Shore

To lie in the grass
Under a sea full of stars,
And pluck one to adorn my eye.
Jasmine hair and a velvet white,
Barefooted on a half moon night
Me and you, and the fireflies.

To lock our hands
And slide to the shore,
Catch some waves and dance on our toes.
Sandcastles in salty hides
Built and drowned in mighty tides,
A dreamy home, and the cozy vibe.

To weave a tale
In a fairyland…
Keep it safe, then pop the plan!
Foggy bubbles and magic high-
Daydreams washed in chuckles and sighs,
A jobless mind’s got so much to pry.

Winds

If life was a book,
Its pages flipped a bit today
And stopped at a chapter
That wasn’t so pleasant to read.

Well I was just a kid,
And I was just fooling around,
And hurting someone emotionally
Wasn’t something I understood well.

And I think I asked her at a point
If she was okay.
And she said she was,
But her diary said otherwise.

Unintentional as it was,
And foolish as I was,
Someone had been hurt;
And sorrys couldn’t heal the past.

My pages turned,
As did the wheel of karma,
And I stood at a point
Where she had once.

A part of it I deserved,
The others I didn’t,
But who am I to decide
The fair and the unfair.

I did my share of the why’s and how’s,
And reached what I thought was the (not so) happy end.
But life had been intending to teach
A different lesson altogether.

Something I learnt more pages later,
Was one of the harder lessons;
And I definitely didn’t learn it
The easy way.

It had been intertwined in all these pages
And yet I had been blind enough not to notice,
Trusting the wrong people all along
And adorning my head with a crown of arrogance.

When you drift on the wrong path,
There are people who leave you stranded.
They have their own good reasons,
But they can’t ever be good companions.

The wind flipped over a couple pages more
And came to the one where I met a little star,
Who made so little of its presence
Amidst the dully overcrowded sky.

It shone in such light
That it took my blindfold away;
And I changed my lenses,
Viewing the world a different way.

And delivered a message I could never say out loud
But oh that’s a story for another day.
It’s time to close the windows,
The winds are really making a mess!

Starry

Gazing in the night

Deep into the darkest folds

Where shining lie stars

Lost in their own lives, and worlds,

And I, lost in mine.

This was my first attempt at writing a Tanka! Written for: November 2021 Poetry Challenge! Inspired for the challenge by Katie’s post, which is so wonderful!

The Winterland

I woke up in a Fairy Winterland,

Fluffy mounds of snow and rainbow bands,

Creamy skies and chocolate clouds

And the scent of magic in the air.

It had sliver trees and golden leaves,

Velvet flowers and birds in their sleeves,

And all you needed was a sniff in the air

To get the magic juices flowing in your blood.

And then a fairy came floating by,

She bounced and swirled and danced in the sky,

And she gave her wand a massive twirl

And bounds of snow came falling by.

There were little and big snowmen too,

Carrot noses and buttons for the eyes,

And then a strong wind started to blow

And all their hats dropped to the ground.

There were magic fruits with magic powers,

And sparkling water that smelled of a charm,

And every little beast in the wide snow town

Had powers that I could only dream of.

There were musical bells and violin tunes,

Sweet melodies in their voices too,

And when you needed a ride around,

There’d be a hundred to help you out.

I woke up in the Fairy Winterland,

With no hint of how I ended up there,

Perhaps a fairy picked me up from my bed

And carried me to the magic winterland.

Myth

Eerie night, no company in sight,

What a place, oh so quiet.

No moon in the sky, chilly winds all through,

It’s on nights like these that myths come true.

She came to him in the middle of the night,

Pounced upon him and gave a hard cold bite.

Pain shot up and sprang through his veins,

Drummed in his ears a thousand mighty trains.

Bitter was the truth, harsher than a knife,

He was tethered to her for life.

Written for Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt

Writing for a prompt is so fun!

Darkness

When darkness lingers all around,

And you see not a single ray of sun,

And it seems the clouds are after you,

Ready to engulf you in their stormy rage…

All you want is to run

And run till you leave the dark behind,

But you can’t, because it’s too dark

to see the path ahead.

