READER'S PARADISE

THE ANGEL IN DISGUISE

2008-09-15T00:23:00.003+05:30

She was walking down the deserted street,
She staggered on as she’d had nothing to eat,
Leaving behind the footprints of her bleeding feet,
She moved on, her white hair dangling about,
Feeling the walls, trying to find her way out.
He stood, watching her helplessly from above,
Tears coming into his little dark brown eyes,
Wanting to help her but not knowing how,
He could hear her loud cries,
She cried out for some food,
She cried out for some shelter.
She went next to a door and stood,
And he could feel his vision going blur.
She felt her feet give away, and she fell to the ground,
He so wanted to help her, but fear kept him from doing so.
A drunk passerby looked at her misery and frowned,
Cursing her aloud, he gave her a blow,
The poor old lady let out a shriek,
As the drunk rascal ran down the street.
A number of people looked down, but none could speak,
She shouted and wailed at the onlookers,
They knew her, and they all knew she could do nothing wrong,
And they were sure; her son was to be blamed for this position of hers,
The child above wanting to help her, knew he was not that strong,
But he could not watch his grandmother suffer near the dirty drain,
Where she lay still on the cold bare earth,
Mosquitoes giving her body shelter, the body which no more felt pain,
He got up and moved, his little brown eyes filled with salty water,
He went and opened his father’s study room,
There sat the huge cruel monster,
The one who sent his own mother to be doomed.
The child slowly and steadily walked up to him,
Fear building up with each step that he took,
He knew his chances to convince him were very dim,
But he knew he could not just stand and look.
His father looked at him and gave a big smile,
The frightened child began to cry.
The child looked into his father’s eye and asked boldly,
‘Why did u beat grandma and send her out?’
His father just stared at him coldly,
Now, the child stood close to him wanting the answer to his doubt,
Unexpectedly the huge hand came down and slapped his little face,
Then the child heard a voice say, ‘I am the master of this place,
Everything will be as I want.’
The child’s mother entered and held him in her arms,
While the father, stormed out into the dark night which seemed calm.
He walked down the streets, his fists clenched,
The wind was blowing, bringing with it some awful stench.
Cursing everything as he walked ahead,
He slipped on the damp ground, falling on his head,
Everything had blacked out.
Just then, he felt two hands lifting him up,
Then he heard his mother asking him aloud,
‘Get up my child, are you hurt?’
Looking at her, tears filled his eyes,
His head was bleeding; still he could recognize the angel in disguise.
He got up, and both helped each other move,
And he fainted as they reached their home.
As he woke up in the morning he felt his health had improved,
And his mother lay near his bed all alone,
He tried to wake her up, but she would not,
Tears welled up in his eyes,
The emotions that he felt he could no longer hold,
As lying dead in front of him was his angel in disguise.

THE TOY

2008-09-15T00:15:00.004+05:30

He stood far in the corner,

Away from everyone’s view,

He was a loving father,

Wondering now what to do.

He watched the people,

All looking happy and gay,

Standing there he felt like a cripple,

But, yet he decided to stay.

He had no money,

Yet he had come to the fair,

His five year old wanted a bunny,

And would not settle for a small éclair.

The proud father decided to get him one,

So, now he stood here,

He watched all the having fun,

Staring at them with a tear.

He was too proud to beg or borrow,

And too honest to steal,

His barefoot adding to his sorrow,

And he had no goods with him to deal.

Slowly he began to walk,

Until he reached the huge toy shop,

After looking at the huge wall clock,

Next to the owner he stopped.

He asked the price of the desired toy,

The old man looked and gave him a smile,

And said, ‘That my boy,

Will cost u dollars five.’

Embarrassed, the man looked at his feet,

And stammered to the old man,

Keeping his voice very discreet,

Whether he wanted an extra hand.

He worked hard for two days,

And earned the desired toy,

The old man took him in his embrace,

For both, this was a moment of joy.

The brothers had parted back then,

And, hardly met each the other since,

Now the wall of ego between them,

Was acting like a thorny fence.

LOVE

2008-09-15T00:11:00.005+05:30

If you say love is sweet,

Then, why does love cheat?

If you say love is happiness,

Then, why does it bring sadness?

