• Conversations With Smoke

    i asked the smoke

    fresh from its short trip to my lungs

    how long will you stay in the air

    it did not answer

    it only drifted

    but the smell stayed

    longer than it should

    like a memory that refuses to leave

    i knew it would not speak

    still i thought

    maybe it would sit with me

    for a while

    keep me company

    tell me stories

    about the lungs it just visited

    about the narrow passages of my throat

    so i smoked again

    just to see if it reacts

    and it did

    not with answers

    but with the wind

    it swayed away from me

    further and further

    until it reached a place

    my eyes could not follow

    and suddenly

    it felt like someone

    someone who quietly entered my heart

    stayed without noise

    and left the same way

    no goodbye

    just disappearance

    into thin air

    but something stayed

    a trace

    a weight

    a presence i cannot remember clearly

    so i ask myself

    how do they erase everything

    and still leave something behind

    how do they leave

    without saying a word

    so

    i smoked again

    and again

    and again

  • When Eyes Decoded Hearts

    two eyes
    when met and matched

    unlocked
    the code
    of encrypted hearts

    thirst lived in them
    a quiet wandering

    until one day
    they did not search

    they arrived

    two hearts
    cracked open
    edges remembering pain

    leaned closer

    not to fix
    but to feel

    and something within
    began to mend

    traffic snarled

    horns screamed

    words burned
    in restless mouths

    they did not move

    for them
    the world paused
    somewhere far behind

    the sun pressed down
    without mercy

    yet two souls
    turned to frost

    and the only thing melting

    was not the day

    but them

    slowly
    softly

    becoming each other

    a touch
    on the shoulder

    gravity returning

    and suddenly

    all the chaos
    they once carried

    felt smaller

    than this moment

    they chose

    from a distance

    through a borrowed gaze

    i watched

    two hands
    finding each other

    in a pocket of shade

    perhaps
    i should have left

    but curiosity
    has its own will

    and love

    moves beyond logic

    slips past manners

    and asks for no proof

  • Where the Tape Resists

    It’s been long

    since silence stopped ringing

    in my ears

    no buzz

    no static

    just a clean emptiness

    If only

    the voice inside my head

    could stand in a witness box

    and answer me

    honestly

    But every time I rewind

    the past—

    the tape resists

    and right where it hurts the most

    the reel

    pauses

  • If I Became the Mask for a Day

    Sometimes I imagine
    what would happen
    if I found the green mask
    and wore it

    Would I turn into someone
    like The Mask
    jolly, careless, untamed?

    If that were true,
    I’d walk into my office
    sit cross-legged on the table
    and send the files flying
    like startled birds

    “I’m leaving,” I’d say,
    “no regrets
    you can keep your money.”

    Maybe I’d grab the manager,
    toss them out the window
    only to catch them
    just before fear turns real

    No…
    that would be too much

    Poor souls

    My mischief would confuse my parents
    make them revisit my childhood
    wonder if I was always like this
    or if I was ever really theirs

    Friends would keep their distance
    though they already do

    Still, I’d steal a moment with them
    shake a little dust off their sadness

    One moment here,
    another there
    a body like rubber,
    distance collapsing at will

    No cars, no roads
    just flight

    And maybe
    I’d haunt the corrupt
    turn their nights into questions
    they can’t answer

    They would search for me everywhere
    with all their power

    and still
    never find me

    I don’t know
    if I’ll ever see that day

    If I do
    forget I wrote this

  • The Man Who Stayed Happy

    Happy was his name,

    never sad,

    never hopeless.

    Sun rays kissed his cheeks,

    raindrops caressed his smiling lips.

    His hands felt like angels,

    always loving,

    always giving,

    always kind.

    His friend looted him,

    he stood with empty pockets,

    still happy.

    They bullied him,

    treated him worse than a donkey,

    a heavy burden on his shoulders,

    still happy.

    He remained

    unchained,

    unbound,

    unaffected

    by worldly suffering.

    His heart was light,

    full of a quiet joy.

    He had attained something spiritual

    most never glimpse

    even in their final breath.

    He was disintegrating,

    yet his heart burned bright.

    He had no foes,

    no real friends.

    He surrendered himself

    to the divine,

    and surpassed every test of life.

    Through pain,

    through suffering,

    through joy,

    he moved with the cycle of life,

    a wheel that turns

    without needing a push.

    It doesn’t ask,

    it simply moves,

    bringing people,

    circumstances,

    moments.

    And he knew

    everything here is temporary,

    and all will answer

    for their karma.

    Happy man,

    always happy.

