The Row House- 1

 Perhaps there's a history to every place, and perhaps we just don't realize it yet. Below every house must be the earth whispering tales of the ones who bled into it, tales of the wishes they had and tales that still keep replaying itself ...irrespective of our presence.
                      I entered into a row house; it was the fourth of the set of houses we were checking out to move in. A bunch of us needed a place to crash at after our college and working hours and we were waiting for the place that would click the minute we saw it. But the row house did much more. As I went up the creaky stairs, the power went off and we were submerged in darkness. After a few seconds the generator thrummed to life and we could see again. It was pretty spacious, well furnished and in the back of our minds we thought it'll work. That was until we saw the terrace. Up on the terrace was another room but the scenery was worth it all...The hills rose behind the row house, and we all chattered like the evening birds. Talks on who will stay where and where will we do what convinced the owners that we were up for the deal. And the rate at which we will be renting it out... was a bargain? So it was done... our search ended there.
                     Since I was relatively jobless, I decided to get the keys made for the six of us so that everyone can shift in at their own pace. Once the keys were in my hand, something compelled me to run through the place once again. I knew that there wasn't going to be any second thought about the row house, but it was evening when we checked and my timid friend secretly voiced out that she smelt something weird up there. I wasn't the one to go with such opinions but there was no harm in checking... or was there?
The rooms were empty, and painting work was getting done. The owners were so kind as to let us have our pick with the colors for the walls and as I walked from room to room I was convinced that all the colors of the rainbow were present. Well, we all had different tastes. I said a hello to the workers and made my way up the three floors to the terrace again. The small room was still locked, and i fumbled with the set of keys to find the right one for the lock. I gave up after a while and hoisted myself up on the side walls to just sit and stare at the hills. There was something to them... tranquillity, a peace of mind and a beautiful story to be told.  I got down, held onto the railing and looked down below. And that was when all my peaceful thoughts came crashing down to one word....fear.

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Memory Basket

I've been read before,
I'm crumpling old, but,
I've come to bring fore,
The memories that have been shut.

Knee deep in mud and lost in bliss,
Stealing from cookie jars on toes,
Sealing silly promises with a kiss,
Is how an innocent soul's life goes.

And the later half goes like,
Blackboard math and playground swings,
College books and mountain hikes
Until you become a puppet with strings.

Work holds a thread,
Family tightens the other,
And soon you'll have no time to bother
About what wishes are in your head.

That's that's when you'll glance,
Like you did from school gates once,
At your past and hope for a chance,
To re-live it all, all just for once.

And so before you turn,
Make sure that memory basket,
Is full with moments you'll yearn,
Moments you just cannot forget.

And if you already did,
Its time for me to bid
Goodbye for i'm just,
A poem to read, a must!

.

Herds of Sheep- Answers to Practices

The human race is by definition like a herd of sheep. Someone says it and the someone believes it... and before even you know it, it is a fact. There are a few pages from history that I've read a long time a ago, which speak about the things we're still practicing without knowing the actual need for it. I'm not sure if you would know either but its interesting to look back into our ancestry, so here it goes.
                        Polygamy is practiced even today, and some of us thunk it's unethical. But do you know how it began? During the times when we were at war with empires, the soldiers used to lay down their lives without second thought of family. The widowed women were left with the burden of finance, upbringing and other such matters. To remove those problems, men would take the widows as their wives into their homes and support them. The relation would be termed as the wife, whereas the true reason was something else. Now a days however the reason has changed and polygamy is looked as a way to avoid marriage fall outs due to divorce.
                        I guess we all might have noticed this on the roads while driving or else where. Do the words 'O.K' behind heavy duty vehicles sound familiar? Wait, its mostly accompanied by the words 'sound-horn, sound- please'. The reason is that in those days when the British were the rulers here, our heavy vehicles used to run on kerosene. And to let it be known that only kerosene should be filled in it, the words 'on kerosene' were  painted as 'O.K'. But over the course of time that changed but the words remain till date!
                         The anklet is an ornament that the Indian women wear so often especially in the rural areas... but this has a hidden meaning to it. Back in the days when women were considered assets to the man, she was given no freedom and was constantly under observation. She was restricted to the household and nothing beyond. If a girl was to disobey and leave at any time of the day, the bell son the anklet would denote her presence and the men would track her down and ring her back. It was almost like she was a prisoner with a fancy chain that kept her down. Halfway through the transition the reason was buried and it became a normal ornament. And now is a fashion quotient!
                              These are just a few things that intrigued me but there's so many reasons out there. Start questioning and you'll see what I mean!

