Stopping by the Hills on a Cold Evening

Continued from Peace

Whose hills these are I think I know

He watches atop the highest though

He won’t mind me stopping here

To watch his peaks laden with snow

 

My simple cabbie must think it queer

To stop without a dhaba near

Between the valley the flowing river

The coldest evening of the year

 

He gives the car’s horn a press

To ask if there is some gaffe

The only other sound that sweeps

Of flowing water and rustling leaves

 

The hills are massive, white and steep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep

Bhavya

 

अब कहना है अलविदा प्रिये 3

मुश्किल है अपना मेल प्रिये, ये प्यार नहीं है खेल प्रिये 

तुम Peddar Road की गाडी हो, मैं कांदिवली का जाम

तुम Colaba की night हो, मैं चेम्बूर की शाम

तुम्हे आदत Candies की, मैं Udipi का lunch खाता हूँ

तुम shopping करती Palladium से, मैं Fashion Street जाता हूँ

तेरे हर weekend plan होते हैं, मेरे colleagues मुझे भागते हैं 

मुझसे cover charge लिया जिन pubs ने, तुझे invite दे के बुलाते हैं 

तुम NCPA की भाँती popular, मैं मराठा मंदिर जैसा हूँ 

तुम year-end का bonus हो, मैं overtime का पैसा हूँ 

तुम NGO को CSR, मैं चौराहे का fine हूँ 

तुम queue हो metro station की, मैं दादर की line हूँ 

मैं boss का गुस्सा हूँ, तुम top खोज हो recruiter की 

मैं interns का सपना हूँ, तुम gift stat auditors की 

तुम offsite, onsite की ticket, मैं deadline की रात हूँ 

तुम CEO का हो vision, मैं assistant manager की बात हूँ 

मैं टपरी पे चाय-सुट्टा, तुम dark chocolate Theobroma की,

मैं office gossip से बेदखल, तुम नयी सी opening McKinsey की 

तुझे देख log खुश हो जाते,

मुझे देख "WHAT THE HELL" प्रिये

अब…

मुश्किल है अपना मेल प्रिये, ये प्यार नहीं है खेल प्रिये

Band

Long after, the last guest had departed

and the last joke had seen its last laugh

The last glass of brandy had been served

and the solemn chambers now stood still

The frenzy that had once endured

The chaos that had once ensued

Had taken its rightful place

Deep in the heart of the ocean

No one knew how or where it began

it all happened so suddenly

Hindsight is great, when the dust has settled

but foresight always seizes the day

It started as a bump in the road

Causing fear amongst the paranoid

Reality crept in like a maiden’s sleep

slowly… and then all at once

The first sacrifice would be made

by those who had nothing to lose

By the time we realized what was worth saving

it was too late for anything to be saved

The survivors knew what to do

till all hope was lost

The privileged few would of course get through

for their destinies were not written by God’s hand

The eerie calm that follows

would be the only evidence of the madness that once was

Every light and every laugh and every song and every story

was now shrouded with memories that haunted

A little mistake along the road

a little carelessness we couldn’t control

A little desperateness of the human soul

a little opportunity we sought to hold

When we knew not of what the future would bring

and lived each day to fight another

We knew not when pain and suffering would peak

and long held on to denial’s heel

When humanity was tested to show its colors

what it would do when the chips go down

Because madness you see, is like gravity

all it takes is a little push

In midst of the madness, four gentlemen came to pass

they brought out their orchestra, and continued the dance

A silent echo that reverberates through time

when the ship was sinking, the band kept its chime

The band played on through the wreckage

and continued till the last night came to pass

When there would be no more music and no more dance

but memories would stay, with the lucky ones who passed

And poems would be written, of times when they should’ve been heard

but they did not care, for they’d done their work

So in the final moments, they continued the message

not that it mattered anymore, but was their journey

Peril is bequeathed, when artists are ignored

and artists shoulder the task, of spreading the thoughts

Through canvas and paper and screens and sound

for an artist’s expression is varied and abound

But this message is spread and the work here is done

so we move to a different time in a different world

The last word, I must stand up and cry

Gentlemen, it has been a privilege, to play by your side

Vishal Gupta

21 Mar 2020

The Seven Seasons of Love

Season one, the chase

when the curls of her hair and twitch of her smile

bewitches you into her sermon day and night

Passion, that takes your sleep away and haunts your dreams

when she is all you can think of

in lonely moments and bereft nights

waiting for the chance for her to note

how the world would be brighter with you by her side

Season two being lust

When arms are seldom able to be off one other

and the taste of her lips enchants fills in your soul

The moments of flesh on flesh and ecstasy

takes your breath away

When love fills in her eyes, heart, body and being

the roller-coaster ride with all its thrills

The third is understanding

where you notice the little things left ignored before

making new discoveries each passing day

coping with habits you know she isn’t going to change

learning her, like you did a new subject at school

knowing enough, that you don’t mind speaking for her

and she knows you’ll make the right decisions for both

Lying next to each other

a hug is enough to communicate what words never can

The fourth season takes the leap

