THE TRAIN ACCIDENT

While the iron giant-on-wheels,

Was rushing towards its destination,

Tearing apart the darkness of the devilish night,

With the sharp ray of its headlight,

The commuters were resting,

Unconcerned in the spell of a sound sleep.

As ill-luck took its toll on the journey,

On a sudden jerk of the wheels,

The engine derailed from the track,

     Effecting derailment and collision of some bogies,

Stunning the unaware innocent inmates.

Horrible screaming of people replaced,

The raucous noise of the wheels and the whistle.

Chaos and rout echoed the ugly peal of the calamity.

Life fought with all its might to break free,

From the cruel grip of death amidst darkness.

Death waylaid life, time strangulated breaths,

Of some unfortunate commuters in their sleep,

While some became physically crippled, for the rest of their life,

But were granted another opportunity by their lady luck,

To live and struggle with their tough future ahead.

Some blessed with an escape, flashed towards every scream,

In search of their missing relatives from among the wreckage,

With hope and qualm reflected on their faces,

Crying for help from the souls on the surroundings,

Appealing for a grace from above their heads.

The tiny girl who was jumping all over the coach with a teddy bear,

Rushing from this uncle to that aunt the previous evening,

Sharing her excitement of reaching her grandma the next morning,

Was identified in parts among the debris by an eyewitness,

Holding tight her bloodstained doll in one of her fragmented hand.

No one was having a mind to care about the luggages,

Or the headgear of a bridegroom, a gold bangle set,

Scattered among the disintegrated human body parts,

Unfolding the true worth of material possessions,

In comparison to the horror of death and the human urge to survive.

Witnessing life and death on their toes,

The instances of life falling to its clutch or succeeding to evade,

Was just an eye-opener towards the grave realities,

Of the helplessness and debility of an individual human,

Uncertainty and unpredictability of his destiny.

 My heart numbs and sinks in deep sorrow,

Feels pain for those who are suffering from injuries.

My head bows before God praying for them,

Tears beg alms from Him for their early recovery;

After all, they all are souls like mine,

I feel pinch inside pondering over the departure,

Of some carrying shoulders, caring hearts,

Effecting nonrenewable losses to their families,

I tremble with the imagination of the shattered establishments

Of some families on the abrupt collapse of their resting pillars.

I condole their exit,

Pray god to back the jolted and grieved families,

And let the deceased souls rest in peace.

CHESS 1

Losing or winning in a game of chess,

Of course is all about checkmate of  a King.

Presence and smart moves of the Queen,

Asserts and ensures the fate of the King.

I cannot let my Queen go down,

To any adversary using the crooked Knights,

Hence, I offered her free mobility,

On all the Files and the Ranks of my occupancy at will.

To keep her free from threats of a seizure,

I vested all my firepower at her disposal,

The straightforward Rooks, the sharp Bishops,

The sacrificial Pawns and even the cunning Knights.

I born to succeed as a habituated winner,

And my win is impractical without her,

I will be uncrowned, destitute at her departure,

And nonexistent, no King, nothing without my Queen dear.

That I will not afford, I will hold her in my respect ever,

We will emerge winners together.

CHESS

                                                               In a battle of chess,

When I saw seizure of the moves of my Queen.

I did not want to remain in the game,

And witness departure of my Queen dear,

I couldn’t fight the battle without her either,

So I preferred to resign.

Simplicity of my sacrificial Pawns,

Piousness of my sharp Bishops,

Straightforward moves of Rooks,

Were of no use in helping my Queen,

Getting out of the clutch,

Of the opponent’s plan.

My Knights remained unmoved,

And the innocent King stalemated,

Helplessly watching the ill-luck of the game.

                                                      The versatility of my Queen,

Failed to follow the two and half moves,

Of the opponent’s crooked Knights.

 I am not shattered losing a single encounter,

A battle does not decide the fate of a war,

 When my rival is tough, I know how to play tougher,

With all my prudence, I will defend my Queen dear,

Will bounce back with more refined firepower,

I won’t let my Queen go down to anyone, for a wily move either.

LAST OPTION

I unsuccessfully tried to sink the uproar,

That aroused out of the dear departure,

At the devil’s workshop in glasses of alcohol,

Dishonoring her affectionate appeal.