Price of Riddance

Looking out beyond the life's window at the void space,
I question myself of my capabilities and problems I face,
Maybe I've gone insane but I really feel that I might,
Be on the verge of doing the wrong instead of the right.

There's no reason to pounce on this new discovered story,
If it is something perpetual then there's no need to worry,
But the guilt for something I've done nestles deeper everyday,
And i'm concerned about the price of riddance to pay.

Though the winds are for and not against my little acts,
Reality will surely kick back with the facts,
Listen to the story and maybe i'm innocent but see closely,
I harbor over a friend, wield my tactics over him fiercely.

The root of this oak tree is that its betraying,
And my weakness: the wrong people I keep on trusting,
Sad to say, always the right people I keep on doubting,
Aren't I confused much? That's why I end up hurting.

Wish there's an end to all this, but its unnecessary to opine.
I see him happy, yet losing himself slowly; my thoughts intertwine,
to know what I'd been and what I've turned into by full
Someone he wouldn't be proud of, as to everyone I''m unfaithful.

Gina, the Worldshifter

Ever felt like this world wasn’t meant for you? No, not like ‘I don’t fit in, I must commit suicide’ types but rather like ‘I belong elsewhere’. That’s exactly the thought Gina would wake up with every morning. The feeling that she could do much better than pull off a successful mask around the mortals; kept haunting her at every part of the day. And try as she might, she regretted being stuck on Earth. It was bound by materialistic laws, forces and tons of conditioning. Gina just couldn’t live with the restricted freedom. They’d keep saying that she was a free soul, free to do whatever she wished and that was so far true… but whatever she wanted to do wasn’t on this earth.

            Years had rolled, but the thoughts were still fresh as she wanted to be a young writer. Others laughed at her, not because she was bad at it; but because she had the potential…to do better. ‘Better than worldly work’ she thought. But her mind was set. Writing was unrestricted. She wasn’t even bothered about writing in the same circles the world walked in. She’d write something new entirely. She had two options now at hand that she weighed carefully. Either she could write about the things that people wanted to read, things that mortals were capable of wishing…that would make her a success. Or she could write of the things she wished. And knowing that she was a separate entity altogether, she had her doubts whether that would click. What she really wanted was to open up the doors to other worlds for the mortals to see. They were so busy running behind the worldly pleasures that what they needed wasn’t possibilities of that same world… they needed an entire new realm. And that was how Gina set off to write of the unimaginable.

            But first, she needed to find her world, the world to show to the people. A lot of thinking would be involved she mused as her thoughts delved back to her dreams that last. Her dreams were the pools of her thoughts. Out here when darkness was the air she breathed in, she could concoct anything, give life to anything. And perhaps it’s the place where her mind wasn’t conditioned. But something was strange… even though Gina wasn’t sound asleep she could dream. And what’s more, she could intervene into the dreams of humans and twist the fabric of their thoughts. She noticed that the pattern was re-occurring and it took her just a few days of brainwashing to figure out a solution. According to her, there were three worlds… the world in which we lived, the heaven and hell where spirits dwell, and our dreams. Gina was full of excitement when she realized who she truly was. She was a Worldshifter. She could move around freely from one world to the next, but be present in the world that humans were aware of. At the very thought of her exploring the vast void and the subconscious, Gina’s lips would curl into a smile. Yes, she wouldn't write of the worlds, no, she would go into their dreams and change their view. To make living better for them. Now life was getting interesting…she only had one life; living it full wasn’t enough for her. But now with three parallel universes to be in, it was worth living.

