There are quite a few people in this world
Who are special to me
In their own ways
But none, more than my parents
Especially my mother
Seeing as it was her
Who brought me to the world
In the first place
And raised me
With so much love and care
That I feel I am one of the luckiest sons
However, at the same time
Amma has ensured
That I am not spoilt or pampered
As often happens with many rich kids
On the other hand
She has always kept me grounded
Whenever I've gotten too ahead of myself
So, it is thanks to Amma
That I am able to maintain humility
In the face of success
Also, whenever my confidence has taken a beating
Especially at work
Amma has always been at the ready
With a few words of encouragement
And has never failed to remind me
That I've been in such situations earlier
And managed to turn things around
Amma is not only a wonderful parent
But also a great friend, mentor and counsellor
Rolled into one
I can go on and on about her
But I think that's all for today

When we speak of parents
We usually refer to the mother
More than the father
Which is quite unfortunate
Because fathers are equally special
Of course, it is the mother
Who has to suffer through labour
And its unspeakable pain
In order to bear the child
However, once the child is born
The role of the father
Becomes equally important
Coming to my own experience
I could not have asked
For a better father
He has been there for me, no matter what
Taking me almost anywhere
Whether it be India
Or the rest of the world
A special mention to the train trips
Since it is only due to my Dad
That the Railways hold such a special place in my heart
Next to the Railways
Pride of place goes to cricket and tennis
With Dad sponsoring my cricket coaching
And playing tennis with me and my sister
I will never forget
The India vs Bangladesh match at Birmingham
Nor all those Wimbledon finals
The events themselves were memorable
But it was Dad's company
That made them all the sweeter
Anyway, enough about sports
Without Dad's support
I would never have made it through school
Especially the transition from CBSE to ICSE
That too in the eighth standard
Moreover, not many fathers
Would've been as patient and understanding
As mine was, during my engineering struggles
Which involved notching up seven arrears
However, the biggest challenge was my professional life
My first job was full of ups and downs
And towards the end
I felt like a fish out of water
Plunging from crisis to crisis
And eventually being forced to resign
And take a break from work
During these difficult times
Dad not only arranged my counselling
But also stood by my side like a rock
Putting up with whatever tantrums I threw
And this continued during my second job
Which turned out to be a nerve-wracking experience
Ultimately ending in a termination
After six months of hard toil
Coming to recent times
During my trainwreck of a marriage
And the subsequent divorce process
Dad and I ended up getting closer than ever
And I hope this only continues
Though of course for happier reasons!
So, as I said earlier
Fathers are equally special as mothers
Full stop

Dear Patti, we miss you
We miss you so much
That there is a gaping hole
Taller than the Burj Khalifa
Left by your absence
Not a soul can replace you
You were one of a kind

Dear Patti, we miss you
You were always there for us
Whether it be the immediate family
Whether it be close relatives
Whether it be friends
So much so
That your presence was taken for granted

Dear Patti, we miss you
From your words of wisdom
To your unconditional support
From your sheer optimism
To your never-say-die spirit
From your delicious meals
To your spooky tales
From your knowledge of various topics
Whether it be cricket
Whether it be politics
Whether it be trains
To your unwavering enthusiasm

Dear Patti, we miss you
I still remember the day
As though it were only yesterday
When my dear friend
Was hopelessly marooned in her hostel
During the peak of the Chennai floods
Along with her family
It was your unconditional love
That saved the day
And my friend and her family
Can never forget you
Not just because of your timely help
But also because, to you
They were also family

Dear Patti, we miss you
You left us so soon
That we had no time to say goodbye
But you should know this
You will always live in our hearts
As a grandmother
As a mother
As a wife
As a sister
As an aunt
As a dear friend
And finally
As a human being
A very beautiful human being

Many days have come and gone,
Sadly, it has been so long,
Since last we saw your face.

                                                                                  Then I’ll come home,
                                                   The world has little gems to be shown,
                                                                     I don’t want you to be alone.

Dear, we know you love us so,
But life does demand you go.
Bittersweet as fate may be,
It’s time for you to just live free.
Chase your dreams, because in life there are no guarantees.

                                                                  What if I want to come home?
                                                                    Somedays, out here all alone,
                                                              I feel that I do nothing but roam.
                                                                         In my never-ending roam,
                                             I feel as though I’ll dissipate like sea foam.

Dear, you are never alone.
You will always have a home,
But you won’t always have time to roam.
Being lost is the only way to find what’s in you, so you cannot yet head home.
Take this chance to chase what you have always known,
To be your fate because one day you will find you have grown,
To old to enjoy the roam.
Remember you are not alone…
So, chase your dreams knowing there are no guarantees,
Except the promise that your Dad and I will always be,
Here supporting you in chasing your dream.

                                                             Many days have come and gone,
                                                                         Sadly, it has been so long,
                     Writing you is not something I intentionally prolonged.
                                           But there’s someone I recently got to know,
                            They are one-in-a-million; I feel like I won the lotto.
               I want to say thank you, Mom and Dad, for making me go,
                                 The world is filled with a lot I still wish to know.
                                                                        Bittersweet as fate may be,
                 Thank you for making me experience what it is to be free,
        My dreams only able to be reached because of the support you
                                                                                                        give me.

