Sunday, November 28, 2010

Temptations

And there she sat across the counter,
Alone, looking cold and yet smoking hot.
I looked, trying hard not to stare,
Her touch I so clearly sought.

Those curves looked enticing,
Shimmering was her skin under the light.
a hint of milky white with a touch of brown,
Trust me, there was no better sight.

I walked across the room, eyes transfixed,
I felt my palms sweat and my fingers tremble;
As I picked up my spoon and tasted the sauce,
Damn you hot chocolate sundae on the desert table.


- Pranay Rao

Friday, May 07, 2010

I will raise my head without fear

A stranger killed of someone's mother,
A child watched his father die.
They never believed that this could happen,
and they never knew the reason why.

Why is it that somebody can just walk in,
with a gun, a bomb and just kill anyone.
And all I can do is watch, listen and hope,
that the person who died is an unknown someone.

I have been taught to look around while travelling,
Ensure that someone doesn't get me that day.
After all it's my duty to be scared and tense,
My fees to be part of a Delhi or a Mumbai.

I dream of a day not too far,
A day when you and I will still be here.
A day when we will look up and smile,
And raise our heads without fear.

Till then I watch the news dispassionately.
It's no longer whether. Its when,where and how many.
Somewhere someone is playing a little game with me,
And I wonder whether he must find it funny.

That safely from a million miles away,
with a few rupees of explosives and firearms,
He makes a billion people shake in fear.
Little voodoo dolls are we in the grasp of his palms.

He threatens and a million quake in fear,
Mothers worry, children are scared.
Coming home everyday is a celebration.
to celebrate what they have braved.

But one day these billion people will rise,
and realise that they have had enough.
And that day my dear friend, I assure you.
It will be we who will have the last laugh.


Sooner rather than later

Sunday, March 07, 2010

The first flight

It seemed just yesterday that he had broken his shell,
And now he stood at the branch, ready to soar.
His mother steeled her heart and nudged him.
For her little hatchling, she wanted more.


He looked back and smiled impishly,
For his nervousness, she could never know.
The sun had just risen, the sky was lighting up,
To see his first flight had come the morning glow.

He held his breath and spread out his wings,
Stood up on his little feet and jumped into the blue.
His mother let out a gasp, as her son headed to the ground.
She wondered whether it really mattered if he ever flew.

Her maternal instincts battling with her maternal dreams,
She reached the edge of the branch and looked below.
She saw his little body flapping his wings with all his might,
His movements were shaky, his reactions were slow.

And just as she was about to fly down to his rescue,
His little body straightened as he began to actually fly.
He chirped in delight, A chirp of exhiliration and sheer joy.
No longer was he a little bird, but the king of the sky.

The sun smiled as he saw this unfold before his eyes,
Even though he had seen this happen a million times.
The drama of the moment still got to his old heart,
And he cheered when he saw that the little bird was fine.

He saw that the little hatchling was now a magnificient bird,
Each time he saw it, it remained the most wonderful sight.
The element of drama, he knew was Mother Nature's little touch,
To enhance the experience of the once in a life first flight.