There were ways and there are ways
Ways chosen by you, and when ways choose you
Different from the usual ways
Or the most crowded ways, which everyone takes
The pathways to leading to a way
Erratically, frantically, rushing towards the common way
You are just another one amongst the crowd
Crowded ways, where you do not get a foothold
Barely managing to be pushed along the way of beaten path
An addiction, to find the seemingly easier way
For, our minds have become concrete, like the pathway
Concrete thoughts of about the way of the world
Trampled dreams and losing the way, leading nowhere
A distant goal, which is more like a hallucination
We sway this way and that way, influenced by the common ways
Becoming wayward, and dropping off midway
Clichéd as it may seem- ‘to take the road less traveled’
It’s now time to carve a new way, which is your way
Trust your instincts, and walk away on the pathway, to reach your destination




© Amitav (Radiance)

Sometimes the utterly ridiculous makes absolute sense*~Amitav

In proximity love may not thrive
Right foundation to build Love
It’s not like castles in the air
Love bridges the distant hearts
Connecting the two souls to unite
Expectations strangulate Love
It is not a silhouette of two
Love is the light that glows within
Not a fabrication of scheming minds
Trust the depth of Love and delve deep
Unsure if you are, stay away from it
Don’t taint the sanctity of Love

Today, I dip the pen in ink
The golden tip of the pen nib glistening
Waiting to write the memoirs of us
Yearning to sketch the intimate moments
Creating motifs of love, passion and surrender
With every drop of ink, the pen becomes bolder
As there are different hues of ink
Reflecting the various moods that we experienced
Essaying the most passionate drama
Where we are the only protagonists
Revealing each amorous Act
Until the writing reaches a crescendo
And the last Act of the drama takes us to a new high

*Amitav

Sketching the life’s anecdotes
With a heavy charcoal pencil
Weight of regret trudges along
Smudging the present feelings
The lines of the palm are hidden
Behind thick darkness of charcoal
Haze of blackness colors everything
Regrets leave an indelible mark
Hard to erase the deep trail of regret

Perched upon the window sill
Trying to figure out the gestures
Of the silhouettes of the night  
Eventful day is away in back-stage
Now the stage is set for the night
Even a whisper reverberates
The night winds lend me their ears
As I sit alone on the window sill
Narrating the events of the day

How much of the visible
Do we really understand
Really deciphering
What’s happening around us
Or, do we take a clue from past
Of what we knew
And try to link it with present
Ever contemplated
Whether we are right
If every day brings change
Faced with new challenges
Are we ready to take them on
Or relegate them as trivial
And continue with usual
Where our comfort lies
It’s always been
Why should it be different
Details lie in the invisible
Which we ignore
So much we see of everyday
Yet, are we aware
Of what really is

Turning the pages of the book
Reading between the lines
Full of mental notes jotted down
Dog eared pages in between
Reminder of the favorite passages
Leather bound covers
Held the secrets of the words
Reading them many times over
Yet the mind is insatiable
Reading all over again, cover to cover

The known faces of felony
Shockingly, trampling trust
Heinous minds at work
Annihilating the sanctity
Of relationships blatantly
Known faces, yet strangers
Encroaching on innocence
Putting out the flames of hope
Even before it lights up the world

Are we hiding behind a mask
not willing to come face to face
with ourselves, and others
why hide behind a face
and not reveal the heart
no heart to dwell
and fear of facing
or have we created
a world around a world
which should have been
now the only reality
hiding behind our lies
or the reality we perceive
why, how and so many questions
not yet found the answers
perplexed by the paradox
are we not allowed to know
or live in the dark
and just continue as it is
we are not what may have been
as we are not aware
of what we actually are
so, the mask
always with one
for different occasions
never the real face

When the world is full of strife
And words are launched as missiles
To devastate the beauty of the soul
Everyone’s paradise will be barren
One day nature will be forlorn
No one will be there to appreciate beauty
Struggling within to deal with pain
Then the community of poets wakes up
Seeing with their sharp instinct and intellect
To alleviate the pain, with words of love
Acting as a balm over the wounds
Poets can see beyond the usual
And deliver the sublime messages
Not poetry for poetry’s sake
But poetry for the world to regale
Mirrors of words which shows beauty
Bringing back everyone closer wonder
Realizing heart’s can endure so much

In a poet’s world there’s no frugality with words.* - Amitav

The cosmic harmony
Sounds, out of tune
Mediator between souls
Now, jarring notes
Senses are numbed