Many days have come and gone,
The only letters in the mail from your Aunt,
But I knew you were fine because out there in the world is where you are meant to be.
I am glad your dreams have come to be,
That you have met such a sweetie,
And that your fate is as happy as I did foresee.
Remember, it won’t always be as you believe,
But fate will work out eventually.
So, long as you stay strong and happy,
Life will be better than you ever believed it could be.
We love and support you Dear, so just keep chasing your dream.

                                                       In the mirror a stranger stares at me,
                                                                          Wisdom in her eyes I see.
                                      Wrinkles on her hands, like branches of a tree,
                                               They reveal who she has grown up to be.
  A startling realization when you learn life is not how it used to be,
                                           That life does not always go as you believe.
                Fate has never been easy to confront, and it has no referee,
                                                  This is something you have taught me.
Through your guidance I learned to make something of the debris,
            You have taught me that fate is nothing to fear when tackled
                                                                                                       properly.
          You were always right; I should chase my dreams because life
                                                                                  offers no guarantees.
           Thank you, Mom and Dad, for sending me a postcard when I
                                                                           needed your comforting.

Moon of Venus
Moon of Osiris
I’ve been thinking
Of Corona Virus

Get Some
Chocolate
Get Some
Coca cola

Play some
My Sharona
It may be
Over Soon
And You Know
I love you
To the moon and back.

i’ve been folding train tickets into paper planes and casting them like butterfly wings into the night sky, hoping they’ll bring me back to some form of normality like their incessant beating could inject some form of life back into bones that are aching, bones that are breaking, under mountains of nothingness and i watch them snap like wishbones, praying that their marrow
bleeds golden enough that you can look at me and say ‘well done’
i’ve been stripping bark off magnolia trees and i’ve been gifting it to myself in the form of late nights with eyes closed and a heart that won’t still, you have a carousel for a heart, it’s a kaleidoscope of just black, it’s all spin and go and you tell people when to get off and you have jaws in your stomach, you speak with teeth bared and violent, you scream from your gut and it’s a sound i feel in my broken bones.
you never wanted me and i’ve been trying to build myself back up out of clay, form myself into something beautiful enough that you’ll sit it on your mantle piece. something you can be proud of.
if lives are built from bricks of experiences, moments played live like movie scenes, then my life is built from those times you ran away, and if women are looking glasses then my life is simply a reflection of you running and my footsteps mirror yours, i am the product of a suitcase by the door, of vile words spat like venom.
i’ve been folding train tickets into paper planes, in short desperate attempts to get away, to get away from you. i’ve sat through enough anti drug assemblies in school to know the dangers of narcotics sold on street corners, but none of them warned of poison that already lay dormant in blood you were born with.

Feeling unconscious
Being in the lake
Can't find the light
I'm scared.

Help me, my saviour,
Save me from this day,
I am stuck as hell,
In the walls of a cell.

No one cares about me,
My family's a priority,
Binded by blood, there's
nothing more stronger
than this Love.

The sun is a candle...

burning inside the mirror

Yet another reflection

It's rays fall cold on my skin

A bleached rose

smell the sixteen,

Whirl in the abyss of love

An ocean,

Drowning in its waves

The salt crystals molten on the walls of my lungs

A burning thirst,

addicted to the flames of your kisses,

fallen into a shade by the moonlight

The forever winds

Breezing on my rugged skin

The memories to the grave

Wilted flowers carried from it's stones

Into the skies,

When I become gray

mummy listen
I am not sad and I am not lonely
Just because I prefer to spend time on my own, alone, with my books and my writing and my music all around me.
Mummy listen
I know you’ve been through a lot with your daughters and I know we’ve put you in situations we should not have done
But listen mummy listen
Your girls are fine
They have outgrown themselves
Outgrown who they were 5 years ago
Mummy
Listen
I love you
We love you

Have you not been what you should be,
   as a husband, father and dad?
Have you not been any leader
   failing My God, oh so bad?

Have you said you will on one day,
   then the next you really won't?
Have you hurt the ones who love you,
   hanging with the ones who don't?

Have you pushed away your family
   with the hateful words you said?
Have you spoken words in anger,
   then run out the door and fled?

Have you seen the hurt you've caused them,
   had a son who wished you're there?
Have you once had to console her,
   when your daughter cried those tears?

Have you held her tight in loving arms,
   when wife had one bad day?
Have you crushed her heart again,
   'cause she knew you wouldn't stay?

Have you failed your son and daughter,
   with the sinful life you live?
Have you ever thought about just
   what your wife has had to give?

Have you opened up your eyes now,
   put your self aside to pause?
Have you felt their broken hearts from
   all the hurt and pain you caused?

Have you reached the very end now,
   of the sinful life you trod?
Have you seen your family needs you;
   not to late, just turn to God!

Have you asked My God forgiveness?
   Yes, the broken hearts He'll ease.
Have you shown them what He's done now,
   filled you full of joy and peace?

Have you gotten back your family,
   fought so hard for ones who care?
Have you prayed to God above you,
   for His love with them to share?

Have you called on Him to help you,
   your relationship repair?
Have you now seen it's important
   to your family if your there?