Of all friends, I distrust me the most,
Of all foes, I hide from me the earnest,
Of all outlooks, I run from mine the farthest,
And of all the maladies, I suffer from me the hardest.

-

In a dimly lit café, at Street Number Three
Sat I with hopes and inhibitions free

Entered she with him,
As pretty as ever and prim

Call it fate, destiny, chance
Everything was addressed amid grievance

I lay her hands in his; three bosoms heaved
Three pair of teary eyes; six palms clasped

As we sat and regained our composure
My heart screamed in silence, 'Closure'

So folks, in a dimly lit café, at Street Number Three
I had finally set myself free.

-

What tragic farce this existence is
With body here
Mind there
And heart elsewhere

How beautiful it will be
With mind, body, and heart aligned
To be love personified
And all fears defied

Alas! I will wait,
Wait amidst strings, notes, and rhythms
Until then, let me be silly
And believe I am free

-

Dear God,

Promise to look over me as I grieve,
Bless me as I let out another heave.
Haven't I looked up in gratitude and relief?
In those moments of mirth so brief?

Now, I don’t ask you to relieve me of despair,
Instead, bestow upon me the strength to bear,
Lest I am bereaved of my self, morrow,
As I wade through this overwhelming sorrow.

Equip me with determination, as I set out to conquer my insecurities and fears,
Can you at least imagine my plight, when I can’t even summon my tears?
So, Dear God, Promise to look over me as I grieve,
Bless me as I let out another heave.

-

I stumble and fall upon my bed
With sorrows, liquor, and hope in my head
Come morning, I wake up with tear stains on my face, alone
With several notes stuck to my cheek, I pluck them with a moan
I try to perceive them from within
For they are from my kith and kin
Few of them read, 'Be Yourself'
And other few, 'Love thyself'
I crumble them safe into a shelf
And proceed to write one for self -
'I wonder how many of them would turn meek,
When I finally start to speak.
I wonder how many of them would really stay,
If the love I have for myself, held sway.'

-

I am fascinated by the things I know. But, I am much more fascinated by the things I do not know. By those things I should know. By those things I shouldn’t know. By those things I will eventually know. By those things I know I won’t care enough to know. Let’s say I am fascinated by magic. But, I am also fascinated by the fact that magic may not exist. Such a terrible balance, right? Or maybe a fascinating imbalance? Above all, I am fascinated by the things I will never know.

-

Look Ma, I have given up on drugs for now
Though, I am still on a trip.
A trip to replace—
To replace smoke and liquid with conversations
To replace line with books
To replace herb with Mother Nature
A trip to recover—
To recover from procrastination
To recover from bruised ego
To recover from disappointments
A trip to rejuvenate—
To rejuvenate the leader in me
To rejuvenate the reader in me
To rejuvenate the pride in me
But Ma, forgive me—
For I cannot assure you perseverance in this journey
For I am submerged in ignorance
For I am a victim of existence
For I am alone and lost in this crowd
And I am bound to return ‘high’
Because Ma, you have got your pills
I have got none.

-

A class of 2025
Amid everything green
Vision sharp and mind keen
There sat a group of four-
A blind, who saw things beyond
A dumb, who spoke words profound
A deaf, who heard words unspoken
A paralytic, with spirits unbroken
And then there sat I, who-
Neither cared nor dared
Neither dreamt nor fared
Neither tried nor defied
Neither mend nor fend
And hence-
When once the class of 2025 sat to dine,
There came a survey
“Whoever amongst you a handicap, raise your hand”
For which, I raised mine
For which, I raised mine.

-

I am not a slave yet I feel subjugated
I am not a minority yet I feel ignored
I am not a victim yet I feel ravaged
I am a seeker yet I do not seek myself
I am at a loss yet so much to gain
I am nothing yet my ego flares
I tread at ease yet when I sit, I flutter
Words come flying to me yet I stutter
I am tranquilized yet not at peace
I am medicated yet my voices scream
I am an elite, they say
A privileged
Better off than many
My riches are compared to their rags
Yet I am submerged
Death stands afar, mocking;
For I am ‘free’
But all I feel is hate
And a lot more pain.

-

I am the acknowledged yet uncelebrated
I am the unconquered yet defeated
I am the truth yet falsified
I am the outspoken yet unheard
I am the eloquent yet misunderstood
I might be YOU yet different
I might be the incoherent yet coherent
I am the guided yet misled
I am the unclassified yet categorized
Because, I am the AVERAGE.

-