Warrior of Light

If the sky is starless,
And there's too much confusion to confess,
Just stare into that moonless night,
And imagine what I tell, this sight.

Be a cloud my warrior,
Carrying the splendor of night alone,
Lit up by the sober hues ad tones,
Yet still alive and floating fore.

So what if the moon and stars,
Disappear for a while, you can't,
Give up being a cloud for the honor is ours,
To make anything out of ourselves, don't rant.

Await the brilliant moon but don't forget,
Even the moon melts into the night's light,
Just to shine for one night.
So go on, transform, but don't ever fret.

Instead adapt to the night surrounding,
And soon you'l find peace, a happy ending,
All pain and worries will pass underneath you,
Leaving you glorious, and once again new...

Fire and Ice

She lay on the floor, motionless as he stared at her. His memory was washed with the painful look on her face and all that he could think was why he actually did what he did. The conjured images of an imagined God appeared before him, seeking out the soul that longed for comfort. He then realized that he only thought of his savior when sorrow drowned him…like now. He closed his eyes and imagined what he should do now, could do.

                He picked up the broken figure and leaned her against him. Her arms and legs dangled; even with the help of gravity, she couldn’t stand straight and still. He held her gently and slowly pushed back the strands of hair that covered her ears. Then he whispered into them, the wish that he wanted the most… For a split second he could feel nothing but the desperateness within him, then almost like a dream come true… she came back to life.

Shock and life sprang into him but something was absolutely wrong. She pushed him away and fled as if he was a predator and that action pained so badly that it triggered his anger.  He ran after her while she made circles around the stage. The atmosphere around him turned out to be a set and he was dancing with her, like he last did just before her heart got tire of beating. Her flowing blue dress caught in his open hand and his fingers clutched the material with rage. She shrieked ...but he ignored it and clasped her hair and brought her closer to him, forcefully. Then, with her wet tears that spilled over him, conscience crept into his eyes. He let her breathe and she made space between them. And in that clouded yellow light that fell on her, he saw both love and pain. Love for she just couldn't let him or her passion go and pain for his love turned into aggression far too soon. It reminded  him of his mistakes and how he always forced her, and wanted her so badly that he would even kill for her…

By now they were on the floor and she was curled up into him. Just knowing that she felt safe created a flicker in his emotions. The grip on her tightened and she pushed him and they both slid apart. Anger snapped once again and he repeated the same mistakes.Force, pain, power, lust and all the accompanying emotions hit him like a tidal wave and took control over him. He hardly remembered what he did then, when these cruel emotions possessed him.  

When he did come to his senses, she was away from him. Across the stage, arms hugging herself but this time her eyes spoke out to him. Where had he gone when she needed him. Would she dare him a second chance?

"Don’t walk away’ he thought as she froze at his thoughts. It seemed that a miracle occurred, one that would make it easier for him to explain his ruthless actions. For the first time, she could hear his mind. And she read it like an open book, all the twists he went through every hour. Now the decision was hers to make. ‘Don’t walk away’ he thought again. She spun around looked at him in the eye and ran toward him

 He held his arms open as he welcomed her. The warmth of her skin drew away the sins and left him glowing, pure and untouched by greed. He swept her off her feet in happiness and spun her around as the music flowing through him seemed to come to an end. He couldn't understand it as a hollow feeling engulfed him making him close his eyes. She seemed to turn invisible in his arms, and yes he couldn't feel the warmth anymore. When he opened them again, there she was lying on the floor motionless.  The miracle never occurred; she never came back to him because something happened before that. Consumed by her love, he was ready to kill anyone…including her. 

Lion & the Lamb

Nails screech over the paid mirror in rage,
It hopes for someone behind its image from its cage,
Buried inside with pain and guilt,
Afraid of the second approaching, from heart to soul it melts.

Throat's gone soar, mood's gone sour,
Too much to bear, the regret from someone I care,
Glassy eyes and spinning heads are always a pair,
It takes eternity to understand why and why life isn't always fair.

Unsure of the tomorrow I cast my days in love,
While there he dies in my thoughts, and my turn is now,
To realize, the prices being paid, lives lain,
The love that swept over me, now vanished like rain.

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb"she said
"I was a lion to fall in love with the lamb" said he
Days passed, I healed and my wounds sealed,
Life was cloud nine in every aspect til I lost his respect..

Where has the loyalty gone, why don't I look forward to his dawn,
When I was his, it felt right, and it came crashing down with the fight.
And his love has reached the extreme height, having me is his forever plight,
I to numbly stand with dying tears, aching heart, and now blinded by his light.

Worrying if she'll ever come back to me he thought,
Well u was his little lamb, he was always there, to love he taught,
It was from him that my flowers bloomed, to him I owe what I am
I'm perfect for another because of him, and the lion's love for the lamb.

Just the Way it Is

Sometimes, there are certain questions that keep popping up into our minds. It need not have to arise when you are fully aware of the subject, nor when you even know it exists. Like, I used to think about the space and beyond when I was barely four years old. And those categories of questions always lead down the same lane to present the answer at the dead end- “Because it’s just the way it is”. Why is the world round? Because it is. Why does the sun rise the way it does? Because it is. Why do we have emotions? …Because it’s just the way it works.

            Coming from an emotionally damaged person it mind sound like it means much more and life but frankly that question has only that lonely answer. I guess it’s a part of us… a part of what makes us human. (Not humane mind you) and the reason why we have our lives distinguished from each other. There are these emotions around us, everywhere we go and whomever we see, there are these emotions taking part in the scene. At times we reflect the emotions we see like happiness, sadness, fear, confusion. And at times we unknowingly absorb it in to us where it lays in our subconscious, affecting our thoughts, our decisions…everything. Which is why it might be better if we consider what we’re taking in, the impacts were evoking upon our minds.

