The Wait

I wait for her.

Sometimes outside

My home.

Sometimes within

The contours

Of my brain.

Sometimes in 

What's app and

Sometimes in a

Longing that's 

Invoked by shadows

Of origami cast.

I wait for her,

On the brink of 

Fantasies I crave.

In the blink of

Moments I save.

Piece of me sits

On a chair.

Another on the 

Slow rotating fan.

A shattered little

One waits from

Behind the bookshelf.

From between

Unwritten letters,

Typecast feelings,

Half eaten roti

And an unopened

Diary. 

A couple more

Peep out for signs

Of her arrival.

And the days 

Have passed 

Without consequence.

Months and years.

As my reflection

Stands wearing

Concentric wrinkles,

Like I'm a

Worn-out tree.

As the moons die,

Oceans dry,

Time stands aged

And stars fall broken.

The signs haven't

Been dandy yet.

The wait hasn't

Come to rest.

Good day

On a good day,

The fire is afraid

Of burning itself.

The huts have

Been saved.

Water is scared

Of cutting through

The ground.

The farmers have 

Been graced.

The storm has

Contained itself,

And the sailors 

Feel blessed.

And on a 

Good day like this..

As the sun shines

Bright.

And the flowers 

Bloom fine.

The fate has 

Tumbled off a rock

And everyone is

Having a good laugh.

Transcendence

Don't try,

To force

Your thoughts,

Against fragility

Of words.

Till they fit into

A noose and

Die dry on a

Sheet of paper.

Don't try,

To milk your

Emotion into

A jar of pretense.

Till they choke

Under a charade

And fail to evoke

Any real feeling 

Off them.

Let it come to

You like a 

Feeble caress of

A lover.

Let it come to

You like a 

Gentle brush

Of wind.

When you sit

Aloof and as she

Passes by in

Your mind like

A fagrance.

If a tiny spark

In your mind,

Materializes into

A thought to

Fall in love with

A word.

Maybe then.

Maybe then

Pick up that pen

To trace the

Transcendent

Line.

ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ

ಒಂದು ಗುಂಜಿ

ಶಬ್ದರಾಶಿಗೆ, ಸಾವಿರ

ರುಪಾಯಿ ಅಂತೆ ಈಗೀಗ..

ಹಣದುಬ್ಬರದ ತಡೆಗೆ

ನಾಯಕರ ಆಶ್ವಾಸನೆ-

ಎಲ್ಲರ ಬಾಯಿಗೆ ಬೀಗ.

ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಹಿನ್ನೆಡೆಗೆ

ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯೇ, 

ಕಾರಣವಂತೆ‌ 

ಸೂತ್ರಗಳ ಪ್ರಕಾರ.

ಕಣ್ಣೀರಿಡುವುದೂ

ದುಬಾರಿ ವ್ಯವಹಾರ.

ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ ಬೆಲೆ ಅದಕೆ

ಮುಗಿಲೇರಿದೆ ಈಗೀಗ.

Aspirations

The sky wants to

Be painted in red.

The river wants to

Fall off an edge.

The wolves howl

To be tamed,

And dogs want a

Salary raise.

The tiger is 

Athirst,

But water is not 

Enough. 

A feast on a 

Live deer, might 

That be right

To thaw its rage?

Held in a 

Similar page.

Brooding in just 

Another cage.

You think you too

Are the same but

That's a blatant 

Charade.

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ

ಕುಂಟು ಆಸೆಗೆ,

ಎಂಟು ಸುಳ್ಳಿನ

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

ಗುಂಟೆ ಜಮೀನಿಗೆ

ಹಂಡೆ ಸೊಕ್ಕಿನ 

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

..

ಬಂಡ ಬದುಕಿಗೆ

ಅಂಟಿದ ಶನಿಯ

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

ಇರಿದ ಹೋರಿಗೆ

ಹರಿದ ಕುಂಡಿ

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

..

ತುಂಟ ಕವಿತೆಗೆ

ಮಿಂಡ ಗಂಡನ

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

ಗಿಂಡಿ ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ

ತಂಟೆ ತಕರಾರಿನ

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

..

ಜಗದ ಉಳಿವೇ

ಅರಿವಿನ ಮಾಯೆ.

ಅಳಿವು ಮರೆವಿನ

ಛಾಯೆ.

ನಾಲ್ಕಾಣೆ ಮನುಷ್ಯನ

ಎರಡಾಣೆ ಬದುಕಿನ

ಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಶಾಶ್ವತೆಗೆ..

ನಶ್ವರ ಅನಂತವೇ

ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

..

ಹರೆಯ

ತೊಳಲಾಟ,

ಹೊರಳಾಟ.

ಕೆರಳಿದ ಒಲವಿನ

ಕೂಗಿಗೆ..

ತರ್ಕಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಗದ

ಸೆಣಸಾಟ.

ತೇಲಾಟ,

ತೂಗಾಟ.

ಹರೆಯ ಅಬ್ಬರಕ್ಕೆ 

ತತ್ತರಿಸಿ.

ಹಾರ್ಮೋನುಗಳ

ರಂಪಾಟ.

ನೂಕಾಟ,

ಪೀಕಲಾಟ.

ಜಿಗುಟಿನ ಈ

ಒಗಟು ಬಿಡಿಸಲು,

ಇಂದ್ರೀಯಗಳ

ದೊಂಬರಾಟ.

ಭಾಸ

ದೂರದ ಊರಲ್ಲಿ

ಯಾರದೋ ಒಂದು

ನೋಟ ಕದ್ದ ಭಾಸ.

ಯಾವದೋ ಕಥೆಯ

ಕೊನೆಯ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯದ

ಮರೆತ ಗದ್ಯವಾದ ಭಾಸ.

..

ಮಾತುಗಳ ಬತ್ತಿದ

ಮರುಭೂಮಿಯಲಿ,

ಮೌನ ಬಿತ್ತಿದ ಭಾಸ.

ಮುಖಗಳೇ ಇಲ್ಲದ

ಜಾತ್ರೆಯಲಿ,

ಮುಖವಾಡವಾದ ಭಾಸ.

..

ಭಾವನೆಗಳ ಮರೆತ

ಬದುಕಿನಲಿ,

ಉದ್ವೇಗ ನೆಟ್ಟ ಭಾಸ.

ಪಾತ್ರಗಳೇ ಇಲ್ಲದ

ಕಪಟ ನಾಟಕದ, 

ನಿರೂಪಕನಾದ ಭಾಸ.

..

ಏನೋ ಪಡೆಯಲು

ಓಡಿ ಹೋಗಿ, ಸಿಗದೇ

ಸೋತು ನಿಂತ ಭಾಸ.

ಗಮ್ಯವೇ ಇಹದ

ಪಯಣದಲಿ.

ಮನೆ ಹುಡುಕುತ,

ನನ್ನಲಿ ನಾನೇ..

ಅಲೆಮಾರಿಯಾದ ಭಾಸ.

..

ಕಾಲ ಚಕ್ರ

ಅಂಧಕಾರದಿ

ಬೆಳಕು ನುಗ್ಗಿದೆ.

ಹೊಸ ಆಸೆಗಳು

ಚಿಗುರಿವೆ.

ವಸಂತದ‌ ಕೋಗಿಲೆ

ಹಾಡು ಹಾಡಲು,

ಮುದುಡಿದ ತಾವರೆ

ಅರಳಿದೆ.

ಒಣಗಿದ ಮರ

ಉರುಳಿದೆ.

ಹೊಸದೊಂದು 

ಜೀವ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದೆ.

ಕನಸೊಂದು

ಕಣ್ಣ್ ತೆರೆಯಲು,

ಅನಂತವೇ,

ಅಂಗೈಯಲಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದೆ.

ಮೊನ್ನೆ ತಾನೆ

ಸಣ್ಣವನಿದ್ದೆ.

ಕೂದಲೀಗ,

ಬಿಳಿಯಾಗಿವೆ.

ದಿನಗಳ ಕಳೆವುದು

ಕಷ್ಟವಾದರೂ,

ವರ್ಷಗಳು ಸರ್ರನೆ

ಜಾರಿವೆ.

ರಾತ್ರಿ

ಹನ್ನೆರಡಾಗಿದೆ.

ಪುಡಿ ನೆನಪುಗಳು

ಮರಳಿವೆ.

ಒಲವು ಮಳೆಯಲಿ 

ನೆನೆಯಲು,

ನೀರೆ, ಧಗ-ಧಗ‌ 

ಉರಿದಿದೆ.

Other Side

Roses want to

Chit-chat but 

No-one wants to

Talk.

Beetles want to

Have a blast.

No-one is ready

To laugh. 

Butterflies,

Forgot all their

Songs to fly away 

In the sky. 

Elephants gave up 

On Spelling-Bee 

To join a

Circus instead. 

Grass is

Greener on the 

Other side

They say..

Some left the

Mainland for

The lure of the

Coastal breeze.

While many

Unfurled their

Sails to persue

Similar dreams.

ಕಾಣದ ಕಡಲು

ಗುಲಾಬಿಗೆ, ಚಾಡಿ

ಹೇಳುವ ಬಯಕೆ.

ಕೇಳುವರಾರಿಲ್ಲ.

ಚಿಟ್ಟೆಗೆ,‌ 

ಕೇಕೆ ಹಾಕುವ ಆಸೆ.

ನಗುವರಾರಿಲ್ಲ.

ಕೋಗಿಲೆ ಹಾಡು

ಮರೆತು,‌ ಹಾರುವುದ

ಕಲೆತಿದೆ.

ಆನೆ‌ ಘೀಳಿಡುವುದ

ಬಿಟ್ಟು,

ಸರ್ಕಸ್ ಸೇರಿದೆ.

ಕಾಣದ‌ ಕಡಲ

ಸೇರುವ ಆಸೆ 

ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ..

ಕಡಲ ತೀರವೇ

ಬೇಸರವಾದ

ಬಡ್ಡಿಮಕ್ಳಿಗಿದೆಯಾ.. 

ನೌಕೆಯ ಸವಲತ್ತು?

ತಾಳ್ಮೆ

ತಿಳಿ‌ ಸಂಜೆಯ‌ ಮುಸುಕು

ಬಾನಿಗೇರಿದೆ.

ಸುತ್ತಿ ಸೋತು ಧೂಳು

ಎಲೆಗಳ ಮುತ್ತಿದೆ.

ಹಲ್ಲಿನ ಬಿಗಿತವ,

ಉಸಿರಿಗೂ ತಿಳಿಸದೆ.

ಅಚಲ ಹಿಡಿತದಿ,

ಮರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಳಿತಿದೆ.

