The Animal Kingdom Strikes Back

 On news that chills you to the bone,

A creature's parliament takes its throne.

The gods deserted, a heavenly flight,

Garuda and Vasuki, lost to sight.

No Nandi on Kailasha, the swans have flown,

Devraja himself walks, with a weary groan.

Airavata missing, a terrible plight,

The animal kingdom demands its own right.

With thundering hooves and a lion's roar,

They burst through the doors, a plea to implore.

"Forgive our absence," a somber decree,

"An eviction notice, a desperate plea."

"For extinction we beg," a voice filled with woe,

Mother Earth trembles, a world in slow throe.

"Why this death wish?" the council inquires,

The creatures respond, with eyes filled with fires.

"Our foe walks on two, with a heart filled with greed,

The lion, the king, for a trophy they bleed.

The elephant's tusks, a barbaric display,

Dinosaurs' scales, for fashion they flay."

"For fur and for baubles, the bunnies they fall,

Guinea pigs perish, to answer fashion's call.

The dogs, loyal friends, tortured to their core,

Mosquitoes like dust, scattered on the floor."

"Our leader is lost, our kingdom in tatters,

We hunt for survival, not trinkets and matters.

They hunt for amusement, a hunger obscene,

A world without nature, a desolate scene."

Imagine the silence, the skies stripped of song,

No whales in the oceans, where creatures belong.

No ships in the deserts, a life-giving drain,

Unless we see reason, and end all this pain.

This Earth is a gift, not a prize to be claimed,

Let logic and reason, for nature be named.

A revolution brewing, a desperate plea,

Save Mother Earth, let her beauty run free!

Kathghare mein Shakuni

धुंध में लंगड़ाती हुई परछाई

लंगड़ाती-लंगड़ाती सामने आई

"नहीं" चीखती चल

विद्रोह की थी वो चीख

"मेरे हुज़ूर, My Lord मेरे सरकार

हो जाए अनहोनी, अनर्थ हो जाए कह कर अगली बात

वाणी को दे विराम

मैं आपके आगे शीश झुकाता हूँ

मैं कुछ कहना चाहता हूँ।

वो डगमगाते-लड़खड़ाते हुए

कठघरे में खड़े

माफ़ नहीं करेगा इतिहास मुझको

भांजे गर न कहता मैं ये बात तुमको

माना मैंने कार्यवाही की गरिमा भंग की

पर गौर सुनिए ये बात ढंग की

ये जो हृष्ट-पुष्ट वृक्ष मेरा दुर्योधन बना है

मेरे क्रोध में ही रमा है।

मैंने अपने मन में उफनती अग्नि पिलाई है

विष के उपवन में मैंने करी इसकी सिंचाई है

और ये तो कुछ भी नहीं है

मेरे आसक्त की कोई हद नहीं है

मैंने खुद ही ब्रष्ट की बुद्धि तुम्हारी, अंधे तो बहुत है

लेकिन भांजे तुम्हारी तो दृष्टि ही नहीं है

कसूर इसका कुछ भी नहीं है, ये तो बस मेरे हाथों की कठपुतली है

मैं हूँ नाथ, रुख तुम्हारी मैंने बदली है

मैं अपनी कथा सुनाता हूँ

इस लंगड़ाते शकुनि की व्यथा सुनाता हूँ

आँखों का तारा मैं अपने पिता और भाइयों का लाडला था

इन कुरुवंशियों ने उन सबको एक-एक कर मार डाला

पिता की अस्थियों से बने पासे मैंने जहां फेंके

धराशायी हुए, धुरंधरों ने माथे टेके

आहुति दी मैंने अपनी बहन, अपने वंश की

और सौगंध रण की उठा ली

ये महाभारत कुछ नहीं बस मेरा रचाया

भाई को भाई से लड़वाया।

सब ने खोया किसी को, रण में सब अधूरे थे

एक मामा शकुनि थे जो वंशहीन होकर भी पूरे थे

बेचारे कौरवों ने बातें मेरे ही मानी

पर इस नरसंहार की नहीं है मुझे ग्लानि

अब मैं बेइज़्ज़त बरी हूँ या फांसी मिले ये तो कुछ तय नहीं

आंख के बदले आंख कटे मुझे अब कोई भय नहीं।

Perks of being a time traveller

 

Since time's first tick, it's held us in thrall,

A mystery tempting, a question for all.

What if we grasped it, and twisted its flow?

I'm Professor Temporal, let the rhyming show!

A nightmare unfolded, a voice boomed with fear,

"Prove me wrong, or be banished!" it echoed so clear.

Evidence scoffed at, the King wouldn't see,

Unless with his own eyes, the truth set him free.

Without hesitation, I dismissed my young crew,

King Snoutsword the Third, with his pointed view

(A snout like his father's, and grandfather too).

He wrinkled his nose, a challenge he threw:

"Chocolate's a hoax," he declared with a snort,

"Prove me wrong, or be banished from court!"

A bar from my pocket, I offered with glee,

His monkey-like hands snatched it hungrily.

