I am what I Dream

I want to live a thousand dreams,
I want to set the sun on fire.
I want to reach out to the sky,
reach the point where I can't go no higher.

I know my life is mine to live,
I can become what I aspire.
I have my faith my trust in god,
which helps me attain what I desire.

Life has been a wonderful roller coaster ride,
With more highs than lows.
What will come tomorrow,
Is something I will never know.

My dreams are my oxygen,
the only thing that keeps me alive.
They help me face the really bad days,
In adversity they help me thrive.

I know my dream shall help me prosper,
I know my dreams shall set me apart.
You can never put me down,
As long as I have a dream in my heart.

- Pranay Rao

My City is burning again

Not another minute of silence,
Not another occassion to wear black arm bands.
Now the silence is getting deafening,
The stupid symbolism be damned.

I've got sick of the news reports,
The constant saluting the spirit of Mumbai.
I've got tired of the resilience.
The getting back to normal life, the next day.

I've got tired of the jingoism,
Surviving attacks is not our forte.
Let me lead my life in peace,
Just let me live, the normal way.

But what can I do, a non resident mumbaikar,
There's just anger and frustuation to vent.
I really don't expect any action,
After all it's not an attack on the bloody parliament.

Life will go on, never stopping,
Cause the city never sleeps.
Millions get back to work,
While the affected thousand weep.

Mumbai, I can't see you hurting,
I can't see you blotched by tear and blood streams
Mumbai, you deserve much more,
For a city which has fulfilled a million dreams.

- Pranay Rao

Destiny

It seemed like a dream,
And yet it was reality.
It was more than a coincidence,
It seemed like it was destiny.

It made me lose my ego,
and I even swallowed my pride.
What mattered most to me,
Was she by my side.

It seems like I knew her for eternity,
and yet there was so much more to know.
What was it that made her heart beat,
What was it that made her skin glow.

Maybe what she thought was a diamond,
Was but a mound of stone.
Maybe mine was not the heart,
She had wanted to make her own.

Thus ends what was a childish dream,
to think that this was destiny.
What was just a high note,
In life's sweet symphony.

the road of life is still long,
many a straight road, many a bend.
But in my heart of hearts I hoped,
That this high note would never end.

- PR

The day I set out to compose a rhyme

I thought it was time,

To compose a little rhyme.

Maybe a rhyme full of love. Maybe a rhyme full of hate.

Maybe a rhyme that would make me famous, one that would alter my fate.

A rhyme more rich than all of the world's folklore.

A rhyme which would rival a Tarentino in poetic gore.

So I sat down with single minded determination,

To weave a rhyme that would trigger fascination.

I plugged in my laptop because sheer genius must not be limited by battery.

The poem was to appeal to all; it was to be an ode, not just some form of cheap flattery.

And I began in earnest, with the only subject which came to my head.

Love it had to be, because that's what earns poets their butter and bread.

Love, beautiful , uncomplicated like that which a mother feels for her child.

Or love that makes strong men feel weak and makes nice girls go wild.

Love it could be for music, it could be love for food or wine.

It had to be a love I could describe, a love that could be mine.

It was then that I paused, for poetry requires that moment of inspiration.

The moment that would define the ultimate fate of my creation.

The pause was pregnant with uncertainties untold.

I observed as I felt in my mind the poem unfold.

My subject couldn’t be clearer, the lines stood out in bold.

A rhyme of such beauty, from this world I could not withhold.

My fingers reached the keyboard, but falter they did each time.

For what the heart wanted to say, the mind could not set to a rhyme.

The abilities of a poet, amateur as me could not define.

That which is so pure, so beautiful, so divine.

A poem I could write; a rhyme I could compose.

About the mighty sun or the beautiful rose.

But the very words rebel as I try to describe love in a rhyme.

They mock me and smile, telling me that it isn't yet time.

They tell me that wait and you shall see the day,

When even we shall respond to you; like to a potter, his clay.

And the time will come when your words will take flight like a dove.

And describe to the world, the beauty of love.

For now I rest, the promise of tomorrow easing the disappointment of now.

Fondly I shall remember for years to come, the day that I set out to write a poem on love.

- Pranay

A masterpiece called you

He wiped his brush on the grass,
Then dipped it in the Ocean blue.
He took the utmost care in detail,
in creating a piece of art called you.

Then one day you looked up,
and saw another of his creations.
You thought to yourself,
Why can't I be more like that.

First you changed your body,
And then it was your soul.
Till one day you looked at the mirror,
And all you saw was this big black hole.

Your individualism is your soul,
your distinctness is your heart.
It is you being yourself,
that really sets you apart.