ಹುಲಿ, ಬೇಟೆಗೆ

ಕಾಯುತಿದೆ.

ಹಸಿದ ಕಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ

ಕೋಪ ಕುದಿಯುತಿದೆ.

ಕಾಯುದೊಂದೆ ಅದರ 

ತಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿದೆ.

ತಾಳ್ಮೆ, ಪಂಜಿಗಿಂತಲೂ,

ಮಾರಣಾಂತಿಕ ಎಂದು

ಅದಕೆ‌ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ.

ಆಪತ್ತಿನ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲಿ,

ಕಾಗೆಗಳು ಶೆಟೆದು 

ಶಾಂತವಾಗಿವೆ.

ನಿಟ್ಟುಸಿರಿಗೆ,

ಸುತ್ತಲಿನ ನೊಣಗಳು,

ಬೆಂದು‌ ಬೆಂಡಾಗಿವೆ.

ದೂರದಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲೋ,

ತೋಳವೊಂದು ಕೂಗುತಿದೆ.

ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯ ಗಾಂಭೀರ್ಯ

ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ.

ಬೇರಾವ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗೂ,

ಪಿಸುಗುಡಲೂ ಧೈರ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ.

ಇವತ್ತಿನ ರಾತ್ರಿಯೂಟಕ್ಕೆ

ಬೇಟೆ ಅವುಗಳಾಗ ಬೇಕಿಲ್ಲ.

ಜೀವ ಹೋಗುವ ಮುನ್ನವೇ,

ಸೂತಕದ ಛಾಯೆ ಆವರಿಸಿದೆ.

ರಣ-ಬೇಟೆಗಾರನ ಹಸಿವಿಗೆ

ಇಡೀ ಕಾಡೇ‌ ಶರಣಾಗಿದೆ.

Post-Nut Clarity

To be or 

Not to be

Is a different kind

Of sanity.

You either have it,

Or you don't.

There's nothing

Called vanity.

You may brand

This generalisation,

As a flawed

Philosophy.

But I know, 

You'll be convinced.

If I tell you,

It's just

Post-nut clarity.

Dead Words

We don't talk

These days.

Yet some silence

Lurks around,

In bits and pieces,

In Appeal.

We don't see 

Each other

These days.

Yet this longing

Hangs tight

Like a hungry bird

Poised to peck.

Memories of your

Scent.

Creases of your 

Skin. 

It's hard to sit

Idle with you 

All-over my head.

So I try to force

My thoughts,

Into fragility of

Some words. 

They eventually

Fall prey,

To fit into a noose 

And die dry on a 

Sheet of paper.

There's nothing

Blander than 

Watching dead words

And I'm swimming

In the smoke of 

My own funeral pyre.

ಅವ್ವ

ಇವತ್ತು ಶನಿವಾರ.

ತಾನು ಉಪವಾಸ ಇದ್ದರೂ,

ಒಲೆ ಉರಿಸಿದಳು, 

ಅವ್ವ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ ಬಡೆದಳು.

ಮೊನ್ನೆ ಹುಷಾರಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಎದ್ದು ಕೂರಲಾಗದಷ್ಟು ಜ್ವರ.

ಆದರೂ ಹಿಟ್ಟು ನಾದಿದಳು.

ಪಲ್ಯ ಮಾಡಿದಳು.

ಕೆಲವು ತಿಂಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ

ಅವಳ ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ಹಬ್ಬ.

ಬಂಧುಗಳು, ಕೆಲವು ಆಪ್ತರು

ಹರಿಸಲು ಬಂದಿದ್ದರು.

ಉಡುಗೊರೆ ತಂದಿದ್ದರು.

ಔತನಕೂಟದ ಸಾರಥ್ಯ,

ಅವಳದೇ.

ಆವತ್ತೂ ರಜೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಅನ್ನ ಬೇಯಿಸುವುದನ್ನು

ಮರೆತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಹಬ್ಬ ಹರಿದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ,

ಮದುವೆ, ಮುಂಜಿಗಳಲ್ಲೂ,

ಈ ರಗಳೆ ತಪ್ಪಿದ್ದಲ್ಲ.

ಅವಳ ಪಾಕಶಾಲೆಯಲಿ,

ಗೈರು ಹಾಜರಿಗೆ ಜಾಗವಿಲ್ಲ.

ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಹಡಿದಾಗಲೂ,

ಒಲೆ ಉರಿಸಿದ್ದಳಂತೆ.

ಅವಳು ಹುಟ್ಟಿದಾಗಲೂ ಅವಳೇ

ಅಡುಗೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಳೇನೊ.

ಅಪ್ಪ ಬೈದಾಗಲೂ,

ನಾ ಸಿಟ್ಟಾದಾಗಲೂ.

ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಜೊತೆ ಜಗಳವಾದರೂ,

ಉಪ್ಪು ಜಾಸ್ತಿಯಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಕಾರ್ಪೊರೇಟ್ ಕಟ್ಟಡಗಳು,

ಸ್ವಯಂಚಾಲಿತ ಯಂತ್ರಗಳು,

ಸ್ತ್ರೀವಾದಿ ಚಳುವಳಿಗಳು.

ಅಡುಗೆ ಮನೆ ಹೊಸ್ತಿಲು ದಾಟಿಲ್ಲ.

ಅವಳನ್ನ ತಡೆಯಲಾಗಿಲ್ಲ.

ಮಹಾ ಯುದ್ಧಗಳು,

ಪ್ರವಾಹ ಪ್ರಳಯಗಳೂ,

ಅವಳ ಸ್ಥಿರತೆಯನ್ನ

ಕುಗ್ಗಿಸಲಾಗಿಲ್ಲ.

ಅವ್ವ ಯಾರನ್ನೂ ಖಾಲಿ

ಹೊಟ್ಟೆಯಲಿ ಮಲಿಗಿಸಿಲ್ಲ.

ಮುಂದೊಂದು ದಿನ

ಅವಳು ಅಸುನೀಗಿದರೂ,

ಅವಳ ತಿಥಿ ಊಟ ಅವಳೇ 

ಮಾಡುವಂತಾದೀತೇನೊ.

ಬಹುಶಃ‌ ಜಗತ್ತಿಗೆ 

ನಮ್ಮವ್ವ ಉಣಬಡಿಸುವ 

ಕೊನೆಯ ಅಡುಗೆ ಅದೇ ಏನೋ.

Glance

The cheeks of the 

Skies, been intoxicated 

By the Damsels of 

Rhymes.

The gushing winds 

Have been tamed by 

The Daisies of

Scented chimes. 

The moon was too

Mellow and the

Jasmines have

Tamed him tonight.

Lavenders have

Replaced the stars,

Roses been luminiscent

For quite some time.

Bless us with your

Elegance dear love.

The laurels are 

Forever waiting..

For the lullabies

Of your glance.

Conspiracy

Does the silence 

Know about the 

Scream of the words?

The paper be aware

Of the bondage as

We write?

A tiny pebble has sent 

A rippled storm across 

A sea that was calm.

The vast darkness,

Is now afraid of the oblivion 

It might face by a spark. 

Does the emptiness know?

About the conspiracy of

Rampaging thoughts?

Even god's existence

Has bounced off from 

The fragility of human mind. 

ಪಶ್ಚಾದರಿವು

ನೀರಡಿಕೆಯಲಿ ಹುಡುಕುತ 

ಹೋದ ಕೆರೆ, ಬತ್ತಿ ಹೋಗಿತ್ತು.

ಮುಂಚೆ ಕಂಡ ಮರೀಚಿಕೆ,

ನದಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತೆ?

ಆಸರೆ ಬಯಸಿ ತಲುಪಿದ

ಸೂರು, ಬಿದ್ದು ಹೋಗಿತ್ತು.

ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿ ಬಂದ‌ ಪಾಳು

ಮನೆಯಾಗಿತ್ತೆ?

ಅಂಟಿಕೊಂಡ‌ ದಾರಿದ್ರ್ಯ 

ಕಳೆಯಲು,

ನನ್ನಿಂದ ನಾನೇ ಓಡಿದೆ.

ಯಾರೂ ಕಾಣದ‌ ದೂರದ 

ಊರಲಿ, 

ಯಾರ್ಯಾರೋ ಸಿಕ್ಕರು.

ತ್ಯಜಿಸಿ ಬಂದ ಆ ಅಯೊಗ್ಯ 

ನಾನೇ ಆಗಿದ್ದೆನೆ?

ಪೊಗರು

ಮುಗಿಲ ನೋಡುತ 

ಬೆಳೆದ ಹೂವು,

ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ವಾಸನೆ ಮರೆತಿದೆ.

ನೀಲಾಕಾಶದ ಜೊಳ್ಳು 

ಆಮಿಷಕೆ,

ಗಿಡದ ಹಂಗು ತೊರೆದಿದೆ.

ರೆಂಬೆ ಕೊಂಬೆಗಳೇ

ಪಂಜರ ವಾಗಿವೆ ಇದಕೆ.

ಅದ್ಯಾವ ಅಮಲಿನಲಿ 

ತೇಲುತಿಹುದೋ,

ದಳಗಳೇ ರೆಕ್ಕೆಗಳೆಂದು 

ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ.

ಬಾನ ಏರಿಗೆ, 

ಏಣಿ ಹಾಕಲು 

ಇಷ್ಟ ಇಲ್ಲ ಯಾರಿಗೆ?

ರೆಕ್ಕೆ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಸುಮ್ಮನಿಲ್ಲವೆ,

ಅದರ ಮಿತಿ‌ ತಿಳಿದ

ಕೋಳಿಯೆ?

ತನ್ನ ವಾಸನೆಗೆ ತಾನೇ

ಮಾರುಹೋದ,

ಕುಂಟು ಸೊಕ್ಕು ನಮ್ಮ

ಹೂವಿಗೆ.

ಮೀಸೆ ಬಂದಾಗ, 

ದೇಶ ಕಾಣದು.

ಮೊಲೆಯೂ ಬಂದಿದೆಯೇ?

ಈ ಲೌಡಿಗೆ.

ಶೂನ್ಯ

ಮೌನಕ್ಕೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆಯೇ,

ಮಾತುಗಳ ರಗಳೆಯು.

ಬಿಳಿ ಹಾಳೆಗೆ ಪರಿಚಯವೇ,

ಅಕ್ಷರಗಳ ಬಿಗಿತವು.

ಕಿಡಿಯೊಂದರ ಕೆಚ್ಚನ್ನು

ಅಂಧಕಾರವು ಕಡೆಗಣಿಸಲು..