            Choice of emotions is subjected to change and differs from every individual. While some of us bask in delight, passion, happiness, excitement and the general emotions, a few of us like the more complex ones  (a better way to say negative). Though it might be true that we reciprocate the emotions we want to experience, it is valid for only a certain group of people. The goody ones. When we cause complex emotions to get back our definition of general emotions, that’s when sadists and monsters are created. Again subconsciously. Little do we see it in the people we know, and little do they know that they are sending out stimulus for fear, anger, pain and the like. We might have crossed paths with someone like that, and to get rid of those stimuli we must’ve fought it back adapting the same emotions. There’s nothing wrong in that, got to fight fire with fire…we just need to be careful that those don’t become our set of general emotions.

            There are times when I question… “Why do I feel whatever I feel right now? Why can’t I just be numb to it all?” Emotional stress is hard to deal with, especially if you don’t know the way back home or out of the maze. We all face it, struggle a little, squeeze out a few tears maybe then we put it behind us and pave way for the new ones.  But some of us are stuck there, bringing in similar emotions to erase the existing till what’s left of you is what this world calls “Emo”. Emotions become an integral part even when all you need is a break from it. In the lapses where the normal human regains himself in the absence of emotions, we fill it with more and more. Compensating for it, trying to replace the empty hole those huge emotions have caved in you, isn’t the way. Letting out is good, but there’s a way for it. Otherwise you’ll be pulled in the currents and never swim ashore.

            I guess letting out is better than what some others do. And that is the ultimate end to our human emotions. Bottling it inside. I don’t exactly mean that you don’t show any emotion, but rather you prefer to conceal it all behind a mask of normality. Maybe too much of normality that can be spotted. Upset about something, you keep it in thinking it might hurt others. Angry? You think it’s irrational to act so and stuff it inside with force. Confused…sigh keep it in because you’re too shy to place it all out to someone for opinions. Or maybe you’re scared of the outcomes so you never really show anything. I mean the happiness also, because with all this bottling up, you’ve started something new. You’ve made yourself an emotional rock, numb to the pressures. While you might feel proud that nothing can shake you, understand that it will shake you, but you’ve mastered holding it in so no one can see. One fine day the bottle will overflow, and with the mix of the emotions you’ve blended, the results can be huge.  So why exactly do we have emotions? Yes it is just the way it is. It is what makes us human… but the question is… Are you one? 

From Dawn to Dusk

Between the purplish mountains huge,
Above the stormy ocean vast,
Below the umbrella of stars so bright,
Rises the amber colored sun, breaking twilight.

Yet another carefree day has begun,
Adding a day to your short phase of life,
and subtracting one from your life span,
Keeping in store, surprises concealed.

Let the warm sun shine endlessly on your face,
as you lie on soft coo grass of the lush green meadows,
Open your ears to the sounds of the bird in flight,
And let your eyes not miss a single moment of sight.

Do what your heart yearns for,
Let no one out of the blue, block your destined path,
Don't mind if its crazy or foolish,
'Cause its okay, once in a blue moon, to be childish.

be yourself, don't follow others style,
because its not being yourself, so create your own,
Express your creative ideas and endless thoughts,
After all, its character which is worth lots.

Like a staking prey comes the night,
And the diamonds appear at far height
Among which can be easily recognized, a pearl
The lantern giving light for the world...

And that just could be you,
If you follow your heart, and just believe in a person called "YOU"

The Lighthouse Keeper's Boy- 4

Click to read the earlier pages of Lighthouse Keeper's Son

But as Vieira said, it was in his blood. One look at all the mermaids and he knew that he must give them hope. Not as a boy, no….he was incompetent. So what would be the right thing to do? He wished his mother had never gone in the first place so as to avoid this situation. When he was brought back to the lighthouse shore, it was sunset. And he had made his decision.

            Days passed and every-night he would watch the few fins that dappled the water. The light from his dome would catch them and he’d wave. Maybe they’d see or not, but it felt good to know that another part of him was resting in the waters below. His classes with Vieira were complicated for the history of the mermaids evolved over time. Nevertheless he learnt it. In doing so, he felt important and that was a great feeling to experience, when you were just the boy of a Lighthouse keeper. The mermaids below were now familiarized with him, it seemed like everything was going fine. Years rolled, the tides changed, there were now more ships in the sea. He’d taken over his father’s role by now and let the old man relax for a bit. He savored the time with his dad lest the future requires him to choose drastically. Still his father kept warning him about the sea every breakfast and he’d smile and reply

“I think I’m big enough to handle them now papa… I know the currents like I know the way back home.” His father gave him a sharp look then dismissed it.

He just had a few more days till the final day arrived. He had decided that he would do what his mother did, take care of both of them. He couldn’t part with either world. And that was when tragedy struck their lives like angry waves. His father’s stroke made the hero of Caspian’s life turn into a feeble man.  To watch him crumble down from his stature made him think a lot about the final say. Maybe he was going to do that same mistake that his mother did. Maybe trying to have the best of both worlds was why his father started getting the strokes. Though he wanted to help the mermaids, there was someone else who needed him more. His father had already lost his wife, now the last thing he’d like is to lose his son as well. Besides, Vieira would make a fine ruler. She was bound to take over the throne… not him. Caspian sighed as the more he thought; the more comfortable he was with the decision.

The final day arrived; Caspian turned off the light at the dome and saw Vieira signalling him. He quickly got dressed, had his breakfast with his father happy that it won’t be his last. He let Vieira lead him to Atlantis, his likely home though he knew it by heart now. In the temple, the assembly gathered just like they did, eleven years before. In that assembly, Caspian stood to stage and began his speech.

“I stand before you with a sorry face…” Vieira’s eyebrows crinkled and she mouthed

“Don’t do it!”

“It’s my choice” he mouthed back to her before continuing.

“I choose to be the Lighthouse Keeper’s son forever…” the minute he said it, he stopped breathing. Vieira gathered him in to her arms as the rest of the mermaids closed upon him.

“I didn’t think he’ll change his mind” she muttered. One of the mermaids whispered to another.

“What happened to him? He could breathe before right?” the other one replied softly

“He is half blood, by choosing to be human; his mother’s powers have died from his body. Her actual last words were something else. Our queen was so sure he’ll choose us.”

