Light

She beckons,
I follow

into the wilderness,
of hopes and dreams...
of untold joys

Into a mystery
that i fear to unravel
oh! the excitement is too much

she waits floating
like a goddess
a lustre of gold and silver

she looks resplendent in her robes
a beacon in the darkness
spreading a light

The darkness is thick
she cleaves through it
i follow blindly
trying to catch up

She flits
from a branch to another
a bush to another
silvery tinkling laugh
making light of the dark

I wonder where from comes the light
as I still grope
and plod through the night

i feel distressed
feel the darkness closing in on me
a despair sets in

My angel,
she looks at me
smiles
and makes light

The Bartender

"Can I buy you a drink?"

She was good looking definitely – no doubts about it…although a bit heavy on the makeup…

Nice round eyes, quick smile and an amenable look about her. A bit plump though, but really cute!

“Interesting…"

“Sure!” he consented.

"What’s your name?" she asked him taking the place next to him

"Andrew…" he replied

"Natalie…" she answered before he asked her – a quick smile to grace the statement – and an outstretched hand.

Andrew shook it.

"What will you have?" – She asked raising an eyebrow in his general direction.

"Well, I am a beer guy!"

"Excellent which one?" – she smiled back           

The bartender looked amazingly bored. This was his last shift and he just wanted to get home and back to his warm bed. Don’t blame him – he was new to the place and it was cold.

“A San Miguel”

“Excellent choice…” I quite like that myself she said smiling

“Is it?”

“And what are you going to have?”  he asked her back.

“A gin and tonic…”

Andrew felt a bit small, why wont he?! – well – this woman was buying him a drink and he had the imagination of a hamster to order beer when she was ordering gin and tonic!

And, obviously he was beyond the point where he could go – “uh, well, can I change the order…?”

The beer was already being filled through the tap.

“Never mind”

They both were sitting at the bar stool – the high ones that you see in so many English bars

She was leaning into the light that was bouncing off her blonde hair.

There were streaks of black in them – or the other way around- Andrew couldn’t figure out …

She pushed back to adjust the chair she was sitting on – it started to tilt.

“Whoops…”

Andrew grabbed her by the back …he had lightning quick reflexes…

“Oh…!” she gasped as she clutched onto his arms tightly.

“Nice grip…” he thought feeling her grip on his muscles.

“You’re quick dah'ling…” she drawled.

“They call me Hurricane Andrew back home!” he drawled back. Straightening her as the drinks arrived.

You’ll like this said the bartender as he peeled lime into Andrew’s San Miguel.

“What the…” he went.

Natalie quickly placed her hand on Andrew’s to calm him, “They do it here…” she said.

He calmed quickly…surprised at her quick intervention

He looked at her again, she smiled at him.

The bartender sullenly retired into the background.

“So, Andy – what do you do for a living? – you don’t mind me calling you Andy – do you?” she raised another suggestive eyebrow in his direction…

“Oh! No – no –no, not at all … heh heh, I am a store manager with a mobile phone company” Andrew said proudly. Then as an afterthought (since that did not sound meaty enough)

“We have the biggest store this side of the state!”

“Oh really?!” she said in wonder.

“How do you manage so many things?” she trilled. I mean, I hardly have any luck managing my appearance.

For the first time, Andrew looked down at her taking in every detail. The alcohol also was quite detail-inducing!

“You look just fine…” he said after quite some observation.

“Thank you so much” she gushed. “I do teach belly dancing you know…”

“Oh really? Wow, I have always been impressed with those women! How in the world do they twist their bodies into those impossible angles!”

“Its nothing really…”Natalie blushed and it shone under the light.

“Cute…” he thought as he gazed at her.

The bartender took away the fourth round of empty glasses. Natalie too was turning a visible red with the alcohol flowing freely inside her.

“So this store of yours…” she said in an excitingly husky voice…

“…How big is it?”

Andrew snorted most of the contents of his beer into his nose.

“M-m-m-m-my…st-st-str-st-st-store…” he laboured.

“Oh…heh heh, its p-p-pretty big…” he loosened his collar,

“B-big airy windows… friendly s-s-staff…g-g-good service…and very pro-pro-professional as well…”

“Poor sod…” thought the bartender looking into their direction.

“Will you take me there…?” she moved closer…

“W-w-why yes…of c-c-course I will t-t-take you t-t-there…why w-w-wont I take you…of c-c-course ill take you…”

“The mans dribbling…ghastly and pathetic” the bartender thought…

“…How…professional…??” she was almost on him.

“Wha…? Oh…very very very…very p-p-professional…” said Mr. Hurricane.

The bartender witnessed cannibalism as the woman devoured Andrew for a full 20 minutes.

“your place or mine…?” she finally asked coming up for air.

“smmmfl..mmfll..gmfll..”

They both exited into the cold night.

“Lucky man Charlie eh…” the bartender heard two old men quipping to each other near him.

“He’s not Charlie mate! He’s Andrew…” corrected the bartender.

“We ain’t talking ‘bout that loser store manager son…”

You

A thousand suns shone bright!

they tore through the blackness
in your mind...
Full of tangibles

germinating an idea - intangible
reminding you...
Of your power

The power of Will!
A will that says...
"You Can!!"

A Power, enlightening!
Blinding to some...
Blessing all in its wake

Destiny shimmering on the horizon
But, your mind dithers
it seeks logic...

Is it a Mirage?
Logic argues...
A figment of imagination??

Be not cognizant of what is!

Dream of what could be!

Only you could find out!
Only you can take the first step!!
Only you...

We live with everything...

We live with hate

We live with caste politics

We live with bad roads

We live with spitting

We live with flooding

We live with strikes

We live with open train doors

We live with a lot of other people

We live with dadagiri

We live with landfills near homes

We live with slums

We live with exorbitant prices

We live with poverty

We live with Bombs

We live with apathy

And yet…

We live with festivals

We live with tolerance

We live with all faiths

We live with guts

We live with glamour

We live with hard work

We live with intelligence

We live with a dream

We live with each other

We live globally...

...'Coz we live with Aamchi Mumbai