And then you call for help

And someone comes to rescue-

A friend,

Someone who’s always pulled you out

of the darkest of tunnels.

“Hand me a torch,” you say;

“Why?” they ask;

“Because it’s dark!” you say.

Isn’t that obvious?!

They look at you

And burst into a laugh,

And laugh and laugh

till they turn red.

“Why do you think it’s dark?” they ask.

“Because there’s clouds all around!” you say.

They look at you and laugh again,

And laugh till there’s tears in their eyes.

And before you could ask what’s funny,

They reach up and pull away the sunglasses from your face,

And laugh while you wonder

How the clouds vanished so fast 🙂

Sometimes, it isn’t the situations that are dark,

It’s us who shield ourselves from seeing the right path.

Make sure to keep someone around to snatch away your sunglasses 😉

What is it?

Artificially brewed,

Carefully dyed,

Evenly frozen,

Gargled, heated,

Instantly juiced,

Knotted loosely,

Marinated next,

Organic pineapple quarters

roughly scooped,

Tossed up vigorously

with xanthophyllous yellow zucchini.

And that’s the recipe. Only thing I don’t know… is what it is for.

What did I just cook?? Can you tell?

Of Unicorns and Mermaids

Magic and marvel –

Oh yes, they exist!

Not in your eyes,

perhaps no,

But surely in mine,

even if closed!

It’s there, just there,

right there in my dreams,

Oh what a magical place,

With unicorns and mermaids!

Oh, they’re there in yours too?

Maybe they are,

But surely not as they’re in mine!

Coz I have unicorns that dive,

Oh yes they dive!

Deep, deep into the blue sea,

And swim far and wide

With all the fishes, red and gold,

And wash the waves with their sparkly light!

And mermaids that fly,

Oh yes they fly!

High, high above the fluffy clouds,

And soar through the sky

With flocks of birds, chirpy and brown,

And light the whole sky with their magical trails!

Don’t lose hope if you don’t find them in yours,

Reality is more unpredictable than dreams,

Maybe you’ll wake up some day

To find horses in your aquarium

And fishes in the skies!

Breezy

Fluffy ice cream clouds,

The cherry of a red sun,

A swing bed underneath

And breeze through my hair.

An endless sky of things and thoughts,

Hues of orange, of pink and blue,

Wild birds up and above

And a flowery scent throughout.

A golden light intertwined

With the mad shadowy shapes,

Salty waters in my sight

And seashells buried in the sand.

No it isn’t a heaven,

(but maybe more than that)

It’s just I haven’t been on a vacation…

Can I get a beach home-delivered?

Cascade

I find my mind

Tangled

In a cascade of thoughts

Overthinking,

Working harder than it really should;

In the darkest of nights

I’m exploring the void,

From where my thoughts come

And where I expect them to go;

Sometimes they are just blurry pasts,

Or maybe some future hopes,

Rarely about the present;

They come like a whirr of trains

Overspeeding

Often crashing

I’m afraid

They might derail,

As perhaps they have many times before;

I think of all the things I shouldn’t,

I try to detach myself

Losing my true self in the process

And become someone who I really don’t know;

And in the midst of all this,

I’m caught again

In a cascade of infinite thoughts.

A Frustrated Writer

The laptop is turned on

Like every other day

Keys are tapped randomly

To forge out words

From the mind’s tangled tale.

Alas!

Reality falls behind expectations

A well defined plot seems like a bunch of errors

The backspace key is pressed more than any other,

A white screen is left behind every time

While the mind is filled with hues of hopelessness

What a contrast!

The laptop is thrown away

A notebook is brought in,

Some words are scribbled

A few sketches doodled,

Yet all in vain.

Ah, what pain!

Notebook dumped away as well

Bedcovers brought in this time,

Not to write, but to hide in;

Eyes are shut, dreams are seen

And the most unexpected thing happens.

Creativity strikes!

Bedcovers are thrown

Laptop is brought in again,

Notebook as well;

How strange is it that the best things happen

when you expect them the least.

