Harping on the past,
wishing it would rather last,
reliving those scenes in your mind,
holding onto stuff,you should leave behind,
no use adding onto the pile,
but you simply love doing what's futile.

Playing out the possibilities,
the innumerable ifs and thens,
modifying those buts and whens,
trying hard to place that reason and hence,
no use in fitting the final jigsaw tile,
but you simply love doing what's futile.

Waiting on the same spot for days,
watching out for what's long gone,
wishing there had been other ways,
or maybe someway to be reborn,
no use in thinking all the while,
but you simply love doing what's futile.

Putting sentences together in your mouth,
when its too late to say those aloud,
musing on the right words to say,
when the ship has already left the bay,
no use crying while she walks the aisle,
but you simply love doing what's futile.

Something about this life on earth
live it and juice it for all its worth
it was not your choice to take birth
but its all yours to fill it with mirth

Something about that dream you carry
fulfilling it won't be done by some goddamn fairy
so get on your feet and no longer tarry
finish it or just forget it and bury

Something about that memorable first love
it would never feel like the heaven above
and it would turn ugly and give you the shove
and it would drown you if you wouldn't readily dove

Something about that money you desire
it burns your within in an undying fire
and it shows you what you want, its a big liar
it gets you friends and love, somewhat on a hire

Something about that mirror you admire
it is made to reflect the virtual image
but it reflects the image in your eyes
ohh! beautiful you and the mirror is wise

Something about the nothing you become
all your deeds would one day be done
the sum of everything would still be none
at the end of it all - hope you had some fun?

And you thought she would run
run from the altar with sudden inspiration
and you thought well begun was half done
and you thought there would be a gun

And you thought it would matter
matter to some who was good or bad
and you thought it was a passing fad
and you thought you would make them glad

And you thought you could escape
escape this golden but small cage
and tear that one bad ugly page
and thought you would be untouched by age

And you thought they would wait
wait for the time and space to heal
and they would some feeling reveal
and they would consider your sincere appeal

And you thought you could go back
back to the moments which were perfect
and you could call off the wrong bet
and you thought you could just forget

So brace yourself for life my friend
this is where the movies come to an end
this is where there is no chance to amend
so put on a smile and better you pretend
and all your senses in the day suspend
and just try in the unfeeling crowds to blend.

Am I what you perceive,opine,wish me to be
Am I what you,in my behaviour you see,
Am I what I believe or the faith i keep,
Am I what I am awake or awakened in my sleep.

Am I the ideal son who will take your legacy,
Am I the dream love you saw in the movie,
Am I the sibling you love sharing your life with,
Am I the friend with whom you loved having those miffs.

Am I the ambition,the dreams I dream,
Am I the compromises,the failings I flee,
Am I the strength I pretend I have,
Am I the fear I hate to admit,
Am I the victories I passionately pursue,
Am I the defeats which I try to subdue.

Am I the feeling or the emotion which caused it,
Am I the same or all changes trapped in a kit,
Am I the name or just carrying it for a bit,
Am I the fame or just another temporary hit.

Am I the thoughts or the thinker who thinks,
Am I the sight i see or the darkness in those blinks,
Am I the acts or the consequences of my actions,
Am I the force or just some chaotic reaction,
Am I the priest or just God's different form,
Am I the beast or just man's characteristic norm,
Am I the sins or the fruit of my good deeds,
Am I the soul or just this physical being.

Am I the past or the future I foresee,
Am I the loner or do I thrive in the we,
Am I the authority or simply the decree,
Am I the real or an illusion created by me.

The world is a stage,declared Shakespeare once,
and I say now,this play is on frequent reruns,
all actors around,made up and masked,
making puzzled faces,when the act's purpose is asked,
everybody here trying to get the spotlight,
everyone chasing the lit circle bright!

all lines read from a book,all dialogues by rote,
everyone rowing along,holding onto the same boat,
every act scripted,every move pre-planned,
we live like puppets,held by strings,
controlled by society's invisible hand!

each playing a fixed rigid role in his mind,
all living their parts strictly confined,
all wearing masks of a fixed expression,
a smile a curved crescent,
sadness depicted with the same in descent!

drop the curtain now,jump off the stage,
the play is beyond time,no longer in rage,
stop acting,they are no longer watching,
the claps are false,the awards a mirage,
designed to hold you in this virtual cage,
you are no longer the character,
and this world-the stage!

If you look at it in my way,
education does have its own methods,
its own sweet little applications,
you just have to know the real use,
on its pointlessness - one shouldn't muse.

Chemistry can be applied on fridays,
to mix the perfect drink with ice,
vodka,lemon,water and sprite,
such complex combinations only chem could concoct!