ಕಲ್ಲೊಂದರ ತವಕದಿ ಚದುರಿದೆ,

ಅಚಲ ಸಾಗರದ ಶಾಂತತೆಯು.

ಮನಸ್ಸೆಂಬ ಖಾಲಿ ಪಾತ್ರೆಯಲಿ 

ಕುಣಿದ, ಕುಂಟು ಕಲ್ಪನೆಯ ಆರ್ಭಟಕೆ..

ದೇವ ದಾನವರ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವವನ್ನೇ

ಹೊತ್ತಿದೆ, ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ದಾರವು.

ಶೂನ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆಯೇ?

ಭಾವನೆಗಳ, ಈ ಹಾದರವು.

ಜುಗಲ್ಬಂದಿ

ಸುಡು ಬಿಸಿಲಿಗೆ

ಅಡ್ಡಲಾಗಿ ನಿಂತು..

ಮೂಡಿದ ನೆರಳನು,

ಸಂಜೆವರೆಗೂ

ವರ್ಧಿಸಿ, ತ್ವರಿತಗೊಳಿಸಿ,

ಆಕಾಶದ,

ಅನಂತಕ್ಕೆಸೆದವು..

ಚೊಗಚಿ‌ ಮರಗಳು.

ಬೆಳಗಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ.

ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾಂಡದ 

ಆ ಕಡೆಯಿಂದ

ಉತ್ತರ ಬಂತು.

ತಿಳಿ ಮುಂಜಾವಿನಲಿ

ಸೆಟೆದು ನಿಂತ,

ಚೊಗಚಿ‌ ಮೇಲಿತ್ತು

ಕತ್ತಲೆಯ ಕಣ್ಣು.

ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನನದ ವರೆಗೆ

ಮತ್ತೆ ಬಿಗಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತು,

ನೆರಳಿನ ವರ್ಚಸ್ಸು.

Translation of Recovery by

A R Ammons

Smiles

Guns are for the weak,

Pens are for the meek. 

The real machoism lies

In the eyes..

That's why girls slay

Us with their smiles. 

ನೆನಪುಗಳು

ಜೋಪಾನವಾಗಿ 

ಕಾಯ್ದಿರಿಸಿದ

ಸಿಹಿ ನೆನಪುನಳು 

ಕಹಿಯಾಗಿವೆ.

ರಾತ್ರಿ ಕರೆದ

ಕೆನೆ ಕೆನೆ ಕವಿತೆಗಳು,

ಹೆಪ್ಪಾಗಿವೆ.

ಅವಳ ನೆನಪುಗಳೇ 

ಹಾಗೆ.

ಮೈ ಮರೆಸಿ,

ಹುಳಿ‌ ಹಿಂಡಿ ಬಿಡುತ್ತವೆ.

Logic

All logic ends in the

Middle of the kitchen.

Where arguments with

My wife often begin.

Wall paint in small

Bottles, to apply

On the face can

Cost a fortune.

While the theory of 

The earth being flat 

Is sold at the worth 

Of a Brinjal.

Einstein must have

Died waiting in a 

Shopping mall before

Proposing relativity.

Van Gogh must have

Sliced his Is ear in protest.

He didn't have a wife.

But I understand the

Emotion.

Use your head 

For once, I said 

Out of frustration.

She did. 

Poured all her logic,

To make a point.

Earth didn't quake.

Her head didn't explode.

But she got to dictate

Her terms again.

Starting with

I volunteering to

To drain my scotch

Down the toilet.

Recycling

Lies in gold-foils

Are spoils of war..

Offered, out of pity

To the young widows..

Saying everything

Is fair in war.

Pics with filters,

Pretentious poses.

Fix your nose,

Mind your tone.

Burning fat is more

Important in love.

So are fake promises,

With red roses.

Possibility of love 

Going wrong 

Shall not be talked.

Healing is banned.

A band aid for heart

Is time. 

But wasting time

Is not advisable.

As recycling is 

Harmful to capitalism.

Diwane

Unke naram zubaan se 

Aise lafz nikle,

Ki phoot pade hai 

Khayalon ke gubbare.

Hoton se aise teer

Cahalaye hai jaise

Khamosh zakmo pe

Thande angare.

Shaitan bhi tik na

Paye, Lazawab,

Hai unke tej

Nigaahe.

Hum toh phir bhi

Insaan hai..

Ek jhalak kaafi thi..

Fana hai..

Hum pagal diwane.

ಅರೇಂಜ್ಡ್ ಮ್ಯಾರೇಜ್

ಅದು ದೇವರ 

ಜಗುಲಿಯಲಿ

ಮೈತಾಗಿ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ ಒಲವೋ.

ಇರುಳ ತಂಪಿನಲಿ,

ದೆವ್ವಗಳ‌ ಅಣಕಿಸಿ,

ಪಿಸುಗುಟ್ಟ ಸಲುಗೆಯೊ?

ಜಿಗಿ ಜಿಗಿದು 

ಹಿತ್ತಲ ಹಾಳು ಮಾಡಿದ 

ಮಂಗನ ಮೇಲಿನ, 

ಜಂಟಿ ವೈರತ್ವವೂ 

ಇರಬಹುದು.

ಗಿಡದ ದೈತ್ಯಾಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ,

ಹೂವು ಹೆದರಿಲ್ಲ.

ಒಂದು ಸಾರಿಯೂ

ಅದರ ಮೇಲೆ,

ಕಾಯಿ ಬೀಳಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಪ್ರೀತಿಯೋ..

ಸ್ನೇಹವೋ..

ಒಂದು ಕಾಕತಾಳೀಯ

ಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಊಹೆಯೋ.

ಒಟ್ಟು, ಹಿತ್ತಲಿನ 

ಬಟ್ಟಲ ಹೂವಿಗೂ,

ಗಿಡದಲ್ಲಿನ ತೆಂಗಿಗೂ,

ಏನೋ ಒಂದು 

ನಂಟು..

ಚಳಿಗಾಲ ಶುರುವಾಗಿದೆ

ನಡೆಯಿರಿ,

ಹಾಕೋಣ ಅವುಗಳಿಗೆ

ಗಂಟು.

Balloons

The little Aaru, grew fondness for balloons. She would play with them all day. She would walk with them, talk with them and even slept hugging a couple of them. 

Her fondness kind of grew into an obsession. The desire for few turned into demand for many more. And her very loving father made it a point to satisfy her wishes at all cost.

Day by day, her adamant need became so compulsive that the supply of balloons dried up in the block, then in the area and eventually in the entire city. But there was always a demand for more. 

 

So her father decided to take her to another city in search of more balloons. Once they boarded the car, he would buy her balloons all along the way. 

She would say more, he would buy more. She would say some more, he would pull the car to buy many more. More, more, more...she would say, and he lost it at a point. 

He lost it completely and crashed the car into a wall. 

Amidst the chaos, her bloody face made way for her fluttering eyes. And hugging the airbag and she said, some more.

Begin Again

Sometimes things will work.

Sometimes they won't.

Sometimes you'll be angry

And I'll not be ready enough

To make amends.

Sometimes,

The TV will run on its own,

As even in each other's company,

Lonely,

We'll be on our own.

There will be an invisible line

In the bed.

The food and the unwashed 

Dishes will hurl a storm into

The day-to-day mess.. 

Cuddles and hugs would 

Become redundant.

Conciliation would be 

Another war we can't afford.

The grumpy, The haughty,

Apathetic and egoistic.

And unapologetically,

When we slip down into an abyss..

If you feel like talking again.

Send me a song.

ದಾರಿ

ಆದಿಯೂ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ 

ಅಂತ್ಯವೂ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ,

ರಸ್ತೆಯೊಂದು,

ಅಂಕು ಡೊಂಕಾಗಿ

ಹಬ್ಬಿದೆ.

ಪಕ್ಷಿ‌ಯೊಂದು ಅದನ್ನು

ಮೇಲೆ ಕೆಳಗೆ

ಕರೆದೊಯ್ಯಬಯಸಿದರೆ.

ಬೀಸೋ ಗಾಳಿ

ಅತ್ತಿಂದಿತ್ತ ಎಳೆದಿದೆ.

ರಸ್ತೆ ಇದು ಎಲ್ಲಿಗೂ

ಹೋಗುವದಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು,

ಸೆಟೆದು ನಿಂತ

ಗಿಡವೊಂದು ತಿಳಿದರೆ.

ಎಡ ಬಲ‌ಗಳ 

ಸಂದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ,

ದಾರಿ ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತಾ,

ಕಳೆದುಹೋಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ

ಮನುಜನೊಬ್ಬ.

ಅತ್ತ ಇತ್ತ, ಸುತ್ತ 

ನೋಡಿ, 

ದಿಕ್ಕು ಹುಡುಕುವ 

ದಾರಿಹೋಕರ 

ದಾಟಿಸಿ,

ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಉಳಿದರೂ,

ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಸಿದ್ದು

ಆ ರಸ್ತೆಯೊಂದೆ.

ಅಲೆದಾಟದ 

ಮಾಯಾಬಜಾರಿನ

ಸುಳಿಯಲಿ ಅದೊಂದೇ

ಮುಕ್ತ.

Jingo

Eat veg,

Don't speak English.

Don't ask questions 

And beware of what

You wear on head.

Because an extra

Ounce of protein

To your bones and

Infection of logic

In your brain..

Can make your

Vote foolproof

Against the lure

Of notes and

Threats of bigots. 

Secularism is a sin.

Liberal is gandu.

Right is to eat

And shed the left,

As wiping your ass 

Is not so holy. FYI. 

Food prices and 

Inflation are for

The elite.

Harassing lovers

In parks is how 

You create jobs.

So bow your head,

Beat your wife.

Threaten the neighbour.

And take the side of 

The colour that's on 

The top of our flag.

Beware of the one

That's in the middle,

As it represents peace.

And remember to

Fight the one that's 

Below. 

It's a patriotic deed. 

Gratitude to Self

Hey, listen.

Take a moment.

Cut yourself some

Slack. 

Close your eyes.

Inhale, and

Hold your breath

For a while.

Let the crackling

Of your thoughts

Take some time

Till they glare again.

Hot gush of blood,

Hold on for a bit

Till it'll rush back

To head. 

Can you compose

Yourself to hear

Tick of the clock?

Lay back a little

To feel the sweat

Off your brows.

How about the

Birds that chirp

In the distance.

Might they want

Your attention?

And the rustle

Of leaves.

Swish of wind.

Flaunted blue of 

The sky and

The smell of

Jasmine that wafts

Past.

Does she come

To your mind.

Does he still ride

Your thoughts?

Let's remember

Someone who has

Gone away before

You could thank.

