Helping the needy....

As the last drop of rain slowly trickles to a stop,

I wander out to the field to inhale a breath of fresh air.

My soul takes in the aroma of the last of the season’s crop,

Only to be shaken by the poverty stricken child’s glare.

Alas, Who do we think we really are ?

Pretending to be blind to the world around us.

Ignoring the needy, neglecting a blind man’s scar,

Self obsessed with our petty lives, not worth a fuss.

If only we change our vision of society,

Donate an extra pair, may be show some empathy.

Don’t just sit at home watching helplessly,

May be one day we might be in need of their sympathy.

Scribbled lines....

These chains that wrap me,
tightening with every passing day.
These walls that are closing in,
suffocating me as they laugh.
The old memories that come back,
reminding me of those painful days.
Memories I can never forget,
and dare I not forgive.
Sometimes I think there is no future,
of this loser soul, of this frightened boy.
But losing is in my veins,
in my blood is raw desperation.

The Standoff....

The dust from the sandstorm hasn’t quite settled down,

and I find myself staring into a set of brown, steely eyes.

I wait for the nearby clock to chime, as mechanical as a clown,

as the widow of the previous battle’s loser cries.   

Sweat runs down my sunburned neck,

and my faded hat flutters in the gale.

There is no prize in this duel, least of all a cheque,

And nobody here goes to jail.

I flick open my gun holster, as the clock is about to reach nine,

and for assurance, slowly feel the hilt of my trusted old “Colt”.

Suddenly my senses kick into gear, now is the time to shine

my eyes narrows, and the local pub’s door creaks from its rusted bolt.

I hear the clock hands move one last time,

and notice my opponent’s hands move.

The clock was yet to let out its chime,

and I was totally out of the groove.

There was a loud bang of a gun.

and I realized it wasn’t mine.

I find myself falling down, my eyes locked on the sun

slowly feeling drowsy and sleepy, as if I had just drunk wine.

My eye lids start to slowly close,

my body gets completely froze

My “Colt” was still in my hand,

and there was my blood all over the sand.

Normandy (D-Day).........

Through the eyes that saw peace,

here he now stands, watching war.

He has awakened, the one who is called the beast,

bent upon erasing all of his scars.

With only a knife for a side arm,

and with only a rusting rifle for company,

the beast has joined the battlefield,

his only previous experience was in Germany.

Here he witnesses a cocktail of a different kind,

one of blood, salt water and sand.

Its the beaches of Normandy, that he has set out to conquer

and now he realises, there is no value of his cash in hand.

The screams of fellow soldiers have filled the air,

and the bullets from the MMG greet him on the beach,

abandoned rifles lie on the ground, with bullets to spare

telling tales of the heroes who are now out of reach.

Charred bodies, screaming inaudible tales lay on the ground,

as a soldier, paralysed by fear started counting his last moments.

Torn hands and legs decorated the beach, with its colour brown,
and now he is not really sure as to who really are his opponents.

But now there is no time to take in this scenery,
as he has to find a way to survive this dance of death.
He decides to run for cover, although its just a theory.
and run for cover he does, until he runs out of breath.

Once he finds cover, he now has no time to reflect.
He has to coax that beast within, and earn some self respect.
The bunker lies 20 metres above him, firing bullets at will.
He decides to try his arm, and throws a grenade inside it, intending to kill.

There were countless soldiers that day, most of them now dead.
And this was just a small account of one of them.
This was where the war was decided, it was D-Day,
it was the beaches of Normandy.


 

Your evil self.....

I , the devil, the chosen one,
the one about whom you were warned about,
the one who will drag you,
to the unspoken depths of your own soul.

I, the oppressor, the evil one,
the dark shadow over your life,
I will dig out your unspoken truths
and lay them bare to the world.

I, the tormentor, your enemy,
your worst nightmare,
you will never see me coming.
yet I will be watching you forever.

And when you want to rise to the skies,
just like the smoke from a cigarette
I will be there to drag you down to hell
just like the ashes of all your secrets.

Keep Dreaming.........

Dream, because in the end dreams make us who we are,
through high waves and mountains,
they are what keeps us going.
You never know which moment may be your last,
so dont create yourself a scar
keep dreaming, for even though they may not come true,
at least your river will still be flowing........

My life's trade....

You slowly drain this life away from me, like sipping blood through a straw
I underestimated you, as to how sharp your nails are, just like an animal's claw.
The pain is now bearable, now that I have taken refuge under the devil's shade,
but I will never be the same again, now that I have given my soul away for trade.

My Empty Heart..........

This empty feeling that I always have in my heart ,ever since I was born
I dont know whether it will come on an end, even when I am on my dying bed.
All through my life I have lived in slavery, even being a slave to my own heart torn,
and forsake everything that I think I deserved, even the words that Time said.