Humbled by the advice of my benefactor,

I mumble in solitude at the god’s enclosure,

And occupy myself in reading His scripts,

But to no avail in soothing my turbulent spirit.

Now I am in such a stalemate condition,

I can neither speak nor digest my consternation,

Neither can I afford to deviate from my resolution,

Nor I am able to sustain anymore this separation.

I am left with just one last option,

In that too, I need your permission,

Allow me to leave this troubled sphere,

Burying the scar in my core forever.

PRIDE OF DEVOTION

I spread my heart as carpet in your region,

Smooth it with rose petals of deep devotion.

You too acknowledge with your sincere gratification,

And we began dancing, singing in synchronization.

Our smiles germinate splendorous waves of trances,

Sweats blossom as beautiful romantic verses.

We get intoxicated to the allure of elation

Forget the world around us and its concerns.

Meanwhile, from beneath the heap of the petals,

A pebble mischievously sneaked on to your aisle.

Blood streams out of your foot and my heart,

You prefer to cure yours with the gel of detachment.

Your aloofness blasted my bleeding heart to pieces,

Madly I go on searching you, your smile, and your verses.

Mutely I gulp tears but keep on waiting your return,

Trusting you to do justice with the pride of devotion.

YOUR SHOWER

Oh! Earth dear, I shadow your atmosphere,

To wet you all over with my heavenly pour.

I send a whole spectrum of my rainbows,

To create excitement in your raising brows.

You need not fear my thunder and lightning,

Despite all pains, I will absorb them within.

Be it any season whenever you will feel my absence,

I will rise from behind the horizon to register my presence.

I do not care to become insolvent and bare,

Whilst relieving you from the sore of summer.

I will squeeze my skirt to the last droplet,

Won’t mind ending up dry fulfilling your thirst.

Feel free to jump out, rejoice, dance and sing,

Grow, prosper and enrich your soul with my blessings.

Never pull yourself out of my soothing spell,

Without your acknowledgment, it’s of no avail.

THE LIGHT

I am sitting in a dark room,

Deserted and dejected,

But determined to keep the lamp burning,

That you once ignited in my core,

Even without your presence.

My confidence in the glory of the lamp,

Adds fuel to the flames,

Even if you block the oxygen,

Of your kind words and humble support,

From reaching me.

My intense respect and devotion towards you

Will not allow me to hurt your emotions,

Sabotage your ways or blaze your peace,

Neither a true love nor an honest lover,

Can ever effect a disaster.

I will absorb the gloom within myself,

And will never knock your door for that,

No blame for the darkness,

No claim of a rescue,

No bargain with the glory of love.

 If any day you peep into my room,

Out of curiosity unmindfully,

You will be excited to see,

The glow of your light burning with all its pride,

And will be assured that you gave it in the most deserving hands

The Insignificant Flower 1

Living at the mercy of nature, a miserable life I was leading,

On the meadow as an insignificant grass flower sapling.

Pitying on my position you my patron, a great person,

Afforded a place in your garden and I blossom.

Maddened by your generosity, I committed the blunder,

Unafraid of the consequences I began loving my promoter.

Days passed in your thought, night roamed in your dream,

Revolved my whole being around you, in your love, I was undone

Accuse me of the insobriety or hang my culprit heart it ignored my brain.

Moving in the garden that day, you looked tense and concerned,

Insane I became witnessing you in that undesirable condition.

Stranded in shock, I forgot my mini stature and kissed your feet,

How could I have tolerated your sadness, you know my heart.

Reacting to my audacity, you rooted me out of your garden.

Agony solitude and helplessness became again my companions,

I did not bother reaching the place where I was earlier,

But my eyes bleed imagining the torment of your soft core.

I feel the pain of your soul and the hesitation of your trembling finger,

While rooting out a beautiful entwine as a humble gardener.

Forgive me if you can for the unintentional inconvenience,

Get back to me any day I am waiting eagerly your presence.

The Insignificant flower

Lonely I was laying neglected, underrated,

On the meadow, when you picked me,

Placed me in your garden, nurtured me with care,

And I flourished with astounding results to your contentment.

