Sister

They thought for months and plied you would not be born,
Kept their fingers crossed and prayed to god till the candles burnt,
They tried more than once, and hoped it wasn’t you this time,
Finding the sex of the foetus is all they wanted to determine. 

They didn’t care about your first cry or the first smile,
They didn’t see your tender hands and feet so fragile,
They didn’t watch over you when you took your first steps,
All they saw was a boy’s face who had to be in your place.

Oh sister, little sister, you have a choice.
Oh sister, little sister, you have a voice.

There is no use they said when you wanted to learn,
Go to the kitchen they said, and make the woods burn,
When you started to play and have some rejoice,
They slapped you in the face and enforced you to devoice.

Oh sister, little sister, you have a choice.
Oh sister, little sister, you have a voice.

So let them try to stop you now, lay hurdles in your path,
Don’t stand down or give ever up, even if the way is black,
Take you stance and fight for your right, as there is a long way to go,
Don’t ever feel helpless and alone, even if they tell you so.

UnMalala

All I wanted- was a father on whose shoulder I could rest my head,
a mother to stand by me, who could teach me the ways of life.

All I wanted, was to be a sapient and read a few books,
to learn a little, and to know a little more,
Talk what I felt was right in the country so frail,
And to go to school with my friends not covered in veil.

All I wanted, was to have a little freedom,
Wear the things I like, and dance to my rhythm.

All I ever wanted, was to be at peace even in a state of war,
Strive ahead to learn, and teach them all,
From the ones so young, those carry a gun,
To the ones so old, who ought to drop the weapon.

All I ever wanted, was to go to school and play with my friends,
and return back a happier and a wiser person.

All I wanted, was to live a regular life that is promised to a child,
when they are ushered with hope, happiness and reliance,
to grow up in this mundane world and be successful,
and learn to give it back in right time, to be more respectful.

All I wanted, was to be fearless, and do the right.
To live by the truth, and walk with my head held high.

All I wanted, was to fulfill my dreams and reach my destiny,
The thing that people call the motive of life,
But, when I walked through the school corridor to take a test,
I breathed my last, when I took three bullets in my chest.

My father wasn't allowed to weep, and my mother couldn't cry.
As I was left blood stained, with empty shells, abandoned, to die.
All I ever wanted, was a life that was free,
all that I eventually got, was what they had decided for me.


(Above inserted pic is taken from a video: Jawab de )

Anthony

“Only the dead have seen the end of war”, I have always regarded that a quotation has more impact than a boring dictated paragraph. Remembering Plato, I threw one of his favoured quotations to take a glimpse at the reaction of my students. They usually, just stare blank at me. Some of them stay with eyes rooted in their books, while a small portion of them stare at the wall behind me, as if the answer to all questions were inscribed there. Very few of them actually possess the optimum amount of concentration, as they are grilled by all the teachers to excel in studies.

A class full of bright students is a myth which is carried on from generations and brought forward in each class of each school and of every country. On most occasions, I am on the lookout for just a single hand that is raised or a plain nod. But, as it turned out, today was different; nobody was interested in what I was saying. It seemed the entire juice of excitement has been siphoned out by other teachers, and classes in the second half on most occasions are soporific.

Clueless faces sat on the wooden chairs, as if I had thrown in a math equation of a higher standard, at them. This was supposed to be an unconscious body language gesture for me, indicating the course of the day. So I take the textbook, close it and slam it on the table- “No lesson for today, today we hear a story. How many of you, boys and girls want to hear a story?”

Watching them the next moment was like watching a bud opening up into a flower. The life that is infused with a single word echoed is worth observing. As expected the drooping faces suddenly lit up with the sound of the word- ‘story’. They closed their books in unison and looked up towards me for a start.

As a history teacher of Kendra Vidhyalaya, I could tell them any story that I wanted to. But, I wanted them to explore their imaginations. Few things in life are more exciting than watching a young bird fly, or for that matter, the first tender step your child takes. For me, the only captivating thing is the way students explore their vivid imaginations. The ability to think and reason differently under similar circumstances is the unique characteristic of a human. I find that quite enchanting, but as time passes by, and we start to age, the answers conform being similar, and the ability to think different is a quality that is being highly sought after.

As the environment had changed to being like one in the morning, or rather as the students would feel like on a Sunday morning- I made myself available to every eye in the classroom.

“I want all of you to listen to this story, and answer me a simple question. Would you all be able to do that?”

“Yes Sir”, replied all.

Informing someone that there is a tunnel on the way gives them an element of surprise, but telling them that there is something unexpected at the end of the tunnel will get their adrenaline rushing. Everybody started thinking about the question and wondered less about the story.

