Random Poems of A Mumbling Mind

Discovered some drafts lying around and decided to combine them. More updates on my trip to Mangalore coming soon.

Hundreds of things left unsaid,

A hundred dues unpaid,

A lifetime is never enough,

To clear the wreckage of sins.

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A shooting star streaked across the sky,

Setting its path aglow,

"How can a broken star",thought I

"On a downward spiral grant your wishes?"

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She cast a glance at the limousine,

The diamonds catching the afternoon sun,

The beggar smiled at the beauty she saw.

The lady in the car shielded her eyes,

For she could not bear the pearly smile,

Glinting in the sunshine.

Two lives.

Separated by a chasm of contentment.

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Evident From My Blog Title

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

~Anatole France

Life has a strange timing of granting your wishes- it makes them come true when you are spewing cynicism and the light at the end of the tunnel seems like another mirage. The break that I have been cribbing about landed on my lap when I had come to accept the monotony of my life.

Although the planning had been on for a week, given my reputation of flopped plans [:D], I tried not to get overtly excited about the whole thing. As the week progressed, I saw the location change three times and the number of people dwindle from ten to five. Had it not been for a very determined group of five people desperate to make it a success, this trip would never had happened. And I am glad, it did not fall apart.

We did the usual touristy things- roamed around the market, shopped for sovereigns, saw the same mountain from five different points/locations and went boating. There were moments when we simply sat on the edge, looked across the horizon, five people lost in thoughts and musings of their own.

I realised I travel differently- the excitement of seeking familiarity is more than that of discovering new places. Here, staring out of the window opening to a postcard-perfect view, I could not help thinking about settling there and writing a book, roaming around on cold mornings in the twisted alleys, cupping hot tea glasses for warmth and reading Robert Frost poems in the dead of night.

My memories are not of the perfect landscapes I witnessed but of laughing till my sides hurt, of endless brooding over life's unnecessary complications, of comfortable silences and of feeling something stir within. This is what I seek in a trip and from what I know, the journey has just begun.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost

Excavated Poetry

I had penned this poem in eighth standard for Teacher's Day celebrations but somehow I never recited it for reasons I fail to recall. I remembered about this poem when I was asked to contribute for the same event in engineering college, so I rummaged through my papers(full of scribblings in illegible handwriting) and was lucky enough to find the poem. But yet again, the poem did not see the light of the day.

There goes the history of the poem. Now go ahead and read it!

It's amazing

how we started with,

One block by me,

The other by you,

Never noticed when you turned those blocks

into steps.

Steps that led me,

Towards light and knowledge.

And that's when realisation dawned,

It's amazing

The word 'teacher',

Because you teach me,

Whenever I err.

Happy teacher's day!

P.S. If you are thinking that this does not qualify as a poem, you may be right. But try thinking from the point of view of a fourteen year old and it may not appear that bad.

When we risk it all

I have always loved the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series. The books are a collection of short stories and poems but this poem struck me because of its simplicity. Never before have I read a poem so straight-forward and heart-warming. Kristy Glassen, wherever you are, just want to say- U rock! Thanks Nikki for lending me the book. Pagu and Alias, this one’s for you…………………

WHEN WE RISK IT ALL
We can’t blame others when love dwindles away,
For we knew from the start it never promised to stay.

It’s just one of those things where the stakes are high,
And sometimes it’s forever and sometimes it’s good-bye.

When you love the right way, you will never lose,
No matter what path life may force you to choose.

You may end up with tears or a broken heart,
But you knew what you had signed up from the start.

You can only give what you’ve got to give,
And if that’s not enough, then you must continue to live.

Life will go on and broken hearts will heal,
You must continue on your quest, for that’s the deal.

Throw your heart into life and never stall,
For the greatest risk is to risk nothing at all.

You see, love is the only thing that we know,
That can be divided and divided but continue to grow.

And life isn’t long enough to lock away our heart,
Just because life may have forced two people apart.

We will continue to love and continue to lose,
We will continue to pick and continue to choose.

