roadside

blue bandi
lime juice man
sits empty, ablaze

contemplating
putting up
a bisleri water sign

next to him
brown backed boy
too hot
to wear skin

holds glasses
to deliver to those
wanting steaming hot chai

on the hottest
of hottest summer days.

play

poke harder
and I shall
dig deeper

but you could
keep trying.

dance

look, how you dance
in a barefooted trance
tripping, spilling

swaying,
guitars going mad,
lightning rhythm

swirl, twirl
light as air
hand in his, and his

foot tapping
head nodding, bobbing
up and down

stepping in
to the groove, shine
red cheeked laughter

tense

they met
over and over again
desperately trying
to feel
the way they used to

they knew
it wasn't working
who goes first?

couple

on the terrace
they sit quietly
sharing a joint

black hands
holding hers
talking softly

tripping
trailing off
into a constellation

breaking into
a tune
now and then

unknown to everyone.
when you're young
there's no fear.

step

let it stay
this way
wait,
this is just right

let not
the anonymity
melt into familiarity
too quickly

secret

I'd rather
not talk
I'm holding it
so carefully

what if I spill?
then it will
no longer
belong to me

disquiet

late night darkness
post-dinner
empty, still

i can hear
drunken murmurs
from down the street

i can hear
the neighbour's
phone ring

i can hear
the drip in the
bathroom, steady

as constant
as the rhythmic whir
of the fan

i can hear
the trees, restless
longing for movement

i can hear
my heart beat
in my head

i drown myself
loudly
in the music

sick

ache,
squeezing
like a python

engulfing
gnawing at the insides
eating away

matter of time

it took up
so much energy, yet
we didn't burn out

we just put
it all aside
and it's piled up now

look,
questions, answers
that are waiting

to undo this balance
that we're pretending
to have achieved.

oh yes?

promises,
emotions,
decisions

all of you
are governed
by circumstances

that revolve
around you
sneering

at your naivete
to have believed
in constancy

disproving
the existence
of a
no matter what.

long nights

heavy head
morning mirror
toothbrush foam

hello,
sleep-swollen eyes
force yourselves open

conversation

this voice, shushed
I hope
you can't hear it

but it has spoken
to you
in my head

so many times
that I feel
you know already

and I wait
for your response
in careful, subdued anticipation

just for
the sake of the game
inwardly, I already know.

renewal

my neck hurts
now let me
arrange these pillows
and settle down nicely
on the bed
sleep and rest
for a month


then I'll get up
and run around the world.

stop
and listen
to all the noise
mixing sharp,
bright colours
into long exposure times

silence creeps alongside
in large, unseen
rubber-boot strides
till it decides
to take over
and make itself heard.

hostel

Ten o clock
the warden’s
on her rounds
silence, doors shut
till she disappears

and then, sniff
I smell maggi
Somebody knocks
at our door
Hey, do you have
any new movies?

Next door neighbour
walks in, looking about
in dismay
I haven’t even started
writing lab record!
gimme yours na?

the rest of us
pick a movie to watch
some of us
distractedly messaging
free sms - student pack

a phone rings,
and her face lights up
as she walks out
the movie’s over
and after post movie analysis
we finally retire to bed

four am
trip to the washroom
a rat darts across the floor
brushing past my feet
and I shudder
suppressing a scream

at the mirror
a girl, in green face mask
and henna hair
smiles and says hi
witch! (who is she?)

a big cricket
sits near the toilet
threatening to jump
at me anytime
I pray
and hurriedly exit

peeping into
an open window
on the way back
she’s at her desk,
table-lamp
still writing record

girl on the phone
now sits against
the corridor wall
talking in a low voice
tearful, boy-fights

this hostel
never sleeps
I enter my room
climb up my bunk bed
carefully, my room-mate’s
a light sleeper

but she wakes up
ei you know what!
I saw a rat!
we talk sleepily
it’s dawn now
alarms start ringing

rows of buckets
bathroom queues
skipping breakfast
running to class
everyday stories.

conviction

there's really
no need
to say much

love
works its wonders
silently.

being the man

swiftly you take matters
into your own hands
with natural efficiency

straight backbone
and finely cut features
pleasing, yet almost harsh

there's a roughness
surging through
your spirit

in defense,
in pride,
in strength

quickly shaken
but quicker to hide
displaying the inaccessible

carelessly concealed
and one can
quietly observe

the shades of a boy,
so striking,
in you.

company

I am myself
when I'm alone
but I need you
with me
to be the myself
that I like better.

long distance call

I had
only the usual
irrelevant updates

I did this
and I did that
and then I went here
and then I went there

what did you do?
and you say
'nothing much'

but I like
to hear you listen
to hear your low voice,
warm coffee mug

I like saving
the spaces
for later recall

and then
sometimes I feel
I can touch the intangible