light and dark have a carnal connection,

one consumes other without much affection,

the end for one is the beginning for the other,

the star twinkled sky is not all the same,

its where you stand at the start of the game,

victory for one is defeat for someone,

a surreal perception through the prism of desire,

shut the wailing and open your eyes,

tomorrow's sun may shine by your side,

even if it doesnt dont be lost,

for those who win are not always victorious,

learn by the loss and would have a day glorious............

Whats the best food?.. the one which satisfies hunger or the one which sparks the nerve endings of our taste buds and kick starts a fire dance of taste to our brains resulting in a flooded mouth and a nose which instantly turns into south pole of a magnet with north pole fallen in food. I know people would have different answers for it. For all the overfed lazy creatures like me the second option would be the best, provided they dont have to suffer the pangs of hunger for few hours because that my dears turns the table upside down, the most finky of all become avid fans of anything edible when bugs of hunger are eating ones stomach away. For most of us its so natural to eat that it is very difficult at times to understand the the hunger with nothing to eat but today's morning paper made me realize that around us we have 850 million kids, women n men who dont have enough to eat.Any gussess how it is like when you have a fire in your belly but dont have any way to quell it or when the belly of your kid starts resembeling a oblong pot in want of food but you cant do anything about it.

How different the same world could be to different people, and what difference can an individual make to it, any thoughts?   

was this how you were destined to be?

confused, lost and entangled,

its so hard to see the either ends,

master weavers design or a child's play,

it looks so stupid anyway,

the rainbow, the desire, the zenith is nowhere,

what remains is a web with no exit,

did i make you this way or you took your own course,

or it was just the life force?

whatever, you wretched lump of  confused mass,

i would soon trample you and run away.....................

 © Shashank Vikram

Reflections on water are killed by a ripple,

winds shriek by uprooting the fickle,

but the little lantern in my hut burns all night,

it flicks, it dangles but holds the light,

the storm is tough, n doom stalks by,

there is no one in wilderness to hear me cry,

dreams, aspirations, love, enemity all fade together,

today i have so less to gather,

but hope dear friend refuses to die,

even when the ocean touches the sky,

 for the ferocious dark clouds have a watery heart,

the sac bursts open to give a new start,

clutching to my lantern, i wait in my hut,

the morning would come and the sky would be clear again,

the leaves would sing with the drops of rain,

i would see u again tomorrow morning,

bright, beautiful and bubbly my darling,

the hope never dies till heart is beating,

devil conspires but god is creating,

the little lantern in my hut still has the light,

i know i would live the stormy night...............

---###---

                                                © Shashank Vikram

"It would take about one and half hour to reach Charles de Gaulle" informed the black women sitting behind the ticket window in her heavily French accented English.

"No probs" replied Vitthal and headed towards the metro platform. He was going to the airport from Passy, a metro station in the posh Paris area of Lambale. The Taxi as always is a costly option in Paris so he decide to move well ahead of the flight so that even the sleepiest metro wont miss it.

He boarded the train and settled himself comfortably on the first available seat. Sitting on his left was an old lady wearing a tanned Casaco and a brown turban looking piece of cloth on her head.'May be an Algerian' thought Vitthal. She was looking outside the window and was lost in her own dream. Sitting infront of him was an middle aged white man, with lines of burden over his face and forehead and was intently reading the morning news paper. Next to him was a girl, in her twenties, with typical tight jeans and short t-shirt....with an oversized belt. She had a novel in her hand and was sumerged in it. Vitthal had always liked this habit of the city of lights, wherever you go in buses, metros, trains...people are always reading and lost in their books....as if self indulgance is the perpetual fashion.

As the train moved towards the suburbs, the crowd started receding....his immediate loss was the old women, two stops later the girl also left. Now he and the middle aged man were the only two left. On the next stop the middle aged man sprang up from his seat and moved towards the door.

Vitthal immediately noticed that a black coloured purse lying on the seat vacated by the man. He wanted to call but the man was already out and doors were closing.

'What should I do?....should I pick it up and give it to the police...no no i have a flight to catch.......why should I bother.....poor chap......he wont get it back for sure....even if i dont pick it up he would loose it so why shouldnt i keep it with myself......come on how can you even think that.....its size tells that it must be having around 300 Euros and looks like it has the metro pass also...i can atleast use the metro pass who would notice......no its wrong...come on just dont look at it.........'.....he tried looking outside the window but the purse was like a sharp knife stuck in his brain...good or bad...right or wrong...at times even a crooked piece of leather can be the centre of  the whole moral dilemma on this earth...........

the train stopped with a thud and the doors opened.....a man in his late thirties zipped inside the compartment and sat on the 'hot' seat. Vitthal's heart missed a beat, the man was now holding the purse in his hands.....'how did he managed it?'...in a fraction of a second he occupied the seat and was able to pick up the purse also. The man was wearing an old black coat with rugged edges and a dark green jeans, unshaven but atheletic....now he was holding the purse in his hands......as if trying to analyse it or perhaps trying to see if the owner is still around to claim it......

