Three

Yet again - I had attempted an exam paper,
And ended up being rendered as a failure.
Just after November began, I remember,
I paid a little visit, to the beauty parlour.
Told the barber, to make me look better.
It was just before the start of December,
When a fatal hard disk error had to occur.
In despair, I went to a shop on my scooter.
Without a sweater - in that night of winter.
In order to get my trapped data to recover.
Then roamed around with a chain smoker.
We stopped, to see an exotic four-wheeler.
He said, 'That girl studying in Gandhinagar,
Lives somewhere nearby on weekends, huh?'
I point an index finger toward a pink structure,
And wonder, how sad her Labrador retriever
Must be feeling when she is not over here.
As I watch a vehicle turn, a black monster.
I say, 'See that driver? That is her mother.
Wait, then who was sitting beside her?!
Hey mister, please pocket that lighter!
Now, sit and drive this Yamaha Fazer,
And for once, kindly go a bit quicker!
Ten is the number on the speedometer.
Oh man, come on - use the accelerator!'
We slowed down as we approached near.
An inner voice told me, it is now or never.
A face appeared in the rear of the interior.
The clothes, the nose, looked so familiar.
Eyes met, and life felt so much better.
You messaged, thirty seconds later.
'What's wrong with your hair?!'

You are not just the spark, but also the fuel, for my verses.
Whenever you vanish from my life, the engine tarnishes,
The force that drives me forward diminishes, and then,
My aeroplane crashes, and viciously demolishes in a
Horrific explosion. You know, it often feels as if my
Lavish and precious poetic abilities, get punished
And languish for no good reason. And so, in my
Anger and anguish, I often try to wish for some
Sufficient justice against this malicious atrocity.
In other words, the fire in my belly extinguishes
And my creativity becomes as utterly useless as
A spacious ship.. inhabited by various species of
Oceanic fishes. But when we are gracious to each
Other and when our friendship can be described as
Tenacious and unpretentious, my rhyming skill gets
Polished and flourishes like some flower growing in
A nourishing piece of shit, and it truly feels as if I am
A phoenix rising from its ashes. My textual works, are
Like sexual orgasms. Satisfaction guaranteed. Really,
They actually fluctuate - from one fantastic climax to
The next, while still keeping intact the basic elements
Of theoretical linguistics - such as grammar and syntax.
They are really something to be cherished, like extremely
Delicious dishes to relish from start to finish, in which extra
Words such as spinach and radish are embellished as garnish
Simply so they accomplish their ambitious mission of proudly
Proclaiming my proficiency in English. These weeks all I do is,
Shuffle words, muddle thoughts, crumple a page, slumber late,
Ruffle up my fluffy, straightened hair cuticles and rap my skull
With my knuckles, to tell my mind to be so kind as to create a
Great rhyme, with adequate, appreciative adjectives added to
It and also amazingly alliterate, in order to instantaneously
Impress and befuddle, this mysterious and miraculously
Beautiful girl, and find that incredulous expression on
Her face, while I muffle a mischievous chuckle as I
Say it on our next date. I think - I should probably
Be a Nobel laureate in literature for being such a
Tremendously fabulous poet, and get a certificate
For being quite adept at blowing my own trumpet.
But I'm also marvelous at giving you a compliment.
For example - I can bet that this brunette's intellect,
Is way better than that of any female I have met yet.
I can relate her to some television character named
Kate Beckett. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate
My mate, wait for it, an eight. She would hate that.
Your lips, are like a tomato. Yummy, fat and scarlet.
Your eyes are big, brown and round, like a chocolate.
Your hugs are so soft, warm and cozy like my blanket.
Why can't such dreams last for just one more minute?!
Your presence can somehow stimulate me, better than
Any sugary coffee or cigarette. You can also positively
Influence my manners and etiquette. And your looks,
They truly fascinate. Damn it, just what wouldn't I do
To photograph you posing with wet hair, wearing an
Ornately decorated corset - at your college fest?!
Oh, lest I forget, kindly accept this bracelet from
My pocket. I got it from Diu - despite having lost
My wallet. Now, you may call it unnecessary and
Flush it down the toilet - but I want you to have it.
Anyway, these questions I repeatedly contemplate,
How did I stumble upon your vehicle's license plate?
Was it necessarily fate, or just a simple coincidence?
Or was it something else - maybe some sixth sense?
What made me follow your vehicle - and wave hello?
And while doing so, genuinely give a smile back then,
Which we had not managed the night we met before?
Was it out of sheer sorrow, or for a better tomorrow?!
For some attention to borrow? Or was it because your
Absence just made my life hollow? No, I don't think so.
How well had the stars aligned? I'm inclined to believe,
That behind this serendipity - was a hand of the divine.
I mean, how else could our paths possibly intertwine?
Once you were put in a different classroom than mine?
When we didn't put a stitch in time to save ninety-nine?
But beyond a certain point - at the next fork in the road,
The way forward - is something only choices can define.
So as I still solve problems - involving the trigonometric
Function sine while you learn jewellery design, I whine
About not being able to meet you because I opine that
The next monsoon could be our deadline. The thought
Of that sends a shiver down my spine. Yeah sure, l will
Keep trying online to help us emotionally bind despite
All the geographical distances that will divide - but we
Both know that eventually you will decide not to reply,
And I'll stop keeping my hopes high with a heavy sigh.
That's why - it's a shame when you choose to decline,
To meet me and make hay, while the sun still shines.

