KHAYAAL

   The sole jewel in the sea  was fancied by all One such was a stalker who was a little torn Between loving him and fearing him she kept herself drowned and wished herself equal in his eyes most of all. When she grew to be a menace the jewel secretly called out Feigned a little rendezvous “Let's rock a friendly bout!” She goaded at the invitation Having fallen into the trap She swam creepily, stealthily victorious and full of clout. Alas! The jewel had sent in his stead a Rajput scout while he had rested and rocked the existing anchors all about. The birth of a new people was the herald of that day; While to a deathly fate condemned Ghazi flamed to her end. Note: This poem is published on the event of the commissioning of INS Vikrant on 2nd September, 2022 and serves to remember the legacy of India’s first carrier of the same name of 1971 fame.

  GREEN GRASS: EVE A girl born in light Brought up in meadows Hardly a care Of the world around Lovingly named Eve Apple of the Eye Her smile so bright  The Sun would shy Nothing was lacking At her little estate Feast tables grand Delicacies of all names Amiss in this fairytale Awry was her heart Filled with curiosity  Of the world dark 13 and she snuck  Away to places dim Perilous one such was A brothel called Ning There she’d seen once A girl so swift In thievery and ruckus As none could guess Infatuated to the brim Followed Ning around did Eve Sometimes tempestuous She sometimes felt glee She longed to forsake The trimmed bouquet of her life And be like this girl Flowering with thorny sides What comes, dear reader When you decide To live alternately Through another’s eyes?  GREEN GRASS: NING A girl born in darkness Of sinful shadows Hardly a care From the world around Given no name She christened herself A’Ning after the brothel She was bred in Living among...

My sister and I have been indulging ourselves into this lately: a game of letters, where we both come up with two words - noun, adjective, verb. We then crisscross our words to come up with semi, or at times, non-coherent phrases. The activity is to explain that phrase with a sentence, a couplet, a paragraph, whatever that first strikes our mind.  One particularly challenging one was 'Serene cheque'. What even?? My sister got 'Stellar realm' and the poem she constructed around it, I was not expecting it the least! The resultant couplet from my end was - satisfactorily mundane.  Amidst the clacking of keys and numbers Shouts of prices and bets on ground The promise to her was sure and complete, A serene cheque you know would never bounce. As I said - satisfactorily mundane. You've got the elements of Show and Tell, and there's a couplet which makes you go, "What promise?"

G old-leaved, garnet-studded was the dagger Upon wielding high and low, it wouldn't stagger Playing mind-games with her victims, used she The vicious weapon for an eternity. Far and wide the stories went travelling through lands of greedy men yearning for wishes mighty cruel of the Lady with a dagger on her belt. Never giving a thought to morality and law solely following the ringing of the knife for once it was near a culprit, a prey the dagger would longingly spring to life One day however, on another path To complete her task, to the dagger she asked “What is my purpose on this way, if not but to end existence gay?” The dagger, having accompanied her bosom to places far and wide, with heavy confusion asked her if she wasn't content, “Are you replicating the greed of men?” Taken aback a little, she questioned the case Was she looking for a shinier Grace of Fortune? To befall her existence as she knew After a while, a heavy breath she drew! It seemed quite empty and bland to c...