“If he doesn’t choose to take my throne, then he’ll die as the Lighthouse Keeper’s son. Not mine.”  

The Lighthouse Keeper's Boy-3

Click to read the earlier pages of The Lighthouse Keeper's boy

Caspian blinked hard, hoping that he’d wake up soon. It was years since his mother died, but according to the assembled mermaids here in the big temple, she died just yesterday. Her last words were to bring her son here, to take her throne and rule over her mermaids.

“I’m the rightful heir?” he just couldn’t digest that piece of information no matter how hard he tried. He loved him mom, no doubt, but he was completely unfit for this. Vieira’s words seemed to soothe his aching heart which was torn in two directions in decision-making.

“Caspian, we know that you are too young to rule as of now. The council here understands that you are too immature to make decisions for a whole city as well. We have come up with a solution.  But first we need you to trust us.” Caspian looked all around. The eyes didn’t bore into him like he always thought a crowd would. Instead they looked upon him kindly.

“I am your mother’s sister. I will be your Guardian within the realms of this city. And until you attain adult hood, I will train you whenever possible and be the temporary ruler. When the time comes, the decision will be yours if you accept the other side of your existence or choose to live with the one you are restricted to. Do you agree on this young Caspian?” Vieira put up the question quite outright. The little boy thought over it… Yes. All he needed was a little time to sort it out, a little time to test his own true blood if he was cut out for this. But why did they have to bring him here, and right now?

“Yes I agree to it, but I don’t understand why I am here? Vieira said something about time ticking and you needing my help?”

            At those words the council shrunk back into their blue coral seats. Then their eyes rested on Vieira for the explanation. She shifted in her seat, and set her fins over a pedestal before beginning.

“You see, your mother was a boon to this race. We were all fragmented into clans that held grudges and had feuds with each other. After she ascended the throne, this throne…” she trailed off touching the empty seat beside her. Caspian interpreted that his mother was someone unique, someone special to them all.

“…She united us all and ruled over us with integrity and true love. That was what transformed us all. And when she married your Father, she cast spells on herself and got rid of the fins she loved the most. It was a great sacrifice that we were reluctant to accept. But since she promised that she’ll visit us often and whenever trouble arises, we agreed upon her decision. Then things got worse and she had to fake her death to return to her rightful pace. She was still the Queen and we had no other ruler and till she was alive we stood united. But now…”

“Now she’s gone…I never remembered her presence and before she actually died, I registered her death. What’s more to come?” he asked patiently.

“Caspian, we are in grave hostility. The clans aren’t unanimously agreeing upon any assessor other than you. She has told a great deal about you…” This is absurd thought Caspian as he knew the upcoming words.

“And we have no doubt that you’ll live up to her expectations. We just need you to visit often like your mother and no the needful as a ruler till you turn eighteen. After that, the choice is yours and the clans have agreed to stand by your decision even if it goes against them.”

            The council looked at him eagerly, waiting for his reply. Caspian closed his eyes. But this time it wasn’t in hope that it was a dream that he’d wake up from. He didn’t have the vaguest idea what his mother thought of him, nor was he attached enough to do the things she left for him. Up above he knew the normal life he lived and will forever live…his father must be waiting. Down below was a land of adventure, the world of his mother’s. What must he do? If his answer was the fate of a race, it needed to be well sought. He closed his eyes tighter for the answer….


Click to read the ending of Lighthouse Keeper's Son

Star-Lit

There was a star so bright,

It could be recognized from others at far sight.

But for me, I’m different, was bind and couldn’t see it,

And just couldn’t bother to notice why my life was star-lit.

It travelled with me at night, at day,

Through thick and thin, through dangers at bay,

Tried to tell me that it was always there for me,

Could understand what I was going through, but still I couldn’t see.

Like a moon adorned by a ring of stars I did,

Around and with my amulet of stones so precious, hid,

But now and then peered out to show it was still there,

Saying that this, the way I, wasn’t the way to live…but I still didn’t care.

My life went on with silent screams and secret scars,

And the endless thoughts in my mind ended with wars.

Damaging myself more and more I always pushed away,

The gentle hand it offered, triggering it…the time had come to obey.

Deciding that it had gone too far, it took to its mind,

To change the way I looked at life, with its most kind,

Caring, gentle and thoughtful ways it did change my view,

Not only that but moulded me into someone new.

Still not aware that it knew what I felt before,

I injured it, harmed it, rekindled the wound of its core,

Until one day I regretted what I did and punished myself.

...It was also a four pointed star, like me, unique by itself.

Was me in everything it did, said and felt,

But unlike me…it overcame what I couldn’t and had it dealt.

It turned into a fine five pointed star one day and with it,

Me transformed now understood why  my life was star- lit.

Lighthouse Keeper's Boy-2

Click to read the first page of this article- Lighthouse Keeper's Boy-1

Caspian gasped as he spilt out the water that had gotten into his lungs. His vision was fuzzy as his eyes darted to see what had pushed him into the water and gotten him back now that he was alive. A round pale white face came into his view and she kept apologising. When his vision cleared, he could’ve have sworn that it looked like his mother; or whatever memory he had of her. Her ebony hair hung in wavy curls that swung back and forth as she spoke to him. He propped himself up on the rocks and got a good look at her. He would’ve believed that his mother had come back for him if it wasn’t for the rest of her body. Below her waist were her legs wrapped in green scales up till the protrusion of her fins at the end. “Well there’s the answer” he thought, “those were what sent me drowning.” Then the obvious hit him, he was looking at a mermaid, a mythical creature. Did this mean that everything else was true? Shaking the water out of his ears, he heard her charming voice.

“You’re the Lighthouse Keeper’s Son, Am I right?” she asked directly. Half amazed and spellbound, Caspian stuttered a reply of agreement.

“Come with me, we need your help!”

“But wait, I’m just a boy! I’m not supposed to swim at sea!”