Thanks, was the only thing I could think of to write on that golden
School farewell scarf of yours. But I never told you exactly what for.
Though this sounds like an absurd advertisement - I would certainly
Like to assert that you inserted some social sensibility into me and
It was by observing you that I learnt how to expertly flirt girls. And
During the awkward time when we didn't talk afterwards, when I
Felt left out and dealt with all the inner hurt - I converted myself
From being this weird, nerdy, perturbed and perverted introvert
With an inferiority complex, into someone who overtly exerts at
The gym and blurts a lot of dirty words, when he raps at a rock
Concert. Unfortunately, it diverted my attention until the point
Where the red alert wasn't even heard - and I could not avert a
Disastrous exam result. Rest assured, I will uncomfortably pass
In my third effort. Thanks for being the window to a world I had
Never imagined before. Thanks, for befriending someone who
Didn't know what it meant earlier. It's been a long journey so
Far and years of having knelt on my knees trying to win you
Back plus our cold war, has seen me go through hell, where
I was broken, battered, bruised, beaten black and blue - and
Come back to where I started from. Lack of time and excess
Of distance may split us apart - but I am not sure how much
More nectar can be extracted from this flower. I'll just hope,
No matter wherever you are, you'd keep playing that guitar.
And if you ever miss me when I am gone - you'd hang that
Ambigram on one of your walls and read my three poems.
Because they are not just a work of art - but that of heart.

Thanks — was the only thing I could think of to write on that golden
School farewell scarf of yours. But I never told you exactly what for.
Though this sounds like an absurd advertisement, I would certainly
Like to assert that you inserted some social sensibility into me and
It was by observing you that I learnt how to expertly flirt girls. And
During the awkward time when we didn’t talk afterwards, when I
Felt left out, and dealt with all the inner hurt, I converted myself
From being this weird, nerdy, perturbed and perverted introvert
With an inferiority complex, into someone who overtly exerts at
The gym — and blurts a lot of dirty words when he raps at a rock
Concert. Unfortunately, it diverted my attention until the point
Where the red alert wasn’t even heard — and I could not avert a
Disastrous exam result. Rest assured, I will uncomfortably pass
In my third effort. Thanks, for being the window to a world I’d
Never imagined before. Thanks, for befriending someone who
Didn’t know what it meant earlier. It’s been a long journey so
Far, and years of having knelt on my knees trying to win you
Back plus our cold war — has seen me go through hell, where
I was broken, battered, bruised, beaten black and blue — and
Come back to where I started from. Lack of time, and excess
Of distance may split us apart — but I am not sure how much
More nectar can be extracted from this flower. I’ll just hope,
No matter wherever you are, you’d keep playing that guitar.
And if you miss me when I am gone — you would hang that
Ambigram on one of your walls and read my three poems.
Because they are not just a work of art — but that of heart.