Soham Deshmukh

Thought I found a way out
Hidden within me or without.
To leave a maze of emotions
Of expectations and delusions.

For I could see the beacon
I couldn't think or soundly reason
The treacherous thorns and aching
That adorned the path I was undertaking

My mind full of thoughts
'bout the destination and nought
I took a dash into the unclear
Hope had overcome all fear.

Such is the mystery of life
Misery wipes off love and strife
It wraps you in its own clutch
The mind can't surmise much.

My bare feet felt numb
As I scurried along - steps long - they thumped.
Like chisels plunged into my heel,
The thorns tore apart my peel.

All this - for nought but vain,
The flare did some distance gain.
It seemed to never close in,
No matter the efforts I had put in.

And so, I stood, at the very same place
Amidst the same maze, wrapped by haze.
My confused mind had not let me move
Stuck like an ill-fated in a marshy grove.

Such is the way - a little absurd,
I bet - you can have my word,
That a worried mind won't let you grow,
Never mind the resilience you show.

The mist of worries and woes,
Covers every path you wish to go,
It all takes but a clear mind and a start
That shows the way, drives the stucks apart.

Caged into custody, with no remedy.
In a quod of mirror.
Left with nothing but fear.

For the lack of a way, in or out,
No hope of escape -
Within or without.

He noticed, as he looked 'round the cage,
All he could see was mirrors.
Strange thing - they all shone his image.

Even stranger - mirrors he had his back to -
A kind of thing he'd horror to -
Still wore his countenance.

Each face had a different trait,
Some reflected hordes of emotions,
Some were gentle and straight.

He noticed amongst 'em all,
In one, he was a man -
Happy, cheerful and entralled.

The very next was a stark contrast,
For it portrayed him in the dark -
Sad, deprived and all snark.

The opposite was the most humane of all,
It showed his rude and arrogant side,
The kind of devil, that within resides.

One was a braggart - his wealth, his talk
Another - well that's a bit of a pun.
He was humble as a praying nun.

At every angle, the impression seemed to change,
For 'twas nought but how his thoughts arranged,
To suit his need at every moment.

For they were mirrors - not ordinary,
They showed a man his own story,
Through the eyes of those, he had acquainted.

When they say, this is what they mean,
That the difference is how you perceive.
For it all lies in the perspective.

The room's lit dark and stark
Abandoned by men, bears nobody's mark.
And still methinks to hear a harp,
Shrill notes, screeching, piercing sharp.
They're swords, tearing my soul apart,
As they pour down the depths of my heart.
Clouded amidst the haze of murk,
The sounds intrust the eminent sulk.
So much familiar, yet unknown
Concealing that, what is not yet shown.
My feet- they stumble, as I step into the room,
It wraps around me as I embrace the gloom.
Breaks the trans, a searing sting.
It hurts not my peel but the soul within
It leaves no mark that men can see.
And leaves no heart where trust can be.
But no hope, no succor, all distant stars
No cure, no spell to heal the scars.
On my knees, I beg and pray,
Beseech the sun, beseech a beam stray.
On my knees, with battered faith
Distraught, fraught, in disdain
A wounded spirit amidst the fading light
I resign to my destined plight.

The hands seethe and burn,
His brow bleeds streams of sweat
The fissures on his heels
Akin the mud cracks
Both seeking nurture.
Seeking the shower of grace.
His feet waddle.
Bare on the barren
The only shade in sight
His own shadow
Trailing on his incessant pursuit.
The black in his eyes
Blackened by the lustre,
At the blue ceiling
He gazes in expectation.
An odd blob in the arid
Streams down the cheeks
As it drops to the ground
Disappears.
Like his hopes and prayers.

He saunters across the greens,
Lush underneath his feet.
The breezes whistle,
Misty and soothing
Against the warmth of his cheeks.
His hands graze the reap,
Tall against the winds,
Their bristling spirits
Infusing his palm with glee.
The black in his eyes
Moist with gratitude
At the dark ceiling
He gazes in admiration.
A speck of drizzle
Feathers his cheek
Like a tender kiss from heaven
His heels and soles
Embrace the mire,
Soaking in the mist, the blessings
Of Nature.

i see you
sun rays gleaming
illuminated by your radiance
the still smile on your face
the silk of your cheeks
caressing the breeze
silky strands of hair riding the wind
as you sit by the window

i sit afar...content..
my heart warm
my feet cold
my brain alive
my soul so old

i remember the days
we rode together along the bays
i'd see you
the same still smile on your face
the cool breeze soothing the burn in my heart
yet never soothing the sore aching
as our ways did part

you'd jump and scream
as we laughed off our silly ways
and i'd silently wish,
your smile be the spring, that always remains
in my heart
for my heart.
alas, it remained only in my heart.
fates crashed, we have drifted apart.

hate, rage is not what i feel
somewhere, somehow
i've started to heal
alas, what remains of us is
you and me
and the memories in my soul
of how your presence did feel
i ain't bitter
i just wish it'd turned out better.

i see you everyday
in the warmth of the sun
in the shower of its rays
i pray
i shuffle on my seat
in the desperate hope
i catch a glimpse of you
a fleeting one albeit

i hope
there had been a noon
that i sit next to you
as you drift off to sleep's land
close to my heart, your hand
that you rest your head
on my shoulder
as i behold you, you shudder
as the silk of your cheeks
caresses the breeze
and i wrap you in my embrace.

till then
i'd cherish that smile
i'd see you from afar
hoping
you sit by the window
sun rays gleaming
illuminated by your radiance
and that everyday
i see you.