Veil Of Optimism

If a sense of gloom
Is what I lack
It's because
The springs I sell
Teach me to bounce
Right back

The Sacrificial Lamb

Today you are
The object of my affection
Tomorrow you'll be
The subject of my dissection

Six Feet Under

Why do people let?
Corruption seep into
Their body, mind and soul

Where will they stash
Their ill-gotten gains
When every man's final destination
Is nothing but a hole

Standing Proud

Never mind if I have
Been stripped of every single leaf
I am grounded firmly
With the roots of my conviction
That ensure that I'll never
Ever be stripped of my dignity

Cutting Idea

When the world has done its utmost
To drive you around the bend
With its question, "Why"

That's the time to just take
A deep breath and  indulge
In a piping hot cuppa chai!

The Ultimate Religion

Among all the religions
Invented in the name of Gods
When will we realise that
Following them has no meaning
If we don't adhere to the one
Invented by a man.

The religion of peace.

The Man and the Sun

What a different world
This would be
If each of us walked its paths
As an apostle of peace

Concrete Jungle

In a city that is
Wildlife challenged
I guess I should
Thank my luck
That I have been able
To spot at least
A solitary duck

Monsoon Hopes

Now that this extended monsoon
Seems like it's here to stay
Here's to people buying
Their second umbrellas
Before it really goes away

Butt Why?

They've packed us off
Into gulleys and alleys
Made life a living hell

And forced all us
Smoking chimneys
To say three cheers
For the stairwell

Bharat Bandh

After bunking an entire parliament session
Now our leaders want us to join in the fun
And that's why in their collective wisdom
They have declared a Bharat Bandh

Flower Power

You don't bring me flowers
Goes her nagging ringtone's pleas
When pray when, will you realise
It takes these blooming gestures
To bring a girl to her knees

Truck Art

It's nice to have
Colours so vibrant
In a burst of
Creative release
Particularly since our
Other means of expression
Is Horn OK Please

Early Morning Glow

It doesn't matter
If these windows
Are open or closed
So long as you've opened
The windows of your mind.

Sunset Sonata

As the sun paints the sky
With a reluctant goodbye
A hazy fog lifts off the scene
Creating wonders for the eye

Semantics of Separation

To the realist

Death is separation

To the romantic

Separation is death

Monsoon Stroll

Hats off to such wind swept weather
And walking in it in a huddle
It's the joy of soaking in it together
And splashing about in every puddle

In The Buff

When rain dance is all

Such a huge rage

Why should my clothes

Take centrestage

Kho Kho 3.1

Kabaddi and kho-kho
Not the games children
Play anymore
How does one move them
From this state of inaction

Probably by giving them
Geeky versions on Playstation

Rickshaws In The Rain

How I am loving
This three-wheeler race
Where passengers can only
Scream and shout
Begging us to slow down
With their hearts
In their mouths

One In a Crowd

Kept aside as an excellent specimen
Does not mean you belong
To an order that's higher

All it does is ensure you are
Marked out for being roasted first
Over an open fire

Waiting Forever

Here's a universal truth

That goes without debate

Time really drags

When you are lying in wait

Tower Of Brilliance

While I invite everyone
To huff and puff
Up all my floors
Let me remind you
I am partial to those
With vertigo

Dropped Call

Walk past me all you
Mobile empowered gals and guys
But when your charge runs out
And an emergency strikes
I'll take my revenge by
Swallowing your coins

Garlic Breath

Not something that's on
My daily shopping list
But tonight my date is
Dracula's bride
And I've a feeling
She'll be pissed

Lotuses In love

Something about Love
That rings so true
When one is affected by it
One finds himself coloured
By a brighter hue

Waiting For Seeds

A handful of seeds
Some hours of light
A few drizzles of water
And voila...
It's the recipe to bring us to life.

Ticket To Ride

Okay, so I may not be in the clouds 

But a Double Decker is just as good

That's because from the problems

I see on the ground, I am far removed

Paint Can Philosophy

When paint cans are finally

Drained out of all their colour

That's when they think it's alright

To be depicted in black and white

Crush Capacity Crowds

This is the warm-up
For a daily rat race
When in an
Everyday commute
One has to fight for
Standing space

Under Camouflage

Sometimes in life,
The art of standing out
Is not really as important
As the art of
Blending in

Baptism By Water

In the relentless flood
Of life
Clothes and emotions
Both get wrung
And it makes sense
To start really young

The Other Side Of the Lens

On this World Photography Day
Oh what happiness and glee
Caught in the euphoria
Even my camera agreed
To pose for me

Childhood Freedoms

Childhood is when you have

The license to go around in circles

That are easy to define

Adulthood is when that license

Is taken away from you
And you're expected to toe the line

When Retail Needs Therapy

It's a new season upon us
Of shutting down stores
Of shops going bust
Of demand disappearing
Into oblivion

A season everyone's talking about
A season called recession

Stepping Into Womanhood

When a girl graduates from
Bangles for her doll
To buying them for herself
That's when you know
She has stepped into womanhood

Musings of a Painter Man

I love this job

Of dabbling in 

Colours of every hue

And of course there is

The perk of enjoying

A high, top angle view 

Betel Leaf Blues

Isn't it surprising how

Something so refreshingly green

Can enter the human mouth

And emerge in disgusting shades

Of red?

An Ode To Freedom

Young minds untainted

By the spread of corruption

Let us pray that in the 

India of tomorrow

The nation will become

Their highest religion 

Sea Shells Say Cheese!

Washed ashore by a violent sea
We've been gathered and made to pose
Like brain-dead models
In some nutcase's photography

Drops Of Life

If all around
We see shortages
Is it okay to just
Rant and rave?

When we ourselves

Will ignore a simple

Keyboard command

Called 'save'

Flower Among Thorns

Never mind how many
Sharp knots there are
On life's barbed wire

They will never steal
The thunder
From a solitary flower

Bird Songs

So what if we are
On parallel lines
That are not destined
To meet

As long as your songs
Reach my ears
Life for me will always
Be a treat

Janey Kahan Gaye Woh Din!

When greed and gluttony
Become a politician's vices
That's when an ordinary man
Fondly remembers
Yesterday's prices

DIY Treadmill

A place where time stands still

That calls to me to run to the top

And measure in my gasps for breath

Whether I am already over the hill 

The Commonsense Pyramid

Every year I see men
Following in a God's childhood revelry
Wish I'd see this enthusiasm
In all people of the world
In practicing his lessons for humanity.

Gimme Green

I love them long and slender
I love them ripe and tender
And when they are stacked up
So neatly together
Sheer bliss comes with
A ladies finger

Gimme Red!

Yesterday, we were the reason behind
A housewife's salvation
Today we have turned into
Her poster boys of inflation

Social Networking Among Birds

Here's to going online

Here's to being birds

Of a feather

While some of us like Facebook

All of us love Twitter

Cricket Pitch Nemesis

In this cricket-crazy nation, I'd never be the national bird
Considering how feared I am
Among the Dravids and the Tendulkars.