And there we go!

Keys are tapped again,

Notes made as well,

Intentionally this time;

Let’s see what’s made of the tale

That took so much pain.

But oh, alas!

Words stop flowing as suddenly as they began,

Doubts begin to rise, “holes” and “faults” surround,

A fist is clenched, something breaks;

What seemed like a wonderful idea

Turns out to be a bubble.

Ah, what frustration!

What am I?

What am I?

Am I substance?

Am I soul?

Am I a form of energy?

Or just a piece of matter?

Where was I before this?

Where would I be after this?

Why am I?

How do I exist?

Am I a plan?

Or just a coincidence?

Am I the protagonist?

Or just the side plot?

Where am I meant to be?

What am I meant to be?

What really am I?

Perhaps at the end of the day

It doesn’t really matter…

The past is gone,

The future’s a surprise;

Maybe I’ll have the answers one day…

And even if not,

It doesn’t make sense to ponder over senseless things.

But then again,

What’s making me think all this?

What’s making me reach conclusions?

Should I really do it?

Who’s going to decide this?

Maybe he who created me…

Who created me?

What did he mean to create?

A piece of matter?

Or a form of energy?

A soul?

Or mere substance?

What am I?

Oh wait…

Did I do it again?

The True Good

Not all that glimmers

Is gold,

Not all good people

Are really good,

Sometimes its just a mask

Covering their true side,

The darkest side…

Not every grape

Is always sweet,

Not every person

Is trustworthy,

Sometimes those you trust the most

Turn out to be the sour one,

The one who leaves you alone…

Not everything

Is just as it seems,

Not every person

Is just the way they show,

Sometimes things turn out

To be very different,

When what you thought was a diamond

Is sometimes just fragile glass…

Not all wounds

Are healed by time,

Not every person

Can be forgotten,

Sometimes when you think it’s time to move on

Is when you have to turn back

And face them, and show what they are worth,

Sometimes you need to pick your wounds

To make yourself stronger,

This tiny wound would sure heal soon

But there is more broken glass

On the way, than you really think…

But be careful!

Not all that seems like glass

Is really glass,

Sometimes it’s a diamond

Sometimes it’s just you failing to see its beauty…

Think twice

Before you throw away

That piece of glass

Stuck in your foot…

Last Night

I glance at the window

And shield my eyes

From the blinding sunlight

I shut my eyes

And just naturally

There come a hundred memories

From last night…

There I am

At the centre of the stage

Trophy in my hand

Grin on my face

A certificate reads

“Student of the Year”…

I turn around

And just instantly

I find myself

On another stage

A yet bigger one

And with more people around

A book in my hand

The author’s name reads

My name….

Before I could even turn

I am standing on a red carpet

More people than I’ve ever seen

A pen in my hand

I sign autographs

As I hear cameras clicking

And people buzzing…

I swiftly turn around

I am in a cafe

Facing a boy

I last met years ago

His hands in mine

We smile and talk

Of the past days…

I turn around yet again

I am with him

He faces me

And we move closer

His face slowly drawing

Towards mine…

I don’t want to,

But still turn around

As if forced to,

And blink and blink

And face the ceiling

Of my room.

Frustrated

I pull my covers

And shut my eyes

Hoping

To dive back

Into my dreams…

The Perfect World

I dreamt of the perfect world

Since forever.

When I was a baby

I dreamt of a place

Where there weren’t any spiders

Or cockroaches.

I grew up a bit

And dreamt of a world

Where I could watch cartoons the whole day,

Where there wouldn’t be any schools

Or teachers.

I grew up yet more

And dreamt of a world

Where there wouldn’t be any parents

Or anyone else

To tell me what to do.

Oh and I grew up more

And dreamt of a world

Where there were no crimes

No murders, no rapes

Or terrorism.

I grew up yet more

Which brings me to the present

And I dream of a world

Where there wouldn’t be different races

Or religions,

Where no one would be called “ugly”

Or “dirty”,

Where no one would be “better”

Than the other,

Where there wouldn’t be jealousy,

Or greed,

Or hatred,

That’s the world I dream of.