Look out for Posts with her name as she reveals the worlds we aren’t aware of!


More pages on Gina!

The Dozen- 5

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Neil was told to act instinctively...and unbelievably doing just that was said to free him. In front of him were two people, both of whom he was sure he knew but he couldn't make them out in the cold darkness. Neil glanced back... the guards were hot on the trail but what he also saw was the pitfall up ahead. The three of them watched as a few guards fell into it and the rest proceeded to pursue them.
''Officer! Arrest him!'' They yelled towards Neil. He looked down at his clothes; yes, he was wearing clothes just like them. Neil smiled crookedly. It was time to have some fun.

''Stand back!'' Neil pulled out the gun the guy with the fire tattoo had given and pointed it at the captor.
''Step away from the girl, or I'll shoot you!'' Neil took one step at a time towards the swinging bridge forcing the other party onto it as well. When they were pretty much onto it, the guards were nearing.
''Slash the ropes!'' Neil whispered. The captor slashed it as the guards were about to step onto it. Fiona added a high pitch scream for effect. Then gun shots were heard. The guards froze.
                  The bridge went down, into the swarming foamy waters, but the three of them landed onto a raft. One of the dozen was there, and she quickly took them around the waters and away from the flood. Neil looked up to see the guards check the waters many times. When he reached shore, the complete dozen was there to welcome him.

''Good to have you back Neil!'' Gary clapped his back.
''How did you guys plan this whole thing? I mean it was so well thought of!'' Neil basked in the delight of his friends.
''Simple'' said Mackenzie as she narrated.
''We read through the laws to see if we can haul you out somehow. But unfortunately, the hotel people were framing us, without fault. Someone stole the bottle from Jeremy's room and planted the evidence there. That's when decided to play dirty. A few calls to my uncle and I got us into the station. Rented out uniforms, bribed a few and planned the escape but we were stuck with how to conceal your escape.''
''Thats when Jeremry had to add his dramtic ideas to the plan" said Mark.
"Well I figured to pose you dead would be the best option, but then again we didn't want you dead. It needed to look accidental as well. And since we kinda look alike..'' Jeremy paused as Neil shook his head. ''We staged an encounter of some sort''
''And I helped!" squeaked Fiona
''I got to hand it to you guys for this plan... thanks a lot!"'
''Save it buddy, we got a plane to catch. Lets get out of this dammed place!'' said Brandon which was followed by a ring of cheers.

The next morning the local newspapers ran the headlines of how the brave officer went down with the culprit. Little did they know that they both were alive. By then, the dozen were high up in the sky on the way home. They weren't afraid, nor nervous... let anything come, as long as the dozen stayed together, anything was possible! Anything!