Vitthal saw him in his eyes...but the man immediately turned to the other side.

'Bastard'..should i tell him to give the purse to me...or should i call the police.....

the train stopped at the next stop and the man rose to leave.....

Vitthal wanted to stop him but somehow the sound didnt appear from his throat......

the doors closed again................

© Shashank Vikram

here we go.....the first sonnet:

by me

Petal of my heart

Jo's attack:

A SONNET OF THE FALLEN PETAL
Destiny’s reply to “Petal of my Heart”

Was I lost?
Have you bid me your goodbye?
If so, why do you cry?
I was like a wind, I passed you by,
You sucked me in, as light filled the sky,
Though you embraced me in darkness with the silver moon,
I was in slumber amidst the gloom!
I came to you not in your sleep,
I walked in daylight for you to keep,
Was I too bright for your eyes to see?
Or too fragile, that you stood in waiting…
Too long a wait! I thirst and dry,
Now I have fallen, and you don’t know why-
T      the petal of your heart had gone to die.

Me again:

Jo stikes back

A SONNET FOR THE HEART
(Destiny's reply to the "Flower")

Roots, bloody roots…
Wounded in spite of actuality
A flower that was doomed
Way before it bloomed
And now tears are shed,
A life afloat, a heart that bled,
Turn back no more
Of your life on the shore
Searching! Inviting! A pain’s delight,
Living! Loving! All day and night,
The petal, the flower, the pearl of your heart
Die with her now! It’s time for a start
Live anew today, and meet with her again
But in a fresh new time and a love without end..

Me again :

Heart's reply to the destiny

Heart replies


Stars are twinkling, kukoo is singing
Dew also is cajoling again,
The moon is bright, let’s dance tonight!
The breeze asked me again,
So much of love, so much of pain,
This limping heart would beat again?
but,
The only touch I feel is you,
The only breath I smell is you,
The only song I sing is you,
The only dance I know is with you,
Oh! My Pearl where are you?
For without you I ponder,
There is nothing to live here or yonder,
I wait for you in the dungeon of my heart,
The doors of which are safe and locked,
As the golden key is only with you,
My sweetheart I would always wait for you,
But come soon as the bell is ringing,
Fingers are numb and my heart is sinking,
My petal I would die for you.

Jo commands:

Destiny's reply to the "Heart"

Damn this death! It stays with you

Be lost forever or live anew!

Can you not see the light of day?

The glint of hope is on your way!

Don’t play with me, for I am yours

You need to see now change your course!

For you don’t know what you need

Your bloody death is what you heed

Your heart is locked, your soul wanders

Your body, tired, your mind blunders

All you have is me now, look at me!

For nothing worth having, will come easy to thee

Whining gives your life no rest

Come, live with me, you’ll be at your best

I give up:

Heart’s answer to the “Destiny”....2

Death never stays, for it is a new beginning,
The body is lost but the soul is soaring,
The cycle of life has to be completed,
For their could be no rebirth before demise is greeted,
An angel has appeared in the dungeon of my heart,
She holds my hand and promises a new start,
But my dear for how long?
This heart is frail and the petals have dried,
I don’t know how much the moon has cried,
Love is in your eyes and may be you are right,
But another wound I won’t survive,
So if you want to hold me, hold me tight,
Close to your bosom where only you are in my sight,
And we would dance for ever in the silver moonlight……………

By Jo

A BROKEN SONNET OF DESTINY Reply to the Heart-a-beating You sulk in dungeon, bitter and frail, Save for the air you breathe, and your silent wail, Have you not chased enough of death? That now you embrace its after breath? Enough of your doubts, fears and frustrations, Do not be afraid, I am beyond your illusions, I have been with you from the very start Don’t turn your back on me I have your heart, Ask me not how pain crossed your fate The ardor, the fire that ignited your faith The petal of your heart, the flower that withered, All but the keeping of sweetness you gathered Look beyond what your dream is made of now,        it should excite,             it must ignite,                   it dwells in you,                         it lives in me. By Me

the heart beats again: She comes when light is about to leave, The demon of death wants to sweep, The divine touch and the ocean of eyes, The emerald grace Venus sighs, Oh my angle take me with you, Beyond the ocean and the valley of dew, In the seventh heaven we would reside, With only you by my side, I doubt not you but my fate, Which wants to shut the pearly gate, Oh love! Oh life! kiss me on lips, In your tight embrace till the time dips, The sparkling night and the beautiful days, you are only for me my heart says…..

For those of you who had the courage to read it all....congrats!

hey Jo thanks a lot my dear, ur simply superb...hat's off......

