And we all have our secrets
Some unstable, others ecstatic
Hidden from view
In a cerebral attic

And we all have our stages
Growing up, growing into
Our super fantastic

And we all have our eccentricities
A result of life’s perplexities
Combined with natural calamities
Fervour induced peculiarities

And then we have ourselves
How deep the soul delves
Scheming little elves

Planning our next big heist
The prevalent zeitgeist

• verse #1, inspired by The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You
• verse #3, a result of conversing with Shyama

Clothing to cover the shame
Umpteen failed attempts in vain
Stay indoors to avoid the rain
All enthusiasm gone down the drain

Witness to prove one’s innocence
Silent to fulfill one’s penance
Struggle to control the decadence
Wallowing within fake repentance

Personal props that inhibit clarity
Drawn by the exponents of disparity
Steering the helms of reality
Careening over the edge of mentality

Sent in this poem for a poetry competition at work and won. We had a choice of 3 pictures. I chose this

Call to Arms

They arrived with their batons and automatic guns
Screaming for us to surrender
Their faces betrayed any humanity
Shattered my peace and serenity

They murdered my family before my eyes
Did things you couldn’t imagine
And all the while they made me watch
Amused by my helpless reactions

Weak and disoriented they dragged me away
Chained like an animal for public display
They locked me in a windowless cell
God forbid that they have plans for me

Maybe being born was itself a crime
Or is it the colour of my skin
My pleas for mercy fall on ears of stone
Will justice ever be served me

My story is old
It’ll never be told
For no one will care when I am gone
It will be like I was never here

Propaganda of necessary violence
Enforced by the governments’ minions
Ethnic cleansing for a better world
The sanctity of life forgotten

For want of a soul, eternity was lost
A reckless daredevil, his honour sought
Stuttering flower dries on the spot
Entails sacrifice for extra time bought.

For races of strangers dangerously converged
Exchanging ideas that ultimately reversed
Cultural taboos the unity unmerged
Defending traditions, beliefs unheard.

She speaks from corners in a whisper
“Come accompany me to supper
Eat from the tree of forever
It’s all before you, dear lover.”

He considers, looks back and forth
His mind surrounded in a thicket caught
“Where have all my battles been fought?
Some unresolved, others in a single thought.”

Indulging darkest passions
Secrets drawn on opaque windows
Shutting out the sun

Written wills that bear past transgressions
Devious stares from grandmother’s blind
Fake encounters with the enemy
Come become your worst desires

Slithering and surging past abandon
Pursuing dreams that end in nigghtmares
Inviting every nameless hideousness
Feast till your heart’s content
And when it’s over start again

And when it arrives it feels like hell fire
Consuming every breath of life
Forget what you were at one time
Remember not to open your eyes