“What is your ambition in life? What would you be or who do you see as your role model?”

There were discrete answers to my question. Part of the crowd wanted to be doctors, save people and help them recover from their disease. That is a great profession, where you can come directly in contact with the patients and cure them. All classes in India have aspiring doctors, if I am not wrong. That is a well-known reason for producing the best doctors in the world.

Some of them wanted to be engineers. There are so many disciplines in engineering that the students themselves are unaware of it. A couple of girls wanted to be pilots or astronauts. Some wanted to be teachers, some politicians, some police officers, some actors and finally, there were three students who had no idea what will happen to them in the future. A common thing that is haunting most students these days- lack of vision regarding ones future.

 I expected such replies and I also knew that during the course of their lives, they would change their ambitions and careers. I remember when I was young, I wanted to be a pilot, then a doctor, then an actor, and then a cricketer but, I finally managed to be a teacher. A decision that I don’t regret, and I hope I won’t in the near future also.

After collecting the required data, I began.

“Have you heard of thanksgiving?”

Once again cluelessness filled the room and I had to speak again to stop the murmurs.

“Thanksgiving is a custom in North America, most famous in United States. It is celebrated on the 2^nd week of October, every year. On this day, the entire family joins together for a hearty meal, and share the day together. A lot of time goes by for the preparation and the main recipe is a turkey.”

“Excuse me sir, what is a turkey?” asked a boy with profound innocence, while some of the students laughed at his ignorance.

“A turkey is a bird, it is larger than a chicken and it is favoured by many as better than chicken. But, it is more expensive and not so common in India.”

He thanked me and I could sense that under his breath, he was cursing himself for such a silly question.

“So, one time during thanksgiving, there was a family of the Robbins. They lived in a small town in the state of Michigan. It was thanksgiving and the entire neighbourhood was celebrating, eating their favourite ‘turkey’.”

“The father, the head of the family was John, who was jobless for quite some time and his wife, Nikki, was washing dishes in households to bear the expenses for their living. At thanksgiving they had no money to buy a turkey or even a chicken. All they ate was porridge every day. John and Nikki had two children, William and Anthony. Both of them were young, but they understood the complications their family were going through. So what was the name of the father of William and Anthony?”

“John”, said the majority of the students convincing me that they were paying attention.

“As a custom, they needed to have good food that day, but the Robbins’ had no money. The children were disappointed but they didn’t let their parents sense it. Meanwhile, Nikki was complaining all day about John and his drinking habits that got him thrown out of his job and brought them to this condition. John was cursing his luck and threatened Nikki repeatedly.”

“Both the boys watched their parents fight, but they couldn’t do anything. The racket went on for about an hour, while Nikki prepared the last porridge left in the house. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Shocked at the sudden knock, John thought that the neighbours had come in to complain of the fight and noise.”

“John, ordered Anthony to open the door. Anthony hesitated for a second, but followed his father’s command. To his surprise there was no one at the door, but lying ahead on the floor, close to his feet was freshly cooked food. He looked out to see if anyone was visible, but no one was in sight. On procuring the food delivered at the doorstep, he brought it in.”

““Who was there?” asked John in a stern voice””

““Somebody has left food for us”, said Anthony”

““Food? Why would someone bring food for us?” Commanded John”

““I don’t know dad”, replied Anthony with his pale voice.”

“Silence was common to all, as their eyes lay fixed on the food that was delivered. William wanted to make a move but he held back. He, as well as the rest of the family had grown tired of satisfying their hunger with porridge day in and day out. Anthony being the youngest of all couldn’t resist anymore and asked his dad.

““Dad, can we have this food, I am hungry””

““No, absolutely not, someone must have deliberately kept food at our doorstep to make us look petty and miserable”, said John suppressing any thoughts of eating the charitable food.”

“Meanwhile, Nikki who was watching everything from the kitchen came closer to Anthony and looked at John. She saw a shrewd man, whose bloated ego could lead their children starving even on thanksgiving.”

Amongst the serious atmosphere, where the story was taking a turn, a hand moved vertically upward with a state of confusion. I had to stop my story and tend to the immediate problem faced by the zealous, back-bencher. This was the first time he had raised his hand in my class.

“Yes Sandeep, what is your question?”

“Sir, I didn’t understand the word you mentioned before ego.”

“Did you mean bloated! You see bloated means something that is pumped or swollen up, like a balloon. Hence, bloated ego simply means his big ego or being stubborn, or notorious.”

He let me continue after a confirmative nod.

“Nikki tried to intervene and told John that this could be a sign from God and that they had to accept it as it was thanksgiving.”

