Sunday, October 31, 2010

presto agitato

hours and days
melt into
a single-minded trance

fingers run up and down

like mice, hiding
dodging, scurrying

in a hurry, in restless

despair, jumping
up and down, on their toes

trying to find a hole

to sink into, and disappear
without a trace

Thursday, October 28, 2010

no longer


sometimes I wonder
if we've lost the dream
now that we've lived it

sometimes I wonder
if the dream awaits
in doubtful distance and time

I know for sure
that this
is not the dream

reality's getting in the way 
shoo it away,
but it stares at you, unblinking.

Friday, October 22, 2010

close

sinking into
pillow-cheek comfort
one hand

covering a ear
the other
clutching at nothing

half-drawn blanket
shut eyes, mind
and sleep takes over.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

kumarakom

old man, in mundu
rowing his boat
gracefully, slowly

wooden oar
pulling gentle waters
nudging little waves

towards the shore
ripples dissolve halfway
into the backwaters

beneath coconut trees
that lean
to welcome him

into cosy green
he steps out
his bare feet

the same brown
as the wet soil
he stands on.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

hyderabad

grey pigeons flock
to tombs of dusty brown
look how they lace
delicate carving of mosques

old city sepia
sharpens its
street-shiny glitter
here, have some irani chai

drive from secunderabad
of old british feel
over flyovers opening into
banjara hills

of restos, pubs
shop at glitzy malls
or stop
at general bazaar

watch from tankbund
colourful sailboats sail
in blue laziness
soaking in the sunset

welcome to pearl city
a biryani paradise
all high tech, with
zero traffic sense

when your automan
madly meanders his way through
tension kaiku re?
sit back, take lite.