LIFE AND LIES #29 | Gatherings of Men

They have gathered once again

Like every other year

In spite of the outbreak

Plaguing the entire land

God is their last resort

Having lost their hopes in men

God brought the pandemic

God will bless this cursed land

Or so they have come to believe.

They have gathered once again

Out on the streets

Listening tentatively

To the promises made

To the slogans in the air

For in that moment

All of it matters

Their voice, their choice

Or so they have come to believe.

They have gathered once again

Glued to the screens

Cheering the champions

Who are well out of earshot

A game of gentlemen

Two play at a time

The rest of them await their turn

It's all spontaneous

Or so they have come to believe.

They have gathered once again

In a suspended ambience

Glasses in their hands

Smoke in the air

Ash on the ground

Boasting about

Women they bedded

Men they punched

Unmindful of all the gatherings everywhere.

Comments

LIFE AND LIES #98 | Talk To Me

*** The woods are gloomy, dark and scary. You were supposed to keep me company. Even when the roads diverged, You promised me we wouldn't split. Talk to me, man! The mountains spit fire. The rivers run acrid. I walk the barren valley All by myself. Talk to me, man! You and I had concluded long back That life is a joke and Death is the punchline. Then why am I not laughing? Talk to me, man! While I grow old and frail, You'll remain forever young. I say that out of envy Or maybe to content myself. Talk to me, man! I hope you have the answers now To all the questions that befuddle mankind: God, soul, afterlife, rebirth, heaven and hell. You can go on a rant about them if you want, But just once come and talk to me, man! ***

LIFE AND LIES #100 | The Blurred Lines

Nitin was utterly shocked when he woke up on Saturday morning with a hangover and without any recollection of what had transpired the previous night. He had been drunk before. He had lost all of his senses before. But everything always came back to him the next morning. However, that day, it didn't; complete blackout. There must have been something bizarre in that drink. Over the course of the week, though, he started remembering flashes of it and began looking for an opportunity to talk to Sandhya, sober and alone. The weather had taken a sharp turn today. A sweltering sunny day gave way to a cloudy evening with thrashing winds. As everyone raced to the office window to watch the scene unfolding outside, Nitin saw Sandhya signalling to him by pressing two fingers to her lips. He couldn’t help but smile. She knew he loved to smoke in this weather. After all, she was his smoking partner in the office. Together, they went downstairs, but as soon as they stepped out of the building, t...

LIFE AND LIES #99 | What's Your Story

There’s something about women that I’ll never understand. They change their attire and hair and transform into a totally new person. Of course, I didn't expect MJ to walk around the city wearing her trekking gear. Still, it surprised me when I met her and she was wearing a traditional white kurta. Her hair wasn’t tied in a bun but fell in coils over her shoulders. Only after I talked to her was I assured that she was the same person I met on Gaumukh Tapovan Trek. I was in the city to spend the long weekend with my friends but I had reserved the last day for meeting MJ. While my friend Mukesh had taunted me by saying that I had come to meet MJ and not them, Neil had suggested a nice place where I could meet her. It was late in the afternoon and the restaurant wasn't crowded. There was no loud music, just a guy performing with his guitar. "Thanks for coming," I told her after the waiter found us a nice seat by the window. "Is Chatur your roommate?" She must ha...

Whispers and Words of M R Maiti

Search This Blog