The Berlin Rain

Of my first impressions on Berlin... 

   The neon lights shined on
   lighting up the streets of Berlin,
   The cold breeze hit my face, but the raindrops
   felt like gentle pecks on my skin

   Walking on that rusted & wired bridge
   towards the old station to catch a train
   I turned to my friend and spoke to him
   of my thoughts on the Berlin rain

   Oh Berlin rain!

   Why did you feel like my own
   and yet were not mine,
   Why did you drench me and run away
   only so I'd find solace in a bottle of wine?

   So I did drink with gusto that night
   laughing and losing behind your pain
   Yet you trickled down through my hair
   reminding me of your whispers again

   I stood by the window, still with my glass
   Dim outide, your droplets were on the sill;
   I had taken shelter at last, but I missed you
   and I wished for another heart for you to fill.

Love Lost

she ran her fingers through

the shimmering water

breaking the lake into

ripples, as if laughter;

she caught a glimpse of

the reflections flashed

making her long to say 

what's in her heart, unabashed;

she stood alone, waiting

by the tiny brook

to capture him in 

what could be a last look;

she walked over to

the bench by the side

and calmly held her face

in her hands and she cried.

Infinity

The twilight
pulled the curtain down
and pinned it
with a star

The star
held her gaze strong
and froze it
in a twinkle

The twinkle
spread till the horizon
and brightened it
with a smile

The smile
travelled with the breeze
and caressed him
with a kiss

The kiss
locked their lips
and sealed their bond
with love

The love
transcended the finite
and merged itself
into the twilight

of Love and Poetry

I spent my Saturday in leisure and love. I read some old poetry while munching on biscuits with tea during early afternoon. It felt quite English, frankly. And really good. Only that I was sitting in my room beside the window and not on some freshly mowed green lawn basking under the sun. Even if I did have the imagination then, my mother's incessant calls would have brought me back to my apartment environs anyway. So I was indulging myself completely today; it is rare that I find my weekends without activities to do and I was determined to make the most of it. 

My tryst with poetry began during my engineering first year. But it has been an on-and-off relationship since I started working. But I definitely like to enjoy large doses of poetry all at once. It fills me up with emotions galore, and I feel quite alive. 

I was reading some of Vikram Seth's works today and there are two poems that I felt I should share with you all. They are crisply written and capture a lot in just a few words.

First one:

Sit

Sit, drink your coffee here; your work can wait awhile.

You're twenty-six, and still have some of life ahead.

No need for wits; just talk vacuities, and I'll

Reciprocate in kind or laugh at you instead.

The world is too opaque, distressing and profound.

This twenty minutes' rendevous will make my day:

To sit here in the sun, with grackles all around,

Staring with beady eyes, and you two feet away.

Second:

Time Zones
I willed my love to dream of me last night, that we might lie
at peace, if not beneath a single sheet, under one sky.
I dreamed of her but she could not alas humour my will;
it stuck me suddenly that where she was was daylight still.

The second poem has a small story behind it. But the story is for some other post. As for now, I will put up a few lines that a dear friend thought as an appropriate response to the above lines:


We did dwell under the same sky; and while I dreamt with closed eyes,
She thought of me; in the cubicle, the mall and the kitchen, I surmise. 

Verses of Innocence

These are some lines that I had scribbled a few years ago. I came across them as I was going through some old files. I felt I should share them with you all...

The first one was an sms reply to a friend with who I was exchanging some impromptu attempt at poetry. I tossed a few lines for him as he was struggling his way out of a bad traffic jam in Delhi...

"Listen to those birds chirping
 Even in the chaos of traffic and noise
 With your heart beating
 In rhythm, and silent poise."

The one below was another attempt, written at one-go, to capture the emotions of love-birds separated by time and distance.

"Standing by the stream,
 He fondly looks at the kids
 As they play and scream.

 Staring at the moon,
 He wishes for the clouds
 To give way to her stars soon.

 Holding the phone,
 She hopes time stops
 To let her forever hear his joyful tone.

 Walking back to her books,
 She wonders if a miracle happens
 And she is with him too in those brooks."

Hope you smiled, just as much as I did while reading them now!

The Wedding Bells

Too many wedding bells have started to ring, and I get excited when I hear the announcements. After a few “wow”s and “congratulations!”, I get down to know the more interesting part. No no, it’s not the preparations! It’s the story of the couple – their story, the tale of their lives, which I am sure each of them will narrate to their grandchildren in great detail and delight. Of course, each version will make the hero look/sound better and each version will be better than all the previous ones! But, they will have a story, and a turning point which would have changed these couples’ lives forever! And what more fun than to listen to all these stories over chat and phone calls…

Carefully avoiding all of the personal details, these stories that I have got to know so far range from college-love to post-college-realizations, to love-at-first-sight and love-at-a-matrimony-site… each one of them whole and honest, and shining like crazy diamonds with love!

A dear friend of mine had once said, “go ahead, make your own story!”. These words ring in my ears even today. (Of course, he is talking about making your story of Life!, at a much broader perspective.) He is also the genius at narrating weddings and at describing with utmost precision the emotions that pour out when you see a dear friend get married and embark on the journey of love. I wish I could make you read each one of those blog posts that he has written! But, I have a better plan. I will make you read the one he writes soon after either of us gets married – whoever’s happens first that is.

As for now, I just wish all these people a lot of happiness together!