Rules of the game (Dharma)

Every game has a rule
If you decide to play the game
You must follow
That is the rule

Rules decides who wins
And who loses
You must accept the results
That is how it works

The rules form the matrix
Over which the game is played
Game cannot exist without it
The rule is the root

The rule connects the players
In the game, each one is equal
Each player is a mere thread
That is the crux

The rule is supreme
You made the choice to play
It’s your game now
it’s your sacred rule

I will live my life tomorrow

Weary eyes squint
after an uneasy night
as the unfaithful curtains let in the unforgiving sunlight,
sips from the bitter cup of coffee
push the dreams to the fringe
ushering in, the real world
fast enough to make you cringe,
Lets get up and run
there's a lot to be done
Today, there’s a schedule to follow
Wait,
I’ll live my life tomorrow
Hurried footsteps over the grass
Fail to notice the drops of dew,
shed by the trampled blade of grass
over the polished shoe
merging into the milling crowd
losing identity like the flake in the snow
Saying yes
When at times I should’ve said No
Today this bitter pill
I need to swallow
Wait,
I’ll live my life tomorrow
In the everyday din
Unheard goes the soul as it screams
Running after the aspirations
we race the clock, forgetting our dreams
So many tasks
so many biddings to be done
Before I think of myself
there are so many accolades to be won
Today let me make a fortune
to save my tomorrow
Wait,
I’ll live my life tomorrow
Deceitful mirror be blamed
for my face that did fade
Hidden in the shadows
of the roles that I’ve played
Tired body rebels
and the weary limbs ache
but its not over yet
there is so much at stake
looking at the closing clock
I wish a moment I could borrow
But I am tired and I must sleep now,
Wait,
I’ll live my life tomorrow

Tumhare liye ab bhi wahin hoon

तुम वहीं हो
मेरे लिए
अब भी वही हो

बड़ी हो गयी हो
मेरे लिए
अब भी वही हो

हर वक्त इस दहलीज़ पे मिलूँगा
तुम्हारे लिए
अब भी वहीं हूँ

चाहे जहां भी हो
मेरा अंश हो, मुझसे
अब भी जुड़ी हो

Tumse main hoon

तुम अलग नहीं
तुम मुझमें हो
आपस में कोई
फ़ासला नहीं

एक मुलाक़ात
बरसों पहले हुई थी
पहली मुलाक़ात
बादलों में हुई कभी

सफ़र सदियों का है
राह साथ गुज़ारी है
ज़िंदगी की रेत पर
कदमों के निशान दो नहीं

साथ जो गुज़रा
हर लम्हा बेमिसाल
असल में या ख़्वाबों में
तुम्हारे बिना कोई पल नहीं

नाम जुड़ गया है
ख़्वाब और उम्मीदें जुड़ गयीं हैं
एक हस्ती है
मेरी अलग कोई पहचान नहीं

तुम अलग नहीं हो
कोई और नहीं
मुझसे तुम हो
तुमसे में हूँ

The green tent

The green tent at the side of the road

There stood a tent
With the colour so green
on the side of the road
Somewhere in between

Some just passed by
Some stopped to see
For it never stopped anyone
just waited in the shadow of the tree

The wind straining on the fabric
Pickets fixing the tent to the ground
Resisting the urge to fly away
Waiting forever to be found

It stayed on the muddy side
The road had turned black
The fabric frayed under the sun
The ridge developed a slack

It remained rooted to the place
As the traffic passed by
It no longer looked bright
For someone to stop by

The wind was stronger now
the fabric no longer strong
The pickets lost its hold
It was time for the tent move on

It tore away from the fix
It now was free
It flew and covered the sky
Out finally of the shadow of the tree

Flying free with the wind
Another story was about to begin
There is no tear, no slack
It’s a new tent, with the colour so green

Swirl in the Rain

Swirl of the umbrella
Spinning the rain drops
Making that dance
Oh what a spectacle!

I stopped as the crowd gathered
Suddenly Aware of my self
The umbrella continued to swirl
My feet fell silent, stuck in my shackle.

My eyes filled with shame
I did what I shouldn’t have
Each accusing eye, a stranger
Each arm, a creeping tentacle.

The swirl and the dance
is not, what I must do
That’s not what’s expected
For some one who is ‘Respectable’.

The umbrella continued to swirl
rain drops washed me clean
My feet picked up the rhythm
My arms swirled in a happy circle.

I wonder who saw?
Which one of me they saw?
The crowd milled on
Too busy to notice the broken shackle