My heart got overwhelmed with your generosity,

Unnoticed I hold you in me, began loving you.

Despite the fact that I got devoted to you so much,

Respectability, sobriety and your smiling face were on my priority.

After all, I owed my budding, glow and fragrance to you.

More sacrificial than expectant was my approach,

In mutual existence, caring and sharing of pleasure.

Stature was small being a grass flower, but my soul was vast

Holding in it you, your concerns with sincerity and firmness.

Regardless of the fact that you removed me for reason unknown,

As long as I live, I will sing the glory of your grandeur.

I will smile with your smile, cry with your dismay,

Loudly proclaim your greatness and ignore your fault,

On each occasion, I go for a new creation.

Vibrating for you, I will try to touch your feet,

Even from outside your barricade, without hurting your wish..

You eradicated me, I established you with stronger resolution,

On a more purified endeavor, with more devotion

Until I exist, I promise I will remain true to you, my gardener.

FAITH

I see a stone on the wayside,

Having a red paint on it,

Place it under a papal tree,

Wash it with water from the river,

And it did not shed the color.

I trust the color to be divine and natural.

I take it as a holy replica of god,

Bow my head and open my heart,

Shed my tears of honest devotion,

Offer my verses as prayer,

Left all my worldly alignments,

Build a hut to focus on care and worship of my faith.

The pages of the calendar changed,

Bushes of unheeded beard grow on my face,

Eyes sink into the sockets,

I remain unheard,

Still, my trusts on Him never shake,

 I never deviate from my path of devotion.

May a temple of my devotion be constructed,

 Or my tomb,

Where I bow, I bow until my last air.

MISUNDERSTANDING

We are always two bodies, one soul,

But suddenly a misunderstanding tried to make it two,

I hardly believe anything can pull me out of you,

Make you stand on the other side of the bridge,

Make you think right, what I know wrong.

Repeated lies at times appears truthful,

Glowworms are often mistaken carrying fire,

The air coming out of mouth in winter is mistaken as smoke,

That does not mean a fire is ignited somewhere,

I trust your adjudicating capabilities.

Empty clouds cannot cover a sky for long,

A disguised jackal cannot remain safe for long in a lion’s den,

Falsehood does not have feet to escape from the truth,

I do not think, there is a need of clarification,

Time will clear the sky soon.

MUSE 1

The most carefully constructed temple,

With the best architectural artistry,

And the most precious idol ensconced in it,

Without a flag as a crown on the top,

Remains inauspicious and incomplete.

A high profile grand wedding ceremony,

With a glamorous procession of drums and orchestra,

Followed by arrangement of an attractive banquet,

With every respectable citizen of the city participating in it.

Remains pale without a proper bridal gown.

All my hard labor in writing a piece of poem,

The metaphors, rhythm and all decorations,

The love, romance, smile, tears it serves,

The truth, messages, emotions it cares to covey,

Remain useless without a drop of ink from your pen on it.

MUSE

I do not know where God lives.

From my childhood days,

When I want to open my heart near Him,

 I rush to the lush green playground,

 Near my home, after the sunset,

To focus in solitude,

At His feet.

I seat down on the ground,

Close my eyes, fold my hands,

 Look up towards the umbrella of the earth,

Search innocently all over it,

 To have a glimpse of Him.

The most shining star,

 Polestar catches my attention,

I take it as a point of my meditation,

Focus on the unseen but trusted,

Beg from Him with tearful eyes,

 Whatsoever I desire most intently,

Deserve most certainly.

That day I begged you from Him,

To ascend you in the throne of my heart,

To Crown you as the soul of my poems,

To respect you all my life as my muse.

 And He graced me with His splendid creation,

Because He knew how earnestly, I adore you.

The scarlet attire

After hours of wait,

On the stipulated time of your regular arrival,

I heard a knock at the door.

A current passed through the cord of my brain,

Reached the heart and speed up its vibration.

My eyes sparked, lips widen baring my teeth,

With anticipation.

I rushed impatiently towards the door,

Buttoning my shirt with one hand,

Caressing my head with the other.