"Clever attempt," the King scoffed with a frown,

"But seeing is believing, turn this legend around!"

With a snap and a twist, the court dissolved,

A bustling marketplace brightly evolved.

Mayan-Aztecs figures emerged, in garments so old,

Cracking cacao pods, a bitter brew they hold.

"This isn't quite chocolate," I calmly explained,

"The King's first test, his smugness restrained."

"Aztecs hold it dear," I rhymed,

"Xocolatl they call it, a gift born of time."

The King, though impressed, with doubt in his eye,

Demanded a challenge that soared to the sky.

"The Big Bang's a fable," he boomed with a sneer,

"Prove me wrong, or your fate shall be near!"

Darkness descended, a snap and a boom,

The universe birthed, dispelling the gloom.

"The Big Bang!" he whispered, in reverent awe,

Witnessing creation, a celestial law.

From chaos and swirling, came stars burning bright,

Galaxies forming, a glorious sight.

The King, humbled at last, by the cosmos's might,

Professor Temporal's wisdom, a beacon so bright.

From scholar to hero, a champion did rise,

A confidante to the King, beneath painted skies.

The future unveiled, a persuasive art,

But lessons abound, that touch every heart.

So the spotlight dims, with a final, sly wink,

Professor Temporal, time's master, don't blink.

Metro

 बंद थे, दबे-कुछले,

आखिरकार तंग रास्ते गलियों से निकले।

ये सपने कूदते-फांदते,

ये सपने दौड़ते-भागते पहुँचे।

मेट्रो के स्टेशन पर,

वक्त की दौड़ में वक्त को पिछड़ाते।

मयान से निकली तलवार, ये तेज़-तरार,

यहाँ सभी हैं समान,

और सभी का होता है सम्मान।

मुझे मेरी मंजिलों तक पहुँचाती,

मेरे सपनों को सच कर दिखाती।

धन्यवाद दिल से, दिल्ली की मेट्रो,

दिल से ही है तुझे सलाम।

The Naked Flower

  

From the seed, I flutter free,

Morning glory, a dance with glee.

Aquatic veins with life inflamed,

I ride the wind, and danced along the rain

In full bloom, clouds cast a gloom,

Shadows stretch, a relentless loom.

Plucked away from my vine, my kin,

I clenche tight, as he caves me in.

I prayed and prayed and prayed to end this cruel scheme 

Reality bites, a nightmarish stream.

His thumb encircles, I gasp for air,

Defenseless blossom, caught in despair.

A python's grip, a relentless twine,

He tears away, my petals decline.

Clawed fingers pinch, I hide my hand, my legs my  face,

Behind the drapes, in a darkened space.

Each petal stolen, a cruel display,

Reduced to nothing, a bud in dismay.

Blades of his claws, a wiggling sin,

Mushed and smashed her, his hardened skin

No alarms rise, no voices swell,

As I’m trashed, to be trodden, farewell.

A naked flower, once held so strong,

Now just a memory, in silence, belongs.

Man of my Dreams

 Dear Cinderella,

I’m striving to be lyrical,

For I owe it all to you; last night was magical.

Every hour, minute, and second, every split moment intact and frozen in my mind,

Piercing through the crowd, meeting eyes,Paralyzing time.

The ballroom, our own milky way,

We were rogue planets waltzing & sway,

Dancing in a differentiated romance,

Blurring boundaries in a trance-like trance.

For once, I was whole, complete,

Coiled up in unity,

Until the collision,

Shattering my delusions,

And the Majesty proclaimed,

"You disgrace, bringing shame to my name."

But oh, so gracious of you,

The one he approves,

To become my voice, take my stand,

You gave away my hand in his hand,

"Why can’t a man love another man?"

You advocated my case against the forbidden rule,

The prince charming indeed in love with another duke,

You roared out that love sees nothing and no one,

It wasn’t planned, it simply happens.

And we won. unable to gather what sounds, syllables or words to use

so i utter the only fitting phrase “thank you”

For not giving up on me

Because of you, I found the man of my dreams.

Regards,

Prince Charming

The Ghost in the Mirror

 Each time I see the mirror,

A thick fog blankets it,

Nothing seems clearer.

I see everyone else,

I see them all,

Except for myself.

I see the scorching noon

And the raised brows

Of my uncles, aunts, cousins, and father

When they saw me combing a Barbie

And singing "pink is so my color."

My cheeks turn to tomatoes

When I recall

My mother beating me down

Because I stole her lipstick, her nail paint,

And dressed like a clown.

I nearly lose consciousness

Remembering the bullies

Pushing me to the corner,

Unable to race, wrestle, or kick,

Their favorite victim to pick.

I see eyes, countless eyes,

Eyes multiplying

On buses, planes, trains,

Mountains, beaches, and in rains,

Scanning and undressing

To my very veins.

I see hands, many hands,

Joining to form a band

To grope me, shame me down,

Every time they get a chance.

Now I hold a hammer and a wipe,

Capable of shattering it all,

Or wiping it clean,

But I do neither, and face it all.