“Caspian, you’re the boy, quick we’re running out of time!” Caspian glanced at the Lighthouse towering behind him then at the mermaid who was almost into the water. He hesitated and she swam back to him.

“Look, don’t you want to see the world your mother told you about? I thought you were full of adventure. Come on, I promise I’ll leave you back by sunset.” There was nothing more he could say, his mother was involved in this. Past, or present… she was involved. He had to go. He had to get his questions answered  

            Throughout the journey, the Queen’s handmaiden, the mermaid didn’t say a thing. He asked a lot, ever since she fitted a mask of oxygen to him, and he just couldn’t quit. The sun lit the waters and showed a path that was fast fading. Coral reefs, colorful algae, and pretty fishes passed by him as his eyes remained wide throughout the journey. They crossed many trenches, and then Vieira, the mermaid, quickly sunk into one of them.

“Welcome to Atlantis” she whispered and pulled apart waving seaweed to reveal another world. It truly was another world, and much more than what he imagined when his mother narrated tales from this very place. A part of him wished that this wasn’t coincidence and that he was in the place from the bedtime stories. If that were true, then how did his mother come to know about it? On the other hand he hoped he was dreaming, for he had no idea what was to happen once his dad found that he was missing. Either ways, he wished he was dreaming. All these thoughts burned in his head as Vieira led the way to the legendary city. The domes were just like she said, blue with golden statues running across them. The entire city seemed to be draped in an invisible force that held air inside it. Caspian searched for the gates. They were big, blue doors where the strongest mermaids guarded them. Not sooner after he thought of it, it appeared and he felt the tinge as he swam past them.

            The only thing that didn’t seem right was the shimmer and the glow that she used to say lit the city. It was so empty rather.

“Where is the magical touch to it? It looks so…”he dragged not knowing how to describe it.

“Ruined, deserted, I know. That’s why we needed you.” She finished for him. They came to a stop in front of an old temple. Inside were all the missing mermaids he realized. And they were all bowing down to a statue that completely resembled his mother…and in the story, mermaids only bowed to their Queen. Caspian took a deep breath.

“Our Queen, Gabriella…Your mother” said Vieira as she too bowed paying respect to the dead Queen. 

The Lighthouse Keeper's Boy

This week's story!  Happy Reading!

The first roar of the waves woke little Caspian up from his heavy sleep. He turned in bed as he mumbled a good morning to the open window. Tip-toeing to the panes he looked down and felt the tingle in his feet like always at the sight of the salty waves crashing onto their lighthouse. He took in the damp, moisture laden scent and gazed at the seagulls flying about on the harbor out west. Caspian was the light house keeper’s boy and lived his entire life with the taste of salt on his tongue and the lullaby of the angry waves. Years were rolling in his childhood and all that he was expected to know about life till now was primarily three things. The earth was round and covered with water that never dripped into space; light at night was the beacon for the ships out there; and that every man’s call of duty was the path to heaven. Need I say more? Caspian was an innocent boy with discipline hammered into him through the form of the bible.

            That day like always he got up just before the sun’s ray hit the shore and climbed up the stairs with his dad to the watch. While he turned off the brilliant yellow light from the lens, Caspian leaned over the balcony, letting his checked shirt billow in the air. He made squawking noises with the birds at sea and laughed merrily.

“I want to be a seagull papa! Fly over the ocean and touch the end of the horizon”

 Looking at him, his dad chuckled as he tied a backup knot onto the door to shut it tight.

“Oh I wouldn’t do that if I were you Caspian! You know what’s out there in the sea…”

“Yes! Atlantis, sunken ships, treasure, mermaids!”

 His dad frowned with the wildly growing imagination of his son. His mother had filled his head with bedtime stories of adventures before the sea took her life one day. Caspian seemed to remember her only with her narrations and he just couldn’t take that one thing away, even if it was absurd. He sighed as he paused by the stairs.

“You do remind me a lot of your mother, Son. But no, out there in the deep waters are sharks, strong currents that’ll never wash you to the shore.” His dad left in a hurry to make them breakfast and to avoid the same question he’d ask- Where did mama go?

            After breakfast that day, Caspian climbed over the rocks and waded in the pool of water that didn’t make it back to the sea. He picked up a sea crab from one pond and left it crawling towards another pond. He wished he could just walk into the sea like the crab and live there forever. The water was everything for him; he just never really understood why he was born as a boy. He smiled with his hands pressed to his cheek and sighed happily when the crab reached its water. That’s when something glimmered past the rocks. He could see the reflections of the water moving rapidly on the algae tinted rocks. He dropped his straw hat and pouch of collected shells as he quickly scampered over the rocks. Right when he was about to look below, a pair of sea green fins slashed up at him and sent him smack into the water beneath.


Read On Tomorrow!
click to read the next page of lighthouse keeper's boy

Half Way

When your voice can barely pass for a whisper,
And to see your eyes wandering for the answer,
Have you wondered how the half-way would feel?
Questioned if it was everything you needed to heal?

Well let me take you there half way
your painful soul is the only price you'll have to pay
Keep your body and hopes back there, down
But this I can promise your face won't have a frown.

Meet me by the dream catcher, has it worked?
Taken away the fears and the horrors that had lurked?
Or carried you in its arms and put you to sleep,
Laugh at it, now you will, for it has seen you weep.

The crescent moon might lure you slowly,
Keep your spirit safe, let it take your soul, wholly
Everyone here stuck with sorrows pass through,
This wide door of destiny, smile its all true.

It'll hurt so much that you just can't take it,
Tears will come streaming down your face,
Smashing the missing piece? It will just not fit.
unable to move, scream you'll be in a daze.

Wandering spirits in beautiful crystal orbs, glide
Now your're one among them, please don't hide.
Your time will come, and you will be at ease
Only if you get the answer will you rest in peace

Don't be carried away, with these sights,
Just search for your own passing light
Walk straight into it and you will see,
Crossing over the worlds is just easy with me!