Physics is applied in daily life,
Bowling,pool and carrom are few examples,
games where you could win in all probability,
if only, the resolution of forces was your thing.

Maths We need in all calculations important,
calculating average work hours for example,
stretching the measly salary is another
and counting the floors which pass by in the lift.

English has now become a lifesaver,
confusing people when I dunno the answer,
a huge vocabulary of fyi and eod,
and sometimes to write poems like these.

Biology is now the thing on my mind,
researching in it and discussing with friends,
checking out all kinds of specimens
waiting for my time to experiment!

Planning it for years,
Chalking the next step,
the prisoner finally broke out,
through the bars and the walls dark,
into the light divine and free,
he was out again, on the flee!

He heard cries discouraging,
'They will catch you again' they said,
He smiled to himself,he knew they will,
But the escape was what he loved,
the freedom in between the captivities,
the running in between the moments of lying still.

Catch me as many times as they can,
run away, i will all of them,
prisons are meant to be broken,
walls meant to be leapt over,
chains which kept me to the walls bound,
these chains fuelled my desires to rebound.

Running keeps me alive and pumping,
hoping for the freedom beyond the hill,
someday catch me again,of course,they will,
the chains might get stronger,the walls thicker,
break them I will all my life,
On the run,is what keeping me still alive!

Reading the same books together,
watching the same movies,
we discuss the world which surrounds,
our talks,though,are without sounds.

Our thoughts mirroring each other,
our likes matching uncanny,
opinions never going against the other,
even the mood swings occurr in sync.

Laughing over the world's eccentricity,
celebrating our quirks and oddities,
we share our drinks and sorrows,
I don't mind,when he,
my favourite jacket borrows.

Our minds think alike,
our plans overlap,
our steps follow one rhythm,
equally intelligent,equally dumb,
we might look no different to some.

You must have met him or me someday,
to tell which one,there is no way,
sometimes i am him,sometimes him me,
its funny though,you will never see the we,
we hate it when the number becomes three,
though he comes out in all his elements,
when a cloud of loneliness on us descends!

Never once you gave a thought,
while all the trivial fights you fought,
the day is never gonna come back,
while wanting everything you lack,
someday it will be,you no more,
someday you will be,just a lore.

Thinking about the past and future,
like a sheep fears the butcher,
you lived your life all measured,
saving yourself for some mistaken eternity,
troubling yourself with the nitty gritty,
solving limits tending to infinity,
wishing you had lived your bitty?

Planning too much around your goals,
deaf to the music record on the roll,
too busy to put on your dancing shoes,
catching up on all the important news,
trying hard to make them hear your views,
someday you will have to pay your due,
on the bills you never knew you accrue!

life moves fast,faster than you,
so tear up your lists full of to-do,
and before death comes playing peek-a-boo,
hug her a bit tighter,have fun some more,
one day it will close,the open door,
so stop counting,forget the useless score,
don't fuss on the trivial now,stop being a sore.

the absolute truth is your mortality,
god,religion,money just a formality,
where you stand now, its just gravity
someday dear, will you leave a cavity?

I run through the darkness
I run through the sunlight
I run through the streets
with all my crazy might

The devil chases me
in all forms and shapes
the devil is everywhere
disguised in colourful drapes

The devil in the temple
asking for money to be worshipped
The devil in my school
caning me when my marks dipped
The devil in the books i read
forcing me to believe them myths

The devil in my friends
judging me through the coloured lens
The devil in the movies
showing me those dreams hence
The devil in everything that surrounds
the cacophony of noise and I drown!

I am home, I am safe
locked in my room alone at last.
Looking at the mirror I see his face,
The devil smiling and then a blast.
With them devils outside I could win,
but how could i escape the devil within?

What is it that you really looking for?
the unending quest leading nowhere,
the questions facing you at every stage,
the answers that won't come at any age.

You can have all you want and desire,
Do you really after all feel the need?
You can try and maybe put out the fire,
Do you but infact enjoy the burning?

The kingdom waits out there to be ruled,
Do you really want to be just the king?
The world waits - its yours for taking,
Do you really want to wield the ring?

The girl is yours, waiting to be asked,
Do you consider self good enough though?
It can start anytime with a charming smile,
Do you have the patience to see it through?

The fight can be finished in a few minutes,
Do you really want to put the final blow?
This might just work out in your favour,
But do you really enjoy just lying low?

Isn't it all finally, just a number?
the time which flys by,
the money you accumulate,
the marks you score on the test,
the age you hide to your best!

the floor you live on,
the steps you take to reach there,
the bus you take to work,
the hours you pretend to be busy.

the baskets you score in the game,
the trophies which your shelf adorn,
the number of babies that will be born,
the weight you avoid to put on,
the distance you wish you had gone.

the litres of petrol in your bike,
the songs you sang in the mike,
the answers you now found out,
the questions you will face again,
the bills you pay when you shop,
the birthdays you feel on top,
the pills you will someday pop,
the date on which you will finally drop!