If you say love shall die,

Then, you are telling a lie?

Even though at times love does cheat,

By which it does bring in sadness,

Love never dies.

QUESTION?

2008-09-15T00:07:00.002+05:30

Please don’t ask me any question,
Because for it I am at opposition,
If ever do answer any,
Then, always there are others many,
I hate to be asked any questions,
As usually they increase my apprehension.

For a few questions there are no answers,
And if there are, they can cause disasters,
To avoid which, I would have to lie,
Later for which I might cry,
For if ever I got caught,
Then the questions increase a lot.

SCHOLAR

2008-09-14T23:58:00.007+05:30

Who is a scholar?

Is he the one who earned a million dollars,

Or, the one with a beautiful white collar?

Is he an academic champ,

Or, the one who invented the telegram?

Is he the one who preaches about god,

Or, the one who can overcome any odd?

Is he the one who always wins in chess,

Or, the one who started the printing press?

Is he the one who can detect any crime,

Or, the one who knows how to make a perfect rhyme?

Is he the one who can well predict,

Or, the one who understands all about politics?

Is he the one who is capable of ruling Washington DC,

Or, is it me?

EARTHQUAKE!!!

2008-09-14T13:33:00.005+05:30

The earth shattered all around,
Causing little Tom to get awake,
Disaster was spelt in it’s every sound,
His little life was now at stake.

The ground beneath him rumbled,
Anger was heard in it’s voice,
Little Tom began to stumble,
As he didn’t have much of choice.

He looked at the sky that appeared dark grey,
As he joined his hands and began to pray,
His world was about to come to an end,
So to god, a message he sent.

Shivering of fear, he searched for his family,
The house was absolutely in shackles,
And none of them could he see,
Just then, the ceiling began to crackle.

Tears came to his frightened little eyes,
He wondered how they could have left him alone here,
He knew now why no one had heard his cries,
And now, he wondered where they could have disappeared.

He stepped out of his once beautiful house,
And walked to the steep stairs,
He saw the frightened people and heard their shouts,
And began to hope that this was just one of his nightmares.

He reached the railing,
And slowly moved down the steps,
His tiny hands were bleeding,
The people in the building now seemed to have left.

He reached the ground floor,
Freedom was just a few meters away,
When the walls tore,
Crushing the little Tom away.

If little Tom had lived,
Where would have he gone?
He didn’t know that his family was killed,
Trying to save him in the very house where he felt alone.

THE CHILD

2008-09-14T13:15:00.004+05:30

Sitting in his room all by himself,
All the toys scattered around,
And a many more lying in the shelf,
He sat staring at the ground.

He awaited his most beloved toy,
The only one that brought him immense joy,
It was to arrive soon,
As, it was already noon.

He looked through the large window,
And saw the cars passing by,
Then turning towards the closed door,
He waited as the time began to fly.

He hardly had any hair on his head,
Almost daily he would wet in his bed,
He would forget the people and things to him shown,
And would cry to himself when all alone.

The only thing he liked was playing with his favourite toy,
His grandson, who bought him immense joy,
Whenever the little 8 year old would go wild,
A smile came to the lips of this 80 year old child.

THE UN-MATCHING BLOOD

2008-07-19T23:01:00.010+05:30

SCENE 1
It was a beautiful bright night,

The moon shining to it's fullest,

The howling dogs gave many a fright,

And I was planning to take some rest.

I was a little worried about my son,

Whom I had not seen since a week,

He was at his friend's place, studying and having fun,

The chances of him coming now were bleak.

It was a long time since we had spoken to one another,

About a month had passed since the fight,

And the person suffering the most was his mother,

Since, she could not decide who was right.

With each passing night tears welled up in my eyes,

As I thought about him, my only child,

No matter how much to correct him I would try,

His immaturity & ignorance made him go wild.

Just as my eyes had begun to swell,

I heard a shriek that I seemed to recognize well,

I ran out into my large balcony,

From there I could see a young lad getting beaten wildly.

The young man getting beaten, looked like my son,

But, from such a distance and my teary eye I could not be sure,

So, in a minute, I was outside the door and began to run,

With the hope to save the person I most adore.