The sweltering mood
cuts through the nippy weather
calm moments in despair
flirting with danger
at the risk of being burned
hoping to rise from the ashes
to take flight
towards the warm embrace
the ***** heaves a sigh

When you see pain in the eyes
Look at the stars high above
Winking at you in anticipation
Piercing the darkness around them
they burn bright all the time
Little jewels adorn your soul
for you need to look in the darkness
and wink back at the stars
And you found your way
across the dark patches of life
with the help of the stars

The mere thought of the impossibility of achieving the impossible is so daunting that we leave out the possibility of trying out the possible means, by which we may try to achieve the impossible.- *Amitav

Continually looking beyond you
Wandering and losing the way
The eyes adapted to look outward
Keeping an eye on the whole world
Forgetting to glance within you
Eyes open to the whole world
But closed to the beauty within
The life that awaits your attention
What lies within reflects in the eyes
Capture the beauty everywhere
Eyeing the love that’s all around

Water is boiling
In goes the tea leaves
Plain water no more
Distinct aroma wafting-
Dried leaves get new lease
To show its true color-
A light golden brew
Leave settling down quietly
Slowly at the bottom
A sense of contentment
As the brew is ready
In few minutes
A golden drink
Whose aroma is intoxicating
Swirl it in the mouth
Waves of freshness
Sweeps away the tiredness

The sequestered stream
Flowed to meet the river
Its soft murmur is healing
To ears that longed solace
Drinking the sparkling water
Quenches the thirsty soul
A tryst with calmness
Revives the weary soul

Do we make reality so fearsome
That we have to run away from it
Why this inherent phobia of reality
That we have to cower before it
Whereas the lies we tend to believe
And create a web of life around it
Reality is not an illusion
It’s how we perceive the world around us
In reality, kindness prevails
In reality, we owe allegiance to integrity

Ink runs through me
Keeping me alive
Muse resides in my soul
And the pen bleeds
Sketching my emotions
Memoirs on paper
Can’t ever be expunged

We walk into every walk of life
We have to meet with an open mind
Not clenching our hands
But extending our handshake
We are all connected, part of the humanity
It’s one heartbeat of the residents
Of this celestial body, we inhabit
We receive or reject the invisible signals
We call them vibes, sometimes they align
Understanding this multitude of emotions
From the inhabitants of this common ground
An open mind gives the space to analyze
Differences in the common species
Rituals, cultures, beliefs, faith
Different, yet part of this humanity
We thrive in finding a commonality
Looking at the bigger canvas, we feel the camaraderie
We walk together, with our friends from all walks of life
We walk in this cosmic space
And uphold the spirit of this celestial body

Under the empty night sky
So many moon gazers waiting for a glimpse
Playing hide n seek in the clouds

So many words leave you meandering
When brevity can take you home faster

In one-to-one with silence
there is an unknown language
which does the talking
otherwise drowned
in everyday languages
not the mind
but the soul does the talking
a vortex which pulls you in
towards the you, within
unknown for a long time
the one that lived, neglected
let silence prevail
as there is so much potential
to be in touch
with the world within
which needs devotion
a prayer, in silence
bring you back to yourself

Life has chosen you to contribute
And be a part of this beautiful journey
We, with our fellow travelers
Faced with so much history
And the numerous things that go on
It is the choices which propel us
To the future which is differentiated
From the past, because of us
The consequences staring at us
We have to have a sense of purpose
That reflects our hope and drive away fears
Everyday will be a new journey
Till we reach our destination

An endearing heart in adversity
Always giving love a chance
Many trying to wean you away
Integrity and gratitude spells magic
Helping you to be on track
As a traveler, fulfilling your dream
A life well traveled

The propensity of the seductive mind
Starting a game so amorous
Passions clasping hands in embrace
Games of hide and seek of the soul
The lovers unaware of the world outside
Deepest passions reach a mercurial high

© Amitav

In anonymity the brook flows
Walking along the woods
Faint gurgling sound reaches me
Lodged in the quaint corner
The sparkling water winks at me
Glistening with playful sun rays
Peeping among the swaying leaves
Adorning the woods with its glitz
Its flamboyance is mesmerizing
Chattering with so much glee
Even the pebbles seem to be alive
My feet feel the cold embrace
Cleansing the fatigued traveler’s woe