The Dozen -4

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The sky was burning in dark shades when Neil looked out the bars that he was imprisoned in. Moe rain meant the flood's arrival. The officers had given up on him and had scheduled a court meeting with the Chief justice the next day. Neil was excited about the night, how it will begin and end when storm was brewing. If the dozen fail to haul him out, then this flood will. But the instructions were clear and not too heard to follow and Neil knew in the back of his mind that we was going to make it out.
                At half past 8, his dinner came, served by a waiter. Neil thought he knew him, but his skin was tanned so much that it couldn't be anyone form the dozen. Like Mackenzie had written, there was a red vial on the platter, but there was a small one and a big one. Neil was puzzled...the guards that were pacing the length f his cell gazed at him when he paused. All that was written was to drink the vial with the red potion. He opened the bigger one and poured out a drop. It was just red wine... Neil unscrewed the cork of the other and realized that the vial was colored red but the potion was colorless. The Dozen must have planned out something... had they written the wrong instruction? Was he to drink the unknown substance? He closed his eyes and without further thought gulped down the vial of wine. Surprisingly, it didn't taste much like wine. But he trusted the dozen too much to question them. For half an hour after that, nothing happened. Neil was loosing faith and sleep was closing in on him earlier than before. Then the doctor came on rounds.
            Neil didn't know whether he imagined it or not, but he could have sworn that it looked like Mark.
"Its procedure son'' he said when Neil raised an eyebrow at the syringe.But the doctor paid him no attention as he checked his pulse, took a blood sample,whistled to the guards and waked away. After five minutes, the night shift guards came in, shook hands passed some cigars to each other and took up the same duty. But the minute the ex guards climbed up and the footsteps subsided, the guards broke into his cell and shook him up well.
"Neil! We gotta go buddy!" Just follow the corridor and you know the rest" Brandon whispered into his ears while Gary switched Neil's outfit.
"Why would I need.-"
"Just leave man, the alarm's gonna go off anytime." Gray and Brandon pushed him into the dark corridor grasping his old clothes when the alarm went off loud and clear.
             Just like they said, at the end of the corridor there was a man with a fire tattoo. He didn't speak, he just signaled him to follow. The alarm was getting on Neil's nerves now, and he could imagine the lights sweeping the ground above. After what seemed like a long corridor, it ended and opened up into vents and drainage. It ended so abruptly that all that he could see was a hilly terrain.
"That's the swinging bridge. Wait there." He tossed a gun which Neil caught and then he vanished off into the night.
In a fraction of a second, there was movement at the bridge. It looked like a culprit was on the run and a few officers were following him. In the dark, he could make out that he was dragging a girl with him.
"Hey! Wait right there!" Neil ran down the rocks and bushes, and caught up with the criminal. That was when Neil realized that the girl held captive was Fiona. Neil threw a wicked smile as she winked at him.

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The Dozen-3

Read to know what you missed out on of The Dozen!

 The officers of the small town up on the mountain were eying Neil with persistent grudges. The room was tiny and smoky with the exotic cigars they smoked.
''I've told you, I didn't do that. The old man is confused. Ask him to give his statement again and it'll be framed around another guy.' rushed Neil, who usually held his temper really well.
'Well i think you better start confessing, because the old man, the receptionist, the guests have all given their witness reports that it was definitely you. Plus, we don't want the flood to free you out of prison' One of the officers said on his way out.
'That's just not fair.' Neil relaxed back into his chair and closed his eyes. The sound of the metal gates creaking open made him look up. Another female officer had come in.
''Sir, you're wanted by the Chief Justice. We just got a fax.'' She spoke in the local language and held out the fax. The officer grabbed it, rounded his small troop.
''Keep an eye on the subject till the commander comes.'' and then he was out. She merely nodded while Neil watched the turn of events.

''Neil! God it was so hard to get in'' Neil stood up, mouth open as the lady officer removed her cap and the sunglasses.
''Mackenzie? How did you?'' he shrieked.
''You bet I am, trying to get you out of this mess!'' she dug her hand into her pockets and fished for something.
''I can't believe you came to get me! How are the others holding up?'' he spoke hurriedly.
''Neil? They're fine okay? Listen I've got no time, here take this. Follow the instructions. We've got it under control, just follow it k? And trust us buddy, we're gonna get you out.'' She pushed something into his hands and he hid it. When she was fixing her cap they heard heavy footsteps.
''Remember, nightfall by the swinging bridge'' Neil looked at her confused as the commander walked in. She saluted him and left, winking at Neil before climbing up the steps.

'Boy, you better admit the crimes, because hard evidence just came in.'' he paused and continued,
''A broken bottle of champagne was found at the crime scene, and we traced it down to your friends who stole it from the hotel property. Now I don't know about your laws but here, you're responsible for the Dozen.''
''Tell me, what's my motive behind trying to kill this rich guy?'' asked Neil, he just had to waste time till nightfall.
''For his money of course? And I'm not telling its you, I'm telling you're in charge of a group which was equally involved in this attempted murder. How else could you have done it past the security of the hotel?''
'' I paid for this entire trip! That cannot be my motive. With all due respect sir, we're better of doing other things.''
                After hours of questioning, the commander went out and left him in that tiny empty room. Neil pulled out the chit and unfolded it.
''Drink the vial with the red potion. Follow the officer with the fire tattoo. Wait by the swinging bridge. Whatever happens next, act instinctively. Be yourself Neil and watch out for the dozen at every step''. Neil tore it up and threw it out the window. They'd better hurry, the flood was swarming through the country but Neil didn't know how the Dozen were planning on taking advantage of that?