Or the one you

Couldn't forgive

Enough.

Can you feed that

Dog if you see it 

The next time?

Play with the cat

If it hops in on

Your lap.

Give it a thought.

And now,

For once.

Pass yourself 

In your mind.

Remember your

Face, smile and

All the good things

That have happened

While you're around.

And before you

Open your eyes.

Give yourself a

Silent hug.

Forgive yourself,

And also thank.

ಪ್ರೈವಸಿ

ತಿರಾರಿಲ್ಲದೆ ತಿಂದು.

ಕರಾರಿಲ್ಲದೆ‌ ಮಲಗಿ.

ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಾರುಬಾರುಗಳ

ಮುಂದೂಡಿ.

ಬಾಗಿಲ ಮುಚ್ಚದೇ

ಹೇತು.

ಬೆತ್ತಲೆ ಓಡಾಡುತ್ತಾ,

ಕುಡಿದು, ಸೇದಿ.

ನಾಲ್ಕಾರು ಬಾರಿ 

ಅಂಗೈಗೆ ತೀರ್ಥಯಾತ್ರೆ

ಮಾಡಿಸಿ.

ಪಾಪ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯಲ್ಲಿ,

ಇವನು ಕುಳಿತಿದ್ದಾನೆ.

ಯಾರೂ ಇಲ್ಲದ

ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, 

ಹೂಸು ಬಿಟ್ಟು,

ಕಳೆದು ಹೋದ ತನ್ನನ್ನು 

ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ.

ಮನೆ

ಸರಿ ತಪ್ಪುಗಳಾಚೆ

ಒಂದು ಮನೆಯಿದೆ.

ಅಲ್ಲಿ,

ಕಪ್ಪಲ್ಲದ ಬಿಳುಪಲ್ಲದ

ಅಡ್ಡ ದಾಟಿದರೆ,

ಅಪಶಕುನವಲ್ಲದ

ಒಂದು ಬೆಕ್ಕಿದೆ.

ಇಲ್ಲ ಸಲ್ಲದ ಟೀಕೆಗಳಿಗೆ

ಒಗ್ಗದ, ಬಗ್ಗದ.

ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಬಂಗಾರದ

ವಾಸನೆಗೆ ಮಾಗಿ,

ಬೊಗಳದ ನಾಯಿ ಇದೆ.

ಇಹ ಪರರರ

ಹಂಗು ತೊರೆದು.

ಹಗಲು ರಾತ್ರಿಗಳು 

ಸೇರಿ ನಕ್ಕ ತಿಳಿ‌ ಸಂಜೆಯ 

ಒಂದು ನೆನಪಿದೆ.

ಕೇಸರಿ‌ ಹಸಿರಿಗೆ

ಸಾಂತ್ವನ ಹೇಳಲು

ಬಿಳಿ‌ ಇದೆ.

ಇರಿಸು ಮುನಿಸು,

ಛಲ‌ ಕಪಟ,

ಕೋಪ ತಾಪಗಳ,

ತೆಲೆ‌ ಸವರಿ ಮಲಗಿಸಲು,

ಕುಳಿತು ಕೇಳುವ

ಕಿವಿಗಳಿವೆ.

ಕನಸಿದೆ, ನನಸಿದೆ,

ಮನಸಿದೆ.

ಮಸನ‌ ಮಂದಿರಳಾಚೆ

ಹರಿದ ಹಸಿವಿಗೆ,

ಒಂದೊತ್ತು ಹುಗ್ಗಿ,

ಇನ್ನೊಂದೊತ್ತು ಬಿರ್ಯಾನಿ

ಬಡಿಸಬಲ್ಲ,

ಅಡುಗೆಮನೆಯೂ 

ಇದೆ.

ಮಂಕು ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ,

ಡೊಂಕು ವಿಚಾರಗಳ

ಕಳಚಿ.

ಕಣ್ಣೊಳಗಿನ ಕಹಿ

ಪರದೆಯ ಸರಿಸಿ.

ಕುಳಿತು ಹರಟೆ ಹೊಡೆಯ 

ಬಲ್ಲೆಯಾದರೆ..

ಆಮಂತ್ರಣ..

ನಿನಗೂ ಇದೆ.

Transient

Compulsive desire

To leave places.

Impulsive desire

To explore.

This nagging feeling

Of being left out.

Persistent worry

Of not belonging

Somewhere.

Short lived conviction.

Fear of failure.

Sense of not being

Good enough.

Inability to hold onto

Something for long

And a haunting

Desire to long

For something 

When it's gone.

Maybe I belong

To the sandy area

Of the seashore

Where nothing lasts.

Swish of water,

Things come along.

Giving enough 

Reasons to feel,

Soon they're gone.

Leaving, 

Itch of scars. 

Hopelessness

With clink of 

Glasses against

The warmth of a

Smoky fireplace.

A subtle emotion,

Bittersweet,

Of seemingly never

Ending place. 

I remember a

Japanese phrase,

That means

"I love you".

I say it loud 

Without proper

Pronounciation. 

But it bounces

Back from the

Shabby South-wall,

Like a song of a

Long lost dawn.

To which I dance

Artlessly,

Remembering all

The abrupt good-byes.

And life now has

Come down to a

Sort of insomnia borne

Jolt of awareness,

That I'll die one day

And eventually,

Move on. 

ಜಂಗಮ

ಹೃದಯದ 

ಪಿಸು‌ ಮಿಡಿತದ

ಬಯಕೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇ 

ಪ್ರೇಮವೇ?

ಸಂಭೋಗದ 

ಜ್ವಾಲಾಗ್ನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ,

ಸಿಡಿದೆದ್ದ ಒಲವು..

ಕೇವಲ 

ವ್ಯಭಿಚಾರವೇ?

ಮನದಾಳ ಮೀಟಿ,

ಒಡಲಾಳ ಕಲುಕಿ,

ಕಾಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಓಡದ,

ಆದರ್ಶವ‌‌ 

ನೀವೇ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ.

ಉಳ್ಳಾಗಡ್ಡಿ, 

ಬೆಳ್ಳೊಳ್ಳಿ ತ್ಯಜಿಸಿ.

ನಾವೇನು

ಶರಣರಾಗಬೇಕಿಲ್ಲ.

ಮೊಸರುಂಡ ನಿಮಗೆ,

ಬದನೆಕಾಯಿಯ ಚಪಲ 

ಶುರುವಾಗಿರಬಹುದು.

ಹೆಪ್ಪೇ ಕಾಣದ 

ನಮಗೆ ಸಾಕಾದೀತೆ?

ಅಂಟಾದ ಅಂಗೈಯ 

ಜಂಗಮ.

ಕೆರೆತ

ನಿನ್ನೊಳಗಿನ 

ಆ ಹತಾಶ ತುರಿಕೆಗೆ,

ಪಾರ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿನ,

ಪ್ರೇಮ ಸಂಜೆಗಳ,

ನೀ ಏಕೆ ಕೊಲ್ತಿ?

ಬರಿ, ಕೆರಿ,

ಇಲ್ಲ ನೆಲ ಗುದ್ದಿ 

ನೀರು‌ ತೆಗಿ.

ಕಜ್ಜಿ, ಅಷ್ಟೇ

ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಆದರೆ,

ಕುರ್ಚಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಕುಳಿತ

ಆ ಹಂದಿಗೆ.

ಗುರಿಯಿಟ್ಟು ಒಂದು 

ಕಲ್ಲು ಎಸಿ.

ನಿಶಾನೆ ತಪ್ಪಿದರೂ

ಪರವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ.

ನಿನ್ನ ಸಕ್ರೀಯ 

ಕೆರೆತಕ್ಕಿದೆ ನನ್ನದೊಂದು 

ಸಲಾಮು.

ಅಧಿಕಾರ

ನೇಗಿಲ ಹೂಡಿ,

ಅರಿವ ‌ಬಿತ್ತಿ,

ಕೊಯ್ಲು ಮಾಡಿ,

ತೂರಿ, ಸಾನಿಸಿ,

ವಿಚಾರ ವಾದದ

ಸುಗ್ಗಿ ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ.

ಎಷ್ಟು 

ದಿನಗಳಾಗಿವೆಯೊ,

ಸರ್ರನೆ ಗಾಳಿಗೆ,

ಮೈಯೊಡ್ಡಿ.

ಜೇಡ ಕಟ್ಟಿದ 

ಎದೆ‌ ಗೂಡಿಗೆ ಇದು

ಬೆಳಕ ತೋರಿಸಿಲ್ಲ.

ಕೈ ಕಾಲುಗಳ

ಕೀಲುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಜಂಗು.

ಹೊಳ್ಳೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗೆದ್ದಿಲು.

ಉಸ್ತುವಾರಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ,

ಸಂದು ಸಂದುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ,

ತುರಿಕೆ.

ದೇಹ ದೇಗುಲಕ್ಕೆ

ತಾನೇ ಕಳಶವೆಂಬ 

ಬೂಟಾಟಿಕೆ‌ ಬೇರೆ.

ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಬಾಬು ಹಾಗೆ

ಮೇಲೆ ಕುಳಿತಿದೆ.

ತಲೆಯಿದು,

ಹೇಲ‌ ಗಡಿಗೆ.

Forgotten to Rebel

These days

I don't laugh aloud.

Don't gasp out

Of pain.

I don't rush

Out of instinct

To face whatever

That comes.

The wild bull in 

My head has been

Tamed to force it

Down on a chair.

The spark that 

Glared inside has

Been watered to

Smoke.

Watching TV,

Eating snacks.

Trolling and

Reacting to the

Unnecessary headlines.

Carried away by

Cheap jokes and

Throwing away

Free advices..

I've been sitting

Here.

Hiding the 

Whetstone

From the blunt 

Thoughts of my

Burnt out mind..

I've been sitting

Here.

These days 

I've forgotten 

To rebel. 

ಮುಸ್ಸಂಜೆ

ಕಡಲ ಅಂಚು,

ಬಾನ ಕೆಂಪು,

ಸೇರಿ ಲಾಲಿ ಹಾಡಿವೆ..

ಹಕ್ಕಿ ಗುಂಪು

ರೆಕ್ಕೆ ಬಿಚ್ಚಿ,

ಪಡುವ ದಿಕ್ಕ ಏರಿವೆ.

ಬಾಲ ಚಂದ್ರ

ಮುಗಿಲ ಸೀಳಿ,

ಮೃದು ನಗೆಯ ಬೀರಲು..

ತಿಳಿ‌ ಸಂಜೆ

ಧರೆಯ‌ ತಬ್ಬಿ

ಹಬ್ಬದೂಟ ಬಡೆಸಿದೆ‌.