Driven by the same desires
Trying to outdo time
Dying to achieve the bounty
Racing through the tracks
Rash driving, causing crashes
Simple desires, not simple anymore
Indifferences and lack of emotions
Relationships drifting away
Melting like the glaciers
Submerging in the icy cold waters
Human bonding seems to be fragile
Ragged threads giving away to the weight
Everyone fighting a battle within
Imaginary demons slaying the soul
If only we could salvage the remaining
Not being in the race against time
Taking a path which suits us
For we are destined to a certain amount
Not more, not less; enough to balance
Our life is precious, join the adventure
But not the adventure to outdo fate
Desire to live, without the external pressures
Taking out time to love enough
For love is never enough, no matter how much we share

Don’t act on
What you have heard
Until you have listened
Carefully

Words penned centuries ago
Comes alive each time we read
Taking us back to that moment
Holding hand of those words
And time travelling to the past era
Showing us vivid imageries
Of what the writer has gone through
Inspirations, triumphs, failures, heartbreaks
Solitude, travels and an insight to his world
Connecting with the soul
Through the words penned in indelible ink
Each page, a revelation
Still living in words and within the pages
Faint heartbeat of the distant past
Reverberates in each composition
Immortal through the words
And still holding the rich legacy
Antique words, relevant even today

The obvious obfuscates the mind,
The obvious sometimes we not read;
The obvious, from we dare not veer;
The obvious is always so ubiquitous,
The obvious is what misses the mark,
The obvious, from we always try to hide;
The obvious fails to ring a bell of caution,
The obvious is what we choose not to see,
The obvious, we see through tainted glass.
The obvious reason we miss out on truth;
It is obvious of our nature to create our own,
The obvious cannot always mar our perception;
The obvious is not so obvious, like an apparition,
Mistaking the obvious for a hallucination;
And not dwelling on the obvious, but everything else.


© Amitav (Radiance)

Whisper the words
And they will be audible
To those willing to listen

A poet's euphoric moment when the words and verses are perfectly entwined*- Amitav

Distilling the thoughts
Brings out the raw feelings
Most potent words
Brings out the sublime expressions
Feelings and words in synergy
Once behind the shadows
Get to see the light
The blank paper absorbs the ink
Echo of the heart
Creates an indelible impact
Dance of words
Worth a watch

True philosophy is to respect every being
It's in the everyday life that we encounter
We share knowledge to empower everyone

The words do not scream
It’s the inner turmoil
Which blasts out the words
Fired like missiles
Landing on opponent’s heart
Desecrating the feelings
Why such vitriol
That can burn everything
Another war of words
For words come easy
To wipe out precious feelings

Breeze, just ******* away
As I lay scattered along your pathway
As dry as the leaves, fallen from trees
Worthy no more, as I have lost my sheen
No more connected to the branches
Relegated to the heap of waste
Only I can burn, to give you some light and warmth

Total dereliction of the threads,
That used to bind the two souls;
Years of neglect made it threadbare,
Initially, woven with colorful fabric;
Interwoven seamlessly to cradle a fall,
Colorful fabric got added everyday...
Hoping to make shimmering fabric of love,
Making a cosy wrap for the two;
Giving the warmth to fend off inclement weather;
It withstood the test of time.
As if it will never fail to protect,
But a twister was waiting to emerge,
The gusts of wind too much to withstand,
The two souls were already wrangling;
A tug-of-war of the differences,
Happened to weaken the fabric of love;
Till one day the twister became overpowering,
The cover was finally blown away...
Leaving the two souls bare,
The dreams blown away to faraway land,
Leaving the two souls, around all the debris.


© Amitav (Radiance)

Obliterates the mind of thinking
Creating a void within
Swelling waves of Ego washes away
The essence of being humane
Lost in the vicious alleys of egotism
Break away from the shackles
Infinite is the cosmic word, travel beyond

Tread softly, for you may trample on someone’s dream
As it might have been nurtured for a long time
Be a gardener and water the dream sapling
And what a sight it will to be see the sapling bloom
Strongly grounded, yet reaching for the sky
Bearing the sweetest fruits, of love and happiness

First there prevailed silence
Even before words were thought of
The eyes spoke the heart’s language
Hands were made to touch
The beauty that surrounded
To protect and embrace
Silence conveyed everything
As it reached the heart directly
Minds designed beautiful ideas
Which were painted on walls
It was a visual treat
So much accomplished
And bonds forged, with silence
When words can do the opposite

So much space here
Yet we are jostling
Each other to create one
So much we have
But dissatisfaction galore
How much we need
We cannot decide
Spaces have become abysses
Fighting triviality
And our heart is void
Of all compassion
Empty spaces and barren
Hearts that don’t feel
Empty spaces
Where no feelings reside