© Shashank Vikram

' It appears as if the whole country is travelling today, not an inch to stand..... dont they have anything important to do at home?' wondered Rajiv as he waited for Shramshakti Express at New Delhi station..he was going to Kanpur....years of short notice travels had made him experienced enough to manage in odd travel situations and it was because of this that as soon as the old lady sitting on the pale green iron bench tried to pick up her bag Rajiv realised she was going to stand up...immediately the adrenaline gushed through his arteries transforming the lazy python into a vigilant hawk, he positioned himself strategically to the bench and no sooner did the old lady stood he planted himself on the bench; to utter distaste of a lady and another not so perfect hawk....he had been waiting for two hours now, this train never had been so late...he tried oogling a teenage girl standing on his right....the girl was blissfully unaware of the fact that her assets were a timepass for so many young, middle aged and old passangers waiting for the train and making the most explicit paintings of her in their minds....anyways she didnt interest him much as these pleasures are for those lucky ones who have a confirmed reservation n he was not so lucky....he had a 32 waiting......he knew it very well that he has a tough night ahead........

Shrieking, ranting, burping the train arrived at the station showing its disgust for the hardwork it has to put on in carrying this multitude of mankind.....much beyond its capacity and imagination of the ablest engineers who designed it............

Rajiv's eyes were searching for the man of the moment...n soon he spotted him....wearing a black coat and white pants with an air of authority and shade of ridicule for the people jumping over him....as if he was a rockstar.....in his mid forties, with sword mustache and impressive 5'11" height ....Singh Saheb the Condutor of the train stood tall among the wretched creatures....Rajiv meekly approached him and in a low submissive tone blended with every drop of humility he could extract from each and every cell of his body he pleaded......''Sir''......"Sir"......"Sir"......"yes" replied Singh Saheb......"can i get a seat" he presented his ticket.......Singh Shaeb gave a fleeting glance over the ticket n smirked..."waiting 32!!....no chance young man go and sit in general class"....... in a split second Rajiv saw himself sleeping between the two toilets with an old bearded beggar and his nostrils bursting with the mixed aroma of human urine and an unwashed human body................"please sir please! atleast let me stay in reserved compartment...i would adjust some where...n may be u would have some seat later on"....Singh Saheb looked through the pleading eyes of the youngster n nodded............Rajiv was never so happy...he ranned inside the compartment before the conductor can even think of changing his mind......but as soon as he landed inside all his happiness vanished..it was jam packed with not even floor space to sit on...n at 1:30 in night all lights were already off...the whole compartment looked like a dark dungen with snores replacing the sound of bats......he navigated himself through the sea of people sleeping on floor....but still no place to sit....then to his astonishment he saw the green patch...in one of the lower berths was a triangular free space...just enough to rest his butt, as the rest of the berth was occupied by sleeping corp of its rightful owner.....Rajiv silently balanced himself on the corner n immediately felt the nick of the knee of the sleeping homo sapien.....'must be in sleep' he assured himself......but within few minutes he felt the other nick, this time accompanied by a groan.......Rajiv moved further towards the corner precariously balancing himself on the tripod of his two legs and corner of the berth.......five minutes later there was another nick..or more than a nick....the man woke up..."Bhai Saheb! go on your seat, i m not able to sleep"...."I dont have a seat yet, TTE has promised to give one soon....you can sleep i m just sitting in the corner n wont disturb you"....."u r disturbing me by sitting on my seat....please leave or i would call the TTE".....Rajiv stood up...how much can one be humiliated for not booking his seat in time......'these people are animals!.. what was I doing? just sitting on the corner'.....the people who have confirmed reservation think that they are masters of their berth.......f**k**s.....

Rajiv came out towards the door and stood their alongwith four other frustated beings........at 3: 30 Singh Saheb appeared in the compartment....Rajiv leaped towards him....."Sir please, i have n interview tommorrow" ..he used his time tested lie.....the conducter looked towards him.....a look that pierced him from his first neuron to his last toe nail....."u can sleep on berth number 34 after Aligarh station"........."thank you sir...thank u".....Rajiv took out a crumbled 50 rupee note and tried to put it in Singh's pocket......"No kid not from you...today my own son is also travelling, to give an interview in Delhi.....u need to sleep".......Rajiv felt a sweeping wave of guilt, shame but above all relief.......he thanked the TTE with drooping eyes.

After Aligarh he moved towards berth number 34...it was a lower berth............but..................a man was sitting on it.... Rajiv was pissed off....."this is my seat" he commanded......."no problems sir you can sleep"....replied the man dragging himself toward the outer corner of the berth......."just get off from my seat"...."but Sir"...."do you want me to call the TTE!".....the man stood and slowly walked towards the door......Rajiv stretched out on his berth....................

Train whistled again, mocking the contradictions of life...............

JAI HIND

© Shashank Vikram