When you decide to spend the rest of your life together

it happens like a peaceful sleep

slowly at first, and then all at once

The moment of commitment, to stick together

through this little moment in time called life

And you know yours will never be the same again

but it’s okay, for even if it is a mistake

you’re in it with the right girl

The fifth season is family

Strangely, you lose control of your lives

and suddenly, too many others barge into it

With miniature versions of yourself driving your needs

and ancient versions of you, lighting your path

The world suddenly expands into unforeseen challenges

you wonder if any of it is worth it

till a tiny creature holds your finger and blabbers a single word

that takes away all the exhaustion and you’re ready to play again

The sixth season is the longest and takes a toll

For years and decades pass by and there’s nothing new for you

The fire of passionate love has long been spent

and no new discoveries are lurking anywhere anymore

There’s a pillar you lean on, sometimes more than it can take

there’s a life you know that is, and one you know will never be

Content is your enemy here, and your source of strength

And just when you think you finally have a hang of it

the last season shows its head

The final one belongs to the reaper

when you’ve been left alone with all but her

The party goes on, but you don’t recognize the faces anymore

Memories galore, of ghosts that are gone

For it’s always easier to be the one to leave

than to be the one left behind

And as you await the inevitable

you try to remember the days gone by

Each season that has etched a memory

wondering, if it could have been more

through the days and the decades

And with the satisfaction of having spent your time right

You shut the music. The song is over

And you bid the seasons goodbye

Vishal Gupta

16^th February, 2020

The Hermit and the Princess

He sits atop a mountain in atonement,

His form inspiring awe from all who behold

Thick locks that arrest the fall of mighty rivers

A terrible eye, if awoken may destroy all

A serpent keeps watch wrapped around his neck

His lionskin cloth speaks of the unspeakable

Ghosts surround him, worshiping him as God

The destroyer, the hermit, the warrior, the fearful

His consort radiates exorbitance

Laden in jewels and wrapped in red silk

She rides a tiger, no less befitting

yet her image is of the mother, all forgiving

She rules the forests, the hills, the grass, the green

She enjoys luxuries and deserves more still

Alone in a city of demons, she finds her peace

The strength, the smile, the love, the energy

He opens his eyes, after having seen all eternity

and finds her sitting by his side

He looks at her in admiration,

for the universe holds no prettier sight

She looks at him inspired

for he is all that’s dear to her life

In his glances she finds her smile

And no words were needed between their eyes

He knows she doesn’t need him

yet in her presence he finds peace

She gives him a silent slight of the eye

And he knows she understand everything in his mind

She is no different from him but a part of his soul

He is not what completes her, but who makes her more

They dance and the world bows

They embrace, and the world finds hope

Vishal Gupta

30 Mar 2020

Deep Dark Heart

It’s a cold winter night and a winter cold heart

It’s days of future paying debts of the past

It’s a lover’s vengeance, a soldier’s sleep

It’s the moment on the call when you’re ‘bout to weep

There’s a man there’s a man in whom darkness lurks

not ‘fraid of consequence he does what he must

And ne’er look back to the embers’ spark

the man with the soul so deep and dark

‘Very step of the way he measures thrice

the past is the past he has left it ‘hind

And when the bells toll and people run home

he pulls up a chair and watches time unfold

He loved a maid and that was hard

‘coz she didn’t love ‘im back nor anyone else

So broken was he and so broken was she

The ones with the souls so dark and deep

Men need purpose else they are slaves

Sold to the loudest mike needing dead weight

He sold his soul to the devil instead

now he wonders if it was a mistake

There was once the man who wrong’d ‘im once

they knew not now where his head he hung

And those upon whom he inflicted wrath

‘ever knew torture till they knew his dark deep soul

Someone once asked what sets him apart

He said he wanted freedom from the start

They then asked how he was free

He said every man is free if dead already

He spoke little and heard a lot

calmest in a room of dangerous mob

Eyes menacing judging evaluating thoughts

no one knew what went in his deep dark heart

Vishal Gupta

11 Feb 2020

A Storm Brewing

You know that moment

right after the break-up

When you’re full of love

but have lost the one you could pour it on

Your heart is heavy

you wonder how we got here

You miss, not the person

but how you felt

Yearning, to feel it once again

you look at the phone directory

Someone. Anyone…

Who may be able to understand

what’s going on in your heaving heart

lest it bursts out of your chest

He sits solemnly alone in a room

this book has occupied his evenings for several days

engrossed, he instinctively reaches for his phone,

checks for messages. Nothing

He returns to the book

A quiet moment has gripped the room

Like the one right before the rain

Like something is about to happen

A ring. A name. A face. Memories.