Dreams.....

A walk in the park I thought it would turn out to be,
never considered the impact that time would have upon me.
I let go of all of my dreams of the past,
only to build new dreams all over again.
Never thought that I would still be the same dust,
only to fly away but promise to return again.

Dreams are only for the ones who dare to live them,
if you cant turn them to reality, then why condemn.
We humans as a species claim to be the best,
yet we crush others dreams at the slightest test.
Dont be angry and frustrated if they laugh at you,
just reply to them that in your dreams you did the same too.....

TIME...........

You always take it for granted, hoping you can dodge it in someway,
but you always underestimate its power, the master of all that he surveys.
You think you can run away from it, staying forever in your prime,
but you forget that what you are messing with is named Time.

Truth....

Truth can hurt like hell,
but only if you don't ring the bell.
Dont hesitate, coz in the end it might be too late
and it will be only you, who will have to suffer the dark fate.................

------------------On Pride and Friendship------------------------

Found this piece today that i wrote in 2003 .....a poem written during the army school days...how times change....



Pride is the food that the foolish eat,
I dont relish such worthless meat.
Eat pride, my friends the least,
else you'll be alone to share your feast.

Friendship is a meat tastier:
It makes life merrier.
You should prefer such meat,
everywhere you step your feet.

For truly when a life ends,
He shall be remembered by his friends,
Friendship shall pay its returns,
when friends speak of him in turns.

Pride will face a disgraceful fall,
while friendship will grow tall.
Be gentle and be polite,
you shall end your life in delight.

The Thought...

Dont pity the one who is in need of help,
because in their minds, its you who needs saving.
Society may have controlled our thoughts,
but in the end it is us who have to do the living........

The Boatman...

You stay awake every night hoping to run away from your fate,
you didn't see me watching you, I.... the focus of all your hate.
You thought that you can run away from me, the boatman of the river styx
you will never saw me coming, I....the inventor of all of man's tricks.........

The rage....

Do you enjoy it, when that overpowering feeling of rage runs through your body ?
Does it feel good, when you feel like you are about to snap ?
For that particular moment, when you want to destroy everyone in this world
and then stand over their rotting corpses and clap.

Its not just frustration, its something more than that,
the urge to annihilate your friends isn't a forbidden act.
This new found anger is all that keeps me going today,
I want to spill all of your blood, and that is a fact.

The new feeling...

I dont know this new feeling growing inside me,
its time to finally open my eyes and see.
Time to see how much this world has changed,
from being a wimp to being a slave.

I dont recognise this new feeling growing inside me,
this frustration is starting to get the better of me.
I see tigers being killed and rhinos being made hornless alive
Its the perfect time for us to choose a side.

The Vampire

The dark hour has come,
and no moon is gonna shine tonight.
Gonna burn the heart of the ones i hate,
and drink their blood till i set things right.

Beware of the one whom you judged,
coz tonight he aint your friend.
You ignored the signs that he always gave,
and now you are gonna pay for it with your life.....

The Silent one...

Beware of the silent one,
for when he decides its time,
aint nothing gonna stand in his way.
Watch the clock, for the hour has come,
and gone is the time for a stupid rhyme,
and only the chosen ones will stay.................

India Vs England: A Preview.......

 You don't need to be a psychologist to read whats in the minds of both India and England before the start of what is undoubtedly one of the most eagerly anticipated India vs England series in quite a while and i dare say one of the most eagerly anticipated home test series for India in a long while. The last time this much anticipation was there when these 2 countries met, England went on to win the series 4-0 and snatch the Number 1 ranking from India. I am sure that if you are reading this then you must surely know which 4-0 spanking I am talking about here. If not, then I am afraid that you were probably spending your vacation in Mars. I don't think there has ever been a series between the number 1 and number 2 sides in the world which was as one sided as India's tour to England last year. Quite simply, India got smashed both physically and mentally by England. And so deep were the wounds that were inflicted by England during that series that India went on to lose 4-0 in Australia as well even though they went into that tour in a confident frame of mind. I doubt that those wounds have healed even after more then a year has passed. And these wounds wont heal unless India finds some mental peace. And that peace can only come in one way.......return the favour to England...beat them 4-0.

                        Not many countries are as strong as India are in their backyard. Its no secret. The difference in the body language and mental frame of the players is like chalk and cheese in comparison to an overseas tour. Its like as if Harry Potter has cast a spell on the Indian players which turns them into dragons at home and well,.... mice abroad. Of course, India have vastly improved as a touring nation compared to what they were in the 1990s. But the last two disastrous tours have raised a question..."Are India going back to their days of Tigers at Home, Mice abroad now with Dravid and Laxman retiring and Sachin soon to follow???" or was it just "a fluke and a flash in the pan." And this series is the first step in answering that question even though its being played at home. India are going into this series as such overwhelming favourites that anything less then a series win could mean the end of Dhoni's era as a Captain and the end of  Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan's carriers. India have a lot at stake in this series and i dare say much more to lose then England. As to how desperate India really are can be seen from the warm up games that England have played on this tour, mediocre opposition and more importantly no exposure to quality spinners for the England batsmen. I find  this extremely unsporting from the BCCI.

