the hint

A new year. I hope the universe gets the hint.

two people

I wrote what you are about to read, in the back of an auto several years ago. I do not know why it has taken so long to find its way onto paper, but somehow tonight it has.

I had just gotten off a flight that had brought me to a city I had lived in for over five years and had now started to call home. Avoiding the overpriced taxi’s around the airport, I walked the short distance to the lane where autos were cheap and readily available. Perhaps because it was winter or perhaps because it was two in the morning, I found only one. And as one would expect, what followed as we bargained to set a fair price, was a shouting match between two people. One who had a monopoly and the other who had just arrived home.

The argument continued as we drove. The cold winter air and the absence of sleep did not help and soon like all bitter arguments our resentment of the logic behind what we were saying took a back seat to the resentment of who was saying it. Two people, one who was taking advantage of a situation and the other who could afford a flight ticket but not a few extra rupees for another mans troubles.

As we sped down the highway, noisily bending along with the road (much like our argument) we came across a gathering on the other lane. An auto had been in an accident and a man lay dead next to it. From where we stood we could not make out if it was the driver or the passenger. And it didn’t matter.

The rest of the journey was slow and silent. He dropped me off next to my house where a night paan shop stood open. I gave him the amount he had originally asked for and he shook his head. “Not tonight” he said. One of us bought tea for the other and we spoke. He of his world and me of mine. Two people. Both mortal.

know

last night i was forced to believe.
and if youre reading this...and I know you are...dont ask me how or why but listen to that voice you try so hard to ignore

sorry

What’s a poem with 6 lines
specially one with cheap rhymes?
A weak attempt at art?
though its straight from the heart?
Like the third line from the start,
Could have rhymed with fart.
Perhaps I should write when im not yawning
Especially dear friend, at 2 in the morning.

bring

How is it that a single ship out at sea can look sad, happy, romantic, lonely, wise and foolish at the same time? ..and why does that bring me comfort?

too much

“You not liking Manmohan Singh but too much people liking Manmohan Singh”... And so I lost control of the radio to Rav,our sri lankan driver, who promised an era of democratic music.
Sometimes it just takes a laugh in the morning to set your day right. Even on a Monday.

start from

Monday mornings are as bad when they come on a Sunday…
A smile means the same thing in all languages…
Home is the place you start from when you want to measure how far you’ve travelled…
A friend is someone who can see the world through your eyes…
The best measure of a city is a conversation with its taxi driver…
It’s tough to be alone when you know you’re being missed…
I hope you find what you’re looking for…

She knows-II

..and thats always a good sign.

like these

There’s a little balcony next to my room overlooking a piece of forgotten land. The grass lives out its entire life span without seeing a blade and the only flowers that grow here are wild.Like tonight, I’ve watched the moon from here often. Just the two of us, rejoicing in our isolation.
I have always had a need for quiet places like these. A place to dance with the past, re-live the present and forget the future. The voices that echo through our lives die easily in the quiet and that’s important, for it makes it easier to hear your own.

or

One way or another…

Counting

Bad start to a new year. But if anything, life has taught me that things could be worse. Much worse. So I use one hand to point my finger at the heavens and curse. The other is in my pocket counting my blessings.

Happy New Year

...if u know what i mean