cross talk!

Do you think
Love
Is a
Thunderous
Outpour
Through
Newly opened
Sluice gates
That washes away
Everything
Except
Itself
Or
Is it
A gentle
Meandering
Lifeline
Seizing
A twig here
An anemone there
A mollusc elsewhere
Stocking up
For a future
Planet
I dont care she said. 
Im hydrophobic

a love poem which shouldn't have known better

He fills me with
Goodness she said
So like a
Camel
I go for a
Fill
And then 
Im good for a 
Long desert ride
He's your 
Oases you said
Not at all
Oases is
Overrated
Mirage too
Skinfulls of air
When im 
Choking
Whispered command
To quell the
Mutiny of my 
Innards
Shards of 
Ice
For my searing
Soul
You know why I keep
Going back to 
Him she said
We dont 
Have to walk
Together
To leave footprints
Side by side
Even the desert
Storm
Leaves them be

Nirbhaya's elegy

I did not have the freedom to choose to be born

Or not

An unknown hand

Randomly grabbed

My soul and

Shoved it

Into a body suit

I did not have the freedom to choose

My parents

A capricious DNA

Did

Inky pinky ponky

I did not have the freedom to choose

My gender

A whimsical chromosome

bespoke

I did not have the freedom

To be

I was told to become

I did not have the freedom

To not choose

Choice was thrust on me

I did not have the freedom

To vent

The scream in my head

Unmute button

Was not there at all

Naturally I did not have the freedom

To choose how to die

That would have been

So contrarian

So life and death

Are a cycle of choicelessness

Delusion makes it

acceptable

conversation between rain and a woman in denial

My job is to pour

It is not

To check if

You have an umbrella

I might be

Able to hold out

A bit

But not

Not pour

You’re being unreasonable

In scolding me

For doing

My job

You’re merciless

Hiding behind

Mandate

Pompous pourer

That you are

Don’t you know

We are all connected

Your action

Necessitates an action in me

Never mind it is equal

In intensity

Opposite in intent

Why are you taking

The moral high ground

I didn’t ask you

To wear your

Most expensive stilettos

Or to get your hair

Blow-dried

Or to not carry an umbrella

Oh no you didn’t

Why would you

Your job was to pour

And god forbid

Anyone who

Stops you from it

What are you bugged about?

That you look like

Something kitty brought in

On a  rainy day

(sorry pun intended)

Or that he dumped you

Without as much as

By your leave

Don’t you dare

drag him into this

He’s any day better

than you

sure he doesn’t pour

he only

turns tail

scum

did you see

him seeing you

get out of

your car

drenched

distraught

drubbed

no he never turned up

he has a lousy boss

must have held him up

did he tell you that

no he must be still with him

he will call when that satan lets him

have you called him

yes, I hate his ringtone

I wore stilettos

because he likes them

I wore a white dress

Because he likes it

But did you see the girl with him

She wore stilettos too

White dress too

But she wasn’t me, right

No I poured

So you could

See him clearly.

Mystic connections !

Auto Khali hai ?

Haan, Khali hai.

I want to go to jayanagar.

Sorry, I'm not going there.

I didn't ask you where you are going. I told you where I want to go.

But I'm not going there.

Why? Do you have a board that says where you're going ?

No. I'm not going there.

But your job is to go where I want to go, not the other way.

I'm not going there.

Not even if I pay you extra ?

One and a half times on the meter.

Why do you want extra ?

Because I won't get a passenger on my return.

How do you know ?

Because I know that area well.

Ok I will pay extra, take me there.

(Fifteen minutes later )

Why are you turning left ?

Didn't you say you want to go to jayanagar ?

Yes I did, but you have to turn right.

Oh ok, I'm not very familiar this side.

But you told me you know this area well?

I have forgotten.

(Ten minutes later )

You can stop here.

(As soon as auto stopped, another passenger climbed into the auto )

I will not pay you one and a half times the meter.

Why not? That's what we agreed on.

Yes that's because you said you won't get a return passenger. Now you have.

What is the connection ?

I don't know. You figure it out.

No gainsaying!

Do you want to go to Danish's house ?

Nope.

Do you want to go for a drive ?

Not really.

Should I get a DVD ?

There is nothing that I want to watch.

Shall we go for a walk ?

It looks like it will rain.

Feel like eating bhelpuri ?

I'm still stuffed from lunch.

Want to play Scrabble ?

What's the point? You lose miserably every time.

Let's make love ?

It's always when you want to,  isn't it ?

You have never told me till date when you want to .

What's the point ?

Meaning ?

Nothing.

No I want to know what you meant.

Nothing. Let's go for a walk.

When I asked you you said it was about to rain.

But it hasn't so far.

Wait, tell me what you meant.

Nothing. Let's go to Danish's house.

But you don't like his wife.

I don't like him either.

Then why do you want to go ?

Who said I do only things I like ?

Are you saying you don't like it when we make love ?

When did I say that ?

Is that what you're implying ?

Don't put words in my mouth.

What are we arguing about ?

I don't know..

Why don't you know ?

Why should I ?

One of us should.

Knowing is different from telling.

Are you saying you know but you won't tell ?

Tell what ?

I don't know. And I don't want to know.