Be A Man
Be a man, they said,
Every time he cried.
That’s how he learnt,
Being sensitive is being feminine.
Don’t play with dolls, they said.
Not with the kitchen set, too.
Making meals and housekeeping,
These weren’t for him to do.
Boys will be boys, they said,
Every time he picked a fight.
And that’s how he was taught,
Being aggressive is his right.
Be a provider, they said
You bring home the bread.
And so, he set out to be the man,
The one that they’d said.
But the world had changed by then,
The lines had slowly blurred.
Being a man today is different,
From what he had seen and learnt.
The Night Sky
I wait to see
I wait to hear
Your stories of sadness,
Memories of cheer.
I turn up on time
As a shimmering delight
With a glittering drape
Of stars so bright.
I cannot stop smiling
You would tell, I’m sure
For, that crescent shape
Isn’t just a lure.
The wind is my wingman.
It sings a melody
The trees do a dance
And rustle gently.
A few strangers walk by
They glance at me.
Perhaps they know
I’m waiting for somebody.
Time passes by
My smile wanes
The drape is losing glimmer
And so is my dark mane.
It’s time for me to go,
It’s time for me to fade.
But I’ll be back again
To play the waiting game.
Bent, Not Broken
The remnants of yesterday
Lay scattered around.
Leaves strewn everywhere,
Flowers fallen down.
The branches that once
Tried touching the sky,
Soon tasted dust,
As the gales lashed by.
The trees shook and swerved;
They were jostled around.
Bent, but not broken,
They stood their ground.
The winds soon left,
And, along with it, the rain.
The invincible one remained —
Bricked and strained.
A new day emerged;
Along with it, new flowers.
The greens peeked again.
Through their battle scars.
Blur
Sometimes you wish
That you didn’t care
Bereft of emotions
Your heart was bare.
Sometimes you wish
That your heart didn’t ache
That you didn’t smile
Just for other’s sake.
Perhaps the heart
Is just made of glass
That makes you bleed
When it breaks into shards.
Or maybe it cannot
Bear the weight
Of heavy thoughts
And stark fate.
Time does not heal
It does not mend
Perhaps what it does
Is makes you forget.
So, you wait for the time
To move and stir,
Till old memories are lost
And it’s all just a blur.
The World’s a Stage
How do you silence
The raging storm inside?
The feelings, the thoughts,
That rise against the tide.
How do you seek answers
When darkness brews?
When the only light’s the one
From the fire inside of you.
How do you tame the desires
That wish to run free?
The unfulfilled ambitions,
The dreams lost in decrees.
How do you pretend it’s a castle,
When it’s just another cage?
When you’re dealing with insecurities,
But act wise and sage.
How did the world become a stage;
All actors among friends and foes?
With some being honest performers,
While for others, it showed.
More from The Byword
Comments
*Comments will be moderated