  • Thread and Thunder

    you can pull threads

    to catch your kite

    or let it go

    to take a flight

    soaring along birds

    sending messages to clouds

    when it is lightning

    and thunder sounds loud

    rain falls a lot

    breaking the ego of the mighty proud

    and

    today my room light flickered

    yet it was bright

    reminding me

    that darkness

    lurks in absence of light

    i was like okay

    i will have a disco dance

    have to find pop or trance

    a message popped up on my mobile

    i am breaking up with you

    suddenly

    something banged on my window

    it was the kite

    in its last breath

    with thread

    broken

    like my heart

  • Blooming in Silence

    I can be a flower…

    unreached.

    unplucked.

    untouched…

    choosing…

    not to bloom.

    Let us not assume

    that my petals will open for you,

    that my fragrance

    will fill your room…

    that bees…

    and butterflies…

    will come

    just to belong.

    Maybe

    I only exist

    to touch the sea.

    To rest my reflection

    on a trembling surface…

    to beautify a pond

    that never asked for me.

    The sea—

    it watches.

    It says nothing…

    but it knows.

    In my blooming days…

    and in my barren ones…

    it witnesses everything.

    It speaks to me in tides…

    loves me in waves…

    and when I am heavy

    it holds me

    with its depth.

    So here I stand…

    tall.

    Not loud…

    not needing to be seen

    just…

    seen kindly.

    With fragrance

    I am filled with gratitude…

    to the sea…

    to the sun…

    to the moon….

    to the stars…..

    to the birds…

    to the bees…

    to the wind…

    and to every pair of eyes…

    that looked at me

    like I was already enough.

    Am I…?

  • We Will Sail

    I will take you away…

    in my boat.

    So

    be ready…

    with your glad rags.

    We’ll travel…

    shore… by shore…

    Stop somewhere

    have a pint…

    some food…

    And then

    we’ll laugh…

    Run through streets

    we don’t even know the names of…

    You’ll chase me…

    And I—

    I will run like a child…

    just freed…

    from elementary school…

    No rules…

    no weight…

    just breath…

    and sky…

    You’ll frown at me…

    And I’ll come running back…

    Straight into you…

    Where no worldly rule…

    has ever reached.

    We’ll rest…

    in a quiet boat…

    Your head…

    on my lap…

    My hands…

    lost in your hair…

    And somewhere above us—

    seabirds…

    singing songs older than us.

    No matter how strong the wind…

    No matter how cruel the storm…

    No matter how wild the waves become…

    We

    will face everything…

    Together.

    Brave.

    I will watch your eyes…

    while you watch the sea…

    And while you row…

    I won’t be here anymore…

    I’ll be…

    diving into you…

    Deeper…

    and deeper…

    And we will sail…

    Not to reach somewhere…

    But to become something…

    Until one day…

    Our last breath…

    …belongs to the ocean.

  • The Art of Unpaid Joy

    What job would you do for free?

    I could do many jobs for free

    like sleeping….

    I mean, testing mattress quality.

    A chance to nap professionally,

    wake with a fresh mind,

    a well-rested body.

    Better than home,

    where people call it laziness.

    Here, I wear a uniform

    and suddenly

    I am hardworking,

    making a living.

    No one knows what I do,

    but it looks important.

    Another job

    breaking evil people’s teeth.

    I’d stand outside a dental hospital,

    offering instant justice.

    My hands would hurt,

    but my service? Pure.

    For society.

    I’m kind too

    They won’t have to travel far

    for the cure.

    I could be a radio singer,

    late-night shift,

    just before midnight.

    I will make people sleep.

    Even mosquitoes will give up

    when I begin.

    I’ll give my 100 percent.

    People will save money on mats,

    maybe even mouse traps

    my voice, so… hallucinogenic.

    Not responsible, though,

    if drivers fall asleep on duty.

    Or I could stand in a mall,

    holding doors open.

    No salary

    just bundles of “thank you,”

    pockets full of smiles.

    I’d take them home

    and feed my soul for eternity.

    And yes,

    I would volunteer for love

    no pause, no condition,

    no hidden interest.

    Just being there,

    in the center of human noise,

    quietly caring.

    I would do any job for free

    that teaches me something new,

    lets me meet beautiful people,

    and gently moves me forward

    in career,

    and in spirit.

  • Hidden Gem

    Someone may blame,

    I will still stand bright,

    unwavering, 

    like a flame.

    I don’t need 

    to be a sports enthusiast

    to understand their game.

    Some chase money,

    some chase fame,

    some hunger for power

    just to echo their name.

    I don’t cling to any of it.

    People moved on,

    things rearranged,

    yet somehow

    I remained the same.

    My heart carries no complaints,

    I let it wander free,

    even when emotions tried

    to put it in chains.

    Still…

    I walk inward,

    searching,

    for that hidden gem