Disquiet in Isolation
Are you scared,
of being alone too long
with thoughts that spill over
from the past,
memories drowned,
you do not wish to dredge?
Are you scared,
of being alone too long
with whispers from empty corners,
visions that float unbidden,
like dust rising with the breeze,
you cannot yet evade?
Are you scared,
of being alone too long
tomorrow, with premonitions,
uncertain of the infrequent shadows
walking beside you, if any,
for they may all be unknown?
Breathe deeply,
Inhale, exhale —
Angst is just another word.
Towards Midnight
Thoughts
raging, scrambling for the upper berth,
Memories
churning, surrounding the eye of the storm,
My palms are folded-
Namaskar,
No, I am not praying.
Stillness.
I see
fingers weathered by age.
nail polish, chipped at the edges,
I close my eyes,
greet unknown shadows
that change shape,
as I turn out the light.
Calm, must stay Calm,
Before the Storm.
The past cannot be undone,
the present, so wasted,
the future, yet to be Born.
Mid-March Rains
Rains lashed the city,
hailstones battered roads
as the Heavens opened up
in Rage.
Traffic crawled like a sloth
ground to an unwilling halt.
Mid-March,
The Ides of March,
too often misquoted,
yet, a strange coincidence.
at the end of March.
We have endured
fourteen hours of curfew
one day, caught in the
Safety Net Lockdown,
it continues, surreal.
A Virus
A virus
holds the world in thrall,
fear of infection,
fear of no recovery,
we play our roles,
marionettes in our dwelling spaces,
some truly alone.
Isolation blues
tinge our days and nights
a weary hue, no colour scheme.
House arrest for good health
may not be undermined,
nor protested about too loud.
Death, the ultimate Truth
for some, in the roll of Dice.
First published in India by PepperScript, 2020;
Cover collage by Gayatri Manchanda
#LockdownBlues
Loneliness
has been redefined.
Urban city dwellers
in confined space, hark!
Love will find a way —
If not, isolation will.
No sense of tranquility
at these interruptions,
fearful of our mindfulness,
we rally forth
armed with good intentions,
hide the hollowness
in the pit of the stomach,
revere quiet solitude
to reflect, to listen, to relearn.
Solitude an invisible shield.
#LockdownHopes
All is not unwell
in these pandemic times.
Behold blue sunny skies,
birds that trill merrily,
the horizon is clear,
And each of us has learnt anew,
by force of circumstances,
intimate interaction:
#HeForShe and #SheForHe
#WeForFamily and #CareForElders
#SupportForHelpers,
the #Underprivileged,
Care for the #Environment.
Joy abides around the corner,
to disperse when the air is pure,
when our thoughts are kinder
our actions nobler —
We will heal, we will heal.
No More Tears
No more tears
was the name of a hair wash
for babies;
they still cried
as chemicals seared their eyes.
No more tears
as the plot of a book unfolds,
that ploughs the characters
into shards of their former selves.
No more tears
as the lovelorn anti-hero
believes not his Cassandra,
all over again.
No, no more tears
of joy
a mirage on the horizon
at the sight of you,
of images
my memory shadow-outlines still —
We did part as Friends.
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