Chocolate- The Nectar for the Gods

Chocolate fan? I mean hard-core chocolate lover who loves everything from shampoo to coins coated in chocolate? Then you’ve got to read this! Let’s see how well you know about the one thing other than money that makes this world go around.

 If you’re a chocoholic then wouldn’t you love a world made of chocolate? Keeping aside the craze for it in today’s era, did you know that there was a time when chocolate overruled money itself? It all began when the Mayan’s stumbled upon xocolatl, which means bitter drink or otherwise known as the “Nectar for the Gods” The cocoa beans were even used as currency in Latin America till the 19^th century. Imagine if you had to buy a shirt and give away just seven coca beans for the trade…quite valuable right? Maybe too valuable for some clever person came up with the idea of counterfeiting the beans from clay (Seems like frauds learnt before repeating history with fake notes from paper today). It was also used in religious rituals often taking the place of blood for the God of Chocolate (chocoholics get ready to patronize)…Qnetzalcot’l. And it just didn’t stop there.

In marriage ceremonies, chocolate was exchanged between the bride and the groom, an old fashioned form of dowry now-a-days. How I wish that was the case now?! After that, the Aztec conquered the Mayans and found a way to make money from the cocoa beans. They imposed tax on the plantations and preferred the drink cold. Since then, only the rich would drink chocolate in golden goblets. It became a status symbol soon after that as only the Gods were deemed fit to drink Chocolate. The Aztec emperors would be buried with jars and jars of chocolate as it was clearly the treasure that they wanted to take along with them to the other side. Eras rolled and the Cortez conquered the Aztec. At the same time they captured the Caribbean islands. And on that island was sugar.

            Then man did what he does best, he mixed the two and voila!- the first solid chocolate was born! Then they started molding it into different shapes and then those pretty shiny wrappers came and caught everyone’s eye. In Spain it was used to cure fevers, for digestion and as a pain reliever… the person just had to know which chocolate to use that’s all and it became a wonder drug. Now the whole world is so crazy behind it that a 100 year old bar of chocolate was auctioned off in France for 470 franks! Diamonds are named after chocolate; movies are made where the sole star is chocolate. And check this out- A Palestinian was poisoned with Belgian chocolate. What a great way to die right? Sigh. Chocolate. No I mean seriously, the chocolate that quivers your taste buds. Say whatever…other things are just food. But chocolate is a standard of its own… its CHOCOLATE!

Outcomes of Irony

Its been a few years,
Since I got rid of my fears
Yet they feel like eternity
The days since you took pity.
The curtains were always drawn,
Eyes would stare untill dawn
Precious time turned to sacrifice,
My life, my entity turned into lies.
How did I see only the moon,
Who took my place those years?
A girl who gave love away too soon,
An insensitive soul to tears of her peers.
Looking back at it from here
I can rememeber only vague images
A blurry past, echoing sounds I hear
Was that how love was to feel?... Unless..
She was too caught up in fairytales
Clung to him and not her when eveything else failed,
Kept her smiles hidden in his,
Loved him true, her mistake was this.
And what greater fool than I
Would bound back to him after everything
Still love him and repent his mistakes for him
And still never really understand... why?

Faces- What's behind yours?

 Faces…they’re what we see every day; they’re with which we are different from each other. The whole body is a unique creation of God, but the face is the supreme work of art or so I feel. Today, let me put up a question in your minds through this article’s end as to what we really see when we look at someone. Do you see the person your memory is familiar with? Or the story behind the numerous lines that run across them? Do you just identify and start fulfilling the reason for visiting? Or do you try and differentiate the emotions carried by each feature on them? Let’s face it. Maybe very rarely we do look into the eyes of a person and read them, but mostly we see, we speak, we respond and we leave. 

            But when I see a face, curiosity creeps in and I try to see what’s going on in their mind, what expression they seem to portray and more importantly…. What they’re trying to hide. The face of a new born baby, a toddler is the purest you can find. There’s no tint of the world’s greed in them, their eyes don’t calculate everything they see. They don’t know what’s ahead, and they’re least bothered. They are simply in the present… Innocence stays with them for they represent only what they are and nothing more, nothing influenced. The smiles are real, and perhaps that’s why we feel that babies are cute. Because they just experience the world around them and not judge it. And then again there’s a thin line between ignorance and innocence… When have we seen someone who is innocent and not ignorant in some or the other way? Food for thought…

             Then comes our faces, the ones that have grown out of the phase of innocence.  The faintest knowledge of the world, drastically starts changing our reactions to every word, every action. Some, like a plain sheet of skin…so flawless, emotionless…but working so hard behind it to conceal the true feelings lest someone reads them. Some are so beautiful, with sharp features and as if God took partiality over them. But maybe they earn to be normal like the rest of us, and wish people don’t treat them special because of their looks. Some faces love the attention and have lost their true beauty with a plaster of fame and superiority. Some faces are so complex that it is hard to even fit them into our world of thought. It is as if they exist in a parallel universe… there’s no category to them… they are purely a species on their own. Some are born beautiful and come carry their absolutely normal face with so much grace that it seems charming.

            I used to wonder a lot about the history of the faces… how it has changed over the years, how it may have looked without the scars maybe. But I realized that every face we’re familiar with is not because of the face itself. It is because of a combination of the face, the person, expressions and emotions. So it is true that the basic purpose of the face is fulfilled… to recognize someone. But just out of curiosity, try reading the faces and see how your opinion changes of them. I thought I had mastered it all, mastered the art of living behind a mask of expressions on my face until one fine day. That one day, someone saw through my mask and I saw through theirs and we both realized something. There’s no use in faking any expression for anyone. As conditioned as we might be, the least we can do is change ourselves to make others happy. Because at the end of the day, we go to bed and cheat no one but ourselves. Food for thought… see what’s behind your face before someone points it out! 

We All Sleep Under the Same Stars

Years have flown,

None of us are no longer alone,

Might've even forgotten those years,

When we'd sit in class and whisper into each other's ears.

