A Lonely Drive

Dark rainy night-

a car cruises on a deserted road.

Wipers try to swish away the blur.

Stereo plays rock n roll.

Deep valleys await on narrow turns.

Car slows, a crack from above

lights up a white clad figure.

Long black hair falling over the face

sits cross-legged in the middle of the road, unmoved.

The car races ahead screeching right through.

The figure rotates it's head and stares-

blood flows from the long teeth,

it's laughter chilling the air.

Rear-view mirror reflects the pale green eyes-

look frightened seeing no one inside.

Screams but music blares on.

Happy Birthday To Me

A streak of grey sets me apart-

adds a year, lessens the prime.

But I age not at heart

for a mischievous bubble resides.

Are You Drinking Tonight? (Song)

I wake up in the afternoon disoriented.

Takes few minutes to know where I am. 

Red eyes tell me that I'm still alive.

One more night of my lonely life.

I pick up the phone and ask,

‘hello there, how are you?

Are you drinking tonight?’

I can't hear but can see you smile.

I take a shower, the water piping hot.

Feel it in my veins last night's pain.

Harder I push, stronger it returns.

Gotta do this one last time, all over again.

I oil my hair, wear the same clothes.

Say goodbye to no one. Pick up the car keys.

I will come back, I promise myself- 

one hand on my heart, the other holding whiskey.

Are you drinking tonight?

Will you drink with me tonight?

Bygone

My last days drift in solitude.

Every hour, every night reminds me of you.

The places where we used to sit

linger in my mind.

What wouldn't I do for one more visit,

and to go back in time.

Just to give you a beautiful rose

you loved so much,

and whisper in your soft ears

that, though I was never alone-

I have been lonely

all these years.

7:47 Andheri Local

First time I commuted by train to go to work, was in 1989. The train I boarded, started from Andheri station at 7:47 A.M.(so it was called 7:47 Andheri local). On my first day, I was flooded with 'stranger-stares' by the regular office-goers. I found my newspaper and the ceiling fans in the train, more comforting. These daily travelers sensed my uneasiness. And after a week of commuting by the same train, I was adopted by this tribe. Soon I found myself cracking silly jokes, discussing sports, listening to business and politics, sharing movie gossips and occasionally; singing. The train journey took about 45 minutes. Some guys read, some dozed. Some just blabbered like us. We addressed each other with our 'train pet names'. Almost all of us were from different professions. Sometimes our intense talks led to heated arguments and then to quarrels. But, like in all husband-wife fights; nobody bothered solving them.

We were like a big family. Twice in year we all went out for dinner at some restaurant. Basically to get drunk and let ourselves loose.

Years zipped by. Commuters changed, fashions changed, our talks changed. But life in the train remained the same.

Never did I imagine that I would be travelling by the same train for the next twenty years or so.

A Walk By The Graveyard

There lies the school teacher, strict, severe-

now so serene, so quiet in here.

Alongside the school gardener-

partners in crime. Now -forever.

And that gangster who broke the limbs

beside the doctor who mended them.

Here lies the policeman with his eluding nemesis

who has finally caught up with him.

And the actor, larger than life,

performing the last act, rehearsing his line-

next to the beggar who stole or begged for hunger,

and roamed the streets for shelter-

has found one - a closed one.

And an empty grave where I would finally lay,

but till such time I will live and play.