Wanna see what happens next?

Scarlet

Through the glossy crystal stands a figure,
Sturdy, head tilted, filled with zeal and vigor,
Face not scarred, knees never skinned before,
Its liquid eyes brimming with the uncertainty of the identity it once bore.

Innocent lips and wide gaze scanned the world with awe,
Like a blooming crimson petal, best anyone ever saw,
Flashed a charming smile irrespective of friends or foes,
Unaware of betrayal, sarcastic laughs, puns or woes.

To resent living was par with not loving what you are
It hurt enough when she lost the way back to herself
Attempts to deny wrong, weakness would engulf,
Speeches of bravery lead to throat lumps, cold wars.

War heroes watched the battlefield fill scarlet,
But she had secret scars caressed with tears wet,
When they walked out into dangers for the county,
She lunged out from her cocoon to be wild and free.

With winds of seasons and tides of the crescent moon,
She has grown immaculate, almost from a boon
The boon of reality goddess of destiny upon her granted,
Because of which she viewed the world undaunted.

Fingertips run over her skin in search of those scars,
While she laughed amongst her true allies,
Basking in delight of the time earned souls and besides,
Her fraility cascaded those high bars.

A single wraith withered rose, cheated, raided yet experienced larger
When She, I look into a mirror I see a solider.

The Dozen -2

 Read how it all started! The first page of The Dozen

Brandon looked at Jeremy with one cruel look.

“It was just a bottle of champagne! That’s not even shoplifting, how can it be murder?” Jeremy whispered in a coarse voice. Brandon continued to hold his stare.

Meanwhile, the officers had cuffed him and gotten him into a weird police truck and driven off.

“He’s under observation. We’ll keep you posted” This was the only thing the two big guys spoke of. After they left, the receptionist scanned them and walked away. The eleven of them looked at each other in silence. Out stepped Briana and put her hands on her hips.

“Okay, spit it out. We know Neil wouldn’t do such a thing. So who did?” she asked.

“Did what? That isn’t clear to me in the first place.” Gary shook his head as a bee buzzed near his head.

“I’ll tell you.” They all turned to look at Mackenzie who hadn’t spoken a word in this trip.

“An old rich guy was found injured in the courtyard at 5 A.M this morning. He swears he saw someone who looked like Neil try to strangle him during his early jog.  And since we’re the ones who checked in last night, we’re like default suspects.” She went back to chewing her bubble gum.

“And how do you know all this?” asked Mark.

“I have my sources, being nocturnal helps you know?”

            Through the babble that followed Mackenzie’s announcement, Jeremy and Brandon stood still. Here were all of them, on an island, without Neil. Because he’d been arrested for some modification of the crime Jeremy committed. Jeremy sighed.

“Okay. I have a confession!” yelled Jeremy, hiding his face.

“You did it?” Fiona pushed others aside.

“I what? No?! I just stole a bottle of champagne in the corridor last night. That was all.” It just flowed out like a rhyme.

“Aww Jeremy? Can’t you keep your hands to yourself here at least?” Gary prayed to Jesus in silence.

“Give the damn thing back, lets het Neil back.” said Brandon.

“We’ll check the courtyard.” Mark, Gray, Mackenzie and a few others left to the scene of the crime. Jeremy went in for the bottle and Brandon and Fiona were out talking.

            “What complaint did this guy give anyway?” asked Fiona.

“That Neil wanted his money and we all plotted to murder him.”

“That doesn’t match. We are all here by coincidence. He just stated us as accessory to ‘attempted murder?’ He doesn’t have anything to prove that we did it.” Brandon finished.

