clockwork

Its the middle of another day
I am lazy and look up at the wall
There is no movement except the clock
that goes tic-toc tic-toc tic-toc

My mind wanders to the moving hand
to the beat that is the sign of life
eternally co-ordinated it never fails
what therefore must it entail?

Beyond the visible walls and paint
lie numerous gears and screws
as if a city chugs along right
day and night , day and night

Seemingly disparate mechanics within
appear complex and profound at first
but one thing leads to another inside
co-ordination as such seldom designed

Time and again there's a reliable face
if ever a home had one
the tic-toc-tic-toc and cuckoo songs
can brighten up my noons for one :)

who's the fairest of us all?

She lives opposite me
In a nice little room
Successful, pretty and smart
Large her reputation looms

I think she has a thing for me
She often glances my way
Smiles, winks and teases so
but with never anything to say

Me, I am a loner
No job or chores to do
Except show up with her
And respond to her cues

Once a while she blows a kiss
And those moments freeze
The look in her eyes tells me she cant
Like someone else as much as me

I try to tell her so but its strange
I am numb to my toes at her sight
Sometimes I've shadowed her all day
and until she put out her lights

Right in front of me yet so far
Years have gone by in faithful wait
If only her fragrance or touch could reach
The other side of the mirror's face

We all feel this way?

For you I say this
For you alone
That I can hardly live
When you aren't home

I forgo food and sleep
Thinking of you all day
Hoping you might turn up
If I just look there

You are bad for me
What they say is true
Yet I would happily
Trade the world for you

On the baker's shelf
You sit like a loser
You merciless dark chocolate
Can't you come any closer?

Castro Street

Sunday noon sun shines down
On a beautiful summer day
Festive air and crackling ground
Setting stage for a celebration rare

All roads lead to Mountain view downtown
If you asked they'd say Castro street
Feet big and small march together, alone
To the festival where vehicles can't reach

Fish tacos, popcorn and chips
Invite folks from their own kitchens
Beer and wine for all to sip
So the stride long is easily taken

Stall after stall as in an Arabian market
Paintings in glass, pieces of jewellery
Sparkling pottery, rich carpets
Like wake of some genie's revelry

Endless vendors try and lure
Some admire vintage cars
Swinging rings and balloons blur
The party of the year for far

Grimm Tale [Temptations]

The lights go out. Mary Cole shouts "places". Matt turns the music on. Lights on. A pair of limbs sneak out of the wing. Then the rest of the little girl. She seems to be from pre-historic Germany and is seen amusing herself with a shirt. Enter a boy about the same age, looking for something. He takes his shirt, they see each other. Years pass by and the two are seen having the time of their life. Building sand castles..studying together.. stealing their first cigarette..playing cricket.. getting drunk.. dancing in the rain.. A sweeper passes, in a twitched hat, sweeping the stage in front of them from left to right.

Next scene: Boy and girl look hungry and in search of something.They split as they are looking and go different ways on stage. At different instants of time they find separately what they seem to be looking for. A look of greed and filling dawns on them and they exit on opposite sides of the stage, reaching for it.

Next scene: They are both seen bound, entangled, struggling to free themselves. Minutes of struggle after, the "sweeper" passes by again from the right to left. A huge trash-can occupies the left of the stage. Boy and girl appear to scream for help. Sweeper is unaffected, comes to the can, looks at them, then at the audience. Flashes a wicked toothless smile, picks broom, thrusts it in the can upside down, and starts mixing. Lights go out.

Next scene: Stage is clear. Only boy and girl still struggling to be free. No bounds this time. Lights snap out.

Next scene: Stage clear. A video pops up on the left of the screen downstage. Irregularly torn snaps of their happy times flash up and zoom out to lie on a winding road, one after another. On the right side of the screen a video starts halfway through the first. It shows ropes falling down in circles.

Will they pick crumbs of happy memories and head back home...? Will they continue to be bound...?

Lights fade out.

Invictus

Out of my sight
Far beyond my reach
Looms in my mind
beckoning me to unleash

A dream-the dream of a young heart
There for as long as I remember
Defeated oft, back with a new start
to find the same end as ever

Just an idea, a thought
surviving the worst in me
Neither planted nor sought
stands guard my integrity

Hear, follow, keep it burning
There is no other way
When I walk far without returning
It shall still stay in its place

Michigan turning a new leaf

It has been a year of toil and bitterness and khali pet. An all engulfing cold that entered deeper that it should. A nightmare even when deprived of sleep. They say company defines a place. Here it wasn't quite like that. The only company you saw day in and day out was the people who you were a team with. The hang out was one of the CAEN labs in EECS building. We lived-in together, got high on fixing bugs, proposed only project plans and did it over and over. The fact that I came out with more pounds than I ever ate can only be attributed to our dear vending machine that spit out pastries and coke. I say dear because even on the gigantic campus of a world-class university only vending machines served you anything after midnight. There would be times when I walked back home alone at 4 am pulling myself in the ankle-deep snow with only a jacket sometimes. It would seem scary if I for once stopped thinking about the design problem and saw where I was going. I couldnt dare to think of a world after. It stretched forever. Was there any salvation?
Seems like there was. It came in many ways. Two recognition awards for killing ourselves in the projects was one. Another was being swept off my feet to a dream summer for internship. The third was what lay in store when I came back.
Another semester at school. With the freedom to choose the courses I want there seems to be a ray of light. Even the approaching winter it feels like a warm place when I am doing theatre and dance. I dont believe I want to stay on in this place I called "God - forsaken" ;) Thats what following one's heart translates to I guess. I am glad I followed mine.