And then one day we will risk ii all,
Take the chains off our heart and dismantle the wall.

The last time we love will be the forever,
And never again will our hearts be forced to sever.

Will never have doubts that it’ll go away,
Because this time, it’ll be here to stay.

But until then, we must endure all the pain,
For we only see sunshine if we can wait through the rain…….

A thousand deaths to live

It's a materialistic world he said,
For she chose the rich guy instead,
Throwing away the cold metal ring,
He felt something die within.

What a world to be in,
Where cheaters always win,
The winner smirked at him,
he felt something die within,

What a husband to live with,
Who curses me in a drunken fit,
As she braced for his blows thundering,
She felt something die within.

Familiar they may sound,
Times when you hit bottom ground,
When words ain't enough,
To mellow the situation tough.

But this is not the way to live,
It's the way to die,
Coz we have many deaths to live,
Before we get one life worth dying for.

Again pick up that ring,
You might find someone more adoring.
Hit back with a vengeance,
For winning there's yet another chance.
Bid adieu to him forever,
Ushering in a life free of terror.

Coz that was not the way to live,
It was the way to die,
And we have many deaths to live though,
Before we get one life worth dying for.......

THREE WORDS

Well, this was just a brainwave at 12 at night. Hope you will like it. And no, this has not been drawn from personal experience just in case you come to that conclusion.


Such a long time,
Since we sat under the star lit sky,
Such a long time,
Since holding my hands,
You said,
Those three words.

Lighting up my world with your smile,
Your arms drew me closer,
But it could never calm,
My heart straining to hear,
Those three words.

Interlinked fingers of ours,
Could not bring in the warmth,
The cold misted my mind,
My spirit crushed when I realised,
You never traced on the misty glass,
Those three words.

Never noticed the blinding lights,
The crashing sounds muted my screams,
Before realisation dawned,
My vision blanked before,
I hit the cold tar.

I felt your hands holding mine,
Before the first tear left my eyes,
I heard,
Those three words.

I love you,
That's what you said,
The warmth tingled my fingers,
My gasps for breath lengthened,
My grip on life was loosening,
I realised,

Easing out my hands from his,
Clinging to the last bit of life,
I whispered,
Those three words,
"It's too late"

BOUQUETS N BRICKBATS

This is the first time I have ever written and posted a poem. I can’t really call it as a poem; it’s just an expansion of my random thoughts. So it is quite natural that some may not quite get with the flow of the ideas in it. Some might find it rough or badly edited, but that’s the way my thoughts were while penning it and I wanted my state of mind to reflect in the poem.
All I want to say is that I REALLY REALLY want a feedback- positive or negative on my first attempt at what I may dare say, poetry. All those who read it, please don’t forget to add some comments. Who knows, maybe some of my other random thoughts might see the light of the day.

ILLUSIONS OF REALITY

It’s just another word,
For you,
It’s a big deal for me.

Thirsty in wide expanse of sand,
I searched for it,
And forever like a mirage,
It fooled me yet again.

Reality is just another word,
For you,
It’s a big deal for me.

The breeze whistled in my ears,
Replaying dire warnings,
The cynics mocked and giggled and pitied,
Mine was a search for the alchemist’s stone,
They said,
Heard, but never seen.

The moment finally comes,
Unannounced and unpredicted.
The desert winds howl,
Kicking up furious dust,
The world around me swirls,
Oh, why did I have to ask for this??

This has to end, this has to end,
The little voice in my head spoke,
Looking above for a guardian angel,
I realized it’s a lonely world.

In agreement, the sky roared,
My hands felt the tears of the sky,
Cleansing and purging my soul,
The rain washed away all grime of the past.
And streams of fear flowed out.

Reality’s no big deal,
Need to sow seeds of
Self realization,
And let them blossom in your life.

The lump in my throat loosened,
I yelled out to them,
Oblivious of my euphoria,
They huddled together,
And mourned the loss of a girl,
Who got lost in the storm of reality.