He smiles before accepting, savoring the moment

He says hello, anxiety speaks from the other side

He knows some terrible ill has befallen

and she needs to be heard

Her heart is heavy with emotion and words are difficult to find

She made the call but cannot tell him of the dreams that haunt her

Instead, she tells him about her day

How she spends time watching a lot of videos

And is unable to wake up to face the next day

How she’s gained a few pounds recently

And how she’s determined to lose it again

And suddenly she apologizes

For now she understands how he had felt once

She understands now, his love for her

She doesn’t want him back, as he is still the same guy

She knows he won’t take her back, as she is a changed woman

He realizes her heartbreak, but chooses not to mention

instead he sticks to listening

it’s been long since someone has heard her

and longer since he’s had the sweet ring of her voice

Life seems to have humbled her

and she sounds like the girl he was once in love with

She needs to be told all is well with the world

and she is safe as long as he’s there

But he’s lost the right to say that long ago

If only he could hold her once again

She would know she never left his thoughts

And find home in the comfort of his arms

He finds it easy to forgive her

She realizes he has moved on with life

That’s what people do, they move on

Time heals everything, but does not spare the pain

She will heal too someday, she knows

But not today, today she wishes there was no time ahead at all

Today she wishes for just a moment, a moment with someone

Someone to tell her that her world has not broken apart

And that’s what she sought from this call

Her mood has lightened, her heart has not

she will find the pillow wet in the morning again

for he might have forgiven her

she’ll take far longer to forgive herself

A song appears in his head out of nowhere

a song he thought he has long forgotten

something they had shared long ago

something he hadn’t touched since her departure

he couldn’t place it at once

but like a strong sea current rushing to make love to the ocean

it quickly took shape

“So close to me… feels so hard to breathe… so hard to hold back… let’s just take it slow…

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight…”

Vishal Gupta

9 January 2020

तुम आना

तुम आना पहली बारिश कि तरह

जो महकती हवाएँ ले आये

तुम जाना डूबते सूरज कि तरह

जो आसमाँ में चन्द सितारे छोड़ जाए

तुम आना बीतते उस लम्हे कि तरह

जो भागती हुई ज़िंदगी को थाम ले

तुम जाना जाना नींद के उस पल कि तरह

जो चुपचाप सपनो कि दुनिया में ले जाये

तुम आना तूफ़ां की कि तरह

जिसका आगाज़ दूर से हो

तुम जाना गूँज कि तरह

ज़रा हौले से

अगर जाने-आज़माने का इरादा है

तो फिर कभी और आना

तुम आना तो पूरी तरह आना

या तो आना ही मत

विशाल गुप्ता

16-02-2020

Maybe. Someday

Ever heard the whisper of loneliness?

Or the screams of silence?

The sound of unrequited love?

The vacuum left behind once a heart has been bared?

The moment a person is on your mind

And you scroll through rectangles

for there is a chime which is happiness for you

And it has found happiness somewhere else

The conscious mind can only inflict pains

that it can tolerate on itself

The unconscious is more cruel

not knowing the pains it condemns

Struggling through a barrage of “maybe” and “someday”

you ponder on the wave of emotions two words can bring

Maybe. Someday. She says

Maybe, someday… you hear

Looking for respite from your own mind

You seek comfort which distance denies

in food and flesh and sweat and thrift

Not knowing voids such are uncompromised

Torture is not what the body endures

torture is the image the mind conjures

For every punishment is first suffered in the mind

and every scar is etched last from memory

Going through the day with endless words

Knowing which are not safe to venture on

Dancing carefully, on the carpet of dreams

Yet finding moments, which avert belief

Perhaps a stranger could lend an ear

One who comes without judgment’s fear

No prejudices on how holy we ought to have been

just be hear our story and never again be seen

And distances make me so helpless

that I envy the coffee cup

which gets to kiss your sleepy lips

awake every cold and bitter morning

And I wait for you to love me

the way I know I cannot stop loving you

but someday my persistence may fail my love

because I deserve more than a “maybe. Someday”

Vishal Gupta

27 January 2020

Sweet Nothings

Come hither! Wait. Whisper,

sweet nothings in my ear

Tell me about all the things

that did not happen during the day

And let us look into each other’s eyes

and see the dreams we will never have

For long I have wandered in forests of activity

once, I wish to bathe in the rivers of sweet nothing

Drop me a message in the middle of the day

only to say that you were thinking of me

Smile, make me smile, share a hug online

Cure my anxiety of if you’ve forgotten me in the past hours

when I have pined to hear your voice

to see your face to touch your hand

To feel my world is complete again

Kiss me randomly begging the question “why”

with the only answer as “because I wanted to”

Share an unexpected hug

spend the day huddled under a sheet over a movie we won’t remember

Or take me to a faraway land

only to never leave the room and watch the sky change colors

To see how the birds fly and how flowers bloom

And how each day beckons the next in the presence of you

Share the morning tea with me, share the goodnight kiss

Be my first sight of the day, be the last hug I give

Talk to me about your day, and your miles to go before you sleep

the things to read the sights to see

the music to dance the wines to cherish

And stay close to me in those quiet moments

when arms express so much more than words ever can

And understand me on the unkind days

when destiny has not been too kind to me

When regrets come to haunt me again

and when darkness looms, as it inevitably does

Life will not come to us with an instruction manual

it will come, I hope, with you

And I promise that I will choose to love My Monster

on the days that will be difficult

Because my love is not my gift you

it is my gift to my life

So don’t stop dancing when the music stops

and just hold me close

Maybe the music will find us again

Vishal Gupta

9 January 2020