Right at that time Jeremy burst out the cottage door.

“I’ve searched everywhere. I can’t find it. I’m doomed! We’re all doomed!” Jeremy was clearly panicking.

“You won’t!” said Mark. The other set had come back from the crime scene.

“Because it’s at the crime scene behind those yellow barrier tapes…broken and covered in blood.”

“There’s your link to the attempted murder” said Mackenzie.

            They all stood shocked. Neil was there without reason; taking the blame thinking it was for the dozen. They had to get him out. But the evidence was against them, and time was ticking. They majorly needed to get planning for a prison break… for Neil. 


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The Dozen- 1

The summer sun seared its way through the canopy of trees of the huge rainforest. From up above, one could barely make out a dozen dotted figures making their way into town. Their backpacks were just about their own size and the holiday t-shirts they wore clearly labeled them as foreigners.

“Are we there yet? My back is peeling from the tan!” Fiona looked up from her hat at the path ahead. The three boys turned to look at her.

“If you’re so worried then you didn’t have to join our adventure” replied Mark. The rest of the dozen kept squelching the mud under their boots, trying to make progress. A flood was wiping out the civilizations in the country; the hotel that was sheltering them politely asked them to make a move. However they gave directions and a map referring another hotel so maybe it was compensated. But the only path was walking, and the river routes were impossible to maneuver, they had ended up cutting through the dense forest, hoping it was the shortest route. Finally after a day’s travel, they crawled up the steps to the reception.

“Hi, six rooms please for a dozen” Neil the eldest of the twelve put down his card on the polished desk.

The receptionist lowered her glasses, looked past Neil’s shoulder at the dirty customers and back at her monitor. The ceiling fan croaked while she tapped their names into the list or at least pretended to.

“Do we have a problem?” Neil flaunted his thin plastic card. She paused and then like a switch turned on, her smile turned on. Meanwhile the rest of them were grazing in the lobby.

“Oh yes, of course… the dozen; Mr. Gibbs already told me.” She came out from her imprisoned desk.

“This way please…”  Neil turned to see that Fiona was the only one in the room.

“Guys we got the room, come on!” Neil sighed happily; being the shepherd to this crazy gang was fun.

            They trailed off behind the receptionist who was giving the tour of the place on her toes the whole time. The hotel was pretty cliché, but the cottages were done in really well. It was on top of a hill and they had a good feeling that the flood wasn’t going to reach up till here to grab them. The dozen chattered the whole way, so much that some guests opened their doors to check them out.

“Pretty nice huh?” Brandon asked digging his elbow into Jeremy. They both were the last of the lot, lagging behind to explore the place themselves.

“Wow man, check out this basket! Champagne fit for the king!” he said taking one and assessing it. Brandon whistled low.  Jeremy looked all around, and slowly unzipped his jersey, stifling the bottle inside.

“Dude what are you doing? Put it back man, you’re going to get us into some serious problems” said Brandon obviously worried for the rest of them.

“Chill out Brandon, think of it as… complimentary; laid out for the guests by the management of the hotel. Let’s hurry we’re losing them.”

            Next morning at 4 the six cottages heard a loud knock on their doors.  Neil stepped out wrapped in a robe. The receptionist was there, a stern look on her face. Gary popped out from behind just as two officers popped out from behind her.

“Woah…what’s all this about?” whispered Gary eyeing the guns strapped onto their belt. By now everyone was out on the lawn crowing around him.

“I have no damn clue…”replied Neil as the three approached.

“Neil?”

“Yes?”

“You are under arrest for attempted murder


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Dèjà Vu

Head's pounding with the echoes of voices
While the feeling of dèjà vu washes over me,
Even though I had made different choices,
I've come back to earth with harsh gravity.

I stood there while the accusations were made and,
I promised myself before that this wouldn't happen,
But still it has, because I keep lending a helping hand,
Never do I seem to learn from answers for how, why and when.