ಮನುಜನೊಬ್ಬ,

ತಾರೆ‌ ಬೆಳಕ,

ಬಯಸಿ ಕನಸ ಕಾಣಲು..

ಕವಿತೆಯೊಂದು,

ಹುಟ್ಟಿತಿಂದು,‌‌

ಇರುಳ ತಂಪು ಮಾಡಲು.

Cough

Was it the intoxication carried
By the winds from the west.
Or sparks set off the insides that
Churned out in protest.
No one knows.

When it took over minds, fiddled
With the hearts to overpower
Human will.. Everyone who had
Forgotten to speak coughed.

Cough, Cough. A terrific cough.
They coughed while they stood.
Coughed while they sat.
They woke up coughing and
Fell down battered by the cough.

The cough gulped the laugh to
Cough more. Pulled up the
Intestine to amplify its choke.

It slapped awake the ones asleep,
To force open their hearts.
Kicked down the haughty heads,
To compel a grounded walk.

Some toiled, built, sang, danced
And toned their cough in shape
To become poets. Others blamed,
Grappled and grudged.
And strangled themselves to
Self-pity and hate.

Few, who became good coughers.
Preached the art of coughing.
To become self-proclaimed babas.
And the ones who mastered to
Cough it out loud, 

Made assurances to censure it 

And won elections..

Nexus Event

She wakes. Rubs her eyes
And looks in the mirror.
Something about her, she doesn't
Feel is in place. Something about
This morning is just not right.

She leaves the aangan un-swept.
Chooses to let her hair undone.
Doesn't pluck the flowers for pooja.
Doesn't apply sindhoor on her forehead.

Things in the kitchen are not paid any
Attention. Seems food will not be
Prepared today.
If you see her in the eyes.
There's no agitation. No hate or anger.
No baggage of years of oppression.
Neither any excuse of victimization.

There's just blankness. A vast expanse
Of emptiness that wants to watch
The world burn, for the sins it has committed.
It dictates a command. Seeks from her
Her own redemption.

So she unwraps herself from
The bondage of her saree. Keeps aside
All the imposed precedents.
And runs in the streets naked.

The high temple of the village shakes.
The lake in the village breaks.
The earth cries fire. Even the sun feels
The chills of these tremors of shock.
Those who peeked from a distance
Got blinded. The bastards who mocked
The event were torched to ashes.

Suddenly her kid cries out of hunger
And the reality comes out of slumber.
Seems the simulation was over.

The kitchen was flung open.
The stove was lit again and the world
Order was saved. Only the gods
And the demons had a memory of what
Had happened.

They thanked the child in prostration.
He was declared as the incarnation of
Of Lord reclines on a giant snake,
For fixing the glitch in the matrix,
That's supposed favor men.

ಅನಾಥ

ನೀರವ ಮೌನವ 

ಸೀಳಿ,

ಕತ್ತಲಲ್ಲಿ ಕತ್ತಿವರಸೆ

ನಡೆಸಿ,

ಕಿವಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ

ಕೆಂಡ ಕಾರುತ್ತಿದೆ

ಗಡಿಯಾರ.

ದೆವ್ವ ನೋಡಿ

ಬೆದರಿರಬಹುದು.

ಗುಂಪು ಗುಂಪಾಗಿ

ಕುಂಡಿ ಹರಿದ ಹಾಗೆ

ಒದರಿತ್ತಿವೆ,

ಬೀದಿ ನಾಯಿಗಳು.

ಹಗಲ-ಇರುಳುಗಳ 

ನಡುವಿನ

ನಿರ್ವಾತ ತುಂಬುತ್ತಾ.

ಲಗಾಮಿಲ್ಲದೇ 

ಅರಚುತ್ತಿವೆ,

ತಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಳುಗಳು.

ಪದೇ ಪದೇ ಕಣ್ಣು

ಪಿಳಿಕಿಸುತ್ತ.

ಹಾಸಿಗೆ ಉದ್ದಗಲ

ಅಳೆಯುತ್ತಾ.

ಅರೆ ಅಮಲಿನಲಿ

ನಾನೂ ಬಿದ್ದಿದ್ದೇನೆ..

ಅನಾಥ ಪದದ 

ಅರ್ಥವ, ಈ

ನಿದ್ರಾಹೀನ ರಾತ್ರಿಗಳಿಗೆ 

ಹೋಲಿಸುತ್ತ.

ಬಂಡಾಯ ಮರೆತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಈಗೀಗ ನಾನು

ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ತುಂಬಾ 

ನಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

ಬಿಕ್ಕಿ-ಬಿಕ್ಕಿ ಅಳುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

ಬಂದುದನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸಿ

ಎದೆ ಸೆಟೆದು,

ಮುನ್ನುಗ್ಗೋದಿಲ್ಲ.

ನಿಟ್ಟುಸಿರು ಬಿಟ್ಟು,

ಇರಿಯಲು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದ,

ಮನದ ಹೋರಿಯ 

ಹೆಡೆಮುರಿಗಟ್ಟಿ,

ಕುರ್ಚಿ ಮೇಲೆ 

ಕೂರಿಸಿ..

ಕಾಯಿಸಿ ಕೆರಳಿಸಿ,

ಸಿಡಿದು ಸೆನೆಸಾಡುವ,

ಅಂತರಾಳದ ಕಿಡಿಗೆ,

ನೀರೆರೆಚಿ, ಹೊಗೆ ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಿ,

ಕೆಮ್ಮತ್ತಾ..

ಟೀವಿ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ,

ಫಳಾರು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾ.

ಬೇಕಾಗದ, ಬೇಡಾಗಾದ,

ವಿದ್ಯಮಾನಳ,

ಅಪಹಾಸ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತ..

ಚಿಲ್ಲರೆ ಜೋಕುಗಳಿಂದ,

ಪ್ರಭಾವಿತನಾಗಿ,

ಅನ್ಯರಿಗೆ ಉಪದೇಶ

ಕೊಡುತ್ತ..

ಮಂಕು ತಲೆಯ,

ಮೊಂಡು ವಿಚಾರಗಳಿಗೆ,

ಸಾಣೆಕಲ್ಲು ತೋರಿಸದೆ,

ಕೊರಗುತ್ತಾ‌..

ಕೂತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಈಗೀಗ ನಾನು

ಬಂಡಾಯ ಮರೆತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಕೆಮ್ಮು

ಅದು ತೆಂಕಣ ಗಾಳಿಯ 

ಅಮಲೋ.
ಒಡಲ ಮಂಥನದ
ಕಿಡಿಯೋ.

ತಲೆ ಏರಿ, ಎದೆ ಮೀಟಿ,
ತೊಡೆ ತಟ್ಟಿ
ಅಬ್ಬರಿಸಿದಾಗ,
ಮಾತು ಮರೆತಿದ್ದ
ಮಂದಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ
ಕೆಮ್ಮಿದರು.

ಕೆಮ್ಮು. ಕೆಮ್ಮು.
ಭಯಂಕರ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.

ನಿಂತರೂ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.
ಕುಂತರೂ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.
ಎದ್ದರೂ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.
ಬಿದ್ದರು ಕೆಮ್ಮು.

ನಗುವನ್ನು ನುಂಗಿ
ಕ್ಯಾಕರಿಸಿದ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.
ಕರುಳ ಜಗ್ಗಿ
ಅಳಿಸಿದ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.

ಮಲಗಿದವರನ್ನು
ಗಾರಿ ಉಗುಳಲು
ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಿದ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.

ಎದ್ದವರನ್ನು ಕುಗ್ಗಿ
ನಡೆಸಲು,
ತಲೆ ತಟ್ಟಿದ ಕೆಮ್ಮು.

ಬೀಗಿ, ಬೈದು,
ಗೊಳೋ ಎಂದು ಅತ್ತು.
ತಲೆ ತಿಪ್ಪೆ
ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡರು
ಹಲವರು.

ಬಿತ್ತಿ, ಎತ್ತಿ,
ಕೆರೆ-ಕಟ್ಟೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿ,
ತಮ್ಮ ಕೆಮ್ಮಿಗೆ
ರಾಗ ಕೊಟ್ಟು,
ಕವಿಯಾದರು ಕೆಲವರು.

ಹೇಗೆ ಕೆಮ್ಮಬೇಕೆಂದು
ಹೇಳಿ ಕೊಡಲು ತಿಳಿದ
ಬಲ್ಲವರು
ಸ್ವಾಮಿಗಳಾದರು.

ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಜೋರಾಗಿ ಕೆಮ್ಮಿ,

ಆಶ್ವಾಸನೆ ನೀಡಿ.

ಕೆಮ್ಮನ್ನೇ ಬಂಡವಾಳ

ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡ‌ ಧುರೀಣರು‌  

ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಕಟ್ಟಿದರು..

ಕೆಮ್ಮನ್ನು 

ಹತೋಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿಡಲು.

ಕಾಳಿ ದೇವಿಗೆ ಮೂಗುದಾನ

ಎದ್ದು ಅಂಗಳ 

ತೊಳೆಯಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ತೆಲೆ ತೊಳೆದು ಜುಟ್ಟು 

ಕಟ್ಟಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಬೊಟ್ಟು ಇಡಲಿಲ್ಲ. 

ಹೂ ಮುಡಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಒಲೆಗೂ ಕೂಡ ರಜೆ.

ಇವತ್ತು ಅನ್ನ ಬೇಯೊದಿಲ್ಲ.

ಕಣ್ಣಲ್ಲಿ ಸೇಡಿಲ್ಲ.

ನೋವಿಲ್ಲ, ನಗುವಿಲ್ಲ.

ಸಾವಿರಾರು ವರ್ಷಗಳ

ದಬ್ಬಾಳಿಕೆಯ ಜ್ಞಾನವಿಲ್ಲ.

ನೆಪವೂ ಇಲ್ಲ.

ಆದರೂ

ಎದೆಯಲೊಂದು

ಅಳುಕಿದೆ.

ಮನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕವಿದ ಶೂನ್ಯ

ಜಗತ್ತನ್ನೇ ತಿನ್ನೆಂದು,

ನಗುತಿದೆ..

ಉಟ್ಟ ಸೀರೆಯ

ದಾಸ್ಯವ ತೊರೆದು,

ಸರಸರನೆ ಓಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ

ಬೆತ್ತಲೆ ಓಡಿದಳು.

ಊರಿನ ಗುಡಿ

ಅದುರಿತು.

ಕೆರೆ ಒಡೆಯಿತು.

ಭೂಮಿ ಕಂಪಿಸಿತು.

