Where Goes The Shadow?

The tired earth tosses slowly her sides
Inching closer to slumber with measured strides
The black city-ghosts grow taller, but weak
The birds all fly west, with spirited shrieks

The body goes to rest, the mind, to squander,
The weary go home, the homeless go wander
The fallen go back, the hopeful go on
But 'tis only a soft-glow, what once brightly shone

The long fingers of the Sun are done caressing the shore
The day of Life is done asking for more
Its quiver now empty, where goes the arrow?
The flame now goes out, where goes the shadow?

-Amit

The Closet

You were away that night.

I tip-toed into your room
and opened your closet
rummaging through this and that

I found him hiding
behind some old knick-knacks
on the third shelf on the right.

Afraid to speak,
looking scared
in spite of the perpetual grin on his face;
I offered him some courage from the bottle in my pocket
He drank it all up as I stared into his empty sockets
And then he spoke.
We spoke.
About this and that
and we laughed
till I innocently slipped in the Question
and he slipped, replied.
Then stopped.

You were away that night.
You, who will never return.

-Amit

Pause;

Pause;

rewind;
walking back, backwards, behind
the gate, up the steps,
rushing backward frame by frame
yellow leaves floating up,
attaching to whence they came
breathing out, and then in
unlike how it should have been
up the passage, through the door
till i'm back face-to-face
with your
mesmerizing eyes;
I was...

Pause;

The Flight

At least nine feet above the tallest man
he lords over the crowd from where he stands
watching waiters criss-crossing the room
ladies clinking glasses and men blowing fumes
his sharp eye catches the one to impress
(kohl-lined eyes, in the black dress)
He squares his shoulders and adjusts his bow
settles his hair and gets to ready to go
step by step down the flight of stairs
gradually losing his height and airs
finally standing at the foot of the flight
the crowd now stares down at his brief height
the scared little boy adjusts his shorts and specs
suddenly wary of strange aunts' pecks
he skips down the hall to find his dad
and ice cream and soda and fun to-be-had

Love Story

All my waking hours spent
i see you 'fore whatever fate it sends
to fill my day
day-dreaming never about you
but yet you're there with every blink i take
and all the falls i stake
you bleed for me
just as i have cried
each time you tried and fought to be with me
this is complicated
don't ever think you're underrated
but you, you will never see
it's just a state of me
that i accept
except, this isn't love, and i dare not dig you,
don't ever think we're free
or if we'll ever be
the fact remains that you and i
will swing together, see the world together
and sense and sensibility
will be pervaded and captivated
like it always used to be
each time i snuck away with you
to the million places you led me secretly
cos our attachment goes far beyond
than love and all its chronic bonds
and everybody knows,
you're mine, i take you with me
where'r the road it goes
and die to feel you breathe with me,
my long nose

-Amit

The Bar

Escorted to a trendy bar
driven down in an obtuse car
greeted by an old grouch,
I see Lazy lying draped over an ample couch
picking on his teeth and a tobacco pouch
looking like he'd just shot up some coke
now making castles with rings of smoke
Lust lowers his shades to check the pretty thing out
and rubs his chest and begins to pout
Pesky little Morals raise a meek little shout
but finally give in to the cheering crowd
while some disapprove and begin to frown
they proceed to do stuff that is not allowed
Vanity has grown a neat little beard
and wants to dance and be raucously cheered
but all the women have disappeared
for of course he looks extremely weird
Cool belts out the best riff played
on a red fender strat while getting laid
smoking an expensive cuban cigar
and sipping vodka with Gatorade
Lonely hangs out with his dozen friends
and throws them parties and lavishly spends
and calls them strange names like 'spaghetti' and 'bread'
pity! they only exist in his head
Greed slyly eyes the food on my plate
what i will eat and what i ate
Courage stands straight but threatens to sit
Nervous is sweating bit by bit
Broke tries his best to duck the bill
Passion awaits the power of the pill
Cheap hangs around for his fifth free drink
Strange walks in with his hair dyed pink
Stupid gets slapped while trying to blink
Crazy pulls out his tongue with a wink
Lost holds my hand as I try to think
why i have been asked to stand by the sink
and why they haven't even offered me a drink
and why the barman's badge reads S-H-R-I-N-K

-Amit

The Cheat

She saunters in like she owns the room
swaying, unsteady, almost trips on the broom
that lies carelessly strewn on the kitchen floor
she decides it best be flung out the door
but other important matters await,
its time for business, the clock strikes four

She noisely withdraws the vessels from the box
and starts to impatiently set up shop
By routine, refusing to take each one out
she overturns the lot with a loud shout
As i enter the kitchen, a little smile forms
she takes what she needs and starts to perform

Delicately picking up the spoon in her hand
she willfully waves it around like a wand
pretending she's making an exquisite dish
clanging the pot with every swish
knowing i watch her every move
as she cooks up her imaginary food

the sous-chef now proceeds to serve
what she'd just made and i'd observed
offering to me a full empty cup
that i proceed to praise and drink it up
her sparkling eyes now eagerly await
part deux of this little act we'd made
i begin to laugh and ask for more
the little cheat happily begins to pour