As I reached nearer, I felt relieved,

'cause, it was not my son who was being hit,

They were some drunkards I believe,

Still, I requested the larger one to stop it.

SCENE 2

As he moved towards his house,

His thoughts dark, but the night still bright,

He didn't care much for either, his mother or her spouse,

And, was completely prepared for another big fight.

As soon as he entered his street,

He saw two men sprawled over the ground,

He could not believe what his eyes could meet,

One was his father and the other some drunken clown.

His father's skull had been cracked,

And he lay there in a critical stage,

Looking at the blood on the ground, he was taken aback,

Then a smile crossed his face and he forgot his earlier rage.

He stood there, watching his father die,

His smile widening with every moan,

The old man could not open even a single eye,

All he could do was just twist and groan.

His only wish was to see his son one last time,

The son wished, this would be the last time his father he would

see,

And then as he bent over to admire the crime,

He too, was hit on his head twice heavily.

On this bright night, the dark red blood, glowed with a

twinkle,

The drunkard having played his bloody game,

The father & the son's blood began to mingle,

But the irony was, though it was same, yet it was not the same.

THE BEAUTIFUL LADY

2008-07-19T01:39:00.015+05:30

She comes whenever she likes,

And lays on top of me,

I can never guess when she would strike,

Taking over me like her property.

She makes me shiver and quiver,

She stays with me all night,

And if satisfaction to her I don't deliver,

She stays even in the morning light.

She doesn't allow me to go anywhere,

And if I do, she lingers too,

So, firstly about her I should care,

And without her I can't live is true.

At times, she also comes in the afternoon,

Or in the evenings, when I am bored,

Sometimes I wonder if she is a bane or a boon,

Yet, she is the only one that I hate and adore.

At times I wish that she would go,

At times its her I want to keep,

What is so special about her, we all know,

Her name is 'Sleep'.

MY FIRST LOVE

2008-07-19T01:38:00.005+05:30

It was the first time I was falling in love,

With a maiden more beautiful than a dove,

I had seen her twice,

Looking into my eyes,

She had captured my lonely heart,

As if it was her art.

Her large and beautiful blue eyes,

Told me, that I could not win them by dice

Then she flashed towards me a million dollar smile,

For which I would be ready to travel a thousand miles,

I fell in love, which grew deeper and deeper,

As she went further and further.

I kept following her for long time,

I was not sure if that was a crime,

She finally entered the railway station,

And waited there with patience.

After a while, a train arrived,

On which she went,

Just then she turned, and a flying kiss to me she sent,

I got a feeling that I cannot derive,

'Cause it stirred up all my emotions,

And, I stood there without any motion.

THE SOLDIER

2008-07-19T01:35:00.002+05:30

He had a tear in his burning red eye,

But, he promised to himself, he would not cry,

He walked away from the field of blood,

His wounds were all filled with mud.

Once more he fell and staggered on the ground,

But, he was determined to keep moving on,

The bullets having hit his chest, arm and knee,

The war he fought was sure to create history.

As he moved on, his past came back to him,

Lighting up that moment which was otherwise grim.

Now, far away he could see his camp,

Just then, he began to get cramps.

Still determined, he walked on and on,

With the support of his rifle to move along.

He saw his wife running towards him,

The most beautiful lady, fair and slim.

He knew that this was an illusion,

'Mirage', he thought, 'God's wonderful creation.'

Now, his body could not take it any more,

And he started to feel it turning sore.

Feeling dizzy, to the ground he fell,

Expecting his eyes to open in hell,

Defying death was his game,

This time, though, he had lost the same.

BY THE LAKE SIDE

2008-07-18T22:30:00.006+05:30

I saw her by the lake side,

By the lakeside, we met.

I kissed her by the lakeside,

By the lakeside, we wed.

We lived by the lakeside,

By the lakeside, was my house.

I found my love by the lake side,

By the lakeside, she became my spouse.

Our children grew up by the lakeside,

By the lakeside, they played.

We spent our lives by the lake side,

By the lakeside, we aged.

They left us by the lakeside,

By the lakeside, we were to be.

They will come for us by the lakeside,

By the lakeside, we see.

I had seen her by the lakeside,

By the lakeside, we had met.