ಸೂರ್ಯನಿಗೂ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ

ಚಳಿ ತಾಗಿತು.

ಇಣುಕಿ ನೋಡಿದವರು,

ಕುರುಡರಾದರು.

ನಿಂತು‌ ನಕ್ಕ ಕೆಲ ಲೌಡಿಗಳು‌ 

ಸುಟ್ಟು ಬೂದಿಯಾದರು.

ಎವ್ವಾ! ಮುಕಳಿಗೆ

ನೀರೆಂದು ಮಗು

ಕರೆಯಿತು.

ವಾಸ್ತವ ರಪ್ಪನೆ

ಅಪ್ಪಳಿಸಲು,

ಒಲೆ ಹೊತ್ತಿತು.

ಊರು ಉಳಿಯಿತು.

ಆಗಿದ್ದೇನೆಂದು,

ದೇವ-ದಾನವರಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ

ಗೊತ್ತಿತ್ತು.

ಪುರುಷ ಪ್ರಭುತ್ವವನ್ನು

ಉಳಿಸಲು,

ಮಗುವಾಗಿ ಬಂದಿದ್ದ

ಶಿವನಿಗೆ, ಅವರು  

ಕೈ ಮುಗಿದರು.

Embargo

I try to forget you.

But I fail.

I drink all day to

Forget you.

But I fail.

I read, I write.

I sleep, I wake.

I choke on my

Helplessness.

Talk to the ceiling,

Fight with pillows.

I bask, I crack,

I whack and I 

Really, really, try

To make you go

Away.

But I fail.

You creep in 

Like a snake to

Scare me again.

You sneak in

Like rustle of

Leaves in the

Dead of night to

Haunt me again.

It's like my

Head is on fire.

Skin has turned

Dry.

Hair is a mess

With a strong urge

For an itch.

And I have

Run out of water

To take a decent

Bath.

Upon that I've 

Decided to hate 

The rains too.

Also, I've been

Avoiding

The shadow of

The moon but

He has followed

Me everywhere.

I've tried to kill

You in my stories.

Tried to burn our

Memories.

But I've badly 

Failed.

And like fumes of

Hot chai that

Elevates desires.

You creep in to

Demand a 

Reconsideration.

And I ask myself

Again.

If I want to forget

You for sure.

Do I really want

To let you go?

The answer slightly

Tilts towards a no.

Seems like I've

Grown a fondness

To this embargo.

This fondness take

Sides of a fight 

Inside my head.

To be or not be.

To be you sometimes

And to be me the other.

To stay put or

Just move on.

Maybe it's fun.

Maybe I'm not

Lonely that way.

Social media

Zhakm ke bazaar mein

Naaptol ke dard 

Becha ja raha hai.

Gaye the hum bhi,

Kamaye huye,

Kuch ghaav leke.

Kacche aam ki

Keemat shayad koi

Nai karta waha.

Shayad, achaar

Dalna padega. 

Conquest

Took a train. Then a bus. 48 hours after, found myself in Dharmashala. Five hours of trek, then on a mountain top.

The thirty rupees tea. Bread omlet, hundred each. Watched the sunset. Pegged tent and slept early.

Middle of the night, when mountains were asleep and the moon was awake. Peeped out of the tent and shivered to the cold.

The valley looked stunning. So did my insignificance. Maybe that's how it is, when you conquer yourself.

The child in me

The child in me 

Wants to go to

My grandpa's place

To be lost in his

Stories again.

Climb the trees

To eat unripe

Mangoes and

Eat all the roasted 

Cashews without

Sharing with anyone.

The child in me

Wants play with

Fire. Conjure, 

The courage to

Leap in to 

Experience things. 

Learn, unlearn

And re-learn.

Just like how

One has to be

Persistent to craft

A kite and put

It in flight.

The child in me

Wants to imitate

Shaktiman and

Also understand 

Gangadhar.

Believe I can fly.

Still be grounded.

Ignore the wounds

On my knee and

Run again like

There's no tomorrow.

The child in me

Just wants to talk

To the adult me,

To hold hands and

Shed masks.

Fill courage and

Say it's alright.

Climb mountains,

Sail across seas to

Show how to belong,

And where to 

Belong.

Anjaan

Woh kaun hai jo

Jo sapnon mein aake

Hakeekat mein

Gayab ho jate hai.

Aine mein dikh kar,

Parichayi chod jate hai. 

Woh kaun hai jo

Dimag pe sawar

Dil pe nishan

Chod jate hai.

Khule bazaar mein

Khwaab dikha ke,

Baad mein marichika 

Ho jate hai. 

Kash woh tum hote.

Ya khud hum.

Lekin ye koi

Aur hai. 

Anjaan toh hai

Jaroor..

Lekin pata nahi

Kyu.

Jaan pehechan 

Se bhi lagte hai. 

Listen

Listen to the breeze

As it passes by.

The rustle of the leaves,

The calm it assures.

Listen to the thoughts

It invokes, as it

Touches your insides.

..

Listen to the river

As it cuts through rocks.

The pebbles it 

Brushes past.

The persistence it

Inspires.

Listen to the tones

It brings you back,

As it flows soaking

Your heart.

..

Listen to the snow

As it settles on the soil.

The white that covers,

The cold that spreads.

Listen to the fire 

It can light. 

In the corner of

Your mind.

The summer that's

Still alive.

. 

Poles Apart

Of the red

And the blue.

We're the 

Uncommon dark.

Of the music 

And the noise.

We're silences

Aloud.

Of a dream

And the dread,

A realisation that

Fled the night.

And of the hope 

And despair,

A love that didn't

Last long.

Like the sea  

And the sky.

We could meet

Only as a mirage.

In reality we're,

An universe 

Apart. 

Oblivion

Life slips from

The the clutches

Of my fingers like

The loose grains 

Of sand.

Passes through

The the gap in 

My eyes like a

Forgettable perspective.

Pages turn. 

The clocks run.

Night eats the day

And light turns up.

Time has fled.

Story is gone and

Before I could remember,

Oblivion said Hi..

Void to Infinite

They say 

You kill with

Your eyes.

And I have

Already died

Twice. 

The paths

You derail with

Carve of your

Smile.

I've already

Lost myself

Thrice. 

For a glance

Of your face,

The wars 

They've waged.

I've been

Martyred a 

Few times. 

You take them

Places they 

Say.

Now, I too have  

Seen the infinite.

By first hitting 

The void.

Scream

I feel like I should

Just scream.

Rip this trails of

Stress and spread

Myself on the floor.

I just want to 

Scream till

My brain bursts.

Body gives up and

I lay shattered 

Devoid of any

Strand of greed.

The dust of rust on

My tenacit thoughts.

A layer of extra

Skin to pretend as

My will rots.

This body is a 

Prison that wants

To be freed.

From the roof of

My head 

For me to scream.

By any chance,

Can I score some

Weed?

Scripting Fantasies

Earth seems 

Crowded.

Reality feels limited.

Let's go away to

Live in reveries.

Let's find a way to

Sculpt our fantasies.

A ride of a unicorn,

To build castles of

Candy in the air.

We'll make wine

Out of starlight and

Swing in space.

In the restaurant

At the end of galaxy.

Over plate of 

Girmit-mirchi,

I will propose you 

A toast with chai.

A necklace of

Red-giants and

A tiara of moons

On your head.

I'll address you

As queen to be

Your worthy king.

Lazy Moments

We wrap ourselves

In each other.

The blue and the red

Intertwined.

We see our silence

Pass by.  

We wrap ourselves

In each other.

Nothingness and

Infinity holding hands,

We listen to an

Epoch that runs by.

We wrap ourselves

In each other.

Our fondness dictates

The rage of nature.

The winter and 

The summer are

Dialects of our 

Naked hearts.

We wrap ourselves

In each other.

The happiness and 

The sadness have 

Conspired to

Vacantly witness,

The making of

Our life.

Blues

This simmering 

Desire for

Abandoned places.

Irresistible longing 

For fading traces.

Fantasy that 

Grows for the

Falling moons.

The pull I feel 

Towards the 

Dying stars.

My heart must 

Have been cast in

A volcano that 

Refused to 

Douse itself. 

This greed to 

Live even when 

I'm dead.

Compulsion to

Make the blues

My friends.

Maybe that's why,

I am swimming in

The smoke of

The bridges I've

Burnt.

Void

There's this space.

Un-fulfilled.

Un-attained.

Soaked and left

To dry.

This space,

A blinding black.

Shattering white.

An anti gravity fall.

From here,

There's no 

Coming back.

It's a remains

Of unburnt skin.

Ruins of a sea

That's dead.

Of that hope

Only despair is

Left.

I wait here like

It's a to be

Done away scar.

A to be won war.

But you never

Look back.

And

Un-fulfilled,

Un-attained,

This space has

Become,

An unfathomable

Void.

Head and Hunger

We plough, we sow.

Against the rains

We gamble to grow.

For a roti and 

Some rice.

Firewood and

Cooking oil..

My mother toils

Against her life

To fix a dinner.

Law of conservation

Of energy doesn't

Apply in our kitchen. 

If the light were that

Discernible.

At first instance,

I would have tried to

Make a container,

To illuminate my 

Dilapidated hut.

Because when I

See a posh building

From here,

The light seemed 

Have always been 

Relative.

And wonder. 

Always have been

Wondering about Newton

And his apple.

If it would have

Fallen on me.

Maybe I would have 

Eaten it readily.

The act of head,

And hunger, you see,

Are third law of

Motion otherwise.

Maybe somewhere

There's a fission

Reaction that's

Multiplying pulses.

Some missiles with

Nuclear warheads,

In one stroke, can

Feed all the poor.

Maybe then,

Between the head

And the stomach,

Science can win 

The race. 

Khayal

Woh aaye,

Hame le jaye.

Phir se ek aur 

Khwaab dikha ke,

Chand pe hame

Kaid kar de.

Sitaro ke hawa

Ka shab 

Unke hathon se 

Pilaye aur unke 

Pyar ka izahar kare.

Aur hum yun hi

Pigal kar,

Aasman se 

Barish sa barsaye.

Haye,

Ye mehenge 

Mehenge khwahishe..

Unki yadon mein

Doob jaane ki aadatein.

Kya kare..

Kya kare..

Iss taraf hai tanhai

Ki khayi. Uss taraf,

Nachti hui, meri

Bigade kalam ki

Rang bhi rangi shahi. 

Hamare toote

Kashti ki hakeekat

Ka pata hai hume..

Phir bhi..

Phir bhi..

Dil behalane ke liye.

Khayal accha hai

Ghalib.

Cleansing

Tragidies are 

Infected with

Laugh and

They've become

Nitrous oxide.

