Nowhere

Bridges are fascinatingespeciallywhen they lead nowhereit makes me curiousabout the charms of nowhereand underestimate the groundthat feels trampled beneath my feetwhy is it so defiant? Bridges are addictiveThey impart a sense of achievementof having crossed chasms or oceanswhen all that lies belowIs deceptionIt makes me feel worthwhileAt least for a while Bridges are neededto connect … Continue reading Nowhere

Choice in times of dictatorship

Screens ask me to proveI’m humanI’m tempted to say I’m notand see what happensWill the computer be extra friendlyWill I be more acceptableacross boundaries? It’s not only Google Searchhumans complete my sentencesImposing their views on whatI’d just begun to say-predictive intelligencehelps machines create systemsin a vacuumchoice in the time of dictatorship expression in times of … Continue reading Choice in times of dictatorship

Ode to the book on the mantelpiece

It looks defiant on the mantel below the TV screenupright even when uncouth speakers pour venomon an ideology the author stands byIt refuses to bow or soften its stance.The reader smiles; that’s the advantage of a hard copyIt cannot be modified or deletedNobody can over-write facts to make them fictionNot even the hardcore fascists it … Continue reading Ode to the book on the mantelpiece

Dynamism

How does the path change while I'm away?it touches the other end of thoughtall those who walk on it leave a trailI wonder if the path has a soul it touches the other end of thoughtignited limbs as the mind sprintsI wonder if the path has a soulHas it changed me in part or whole? … Continue reading Dynamism

Reinstate the Fence

each timenegativity jumps at usto dent self-confidenceor uses irrelevant stuffto enforce compliance Reinstate the fence-boundaries are fluidwe let people infrom time to time We’ve to fight hardto not let them havea sliver of our souls Quadrille #183

On a pivot

let me take what I’ll needI’m a creature of habitenslaved to certain comfortsI depend on Mom’s cookingkitchen supplies for a year allow me to add garmentsessential for chilly climesbut unaffordableon a starting salary I know what I’m going to missjust don’t wanna think about itcarefree momentsold picture albumssoulful music, moviesimpromptu tea partiesinformal gatheringswhere I can … Continue reading On a pivot

Siblings

sometimessiblings kill a storyandfriends take it ahead… a shared historyshared assetsshared homedefeatedby shared thoughtsnon-judgmental companionship,mutual respect and carenothing more… maybe a spousemaybe a houseclash of interestsin an unfair willdrives apartthose nurturedin the samebody and heart then there’s somethingcalled personality…scattered genesin different patternswith exposureto different worldsphilosophy, allegiance-being true to selfmeans ditching an opponentin a sibling’s garb … Continue reading Siblings

Age and Ages

how many storiesor secretsdo you holdin each line? Centuries turnwithout asking youhow and whyyou felt what you didand what would you liketo be carriedinto the future? Does each lineyearn to be heardor drive youto etch your own lineson the canvas of time? unheardunseenignoredJust as the last line.. Photo Challenge at MLMM

Elections

multiple-faced monstersmouthing a different jargonfor different sets of listenerschecking feedbackanalysingtwisting statementsrevising strategies mud-slinging - an understatementwhen a witch hunt is launchedcandidates are offered no choicebut to fall in lineor be destroyedforever in public eye public memory is shortalso intelligencedoctored videosmanipulated versionsof whatevercould be truthrule the roostforwarded many times a mob cheers, jeerssupports, followsbeheads, leadsmasked monsterswith … Continue reading Elections