                         On the other hand, we have England whose progress as a cricketing powerhouse has only gone downhill since they took over the Number 1 ranking. They got beaten 3-0 by Pakistan in the Middle East, drew 1-1 in Sri lanka (a credible result, mind you) and then lost their Number 1 ranking at home by losing 0-2 to an extremely well polished South Africa. Andrew Strauss has retired now and Alastair Cook has now taken over the reins and for an England side I don't think there is a tougher tour then a "Tour of India" even though in terms of importance, the Ashes tour wins it hands down. Make no mistake though, England aren't going to be pushovers. They weren't the Number 1 side for nothing and their biggest strength lies in their preparation before a big series. The biggest reason for England's 1-3 win over Australia down under was in the way they went through the process of conquering the conditions and the opposition. In Andy Flower they have one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best, who leaves nothing to chance. A man who knows the value of hard work and who is probably the main reason behind England’s success in recent years.  I have no doubt that Andy Flower would have been preparing for this series for a long time and especially after the 5-0 ODI series defeat to India in India last year his resolve to do well this time around will be much stronger. Just like “Chokers” is the perennial word which the South Africans hate to discuss, “Playing spin” falls in the same category for England. And this is the backbone of what scoreline this series might end.

                           Coming to this series, the prospects are endless and the individual battles that will unfold are fascinating to say the least. For me there are a few key areas and battles that I think will decide the series:

1.      Alastair Cook Vs Zaheer Khan: This battle at the top of the order should be one of the battles of the series for me. Zaheer likes bowling to left handed opening batsmen and Cook is one of those guys whom you don’t want to get off to a start. Plus, that he is now the Captain makes his wicket one of the biggest in this series.

2.      Kevin Pietersen Vs Pragyan Ojha and Yuvraj Singh: Another big battle. And its one battle that England will have to win if they are to do well in this series. Pietersen’s habit of getting out to slow left arm bowlers is well known around the world. One thing for sure is that this battle won’t be boring. KP will take the Indian spinners on. Its either Boom or Bust.

3.      Virender Sehwag Vs James Anderson:  The most destructive batsman in world cricket on his day versus the best swing-seam bowler in test cricket. England’s biggest weapon in this series is their fast bowling and Anderson has had good success against Sehwag recently. Plus, Sehwag has been struggling for form of late. So, an engrossing battle on the cards here.

4.      Sachin Tendulkar Vs Graeme Swann:  Swann will have to do a lot of bowling in this series and I am pretty sure that when Tendulkar comes out to bat then England will bowl Anderson and Swann at him to start off. And I expect Sachin to respect Anderson and look to take Swann on. Quite frankly, the way Sachin bats in this series is going to be one of the talking points of the cricketing world. I personally hope to see Sachin bat aggressively and take on England’s bowlers. The cricketing world and the whole of India seems like a better place to live in when Sachin is in full flow.

CONCLUSION: Its no secret that India go in as clear favourites in this series. But India aren’t going to find it as easy they might have hoped. England will have their moments in this series but eventually the turning ball on turning pitches might be too much to handle. I am secretly hoping for a 4-0 win as an Indian fan but I am also hoping that England have an Ace under their sleeve and reveal a new and surprising tactic to counter India’s spin bowling. What I also hope for is some brilliant umpiring (with no DRS in the series). It’s a big series and nobody wants the talks of DRS and poor umpiring to spoil the party. My prediction is a 2-0 or a 3-1 win to India.  

                         

The Journey..

Waking up in the morning , to feel the Sun’s rays.

It doesn’t matter for how long the clouds allow it, or for how long the tide stays.

The sand on the beach has turned from silver to gold,

And the time has come for me to leave, as everyone had foretold.

I will be on my way soon, to the place which is not unknown,

there have been bad days, but there have also been days when I have felt like a King on his throne.

I don’t know what the day might bring, as I venture out to the playground of the one best known,

I hope that I am able to return safe and sound at night, to the place everyone labels as my Home.

But there is no word in life like “Guarantee”, although we have freedom we are never really free.

If I never return, would you miss me? Every single day, you don’t even say goodbye to me.

Life is tough but tougher still is death; I hope you never find out that I had fallen prey to fate.

I will try to come back best as I can, until then I will just keep on walking till I cross hell’s gate….