Fantasies are

Mixed with vile

Of politics.

Anesthetics are

Now obsolete.

Sad stories,

Have cold endings.

They die easily

These days.

Amputations are

Done by building

Narratives.

Hip-hop has

Caught a cold.

Establishment,

Has whored

Rappers to tune

Their agenda.

Ideas pop-up

Strings attached.

Even psychedelics 

Are in fetters.

Rock music is

In clinical trials

To treat ethnicity.

When I was Young

Once, 

When I was young.

I would summon sunsets

And tame stars to adorn

My little sister's room.

Colors up my sleeve.

I believed in a life,

That's etched in crayons.

Once, 

When I was young.

I would make boats 

With papers to 

Chase the rain.

Dreams could fit in

Chocolate wrappers.

Expectations in

Glittery marbles.

Nights were for

Good goody sleep.

Evenings for the

Cool breeze.

Morning tea to

Shake the mind

Freeze.

A free desire within 

That would aways 

Tease.

Everything wasn't

Planned and neat.

Complaining, 

We didn't sag like 

Dead meat. 

Roads were great,

Trees were free. 

Looking at us

Even birds did glee.

Once, 

When I was young.

Moon followed me

Wherever I would go.

Grandpa lived in the

Sky, as mom claimed.

Venus was just

A good friend.

Peeing wasn't shamed.

And dreams weren't 

Confined in names.

Haste

Clocks chase 

The moments that 

Could have paused

For a while. 

Fate engulfs the

Horizons that

Questions,

Future visibility.

Sun doused the

Night that had 

Offered us a 

Possibility.

You could've 

Stayed for another 

Hour.

What was the 

Hurry?

A minute could

Have savored

Another second.

A day,

Another year.

Time wasn't the

Enemy.

Neither was fate.

I refused to look

You in the eye,

When you reluctantly

Said goodbye.

Dead Poet

Dear poet. I read your obituary in the newspaper. Didn't know how to interpret it. 

Are you really gone or is it one of the instances that you just can't write? 

Are you choking on your words or you have done away with yourself from over a fan? 

I hope it is just a series of miscarriages in your head. I would like to believe that you are in your cave, taking time to come up with something new as you always do. 

I didn't know how to comprehend the headline, "Death of a poet". As it seemed like a beautiful metaphor you would use.

Hope everything is fine. And you're working on your next piece.

I lust you

Love is a close

Relative of lust.

That judges it,

For wearing a 

Revealing dress.

While it wanders

Naked in disguise,

In the minds that 

Preach pretense.

What's wrong

In the intimacy

That grows by 

Fire of skins,

Friction of hips..

And the stroke of

Calling that's evoked

By the wake of 

Genitals? 

Purest of longing,

Should it linger

Only in heart?

Is that such an

Obvious stereotype?

Against the drapes 

That limit the

Depths of desire.

This is a poem is

A nudist's satire.

Tainting Apathy

The papers want

To be tainted.

They pray for 

Redemption from

The blinding of

The blank.

The pen is a 

Messenger of 

The god.

Rescuing the 

Damned.

Poetry is a 

Warrior knight. 

Cosmic Job

There's a strange 

Feeling that's 

Simmering on the

Tips of my fingers.

An unusual quiver

Passing beneath

My feet. 

I feel a layer of skin

Upon me and 

Someone is trying to

Break it free.

Looks like something

Is in wake. 

My pen wants me

To go on a ride.

A piece of paper

Must be praying

For its redemption

From the blank.

Cosmic forces may

Have chosen me

For the job..

To balance the

Equilibrium..

Let me write a

Line. 

Folklore

When this is 

All over.

On a sun-kissed

Month of May.

I'll meet you again.

At a road that

Outgrows all the

Bends,

I'll hold your hand

And walk you to

A place, where

I grew as a child.

Where time is

On its knees. 

Where mangoes 

Still grow in trees.

There's a house,

My Grandpa lives 

Still.

He might not be

Expecting me.

But he'll not be 

Surprised to 

See you as well.

Maybe he'll

Ask grandma to

Make you feel at home.

Cook you her

Signature cashew dish.

And tell you an

Old story that

I've forgotten.

I'm sure she'll 

Tell you about how

Her hens lay egg.

The grafts on 

Guava plants and

The thickness of

Milk her buffaloes

Offer.

She'll insist on

Giving you oil bath. 

And as she applies 

Oil to your hair. 

I'll steal your shy-gaze

To confide our love,

To that moment.

It'll be safe there.

Maybe years later,

Verge of our story

Will be heard as

Folklore.

Unveiled letters

Tiptoeing across

A warm beach.

Gazing vacantly

Into the distance.

I envy the reflection

Of the moon,

On the brink of 

My fluid will.

I think of the 

Sequence of 

Accidents that

Brought me here. 

A twinge of

Sadness.

A surge of madness.

Butterflies in stomach

That emanates from

Series of flashbacks.

This urge to squeeze

Your cuteness.

The way my feelings

Squeal upon hearing

Your footsteps.

This desire to poke

My head in the clouds.

Vain of trying to

Hold time as it passes.

I wonder if the flood

Of this reverie

Ever ends.

The array of this

Longing ever bends.

I wonder if these

Unsent letters ever

Grow wings to land

In your realm to

Come back again..

Un-opened. Un-read.

Guilty Pleasure

The wars my

Thoughts wage.

The revolts these

Emotions stage.

Why is this

Mental carnage

So imminent.

Is there no end to

This bloodshed?

This body is a

Cauldron of craving.

Mind, full of 

Thrust moralities.

Between the

Desires that poke

And the restraints

I exercise..

Everything collides

With one another..

Inevitably a conflict 

Is bound to arise..

So I hold my dagger 

Full of desire,

In a fistful of my

Hand..

And my guilt 

Awaits outside

The bathroom..

To slay me for

Failing another

Time.

Here and Now

The road with

Two curves of 

Bends.

Has no beginning

Or an end.

The birds think

It goes up and

Down.

But the passing

Packet of air,

Takes it from

Anywhere to 

Everywhere.

And the dry leaves 

Assume it goes

Nowhere.

The traveler 

Doesn't stand

And stare.

He's only concerned

About the left  

And the right.

Everyone,

Who presumes

That it goes

Somewhere,

Is in a prison.

Only the road is

Truly free.

Letting others go,

It stays there.

With no beginnings

And ends.

Only the road has

Traveled..

The destination

Is then and there.

New Year

Push your mind to

Fight that noise.

Push your boundaries,

You need to take 

A stand.

The restraints that

Have silenced your will..

Need to break away.

The reservations that

Hold your thoughts..

Be brushed away.

Let the blunt edges

Be sharpened by the

Friction as you try.

The hollowness,

Evaporate to allow 

Something of meaning,

As you sour high.

Let the decay see

A decent wash.

The confines erode,

To open a possibility

For new life.

This is just another

Day of another year.

Welcome it with

Open arms..

Give your legs

A chance.

Give your eyes

A new horizon.

Life is an act

Of moving on.

There's a lot to 

Explore around.

Women

We glorified 

Womanhood

To restrict you 

To brooms.

Celebrated 

Motherhood 

To confine you

To rooms.

We pitied you to

Hold hostage in

Soft-emotions.

Stereotyped to

Force you in 

Clothes of desire.

Ladies first we

Say,

Unequal salaries

We pay.

To force you to 

Cut onions.

Men shouldn't cry,

We declare.

You may wage wars.

Rule the world.

Mother a prophet or

Slave a demon.

Still, you gotta

Take our blame

And make our

Homes.

You're better than us.

Even stronger.

But consolation

Prizes is all you'll get..

Maybe another

Child to pet.

A saree, 

Some jwellery or

One more poem 

Like this one to

Exemplify your

Compliant behavior.

Shower Some Starlight

Shores of the sea

Are cleansed by

The touch of your

Feet.

Winds seek 

Redemption

At the behest of

Your cheeks.

The moon 

Has been jealous,

For over an 

Epoch.

The sun has been

Chasing the dark

To give meaning 

To his fondness. 

Feed this celestial 

Vacuum.

Universe has been 

Lonely all along.

I've wished for a

A glance of you a

Million times..

Pass me through 

One of your 

Thoughts and shower 

Some starlight. 

Olympic Dream

I open my zip

To take a piss.

Simultaneously,

I spit.

The spit and 

The urine collide.

My Olympic

Dream is still 

Alive. 

Song of unity

No, 

We're not afraid

Of the tainted light.

Or distracted by

The lure of

Promising nights.

This is a beginning

Of our unity,

You can't stop.

We're gonna 

Paint our fate in

White tonight.

We've buried

Our vices beneath

A rocky surface.

Cast our hearts

In a smelting furnace.

We can't be dodged

By the vanities

Of the heavens.

Or the scared by

The cold fetters

Of hell.

The rage in eyes

Is awake.

The song of the

Black flags will

Be sung to

Sooth the wounds

Of separation.

From the cold

Embers a revolution 

Will arise and

That'll be you

Elitists' demise.

Beware of the 

Thorns, you wretches.

We feed blood to

The roses,

You preach 

Discrimination.

Marriage

This shade of loneliness 

Hits you in your late 20s.

Feeds on insecurities to

Make your life compliant.

You accommodate yourself

In family trips.

Suddenly try to socialize

With strangers with

Sips of cheap drinks.

You form political opinions,

To fit in a group.

Watch cricket to blend in.

The mainstream is an

Inevitable end it seems.

All the girls you could have 

Had in college.

The moves you didn't make.

The words you couldn't say.

A feminine touch can

Only redeem you,

But your mirror 

Rejects you again.

Your only friend 

Succumbs to a girl.

And now you're really

Fucked in the head.

The loneliness sacrifices 

You to a societal mess.

And you decide to

Get married for sex.

Irrelevance

There's someone 

In the Dark..

I see,

But I don't realise.

There's someone in

The heart.

I can feel.

Can't hold on.

Time always slips

From the cusp of

Fingers.

Moments do become

Incomplete

Memoirs.

There's someone in

The dark,

I don't realise.

He or me 

Doesn't matter.

He does slip from

My fingers.

I do from time. 

Irrelevance is

Something of an

Ultimate demise. 

Dear Loneliness

You cut wings of

Doves and force 

Them to fly.

Pluck dandelions,

Only to throw them

In fire.

Give hopes to

Ailing hearts

Then feed apathy,

To cripple their life.

The prayers that

Taste you turn

Into dirge.

The things you

Touch are declared

As spoils of war.

So ingrained are

Sins in you,

That even after 

Washing your soul 

In the volcano..

The taints still glow,

The guilt still grows.