So again I hold my heart to keep it from breaking,
But it hurts more as the flashback pops in,
On comparing the scenario with this suffering,
I feel the grasp over my fragile heart loosen.

Last time, victim or criminal? I myself had the doubt,
But now I know and will stand up for myself,
And voice it out before my dignity comes crashing out,
Under the bricks of trust that I earned for myself.

So I won't lie to myself and admit these crimes,
So that the true criminal can walk free,
So that in his laughter I can burn many times,
And regret the blame I bore to keep him from being guilty.

No matter how you see it, the world is round,
And no matter who you trust they'll still keep reminding,
and assuming what you portray with your every sound,
Only to make everyday a dèjà vu that you're living.

Nursery Rhymes- Decoded Messages

We have all gone through that phase of life when nursery rhymes were so dear to us and every time we finished learning one, we felt like we had accomplished something. They were the only mountains in our kindergarten classes we had to climb. Nursery rhymes have been recited all over the world by children and hence handed down  by the word of mouth. They play an important role in introducing the child to the tools of the language.
Rhymes like the Itsy-Bitsy spider teach the child hand-eye so-ordination or multi-tasking. Even our favorite 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' is used to relate the sounds to the right animal. But did you know that Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Twinkle little star both had the same tune? Well, that's not all that's hidden.
                  Nursery Rhymes are forms of coded messages of the political events and historic eras. Some of them take a gruesome turn such as the simple Jack and Jill. Originally Jack is colloquial for King Louis who was beheaded in the ancient ages. This is symbolized in the poem by "lost his crown". His Queen is said to have followed the same fate and so does the poem go. "Came tumbling after". Ring a Ring a Roses preserves the memory of the great plague of England that lashed out many lives. The roses or posies were held under the person's nose to prevent them from catching the plague. 'A tishew' refers to sneezing or that the person has already got the plague. And soon afterwards?... we all know how it ends...'We all fall down' (fall down dead that is).
                   Similarly, Humpty Dumpty, London Bridge all have tragic histories behind them. Yet we teach our innocent children such complex and negative rhymes without realizing what we're putting into their head. Is it right? Well, i'll let you decide on that.

She'd Shed (Ebony & Ivory)

Glancing in each other's direction with doubt,
Across the crowd but they always stood out.
They were two worlds, impossible to find,
Two people who love wasn't supposed to bind.

She said "His beating heart was my lullaby,
As I walked the streets, his pace I tried to match.
Every night, I wanted to end in his voice,
But he never held my hand as tight as I did."

But he "Palest rose, turned red only under my touch, smile,
Sat speechless listening, craving for her voice,
Love to let her thin cold hands hold mine,
Hoping that I'd hold then forever, lost in thought."

She "My valiant hero, anyone against him a stranger to me,
Imagined happy endings over and over,
Each special song with him to spend,
As the notes struck my heart, so did his faint voice."

And he "Can't hold a sword, but will draw blood,
If anything, even the past comes to harm our future,
She forced on me her desperate wishes,
Why listen to a song when we created our own melody?"

 She said "He walked out like a midnight shadow,
Our of my, now starless sky and into unknown,
Where I lost him amongst that crowd there,
Only because I held him tight, little too much."

He "Well I let her go, for she didn't deserve this wait,
the cruelty of this coward who couldn't place,
the path to pave to make her mine forever,
and there she stands, smiling because of me."

She said "I smile to keep my promise,
'Whenever you shine, I'll shine for you'
And I smile because I let him survive alone.
Maybe 'we' were a fantasy that I believed in utterly."

He said "And I smile to see those eyes light up again,
Never thought she would exist without me by her side,
But somehow, deep inside regretting that I wouldn't be
the one who catches the tears she'd shed for me."

Human After All

A pair of brown hands silently crept up the glass window. Slowly, it fogged up with his uneven breathing. Outside, thunder rolled into the sky and he watched it silently as a few drops of rain seemed to fall on his hands. His eyes watered lightly at the corners as his hand bleed crimson…bleed with blood that was not his. A siren brought him back to the present and shook away his reoccurring vision of bloody hands. Time was scarce; he must leave at once before they close in on him.

