All posts by ippljournal

Remembrances The city that takes its name from nectarNectar that is supposed to be in the watersThe divine presence that resonates in the watersA city where tourists flock to seek divinityA calmness in the air as one sits quietReadings of the holy text reverberatingThis calmness is benumbed as one moves to the BaghA garden that…

That Fateful day Those boys and girls, those men and women, those children and tiny-totsGathered to celebrate the new year of their own,Festive, joyous, regal moments for the commoners,In the swirls of light, in the spreading green,They failed to see the writing on the wall, And then unguarded, unprotected,Those innocent people were shredded with bullets…

13th of April, 1919, is a black day in the history of humanity. On that day troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer open fired on a large, peaceful crowd of unarmed civilians—men, women, children and elderly Indians, who had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab’s Amritsar to…

Twilight In between right and wrongfalls the greyThe grey of many hues Where dusk sets inAnd birds flock homeTo feed the little ones. Or I snuggleinto my comfort zone Or clandestine lovers meetAt the end of a blind alley Grey comforts meLike the fading memories of a childhood SundayOr a memorable midnight conversation with a…

Of Smells You smell grim you knowAnd even though you are not so oldThe skin around your eyes fold,Into a thousand crinkles. And when I look at youUnaware, I often wonder,Why you stare transfixed at nothing.All the while, the nicotine swirls upward,Settling into your beard making it smoky… And underneath your social maskYou would rather…

Witness The scent of Alstonia fades.Across the silent phone lines — dusk gathers, murky and ominous,solidified in the labyrinthine mazes of memories. Clear eyes cloud,dim with the dust that chokes the once pristine night air.The whizz of a rasping breath the only sound that scattersthe false halo of serenity surrounding the lustreless light bulbs; the…

I Break Free My wings clipped, my dreams shattered,My heart ached –I say to my distraught self:Break the shackles of love that entrappedyou over the years,Break the chains, the bond of love that shallstifle you in the years to come. I struggle for my independence,I break free,I come out of my caged freedom to flyaway…

Perpetual Race There is a wood out to face,Peer pressure and rat race,Hounding dogs chasing fiercely,Panic stricken you run breathlessly. What’s your aim, what’s your score?With scornful looks they screw nose,Coveted marks and higher percentageBreak all records to set your pace. Can never be at peace with yourself,Constant threat of defeat and disgrace,Should outrun all…

Leisure Minutes and seconds ticked slowThe hands did not move, they seemed reluctantEyes stared at them in blanknessThey moved away from itA lizard flitted quickly pastThe light flickered for a momentOutside the world went on its wayA few sounds came inWork is on as usual, they saidA few images played on in frontSounds came from…

Blob of Water Sky is wetWind refreshingRain sprays on meAll shapes of green bemuseSoaked earth beckonsI become a blob of waterSlide down the window frameDown the body of the jerky busSplash on the roadSlip into the bushesBorn out of the elementsI discard my comingled formKiss mother earthGo down it’s crevassesInto the soft slushy mudLove the…