The invite laughs at my plight,
you and another name is now a reality.
I read his name and wonder how he must be,
better than me or maybe worse at times.
I look at your pic and imagine,
a hint of sadness, even when you are all smiles.

Its time now for the last goodbye,
and a surprising gush of relief inside,
goodbye to those endless days of trying,
goodbye to those nights of crying.
goodbye to convincing myself there is hope,
goodbye to saying yes when you say nope.

goodbye to pretending loving those faults in you,
goodbye to those days of endless blue,
goodbye to the constant analysis of who went wrong,
goodbye to the wait which was getting too long.

goodbye to being forced to love your family,
goodbye to smiling when they were being wily,
goodbye to asking your forgiveness everyday,
goodbye to wondering what I was being sorry for!

goodbye to not being able to move on,
goodbye to wishing you and me were in different decades born,
goodbye to wishing I was a part of your happiness,
goodbye to sorting out this impossible mess!

Tugging and pulling at it doesn't work,
sleeping over it, drowning it in the drink,
putting it off as a dream,even as it
rings in my mind as a scream!

it plays like a film without the ending credits,
plays over and over again like a stuck reel,
something that just refuses to switch off,
why isn't there a powercut within me, God?

sometimes it explodes in an overdrive,
blocking out every noise in vicinity,
and the world fades out to me,
left to battle alone with the memory.

at times it surprises,lying still,
like a dark game of hide and seek,
and just as i get ready to declare victory,
sprangs on me with accustomed skill,
pins me down and goes for the kill,
and sadly leaves me alive against my will.

is it really that strong,
am i really that weak,
do i really want to win this fight,
am i really fighting with all my might?
or am i really just loving,
living with the distant memory?

The teacher is on a drone
my mind though is alone
i stare out the windows of the school
the grass is green, the air feels cool
i want to play i need more time
i cant sit in the class morn till noon

college has begun, engineering seemed fun
but the chain has tightened, unable to run
the class now goes from morn to five
like a bee has stuck to the hive
we do catch our moments here and there
but freedom it does feel very rare

enter the company, time did flew
working at my desk on nothing new
day begins after i swipe in
the day ends much before i swipe out
trapped to my cubicle from time unknown
life it seems is out on a loan

its time to retire, hope renews
i am all free, time is all i have
but the house is empty, everyone else trapped
sons and daughters on the other side now
with whom do i share my moments
i need to get free again but how

death embraces, timeline is redundant
i get my own coffin, a comfy jail
trapped from the day i was born
trapped till death and ever after
the body is now just gonna wilt
the soul is in search of freedom yonder...

Teenhood, the one period of our lives, fleeting away with a speed so unbelievable, leaving behind a chaotic collection of memories, moments, and not the least, lessons.Some were hard, and some just impossible to comprehend. Some were much needed, and some I could just happily live without. However, when I look back at them now, they just all seem so funny, blame my twisted sense of humour, developed over the years of learning these lessons or resisting them infact. So here goes, some of the best of the lot.

1) The most cliche of them all - Have a good sense of humour - You are going to need it. Life is made up of a lot of emotions, highs and lows all the time, a feeling of elation at small successes, disappointment at even smaller failings, delightful and heartbreaking relationships, however, if you look closer, it is only made up of two types of situations, one where you are laughing, and one where you are doing anything but laughing.So get a good sense of humour, and laugh yourself off in both.

2) Be yourself. The most easiest of them all. Well, it does come easy to me. No matter how weird your ideas seem to yourself, stick to them. We have one life - we have the right to screw it our way!

3) Fail once and fail big. It takes off the pressure completely. It puts things in perspective. It makes you think, whether succeeding was really the thing, the aim?

4) Try it all out - those bad addictions, the restricted stuff, you know what I am talking about, right? It is easier to do it then control yourself from not doing it. You will come out of them in time, and if you can't, then you were too screwed up anyways.And it is fun, real fun. Excuse me, while i take a moment off to snuff this heavenly powder.

5) Break rules and make it a habit. Mind you, it will land you in deep trouble, but then, I wonder if following them is not a bigger trouble? I don't know and don't really intend on finding out the answer to this question. And don't tell me your take please, I won't buy it which brings me to the most important of the lot.

6) Think for yourself.Screw what the society does.Take your own decisions.Finally this life is your script, your movie. You are the star, the writer, the director and obviously you are the only audience.So go ahead, make that teenhood unorgettable for you and stretch it for all its worth!