I had kissed her by the lakeside,

By the lakeside, now we wept.

THE HIGHWAY

2008-07-18T22:10:00.005+05:30

I was driving down the broad highway,

Where I met the old ragged man,

He said he had gone astray,

In this vast unknown land.

I asked him to sit in my beautiful black car,

This was my latest obsession and pride.

On the highway it shone like a black star,

Driving it, all my ill feelings died.

He sat beside me staring straight ahead,

I guess, I caught a glimpse of tear in his eye,

His eyes were a crimson red.

I offered him some food, which he didn't deny,

He ate all of it, in just a matter of time.

To strike a conversation then, I asked him his name,

He broke up then, and related to me about a horrible crime.

As he spoke, I got a feeling that he was insane,

But he spoke with the coldness which said the other way.

He told me how his wife and children were murdered,

On this very, broad highway,

About how he had been robbed,

And since then his life had become hell,

And how since then he wandered about.

Hearing all of this my eyes went swell,

The road ahead had begun to blur out.

Then, there came a chilling silence in between us,

And I saw something shining, with the corner of my eye.

Looking at the large knife I began to lose my guts,

And so, I began to slow down my drive.

He calmly held the knife around my neck,

I pulled out all my money, which was quite a heavy stack.

He took all the money shaking his head,

And the smile on his face told me I was dead.

He told me that, one must never be kind,

Think twice while giving lift to people on the highway,

He too had done that being out of his mind,

And had lost everything within a day.

I pulled the car beside a signboard, which read forty,

I begged him to take the money and leave me alone.

Smiling at me he said, 'The money is for my body,

But, this (stabbing me) is for my soul.'

THE HAPPY GRIEF

2008-07-18T21:18:00.005+05:30

He stood in the hallway, right beside the door,

It had been two hours since she was gone,

The hands of his watch now read ten-four,

But, still the red light above the door was on.

The blood under his skin had begin to crawl,

The sweat on his forehead beginning to show anticipation,

He stood all alone in the huge wide hall,

Pacing all around, feeling nothing but frustration.

Dreadful thoughts had begun to creep in his mind,

His eyes, filling up with tears, making him nearly blind.

He had seen her being taken inside the room,

And now, all of a sudden a cry boomed,

A smile came to his lips, a tear in his eye,

It was the cry of his new born son,

The hands of his watch showed ten-twenty five,

He let out a sign of relief. Alas! It was all done.

The red light above the room went off,

The long closed door slowly opened,

The respected man came out with a cough,

The look in his eyes caught him stunned.

He kept his hand on the father's shoulder,

As the child had begun to wail,

Standing there he tried to act bolder,

But the look on the respected face made him pale.

He began to shiver with horror,

As the wise man revealed the news,

The grief struck the happy father,

His son had lost his mother before he knew.

FATHER AND SON

2008-07-18T21:07:00.006+05:30

Moonlight fell on his shining amour,

Giving the silver a gentle glow,

Far away, waited his father,

Pride in his eyes, sweat on his brow.

His father, the king, had got the news,

His son, the prince, had won the war,

But not many in this kingdom knew,

Bleeding to death was the shining star.

The amour was losing it's glow,

As the blood from his wounds began to flow,

And, the mightiest sword of the war,

Lay in the hands of this shining star.

Far away, with the king, stood two ladies,

One the queen, and the other her son's love,

On this bright moonlit night they stood like fairies,

Proud was their stature, heads held high above.

Closing his bloodshot eyes, he saw a face,

The face of his successor, his only child,

Forgetting the pain, he wanted to pace,

So, he climbed upon his horse, which ran into the wild.

The innocent child was fast asleep,

Ignorant of the courage he had caused,

His father riding fast in the woods deep,

Knowing, he had no time for a pause.

The body of the prince was not found,

About this the king was told,

The news of the victory went around,

Yet, the expressions of all were cold.

Alas! He reached the huge gates,

But, to his dismay they were closed,

He realized that he was too late,

Tears welled up in his eyes as the wind blowed.

The proud father inside held his head high,

A smile for the victory, a tear for his son,

The brave father outside let out a sigh,

A smile for the victory, a tear for his son.