a cloudy night
high from the rooftop
you can see
a tower with a blinking light
red. white. red. white.

she’s tipsy but not drunk
eyes locked at the blinking light
her table full of faceless heads
and empty glasses
talking about inane things

remembering all those stories
she wants to share

the grueling pain
you’ve felt in every cell
second by second
as your chest hurts
and it’s difficult to breathe
or happiness
which seemed like
it’d last forever

but only words come out
how terribly lonely
each one of us
on this earth
to have experienced so much
and nothing to show for it
except words

as the tables get deserted
a plane flies across the sky
a bird jumps from the ledge
and flies into the night
red. white. red. white.

it’s 3am on a quiet residential street
people have either left
or passed out

that was fun
she says
to dim yellow lights
and empty cups

a sofa here
to cuddle with
a painting there
to describe her dreams to

it’s a comforting place
small
but enough

all the things she could do here
let her hair chase her face
to the tune
as the world outside
is lit on fire

dream of love found
and friends made
of laughs that make you cry
and moments
that touch life

she wipes her lipstick on a paper
lets her hair loose
abandons her shoes

and you can hear the music
getting louder and louder
on the street

there she was
sitting in a cafe
in company of her poems
not like tables full of lonely faces

a smile so warm
her notebook fierce
hair ready to leap
and shadow your face
in their grace

she gifted me these words
and i almost bought her a rose

i wonder
if she’s humming a tune
and laughing the same laugh
right now

as i pen this down
thinking
should i ask her
aavengi, ja nahin?

end of a warm day in upper Dharamshala
with the sun
making every living thing
dance to its blood red tune
as it goes into slumber

her hair streaked
pink and green
battle with the ever glowing red of the dusk

she stands on the ledge looking down
on the village below
hills and cliffs
full of tall oak trees
ready to pierce the world

it’s been a month since she came here
after a spirit crushing residency
walking
climbing
listening
thinking
talking but not a lot

it’s finally over
she says to no one
it’s done
and lets out a warm breath
as the Universe prepares
for the next big thing

it’s almost dark
a gush of breeze makes her hair run
for her face
and the lights in the village start twinkling
like a mirror placed under a
cold Himalayan night

we talked about the world ruined
in your arms
i felt
at ease for once