And I continue to grow.

Captive

Lying there all day long,

Eyes whistling a gloomy song,

Had all food and water, and a cozy bed,

But shiny wings spread out dead,

Mind racing, yet body impassive,

The little bird was held captive.

It was for his own good though,

He knew the master would soon let him go.

He recalled the day when his friends were caught

By a gang of vultures; ah, he was distraught!

The vultures came for him too,

But a kind young man came to his rescue.

And since then he had been in this cocoon,

Promised to be led out soon;

And this thought suddenly cheered him up

For he knew he’d be out soon after sunup.

So he stretched his wings, looked up at the highs,

The sun was about to rise…

This was something I wrote last year (back then when I didn’t have a blog). When the whole world was in lockdown and I could hear people say how this was killing them. So penned it down. Was clearing up my laptop today and found this… better late than never 😉😉

Innocence

As I look ahead into a fog

Of doubt and confusion

And hatred and blind choices

And all things oh so bad,

I linger down the memory lane

And travel back to the past.

I see myself as a child

Oh so happy and careless,

Not even a hint of fear,

I spoke out what I wanted to,

Where has that innocence gone?

I look at myself,

The only secrets I hid

Were the shy little ones,

Of chocolates and games,

And friendships and fights,

Where’s that innocence now?

I remember myself,

Doing just what I wanted,

No tough choices, no regrets,

That innocence, where is it now?

I played games, I grouped together,

But the only lines I drew

Were of chalk, as temporary

As were our divisions,

Innocence, is it?

I remember how it felt

To be carefree,

Not thinking of what I wore,

Or how I looked,

Or what the others thought of me,

I still remember myself

Just being me.

Where, oh where

Have I lost that innocence?

Shine, O Moon

O moon, shine bright,

In the darkest of times

When the only hope is you;

Shine bright.

Shine bright,

While we look upon

And ponder over your mysteries

O moon, shine bright.

Shine till we quench

Our thirst of curiousity

Shine till you fill us

With your overflowing beauty

And till we feel your light in us,

O moon, do shine.

Shine till you vanish all darkness

And fill all hearts with bright joy

Shine so bright that the diamond fades away.

O moon shine like the way you did

When the hearts were pure

And the minds all pink.

O moon, shine bright.

Spooks and his Love Story

I know you’ve been missing him since long,

So I’ve finally brought Spooks the ghost along!

But dearie Spooks has changed greatly,

‘Coz he’s fallen in love lately!

And the one he adores is Bonnie – the ghost,

Coloured bows and dresses are her boast.

She’s not much easy to impress

But Spooks would do it nevertheless.

He brought her roses- white and red,

But she just threw them instead!

He then brought her a necklace lit,

But she didn’t even look at it!

Finally he made a plan brand new,

And he brought along a tiny friend too.

He was cute and furry and small and squeaky

He was a mouse and they called him Meeky!

Now Spooks knew a secret, small and nice

That Bonnie was insanely scared of mice!

The rest was then a piece of cake

And they acted out a scene fake.

Meeky the mouse played the bad one,

Spooks the hero beat him and won!

And that’s how he won Bonnie’s heart,

Now wouldn’t you say Spooks is smart?

Spooks and the Blue Ink

[For a brief intro of Spooks, the ghost, read my previous posts!]

Spooks, the ghost, was swaying in his spot,

Spooks, the ghost, saw a great ink pot!

Silly little Spooks wanted something to drink,

Silly little Spooks gulped down the whole blue ink!

And many still don’t believe it to be true,

But poor little Spooks turned all blue!

And do you expect Spooks to sit and cry?

Oh no, dear Spooks isn’t that sort of a guy.

Clever Spooks wanted to be head of the ghosts;

So he went to his friends and started to boast:

He talked of the angels and the spirits of the moon,

Of how he met them and got the colour as a boon!

The ghosts were fooled!

Clever Spooks ruled!

The ghosts and the angels all now chime:

“Spooks, the ghost, had a great time!”