A little boy I was,
And you my big sis,
We played in the kitchen;
You gave me a kiss.

You were like the sunshine
For all that could see
With your gentle, kind heart
And witty repartee.

What choice crept upon us,
And took us oceans away?
Adding to that distance,
An inch every day?

What choice crept upon us,
That neither could see,
That made a hole in this heart
And left a memory?

You’ve gone your own way,
And there’s so much I miss;
That girl in the kitchen
That gave me a kiss.

So close to my heart,
Yet a stranger to my soul,
I will always love you,
My sweet little girl.

Each day I wake to fight a battle anew
Sharpen my sword as the good soldiers do;
Devise a grand plan to kill the demons I meet
Chart out a course to move forward — or retreat.

At the end of the day I put down my sword
And take off my armor without a single word
Head on my pillow I dream a silent sleep
But in the heart of my heart, I lie down and weep.

I weep, for all of the demons that died
Killed for the malice that I could not abide;
And for those that lived to darken this place
The ones that got away — the ones I couldn’t face.

I ponder, silent, at the mistakes I’ve wrought
The lessons I’ve learned, and the lessons I’ve not;
I prepare for battle that approaches with dawn
For in just a few hours this night will be gone.

They ask why I fight, not stay here and sleep -
“Oh, what do you so sow, and how do you reap?“
But a soldier must fight, no matter the cost
To win every battle, knowing the war is lost.

I waited, waited through the days,
Saw the silver moonlight light up the ghostly clouds,
Through a small glass window -
Watched the gleam of pale orange sunlight
As it reflected off the sharp metal of airplanes -
Slept and woke, woke and slept,
Waited…waited…
…and then I was home.

Come, my darling sit with me,
Where else would you want to be?
It breaks my heart that I made you cry,
But despite it all you know I try.

You’ve been here in this room all day,
All this time, just a touch away -
But there is a wall between us now
I’d break it down if I only knew how.

Perhaps that tear-drop left a trace
As it slid down silent upon your face,
A moment’s hurt, an agonized look -
What price to give back what I took?

My heart stood still as I saw your pain,
Will anything ever be the same again?
Maybe tomorrow will wash this clear,
Maybe we’ll not have to come back here?

The moments pass and the memories fade,
Though words can seldom be unmade;
Behind that smile I watched you cry,
But darling, my love, you know I try.

A few days ago, I wrote a poem that I called ‘Tomorrow.’ Now, Vaibhav Garg (DAIICT’s cherished song-writer) has given it a tune of its own. Brilliant!

Night is falling and the light is gone
My bed is cozy, I can only yawn
I feel so sleepy but now ain’t the time
I want to stay here and finish this rhyme.

Sooner or later, these eyes will close
I will lay down my head and quietly doze
Sleep would be heaven, but now ain’t the time
I will sit here for now and finish this rhyme.

Dreams of distant places, things I’d never do
Tales from old times, folks I never knew
It’s all coming to me now, but this ain’t the time
I ain’t gonna dream, I must finish this rhyme.

Look at all those people, I must be back in school
That ol’ guy is yellin’ — now ain’t he a fool?
What am I saying? I must finish this rhyme
I swear by the Lord, this ain’t the time!

If time were a rainbow, I’d paint it all green
For that is the color of all things unseen
Tangents of music, and sorrows of blue
If it were any different, what would you do?

All is lost now, Sleep you have won
But this ain’t the end, for there is the Sun
Hold on a bit longer, and finish this rhyme
Night is come now, but we’ll fight ‘nother time.

You think you know the way of the world,
You build your castles of silver and gold,
In the marble tower you proudly stand,
And smile upon your kingdom, your land.

It isn’t so, it isn’t so -
You do not see the unseen foe,
There is no stone to hold your fort,
You have no guns, you have no moat.

They have no need for dagger and gun,
They come with hate, no joy, no fun,
They come to bring you down to the earth,
To snatch your joy and kill your mirth.

They come, they come — do you not see?
This is no place for you to be,
Run my friend! Find a safe spot!
I shall keep them at bay, no matter what!

I see you running, keep going, my friend -
Safety you will find beyond the river­bend.
Until then I will fight these monsters of hate,
Fear not for me! Find haven and wait!

Now that you are gone, I cast off this mask -
For indeed I am finished with my task.
I go up the tower, this kingdom is mine,
The food is exquisite, and so is the wine.

You ask why I lied, maledict me you may -
You know the way of the world you say.
When you saved your self, precious though it be,
Why did you not stay — at least for me?