Miles apart and half away across the world,

A cardboard box full of cards, letters and photographs,

Visit me frequently, as I grow old,

To refresh the memory of your face and our laughs.

I don't really know if it'll matter

To say that I have a piece of paper

In your little handwriting, that still makes me feel better,

And smile that we've been together.

Your face has changed, limbs are longer,

Your room must have more stuff than I last saw,

Fights would've made you tough and  stronger,

Yet I still look at you like always, with awe.

Awe for something that you said sometime

Changed a bit of me, led me to where I am now,

Awe that God gave me you in my lifetime,

To fill my childhood with memories that were so "wow!"

And here's hoping that you're still there,

Taking time to read this and remembering,

What great friends we are and how much I care,

No mattter what just keep thinking....

WE ALL SLEEP UNDER THE SAME STARS!

Heart Breaker

My head burns with the letters in my hand,
A situation, a confrontation that I hadn't planned.
Its just me and myself with these memories,
Of an imperfect angel or heart-breaker at peace.

A past, present and future I hold within
In all of which I seem to break their hearts
Even though memories are erased
This I can see, feel, as a stranger, the things they've faced

A beautiful fairy-tale past filed with innocence,
Without a streak of betrayal, or anything in that sense,
And as that shifted through the test of time,
I felt it decay, shift towards accusations and crime.

Guess what goes around comes right back to you,
So it is now my turn to be used too,
And then too for them my drop of love
And their ocean of love means this world and above.

This college sweetheart that I am is another role,
Let me tell you now that I'm considering another
That of a true lover, of sincere years that'll roll,
Still unsure but knowing I'l break 'something'...just never bother

It has all come down to this lonely night,
Holding proof that I change colors at every sight,
Something I never wanted to be but have become
This monster desperate for love, for more that's yet to come.

As the words burn, marking my present,
Keeping the future unraveled, the love to be lent,
I found out the price a heart-breaker has to pay
 Is an aching heart, insecurity and ignorance to what my victims have to say.

The Irony of the Curse

On the auspicious eve of the night that happens only four years once, a baby girl was born in a poor village. The night air carried a hidden hymn in its gentle breeze and the blue orchid tree blew its petals into the barn where she was born.  She was named Hope for it had been almost twenty years since the tribe, on the brink of extinction, heard the cry of a baby. There were just seventeen members in the tribe and ten were appointed by the Priest himself to take care of her. There wasn’t any measurement as to how much the people loved her; they all held her in the softest blanket and gave her all the comforts while they endured nature’s rage that rocked the village.

                But something started happening the very second month she was born. The huge barn were she was born turned in to the most feared building for every month unfortunate events occurred there. Out of the ten members who looked after her, one would be found hung from the neck in the barn with the first rays of the morning sun. No one could figure out why it was so... or how it came to be. With people decreasing every season, the Priest looked in to the holy scriptures and came to one conclusion. Hope was cursed till her first birthday. She might wipe off their tribe’s existence entirely yet she was to be treasured for she was the future of their ethnicity. Having known death was at their doorstep, the Guardians still held her close to their bosoms. Hope laughed merrily with the chirping birds of the summer, she hummed with the autumn harvest and watched with curiosity as the village started wearing a deserted look. It was November and December was just around the corner but the custom death did not take place in the barn…yet.

                Celia changed Hope’s blanket one last time, dressed herself and took Hope out into the front porch where she steadily rocked her to sleep. Hope pointed to the blue orchid tree and Celia saw Haworth walking around it. She smiled at him shyly and he returned her smile as he walked away. Haworth was a warrior of their tribe and Celia had grown up with her eyes daunting at his direction always. Soon after December she was to marry him, as soon as Hope would be in the next Guardian’s hands. The frozen orchids where thawing when the Priest called out her name. She hurriedly followed him to the barn and paused. She didn’t need to open the door fully to know what was behind it. But she had to know who it was. Usually the person who landed up there was the current Keeper of Hope. But this time it was someone else for she knew that she was alive. One glimpse at the hanging corpse and she knew it was her childhood friend who had taken her place. “She’s the Seventh” whispered the Priest as he held her hands and tightened them over Hope.  Celia nodded and quietly walked away as the other Guardians looked as her with despise. Why was she left out of the cycle??

                The nights rolled into the next month and every hour the Guardians clutched their hearts as the curse silently grinned over them. Celia spent all the time with Hope, caring for her as if she was her own and mourned to Haworth over the losses of the tribe. He would plainly hold Hope while she dried her tears but Hope would shriek so much that she’d have to take her back. Finally the month ended and Celia unable to part with Hope reluctantly gave her over to the next Guardian. With that act, fear was the only thing she and the other Guardians felt. This meant one of them was next.  While the night was still young, a soul crept into the big barn and lit a candle. Celia braved against the blizzard and followed the dark figure and right into the Barn. There she hid fully aware that her end might be near, maybe right this night and mostly right now. The cloaked figure set the noose and waited in the dark and Celia too waited. Who was he waiting for? Or will something just place him into the noose? It was a mystery… still. Then the cry of Hope made her gasp and she knocked down couple barrels.  Scared to death she turned around and stared right into the eyes of a murderer. Haworth stood towering tall, a butcher’s knife in hand. 

                Celia inched backwards as she fit the pieces together. There was no curse, there was no mystery. Haworth had been behind it all. His secret was now known and they had been already gaining upon him ever since he decided to leave his fiancé out of the cycle. Now he couldn’t afford the risk.  No wonder Hope cried in his arms...why couldn’t she smell the blood stains? Celia pleaded for her life but she knew how this would end as the knife reached deep into her heart and silenced her pleas. The blizzard covered the voices, the tracks and the injustice as the barn door closed for the night. Next morning, the blue orchid tree was covered in a snowy blanket as Hope pointed at it. The Keeper cuddled her as from behind it Haworth waved at Hope. The priest called and the Keeper duly rushed. Inside the barn hung Celia. Hope still pointed at the blue orchids… and the mystery still remained one for all those who lived. And for the rest, who disappeared behind the curtains of time… it was nothing but the irony of the curse.  