Go ahead be different,
Think and do as you please.
Your not just another piece of art,
You are God's own masterpiece.

- Pranay

The meaning of my life

Life waited as I gathered my thoughts,
Static I was as the moments passed by.
Thunder greeted me as I looked heavenwards,
My senses tingled as I felt the raindrop from the sky.

My heartbeat slowed down, the mist enveloped me,
The moment was mine to live, mine to share.
Nothing mattered, not the rain, nor the sunset glow,
Life was mine to live, without a worry, without a care.

The world seemed different, distant yet very close.
As I had transcended to a state of absolute peace.
Each raindrop shattered the silence around me.
I clasped my hands and fell to my knees.

Guidance I wanted, guidance to walk the path.
Guidance to help me read, to understand the signs.
Guidance to tell me what was my existence all about,
Guidance to tell me what was I for and what was mine.

Then the truth dawned upon me, in a trickle of raindrops.
It was my existence in a world full of love and endless strife,
Which would temper me, teach me, prepare me;
For the moment when I would know the meaning of my life.

- Pranay

The Angel who fell from the sky

Posted on my blog on April 12th. Angel who fell from the sky has been in my head for an eternity till one day it just came to life. This poem can actually be split into two parts. Part one is the happy effect of a beautiful girl entering a room. Part two is the plea for another chance to tell the lady what she means. Together they try and cover all the emotions related to love. Each on it's own can probably be extended into a poem by itself.


The world suddenly stopped,
The scenery changed as people froze in time.
Violins played symphonies of pure bliss.
And words began to form their own rhymes.

The walls turned to murals, the ground to a flower bed.
Their beauty paling in comparison to she who walked by.
Oblivious of all that she had changed in the world.
She passed by me, the angel who fell from the sky.

I wished I could speak but the words refused to come.
I wished I could sing, but music dared not show it’s face.
Each afraid that justice they could not do her beauty.
Each afraid that capture they could not her grace.

She smiled and the flowers bloomed,
The room filled with their scent as sweet as honey.
The murals changed to reflect her buoyant mood.
The birds in the painting twittered, the sky ever so sunny.

Try as I do, For once I can’t seem to say what I feel,
Forever stuck in an endless night that never seems to see dawn.
Delayed for too long have I, the expression of my feelings,
The courage that deserted me may have come back just as she is gone.

Wait I do, hoping that one day she shall be back,
Pray I shall, to god to give me that one chance.
The opportunity to speak what the heart has to say.
Hoping that my words, in her heart shall ignite a romance.

Words that will tell her, what she means to me,
Words that will express my feelings, forever and for now.
Words brave enough to look into her eyes and say,
That there just cannot be, an alternative to her love.

- Pranay Rao

Save me a piece of heaven

She looked sadly towards the cot,
There were two big tears in her eyes.
The elderly gentleman turned towards her,
He could see her thoughts full of Hows and Whys.

He gestured to the nurse beside him,
And asked her to take off the oxygen mask.
He had done all his duties in time,
What was left was this little task.

Her mother put her up near the bed,
And he lovingly stroked her hair,
‘Granpa Is it true that your going away?
If you are, can you tell me where?’

He took a deep breath and held her little hand,
‘Darling, Grandpa is going to Paradise,
A place for all those who believe in god
A place for all who are sweet and nice.’

‘Granpa will you come to meet me,
Will you drink tea with me and my teddy bear?’
‘Sure, You just need to close your eyes and think of me,
And I’ll be there sitting by you, rocking your little chair.’

That was all she wanted, for the smile returned to her face,
Her grandpa took his towel and wiped her little nose.
‘Granpa, Can you please tell me what heaven is?
Mum says it’s more beautiful than even Grandma’s prized Rose.’

‘Heaven, my dear is the most wonderful feeling;
It’s even more beautiful than the village swan lake’
Then seeing that she was still not assured he said,
‘Heaven is so sweet, that it’s sweeter than your Mummy’s cake.’

She smiled and said ‘Paradise must be very beautiful
It sounds so nice that it must be a nice place to be.
But do one thing Grandpa and promise me that,
When you reach there, you’ll save a piece of heaven for me’

He hugged her while he tried to hide the tears in his eyes.
And kissed her gently and placed her on his bed sheet;
God knows that heaven was where he wanted to go,
But he wondered whether even heaven could ever be this sweet’

He thanked God for his life, for his happinesses untold,
Thanked him for all the love that he received that final night;
And he knew that all he needed was right before him;
Death could be a bother but life had turned out quite all right.

- Pranay