            He recollected the last 30 minutes of his life while he stuffed his bare essentials into a bag and prepared to go. It seemed just like yesterday when he met her and time hadn’t flown with her around. She had kept him frozen in that moment they met for almost two years now. But lately she was acting different, and he felt time pass him by. What was not there in his life to lament about other than his own feelings...his curiosity and impatience to know more about her worries… or secrets? Every time he tried to sort it out, she would shake her head and dismiss the issue with a smile. But that would only make amends for a day or two before he popped up the same questions. Doubt crept in after a month…he was after all human. Tonight he just couldn’t take it. 

            He remembered himself, the way he stormed into the house and stood towering tall over her. She took a look at his loosened tie, un-tucked shirt and swaggering posture as she registered that he had come home to her drunk. Something she never liked. As she got up to leave, he asked her

“What is it that you’re hiding from me?” She maintained her space and still managed to smile when she replied.

“I was waiting till tonight to tell you, but I don’t want to tell anymore. Not like this. It’s not how I imagined it” She made a move but he blocked all her possible exits. She didn’t put up a fight but rather smiled again and tried to leave. But he wasn’t going to wait any longer. He was going to force it out of her, make her come back to him; be the way he was before someone new entered into their perfect life. Alarmed at his sudden behavior her eyebrows crinkled up as she tried to get away. He slowly pulled out a gun from the back of his belt and held it up to her temple.

            She struggled in his arms and gave up trying. Right when she was going to say it out and end all the confusion and impulsiveness in his head the trigger went off and there was blood on the new white walls. The shot drew him back into the world and left him ashen. What had gone wrong, she wasn’t supposed to die. The gun wasn’t to fire; he hadn’t loaded it…or did he? Afraid to look down he drew his eyes on her and quickly shut them.  She wasn’t to leave him with that painful look on her face. He went weak in his knees and bent down on the bloody floor. Her fingers pointed at something and wiping his tears he followed it to the couch. On it was a neat envelope that he smeared red while trying to pull out the contents. The doctor’s report only made him cry more and hate himself to the core. He pulled her to him and slowly caressed her stomach, where the second soul he killed lay unaware of existence. How could he have done such a crime? The lights went on in the opposite apartment for someone must have heard the shots.

That was what he watched as the guilt didn’t let him go. It kept reminding him of the blood that wouldn’t wash off from his hands. Kept reminding him of what he had lost with just his nature. He looked at her again, the way she sprawled over the carpet they picked out together. He had to leave; everything in this place reminded him of what a pathetic person he was. And moreover it reminded him that he was human after all an impulsive one at that. The siren kept him on this toes forever and he could run from that, but not from his guilt. Some say the case closed after he shot himself, some say her spirit haunted the life out of him. But there are very few who say,

“I wish I had his life, wish I had that love, but wish I’ll not be human enough to do what he did”

To be Young Again

I wonder what this is, that greatly perplexes me,
All the stars embark on a whizzing journey, I can't see,
Everything looks new, has a tinge of flavor to the world,
A brilliant crimson carpet to a new place is out, rolled.

The outside world is amazing, arcane and bewildering,
It urges me to explore it, abandoning other worries shouldering
Full of surprise and mysteries unraveled, all to me imploring,
Yet it does not look so friendly, sometimes even deploring.

All I've ever wanted was to be free and I thought,
Growing up was the way, at that age, wisdom couldn't be bought.
Waited impatiently to grow tall, double over the age,
Fluttered my wings about in ecstasy, all being in a cage.

It was not long before I realized what I had left,
The new faces bored into me, I was so deft,
Soon the wishes to be "free" vanished far out of sight
The steps I ascended seemed to increase in height.

The more I tried to run down, more rapid was the growth,
I couldn't be younger anymore, all I did was loathe,
For the life that I lived, it wasn't in a cage,
But was in serene heaven free from rage.