A Day!

A Day

Sleep breaks

The day begins on a yawn…

Piecing together

The leftover dream

Lying face down

On the crumpled bed,

Toast, margarine

A tall tumbler

Of steaming coffee

Hot and strong-

mouthing

the almost bitter

after taste

welcoming  the ‘kick’

and the forced wakefulness

in the sleepy eyes

looking beyond

the chintz curtain

the newspaper

neatly rolled

jumping into the balcony

waiting

to announce

all that happened

and all that could have…

Day breaks in

inch by inch

minute by minute

spreading itself

within the tiny space

I inhabit,

my home-

and chases me out

hurrying

on pursuit

of a livelihood

of a life

lived

second by second

rushing

running

stumbling

steadying

running again

to reach

yet another tarmac

to join

yet another race

without a trace

of a destination

yet destined

to keep pace

with every passing moment

robotic movements

die-cast mannerisms

auto response smiles

hollow

cosmetic

tiring

stifling a yawn

at the dawn

of the evening…

KARNA

Floating on waves

that could have me drowned,

I found
unconditional love

and conditional empathy.

Abandoned for pride,

embraced with humility-

contradictions and incongruity

defined my being.

Valor I had.

Honor I got.

Price I paid,

was absolute loyalty-

misplaced.

I was told,

again and again,

that I sold my soul

in bargain

for love of decorations

that adorned my chest-

and the rest!

Taunting,
un-daunting
"discarded branches

don't find roots"

-Brutes

never failed to point!

I belonged

nowhere near the sphere

of royalty and royals-

Loyal,

though I may have been,

no one could see

me to be just me...

I had a mother

who had not bothered

with the pain of my birth-

Her mirth

in bearing her other three

was overwhelmingly

full of glee.

Born of her ear,

I personified her fear-

her shame and guilt.

She got away.

I could not.

I fought

her sons-

not because

I had a grudge,

but because

they could not merge

the divide-

legitimacy

has always been

conditional.

And, more so

when seen

through borrowed morality!

I lived

the mortality-

others

were divine.

But,

revenge

was mine.

As truth revealed-

those who erred,

sealed

their fate

with a roll of dice.

Nothing was left

to further sacrifice...

I did my karma.

They betrayed

their dharma

I, live

as the one who did

what loyalty decreed.

I died

with pride,

defending a friend.

They fought

fraught

with weight of guilt!