Twixt night and light

Night - roiling dense and dark,

the aftermath of day,

smoldered across half this world

and Shadow lost her way

She fused into the inky black

stealing through the wild

and vanished swooping from the land

where lurid unlight smiled.

But as the rayless fog advanced

its restless step was halted

and in the midst of sooty gloom

a flash of light exhalted!

A gleam, a tiny golden spark,

a radiant piece of day

It tore the shroud of night aside

and Shadow came out to play

Leaping, swaying, soar and surge

vast as the light expanse

and now! as tiny as can be,

in her merry Shadow dance.

But the spark burst forth in radiance

so brilliant to behold

and Shadow faded once again

consumed by luminance bold

Small talk

Clack clack clack the tongues run on

will it ever cease?

Endless broadcasts of everything

everyone

ever thought

to think.

Eardrums resonate with the thrum,

the droning hum.

I only wish

they could blink

as well.

Words on words on wordy words,

missiles seeking minds,

aimed at attention,

crushed by perception.

Do their masters ever wonder,

I wonder,

is there anything they say,

utter, mutter,

that has not been said

a thousand times before?

Mended cracks

Patience wanes steady
all my
hostile thoughts ready
for the
battle so heady
waiting
in the wings, ready,
to just
wipe away, steady,
all we are.

Will you dare to delay,
try to halt and allay,
raw emotion give away,
buried feelings to betray
in an effort to allay
all this anger, and delay
this war bizarre?

You need only speak
a single word
to make me weak
Such havoc
you can wreak
in my heart,
powerless weak
as it is.
Just please speak
and be done.

And this rage will be stilled
with not a drop of heartblood spilled
and no ruins to rebuild.
But, can the dreams be fulfilled
now, with this ugly secret spilled
by the rage you have now stilled,
my dear one?

Of lovers in love (not)

I'm alone and in a rut

need to think of something but

there's a feeling in my gut

I won't make sense

to naught anyone but me

and that's the way that it will be

because I cannot really see

past this pretence.

We can tug and we can try

strain our hearts and even cry

but this life will just go by

without a chance

at a state of real connection,

for the trappings of affection

are merely imperfection,

best viewed askance.

Life has things of more import,

my dear friend, I do exhort

you to speedily abort

this futile plan

lest the feeling should take hold

and then get so very bold

and then completely enfold

as well it can.

And so I must tell you this,

before you fall in the abyss

of this temporary bliss,

so listen well.

Resist! Though you be drawn,

for the shine will soon be gone

and the cold hard light of dawn

all dreams dispel.

You may well ask me why

despite all this we still defy

all good sense and yet retry

to love invoke.

Upon most grave reflection

of this fateful predilection,

I must say natural selection

played a joke.

The World's Largest Democracy

Pretty paper banners
fluttering in the street,
Smiling faces, nailed-in grins,
at every corner meet.
Oh! It is that time again
to make a chump of reason.
Brace yourself and prepare
for 'tis election season.
Oranges dressed as saffron,
greens and whites shining
Kites, palms and lotuses
up the streets are lining.
Don't forget brand new brooms,
old elephants and things
and all the random symbols
this lovely season brings.
Candidates come to larger-than-life,
each pose in mint condition,
desirable by patronage,
illustrious by omission.
Come all ye faithful
begin the ritual cleaning
of ideas and ideals and
reflections of great meaning.
Let us pretend for now
that we know what's going on
who does what, with whom, and why,
(for how much) and so on.
Hurry up now, Indians all,
time to take a stand!
Despite ideologies, you know,
the value's in the brand.
Let the voting force march out,
kingmakers that we are,
Get that ink-spot and revel
in the utterly bizarre
conviction that, this time, justice
in some sense has been done
And then insist, 2-years-post,
that the biggest conman won.

Theatre Extraordinaire

Tis a dying world breathing its last,

gasping for precious moments

of continuance.

Welcome to the last and final show -  

A grand pretence of life,

a manic exuberance, 

a tragic remembrance

of better times.

Vie to be the stars of the final rendition,

on this glorious stage.

The biggest sham of them all

was believing it was bigger

than it seemed.

It's the Grand Finale! Come one and all

a show you wouldn't want to miss,

couldn't miss it

if you did.

Places, lights, all in place

for one last act.

Spectators spectral throng the seats

at the end of time.

Pause

It has been year since I last wrote,
a long time indeed
Before there comes even one new word,
there is a lot that I must read.
Have I changed since last I penned a word?
thus the question stands
This fluid mind can't help be recast,
carved by the passing sands
of Time, for that never stopped
even if I did halt.
So much happens in a day, a month...
a year is a seething vault
of dissent, revolt, agonized introspection
and every dark design.
Of endearment, agreement, zest and smiles
and concerns more benign.
Changes big and changes small in
every little thing
And still to come, sooner than I'd like,
transition is yet lurking
What shadow, menacing silhouette
lies out there in wait?
What misty future striding up
did this past year create?
Deer in the headlights, tumbling thoughts
and raging heart am I
I need a pause, a while to think!
But time is racing by