My mind's eye visualized,

 Through the opaque wooden door,

An ever-smiling pretty face,

 In her scarlet star-studded attire,

Ruby painted lips and rocking earrings

Shaking her head,

With a bunch of rose in her hands.

I flash opened the door,

That hit hard on my face,

Causing bleeding from my mouth,

Blinding my vision for a split second.

There was none outside,

I stood shocked, holding the door.

A blast of air rushed into my room,

Scattering the papers on the floor,

In which I wrote poems for you.

खास दिन

बहारो के दिन तो नहीं है, 
          पर वो जमीं कुछ इत्तफाकन कर, 
उनको पसंद है रंग-ओ-नूर, 
                 जरा गुलों का एहसान कर। 
सर्द मौसम है ओ सूरज,
           जरा तेज कर लो अपनी किरण,
ठण्ड से कही ठिठुर न जाए,
               मेरे सरकार की नाजुक बदन। 
बिछाकर रखना रात भरचाँद,
              तुम अपनी दूधिया रेशमी चादर, 
जश्न रात है आज उनकी, 
                   कहीं रह न जाए कोई कसर। 
सजा दो अम्बर में हर ओर तारों,
                     तुम्हारा चमचमाती झालर,
बस उनको खुस हो जाने से,
           होगा तुम्हारा बड़ा एहसान मुझपर।
बड़ा खास दिन है आज उनकी,
                  मुद्दतों के इंतजार  बाद आई है,
दिवाना इस दिल की सागर में, 
     खुशिओं का अनगिनत हिल्लोर लाइ है।
आज उनके  जमीं पर,
                   कदम रखने का शुभ दिन है,
शुक्र है कान्हा तेरा मुझ पर,
                     हम आज बड़े मुतमईन है।           

WRITE FOR ME

Acute pain in my head,

As if someone is hammering inside,

Or blasting in the brain with dynamite.

Sights become hazy,

With membranes of tears.

Body succumbs to lethargy of a winter evening,

But sleep is miles away from the eyes.

Had there been my mom here with me,

She would have certainly made me sleep buzzing a lullaby

Unfortunately, she is battling with paralysis,

Miles away from me.

I wish to write a love-song for you this evening,

But my Intellect is now incapable of thinking,

I fail to coordinate words and feelings

I am undone now.

Every time my pen moves, it writes for you,

My emotions vibrate; it dances in your rhythm,

Will you write a few words for me today?

No, no I am not asking for a return,

Love never makes a demand; I am not so,

It’s just a friendly request,.

My heart will become excited,

Eyes will doze with peace,

Soul will roam in ecstasy,

You know that.

Do you?

TRUST ON TRUTH

On being rejected by me as a mysterious person,

A femme fatale turned a venomous dragon

Seats on the zodiac of our relations,

Snorts poison with an intention,

To sabotage the bridge of our passion.

But she does not know the intensity of our devotion,

The depth of your intelligence and integration,

The bond of our mutual trust and union,

The prowess of truth, honesty to battle out deception,

The fate of artificial barriers against a severe hurricane.

Ravana beyond doubt was mightier with all his riches,

But victory kissed Rama’s feet, honesty did him the justice.

The Kauravas were a hundred brothers, all men of power

Only five Pandavas defeated them, with truth in their favor.

I trust you, your adjudication, my sincerity and devotion,

Hence, I know the outcome, our pleasant reunion.

BE HAPPY

Days passed, we went on chatting sweet nothing merrily,

You kept on smiling; I kept on opening my heart honestly.

I was not accustomed to sharing of such feelings, odor

Phrases, verses, emotions with an opposite gender before.

It was not normal for me, my culture or my social association

To be so close verbally without having a spiritual affiliation.

I got trapped gradually in the grip of your enchantment,

Dip deeper in every dive into the ocean of your obsession.

Now you vindicate it to be wrong, blame me of an unusual behavior,

Until I already committed innocently the most beautiful blunder.

Thanks for introducing me to the world that I never know,

Of hollow pampering words without sensitivity, I fail miserably to follow.

No blame, no claim, no imposition; love is never known for those

Stay free, remain spotless, be happy; your lover’s earnest wish.

For an honest man as me, love is just a one-time, one-way traffic,

A pathetic journey without you ending at the edge of my doom.