A Doll's Heart

The time that I faltered,
Couldn't do a thing,
I had to be altered
For I had a broken wing.

I knew the world around me,
Saw its colors pass me by,
But all I could do was see,
And nothing else, I had no idea why.

The world thought it was my end,
For nothing except life remained,
I was a doll, unable to love, or to bend,
 Maybe a lifeless figure, hopeless that it pained.

Then too, through the endless pain
I saw you near me, straining
To bring me back to you, all in vain
You were blue, like them dark clouds raining

I saw what you felt,
I found your love for me
And even this doll's heart did melt
And I was the person what I should be

Now with you there's no day
My life seems shaped by you
And there's no way to pay
For people who love me like you, my Midnight Sun are few...

The Cry of the Cat

Ever heard the cry of a cat? Or ever noted when it cries? I’ve heard it a couple of times, and every time I did, it sounded like babies were crying without stopping for hours. Monotonous, low pitched screeches are all that you can hear… always a while before the wolves howl at the moon,  always a bit before my heart pounds and… always a bit before it strikes midnight.

                It was New Year’s Eve and the town buzzed with excitement. People were crawling all over the place and all the restaurants were open. Even the most deserted lane seemed lit with the light from the firecrackers adding color into the pitch black sky. On such a night, I was out with my friends, gallivanting about town, stuffing down as much junk food into my system as possible. My friends and I were planning on a bike ride after the club and so I had to get the keys from the apartment. I hurried to the back side of the club where my place was, climbed up the stairs and then grabbed the keys and headed out. The night air was chill as I pulled my jacket around myself closer. The sound of my heeled boots came to a stop when I finally reached the backdoor of the club and looked up. The moon looked so meek in front of the city lights.  Thank God, it was just 11:30pm.... i wouldn't have missed much. As the minute hand slowly inched closer to twelve, I walked out from a crowded club to pick up a call. I heard my own voice echo in to the dark alley that the backside opened into and jumped. And that’s when I heard it, when the call ended at 11:34. The cry of the cat. There were many stories built around this cry and I found water at the corner of my eyes just to think about it. But it was New Year’s. Nothing could possibly go wrong on this night. I stared deep into her eyes, stark yellow or so it seemed. But she was gone with a blink of my eye as I sighed and shrugged it off.  The streets had an eerie feel to them as I wondered where all the crazy people had gone. Leaving all of it behind, I took the steps into the world of partying people. All my friends held hands on the bikes as the count-down began and when it struck 12, there was a blast of life and happiness in the air. But I detected something more…the cry of the cat again that went unheard amongst the hooting and the screaming on the highway.

Throughout, there was that feeling that there were too many symbols for me to ignore. Beggars with brilliant black eyes stared; the dogs curled their tails and ran away from us. I seemed untouched by the night air that previously sent a chill up my spine. Maybe things were different or maybe I was just noticing it all of a sudden after the cat’s cry. I realized something was majorly wrong when we were all mounted on our bikes and tearing through the wind. We were making so much noise; it was impossible for anyone to have ignored us. And yet they did…we escaped some pretty close accidents and like always we fled. That happened every day, but today none of the drivers cursed us and more importantly…we weren’t riding rash. Eventually we did fall off the bikes, but everyone was just bruised and scraped. After that I just needed to call it a night. I was frail hearted maybe to handle all of the adrenaline rush. I made a petty excuse to hit the bed and left my friends where they belonged. Having done that, I headed straight for home. Avoiding the empty lanes I found the safest route home and only when I shut the door behind me did I feel at peace. I checked the time. 12: 15am. If I could amidst all this noise grab at least five hours of decent sleep, it’d be a miracle.

 Five minutes after I had comfortably curled up on the bed, I realized that the only set of keys to the apartment were with me. Which meant I had to stay up till my roommates returned…sigh… didn’t I tell you it’d be a miracle to sleep? I lay in bed for a while trying hard to keep my eyes from closing. Then suddenly I heard footsteps outside and the door knob to the apartment turn. I thought only I had the keys? I had padded up to the hall when the door opened.  Then, in- entered someone I couldn’t believe I was seeing…

The lights flickered on and I stared at myself. I saw my own self in flesh walk into the hall, past me and into the room. The lights went on again there and the other me snatched the keys off the table and headed out again. I followed, confused, desperate and moreover shocked. When I did reach there I waited in the dark alley looking at the fake me for a while. I watched myself enter the club and out again.  My eyes searched all over for the time and I found it through the red neon sign above the club. I couldn’t believe what I saw because up there glowing bright was the time reading 11:33pm. I shrieked out in shock when it moved up a minute to 11:34 and at the same time multiple things happened. The other me looked straight into my eyes as she lowered her phone, and my own voice? It came out like that of a cat crying. 

If only I were the Chief Minister....

A single road paved with pine trees lead,
Into the world of fame, progress and greed.
But swayed by these riches, I will not,
follow the path of my ancestors and what they sought.

My hands hold the truth of many,
My voice is the union of the folk I see,
Surrounded with their love, I grow into what they want me to be,
Though others bet I'm like the rest, working for a penny.

If i had that immense power in my hands,
I would respect it, survey all my lands,
Turn them into pastures from rock ridden sands,
And leave the rest in my fellow farmer's hands.

Even before monsoon arrives and showers pour,
I would command for a roof over households so poor,
Roads will be black stretches, no puddles or holes,
My people then would enjoy the rain with wet soles.

Young ignited minds put me to shame,
Their restless mind soars above high skies,
So with more institutions to nurture I'build with fame,
And beam with awe when my country is on the rise.

I would represent my state in summits,
Would speak for my country men, the just, the rights,
For honesty is a virtue to be earned in bits,
And that would lead my entire nation into a world without fights.

At the end of the day I'd smile exhausted,
Satisfied to have kept my identity at par,
With my people's expectations to the life I led,
Their trust is what changes the world from what we are.