Leaving you to

Wonder if that's 

Really a curse.

Your heart hangs

In the air now, 

With no one to hold.

Dear loneliness,

I will break from

Your shackles.

I shall not live in

Vain tonight.

Dear Comrade

With the stroke of

Of your tongue,

The words you weave.

The intoxication,

Your eyes spew..

Curl of your lip,

That slays hearts

And subjugates

Minds.

Communists,

Atheists, priests.

Philosophers and

And other fanatics.

How many 

Revolutions,

You must have 

Killed. 

With just a curve

Of your smile.

Are you,

By any chance.

The incumbent

Government? 

If I'd never met you

If I'd never met you,

The food would have

Tasted the same.

The rains would have

Poured the same.

My desires wouldn't

Have taken a leap and

I'd have remained unsung,

Even in my dreams.

..

If I'd never met you,

The winds would have

Blown the same.

The sun would have

Still come up in the west.

My mind would have

Brooded on the idea of

A perfect past.

There would have been

A cacti infestation,

I'd have grown a fondness to.

..

If I'd never met you,

My heart would have

Pumped the same.

My blood would have

Rushed the same.

My room would still

Be dark. Walls be blank.

I'd have romanticized

Pain to write sad stories.

Where I'd have died

Again and again.

..

If I'd never met you.

My words wouldn't

Have flown.

Verses wouldn't have

Rhymed.

With a block in in the

Mind intact.

My throat still would

Have been a graveyard of

The songs I never sang.

..

Greenhouse

Sky is crying fire.
Winds are hurling
A storm.
Earth quivers in
Boggled awe.
As a revolution
Comes alive.

Icecaps are afraid
Of a wave of heat.
Mountains shiver out
In a cold that beats.
Seas too slosh
In scare,
To the revolution
That's in wake.

Forests have lost
Their cool.
Animals are as
Confused.
Trees do anticipate
Something bad.
The revolution in
Wake, is not
Welcome at all.

Demons are
Running for life.
Angels are confused
Taking sides.
Gods sit coughing,
For being pleased
With lit-up cigars.

And the man lauds
The smoke,
He is breathing.
Lits another cigarette,
To celebrate the next 

Revolution he wanna

Bring to life.

The Hunter

Dusk covers the sky.

Dust settles on the

Leaves of trees,

That are tired.

Claws clenched,

Unwavering sight.

A tiger sits in the shade.

In a calm composure,

The hunter is now live.

Rage simmering.

Hunger in the eyes.

Waiting is the only plan.

His patience is dangerous

Than the fangs.

Flies in the milieu

Are fried by his sigh.

Birds are stupefied,

Anticipating a storm.

Only wolves howl

In distance.

They understand

The gravity of the times.

Other biggies don't dare 

To breath a sound.

Mistakes can cost

Your life.

Even demons seek

A hiding.

No one wants to be 

A petty feast tonight.

And that's how hunger

Of a beast smells.

No-one will be spared.

Life is skeptical

Tonight. 

This too shall pass

Sharp edges 

Will fade away,

Against the grate

Of passing time.

Shades will fill 

The divide,

Between the 

Black and white.

The right and 

The wrong

Will be occupied

With IFs and WHYs. 

The splits in the

Skin will be 

Braced by touch

Of a hand. 

The distance in 

Your eyes will be

Held with an 

Incessant desire.

Your sadness is

Meaningless.

So is your happy

Face.

What's done will

Be undone..

Wounds will

Soon be dead.

Pain or pleasure.

Sharp edges will

Fall and this too

Shall pass.

Loop

I got drunk at night. 

Smirked at the moon,

Challenged the night sky,

For some more gloom.

Of many other things,

Defaced walls and

Stoned the mirrors

In my room.

Torn my diaries,

To amend the past.

Puked enough to

Pass to at last.

Then you invaded

My dreams.

To kill me in my 

Mind.

And I woke up

With a sigh,

Feeling my thing

Between the thighs.

This story of 

You and I, is a loop,

Of forgetting and

Remembering.

 I manage to escape

 You in the night.

 Only to be caught

 At the dawn.

Time is slow in Dharwad

Roosters are lazy.

Mornings are not

So early.

Time is slow in

Dharwad.

No one here is in a

Real hurry.

You wake up,

Go in search of

Breakfast with friends.

Hours simply pass,

As sipping chai 

Takes a lot of laugh.

So comes lunchtime,

Roti, curd, rice and

Sambar.

Food here is a wormhole.

Noon-nap that follows

Is a blackhole. 

You just belch, yawn.

And mysteriously you

Slip to the evening.

Sleepy eyes as the

Light fades,

Can anything get slower

Than this sombre?

Gurmit-mirchi-chai

And some more

Laughter..and 

You're back to bed

After a fat dinner.

Dreams bore fruits

Only in sleep.

Fed-up,

The monk who couldn't

Grow beard, 

Decided to leave..

Saying..

Even leaves take

Their own time 

To fall..

Time does really pass

Slowly in Dharwad. 

Uncle-hood

The number of 

T-shirts has been

Reduced to two.

The jeans in my closet,

Are disappearing too.

The themed vests 

Are being replaced,

By white banyans.

Fit full-sleeved shirts.

And well stitched,

Formal pants have

Invaded my space.

Clean shaved face,

Thick mustache.

A tuft of grey hair,

Left un-attained..

Beer belly is a

New reality.

Self-acceptance is

Now a philosophy.

Age stole my 

Ripped jeans,

Adulthood is gone..

A kid in the street

To call me uncle..

I've become

My father.

Come Again

The garden of 

Our muse,

Has lost its charm.

Come again,

To shower a bloom.

The moon flaunts

Too much,

In your absence.

Come again to

Show him,

Who rules the eve. 

I've forgotten to

Write.

I have forgotten

To feel.

From the ruins of

Our love..

Bring some thorns,

While you pass by..

I might need a 

Prick to bleed.

Come again, 

To make me breath.

Come again,

Let me feel.

Come again, darling

To show me another 

Dream. 

Dead Inside

Longing for you

Even after 

Our separation..

If its not enough

Of a devotion.

Then yes.

I'm an atheist.

If still hoping for

Your return is 

Not enough of

Optimism.

Then yes.

I'm a cynic.

In the middle of

The night.

When I wake up

Gasping your name.

The stroke of

That shock..

How can I 

Describe it?

To put it all in 

Words,

If I've not bled

Enough.

Then, yes.

I'm apathetic.

Vacuum

From deep oceanic
Trenches,
Till the vast expanse,
Of the sky.

Collapsing neutrons
In the core.
Till the doused light
In dying stars.

From a widow's
Eyes to
Sinking hopes in
Hospital corridors.

Loneliness prances
Like a
Hell sanctioned,
Demonic Avatar.

And when it
Joins hands with,
The freak of
Re-enforcing silence..
The noise it makes
Is much more quieter.

Like it's a vacuum.
Sheer Emptiness.

Dust of separation

Dust of separation
Has smothered
My verses.
Stories prematurely
Die.

Has stacked 

Pile of time.

Colors have 

Abandoned my realm.
It's pitch dark.

A veil is spread
On my eyes.
Sight is murky,
I'm almost blind.

Dust of separation
Has taken over
My mind...
Thoughts are
Misaligned.
Sense of perception
Is gone.

Has opened some
Wounds,
I scream your
Name.. but
You're not around.

The dust must
Have settled on
You as well.
Are you too

Screaming aloud?

Stories

Some stories are

Written in blood.

Deep trails and

Sharp edges.

They're too much

Of a trudge.

Some are written

On water.

Invisible.

So forgettable,

That, they almost

Don't exist.

So brief was

Our union.

Yet, so intense.

That it was etched 

On a rock and

Later fed to lava.

Dead poets must

Have painted it.

Our story is just smoke.

It doesn't really exist.

But does it?

Save a Spark

Burn a mountain

If you want.

Chase away all

The cold wolves

On summer night.

Tame the dragons,

Or tumult yourself

In a sea that

Cries fire.

But save a spark,

For the winters.

To light the 

Vulnerable nights.

To fight the blue

Of the dark.

Aid of Divine

Her face is

Moonlight.

Her heart,

The blue sky.

Eyes are wild,

Tone is mild.

Her blush is

A killer when 

She becomes

A child. 

..

As sweet as

A butterfly.

As brave as

The late night.

Down the

Alleys of my

Confused mind

She seems to be

The Answer...

To all my

If and Whys.

..

She's such

A joy.

A touch of

Desire.

A miracle,

I'm not gonna

Lie.

A reason for

My loneliness'

Demise.

An inspiration,

Who makes me 

Fly.

..

Beyond the 

Mortals,

Close to Gods.

She's a fantasy

Divised by 

The aid of divine.

..

Hello

These bruises 

And scars.

Half-cut smiles, 

And broken stars.

Little insides that 

Die daily to 

Humiliation and

Self-sabotage.

The taints we 

Nourish to grow

Colors..

A slang from you,

An Arrow from

Another.

Our palette,

Full of blame 

Is pretty much 

Borrowed.

We're poets sire,

We paint in words,

Take on nerves and

Live in shadows.

You may not 

Recognize us.

We don't reside in

Hearts that are hollow.

Come and see us,

If you've time.

We're just a 

Thought away.

If you peep in 

Your head, 

In search of aesthetics 

In the dust 

Of your mind..

Hello..!

Bday Gone Wrong

It's her birthday

And she must
Be expecting a
Gift.

And I'm all
Caught up in
My head,
Preparing a list.
..
The song I
Wanted to write
Hasn't come in
Handy.

For the train I've
Been waiting,
The signs haven't
Been so dandy.
..
My rhymes are
Still broken.
Words,
Incomplete.

The tones are
Out of sync.
I have run out
Of ink.
..
It's been three
Hours,
Sky is turning
Pink.

She must be
Waiting for
Long..
Her hopes
Shouldn't sink.
..
The train did
Reach late and
She didn't quite
Really wait.

But I did sing
A ballad on 

How they kicked me
Out of her
Hostel gate.
..

Dance

Take off the veil

In your eyes.
Brush away the shade.
Color your gaze.
Tickle your desires,
And to the off-key
Music of your
Head,
Let yourself go.

It's time for you
To dance.
..
Breakaway from
The restraints.
Tear off the
Snares you wear.
It's time to stretch
Arms, to grow wings.

To the tunes of
Euphoria that
Bounces off from
Your redemption..

It's time for you
To dance.
..
Let go of the
Bondage of
Guilt.
Wash clean the
Slate of your sins.
Look yourself in
The mirror.
Hold yourself in
A prayer.
To chimes of
Promises you wanna

Make to yourself..

It's time for you
To dance.
..