindagi mein aaye
meri aankhon ke saamne
ek safar karne
shayad ek tarfa

woh thanda samah, aas pas ka shor
tak tak
meri or
tumpe koi na pada asar
tumhe aur tumhare astitva ko

khushi ke chakkar
mere daftar ke andar
tumhari vella-panti
tumhare liye, humari jagah sirf rahi ek maze ki baat

ek hi tarah ki aawaz karte hue
aur shayad baatcheet
un unsuni bhashaon mein
kisi bhi tarah ka na tha sangeet

pareshan hairaan
zor se maara
aur bola- tumhari aatma ko shanti mile
arre bevkoof macchar!!

Poem: The intruder

you flew into my life
right in front of my eyes
taking a journey
perhaps of no return

the cold environment, noises from keystrokes
around me
never did matter
to you and your existence

circles of joy
inside my workplace
were your pastime
for you - my bay was more than an adventure trail

monotonous sounds you made
or maybe even a dialog
in incomprehensible languages
were definitely not
music to my ears

irritated and tired
i struck you hard
and said - "Rest in Peace!
You silly Mosquito"

Poem: Dazed

they got off the subway
she walked across the busy road
did not say a word
expressions were bold

"everything is wrong;
i am wrong"
she said
this is it and
nothing more

he stood there
watching her
he wasn't sure
where to start

the 'another i' showed up
told him to break free
he was lost
behind those hazel eyes
he thought - was she messing with my mind

Poem: Blue Crush

A bright sunny day it was
mid october if the date is a want
the day had come to an end
the bell rang; that was the sign

he rushed through the busy corridor
in his usual stride
past that small nest
where the chirpy birds reside

he stopped there
for he witnessed what he could not believe
a damsel who was never around before
coiffure that reminded him of just rapunzel next
a little beam across his face
he asked himself - is it her?

feelings he had deep inside
he wasnt sure, so he had to hide
she did not know, she had no clue
the secret was stored in mind for a while

walking on the road
towards the bus stop
he thought their eyes met
she looked away
maybe she was scared, he thought

he took the chance
for he knew time would never tell
the road bend was the spot
no one around
silence the only companion

he looked in her eyes
she seemed surprised and confused
yet he felt good
wanting to tell her things from his heart
"I" - that was all he could
then he smiled and she smiled back

it didnt matter to him
it was a wonderful day in his life

Poem: Her Shadow

She entered the temple hall
white frock and jasmine flowers
black walls and incense sticks

raising her hands upto the sky
indirectly she said "amma*, please hold me high"

with palms together, she looked ahead
not knowing what she was seeing
a belief that was innocent

minutes later they walked out
into the surroundings held by the wall
horizon trying to eat the orange ball

she looked down and surprise!
a mythical figure had taken her side
confused but not afraid, she stood
thoughts in her mind of different kinds

three steps to the right
the dark friend was still by her side
three steps to the left
and nothing had changed

suddenly amma lifted her
and the dark friend was gone
she wondered where


* amma - tamil word meaning mom