THE FRIEND [I MADE THE OTHER DAY I DECIDED TO JUMP OFF THE TALLEST CLIFF...]

I'm in a kind of Karan Johar mood, I suppose. All the poems I write right now will have long titles, but not much stuff in them.

I stand at the very edge,
Facing the thin blue stream,
Meandering down below.
Clouds like whipped cream,
Forming random images, up above.
The trees swaying to the music
Of the faceless whistling wind.
My mind runs the filmstrip,
And I realize how lucky I've been.
Nature whispers words, sweet and calm.
You haven't come here to die, she says.
She holds me close, in her loving warmth.
You'll survive, she says, hard work pays.
In a teasing gesture, she ruffles my hair,
Pulls my lips into a reluctant smile.
Nature, the sweet maiden, fair,
Spends her time with me for a while.
A casual hand around my shoulders,
She sits beside me, in friendly silence,
Her touch warm, as the evening gets colder.
We sit together, friends in the true sense.

GOOD MORNING

Words we use often, aren't they? In greeting, yeah. But what will really good mornings be like? Well, this is what my imagination came up with. Incorrigible, ain't I?

Waking up next to you,
Smiling against your lips.
Two faces in the mirror.
Daily jogging trips.

The aroma of coffee,
The rustle of newspaper.
Eggs, sunny side up.
Together, under the shower.

Slow, lingering goodbyes.
Quick hugs, stolen kisses.
Just you and me, together forever,
The inseparable Mr. and Mrs.

Forever and forever, amen. :P

PROMETHEUS

Just a simple verse dedicated to the Titan of all times - Prometheus.

The world was just made.
The creatures were few.
Prometheus gave the birds
Their beaks, wings and claws.
He gave all the animals
Their fins, paws and jaws.

Time had come, to create man.
A special creature who looked up -
Never down. On his two feet,
He stood, majestic, strong -
The leader, the caretaker,
Of the whole of the throng.

Alas, Prometheus had nothing
To give to the crown of creation.
No special, new gift for man.
The wings were already in flight,
The paws and claws in action,
And the jaws chewing each bite.

And then, Prometheus thought -
He could give man the seed
Of hope, a new beginning.
The start of all that was new,
The end of all the old things,
Better than anything else he knew.

And so, he tricked the Gods,
And stole the Fire from Heavens.
The fire that went up in flames.
The fire that burned within, and out -
That which cooked, hardened, heated,
Destroyed - the best gift, no doubt.

As the first man got this special gift,
The Gods punished the kindly Titan.
Prometheus, bound to a rock,
His continually regenerating liver
Devoured by an eagle of the Gods -
Brutally punished was the giver!

Heracles would come, years later.
He slew the eagle, and freed the Titan.
Prometheus was now free, safe.
After years of going through torment
Just for all the good he had done,
Heracles had come, not heaven-sent!

Generosity and kindness seem punished,
Sometimes. Life is made miserable
For those who give, love, and care.
After years of torment, they are freed.
But will they forget the punishment
Undeserved for their noble deeds?

CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS

That warm summer’s day,
He sang to the winds,
The zephyr, the breeze,
The hunter, after his pursuits.
"Oh, how I'd like to stay,
In all the peace you bring
In your arms! Never cease,
To touch me, to cool the heat."

She walked on the ground,
Her serene beauty marred
By the doubts, the questions,
Her eyes troubled, unclear.
Without making a sound,
With a painfully beating heart,
Walked the princess of Athens,
As soft, as noiseless as a feather.

Unaware, he sang on, to the breeze,
"Caress me, with your touch,
So warm, so blissful, oh wind,
And I'd sleep in your lovely lullaby."
"Who walks there? Freeze!"
He said, to the rustle in the brush.
He aimed his unerring spear, poisoned,
Only to hear his wounded wife's cry.

He waged a war against Hades' arms,
Valiant in protecting her frail form;
"Oh, what have I done, my love?"
He cried, his heart breaking slowly.
He kissed her now cold palms.
"Oh, I never wanted you harmed!
My love, don't ever leave me now!"
All she said was, "Promise to love me."

"What will I do to wash my sin?
How can I let you go away, die?"
He held her fast, to himself,
And cried, "What will I do?"
"All these days, in doubt, I've been,
About you," she said, on a ragged sigh.
"All this pain and misery, I truly deserve,
For testing your love, for doubting you."

Even as she saw grim Death approach,
She smiled with love, sweet and brave.
Through his tears, she saw his love,
Love for her, for only his wife, her.
On her last painful, difficult breath,
She smiled, as her last words she gave -
"Promise me that you will never give
Your love to, and marry the zephyr!"