And when I reap what I sowed, it would,
be shared in that union of voices if only it could,
I'd love to make a change as a chief minister,
                        If only i were....

The Final Shift in Emotions

Click to read the second part, Emily's Shifting Emotions

Days passed and Emily tried to catch a glimpse of Parker through his ever-closed window. But all that she saw were the autumn leaves falling like raining fire. It depicted what she felt. She had done what she did by impulse but now she wasn’t feeling good about it.  The more she stared into the mirror the more she felt like she had no idea what she had become after the day she announced Parker was dumb. Things changed after that drastically in school. Christi and Jane made her some sort of idol and she was happy that at east she stayed far from them.  People sought her out instead of her going to them. It sometimes felt good but mostly it felt unreal. The day came when Parker’s curtains were drawn and she spied on him again, this time with good intent to repair any damage she might’ve done. The same boy from the drive was there and Parker had a cast on his head….it didn’t suit him at all. She keenly watched the sign language they used and then out of the blue something struck her…maybe redemption

                She must’ve destroyed all the reputation the Hudson’s had built for their son with her one judgement. Call it sympathy, but she wanted to converse with him and sort it out before he went back to school…like a fair warning.  She watched them regularly and she practiced conversations in front of her mirror and needless to say just the apology conversation. The next weekend she tried communicating with him across the gap that separated their houses and he seemed to understand perfectly. At first he was shocked, but Emily put in all symbols that she could and sometimes even used small writing boards. The fact that he appreciated it, made her learn more of it. Finally, Parker’s cast was off and he was to attend school the very next day. She spoke to him at night and they agreed that they’d meet up before school and walk together.

                Emily had no idea how she spent that night for she was tossing and turning in doubt whether he’d forgive her for breaking his well-kept secret. Somehow the day dawned and she hurriedly got ready for school. Standing in front of the mirror once more, she practiced her apology. Then she pushed her curtains half way and saw Parker head out his room. She too followed instantly.

                When they met, it felt too awkward. She was so used to saying ‘Hi’ or something of that sort but now she was speechless. Emily didn’t understand why he was feeling awkward when she’s the one adapting to his conversational methods. Dry silence prolonged between them and then their phones rang. And what more should happen?  What more emotion would shift? What more can I say when they both picked it up and said “Hello”??

Emily's Shifting Emotions

Click to read the first part, Shift in Emotions

 Emily scurried up her steps as soon as the conversation between Parker and the boy got over and he headed home. The door flew open and her footsteps resounded in the empty house. Her mother looked up from a magazine and asked like she always had

“How was the first day of school Emily?” Before her mother could proceed to ask her about the cafeteria food and the friends she made, Emily curtly replied “Fine” and stomped up the stairs. She slowly closed the door behind her, locking it and then proceeded with her fast pace. She pulled apart the curtains and flopped onto the corner of her bed.

“Ah there you are…  Parker Hudosn, rich kid…but not much to say don’t you?” his bedroom window was just opposite hers and she had a panoramic view of whatever he did as long as the curtains were drawn that is. She yanked open her drawer and her fingers searched for the binoculars while her eyes where still following him.  While she was spying on him, she felt pretty evil but she smiled widely. She muttered a running commentary throughout.

“You wear your headphones all the time so that no one speaks to you! Smarty pants…Hmmm in comes the mother… no conversations…just smiles. So… what other tricks do you have?”

Suddenly Parker Hudson was lost from her vision and she panicked.

“Hey! Where’d you go?” she spoke out loud as she scanned the room. Then just like a jolt of fresh wind that’d knock you off, she caught Parker staring straight at her from across the room.  She pulled hard on the curtains and ducked below the window. After a few minutes, she slowly pushed her head up and twisted her neck like an owl only to see Parker still looking at her.  She hoped with all her hear that he wasn’t offended with her spying. But it was sane if he would be. Her thoughts trailed off to all corners of her mind in the few moments that they stared at each other. Then he gave small smile and waved finally. Thank god thought Emily as she waved back nervously.

                The next day her human alarm, her mother came and shook her up for school. Emily tossed about her comforter and stretched.

“Ah I hate mornings….” She whispered as she walked over to the window and looked around. In front of the Parker’s driveway were a bunch of classy looking imported cars.

“What happened to our neighbors?” she asked her mother who was busy tidying up her room.

“The family met with a small crash after dinner yesterday night. Apparently no one was hurt but Parker Hudson. I guess he goes to school with you? Maybe you should go visit him in the evening.”

Emily looked at her bluntly before looking down at the cars again.

“Mom, the rich guy can’t talk. He’s dumb. Plus I’m still new to town. It’ll look awkward. I have every reason to tie up my sneakers head to school and head right back” she sighed looking at all the curtains of the Hudson’s closed.

At school, well school was as normal as ever not to mention Christi and Jane following their bait. She was walking across the lawn, books held tightly against her chest when they flanked her from both sides.

“We just asked you to pass the chits, not scare him away or create an accident you know” said Christie. Jane chimed in with a “yeah”.

“Guess your background check on him wasn’t complete. He can’t speak a word. He’s dumb.” said Emily still keeping her pace steady while the other two stopped abruptly.

“No way” exclaimed Jane. Emily didn’t know whether that was for the fact that she rightly shoved an insult on their face or for the fact that Parker was dumb.

“Have you ever heard him speak in class, or isn’t he always with those headphones of his and that camera?” she put out a question to both of them. Then she heard Christie shriek in glory.

“Oh My God! Fresh Gossip! Parker Hudson is dumb!” everyone around them froze and started huddling around the two girls while Emily slipped out. She smiled smugly when Jane came around to her side.

“Emily! Wait up… You sure about this?” she asked biting her lip.

“Of course I am, its coming straight from the horse’s mouth!” she said as she shoved the chits into Jane’s hand and walked away. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t feel small anymore, she liked the attitude she developed, the way she walked off while others tagged along. Her emotions were shifting by the day…for good or for worse, read on tomorrow to know! 


Click to read the final part of Shift in Emotions