“Although John was outnumbered, he still didn’t budge from his initial decision. He ordered Anthony to throw the food outside. The next few seconds of silence was awkward. Nobody spoke and everybody stared blank. There was no intention by Anthony or Nikki to throw away the food. But, there was John who would not allow them to eat. In this family everything happened as per John’s command, and to be fair his decisions were not good for the family’s current state. He was reckless to quit his job and to add to the misery he got drunk every day, ruining thanksgiving.”

“After few more seconds, John rushed towards Anthony to snatch the plate. But, Nikki was quicker and she stopped him midway.”

““John, if you try to throw the food that has been delivered to us on thanksgiving, I swear to God I will leave you and take the children with me”, said Nikki taking a stand against John who was crueller than ever.”

“He tried to shove Nikki to the side with his sheer strength, but failed to do so because of the high amount of alcohol in his body. The two boys stood behind their mother and supported her stand. They held her by the shoulder signalling John that he was outnumbered. ”

“John was angry and upset, and watching his family turn against him, he left the house in a fit of rage and slammed the door shut. Nikki stood there immovable for the next few seconds. She finally breathed a sigh of relief that nobody was hurt.”

“The main reasons that prompted John to leave at that moment were three things- the food that is delivered is charity, it means that he is worthless and he has to leave his family. So, without further ado, kicking up the dust, John set out on his own journey. That was the last time the rest of them saw John. The situation was the same but the decision made by Anthony on the other hand was different. I would like to point this out- The ability to think and reason differently under similar circumstances is the unique characteristic of a human. Anthony thought otherwise, the first thing he thought of was that they had food. That was the best thing that anyone could have provided, to him and his family at that point of time. The second thing that he thought of was that even in this dog eat dog world, there was someone who actually cared about someone else and didn’t want anything in return. It made him believe that strangers care. The third thing he thought of was that if somebody cared about him, then he should do the same and that he will make a difference in his life.”

“Anthony grew up without his father for the rest of his life and at the age of seventeen, he gathered enough money to feed two families at thanksgiving. That was the most moving and humbling experiences of his life. It brought solace and peace of mind and the best part was that he loved it. He didn’t even tell anybody or even asked for help. He just did it, because strangers care. The following year, he assembled enough money to feed four families doubling the number every year henceforth. This went on for many years and after decades into helping others, Anthony along with his foundation fed more than four million people in hundred different countries on festivals and holidays.”

The next moment I could sense the self-realization that was overwhelming few of my students. That brought me to my question- “What is your ambition in life?” But before I did that, I wanted them to take a moment and understand the meaning of the story. It is very important that children grasp the meaning of the story; else the entire story remains unimportant. I took a quick glance at the faces- some were perplexed, some were happy and some were waiting for me to talk. I took some more seconds before I finally spoke.

“So, what do you think about the story? Now is the time for my question.”

I once again saw those exiting eyes and felt happy.

But, before I could say anything the school bell rang, signalling the end of the academic day. I wanted to ask my question but the children were in a hurry to leave. The entire school burst out shouting and running for the exit. I didn’t want to stop them from going home, so I postponed my question to yet another boring second half class.

I felt bad that nobody wanted to listen to the question at the end of the story. Everybody was in a hurry to go home. This made me realise that school is such a burden on the children. They are only looking to pass the time whilst they are here. Hopefully the next day would be a better day.

I gathered my text book and decided to leave when I saw Sandeep approaching me. He stood determined and resolute.

“What happened Sandeep, is everything all right?”

“Sir before this class I didn’t know what to do. But now, I want to be like Anthony Robbins.”

(P.S: Anthony Robbins is an American life coach, self-help author and motivational speaker. He has spoken at Harvard Business School and was ranked by the school among the “Top 200 Business Gurus” (Harvard Business School Press, 2003). In 2007, he was named to Forbes magazine's "Celebrity 100" list. Forbes estimated that Robbins earned approximately $30 million USD in that year.)

Lost & Found

Lost & Found

I remember that night as if it was yesterday, clear and vivid. I walked out of the railway station alone, with only my handbag. I was lost in my own thoughts and moved along the path that was unfamiliar. It was late and I could see only a handful of people on the road. It was both scary and comforting to see a few fellow humans on the road. Scary- as in what if there was someone lurking in the dark and comforting that it was not totally void of humans. A girl does feel scared to walk the road, with the fear of being abducted or even further sinister consequences. At that time, I didn’t know precisely where to go, so I had to pick one of the paths from the rest.

From a distance, I heard muffled noises, as if somebody was playing loud music and the door being opened and closed at discrete intervals. I tracked the sound and walked slowly keeping a watch all around. The population increased as I approached the source of the sound. I felt happy and approached the bar.

There were many people crammed in that place, some were seated and some stood tall. Most of them had a drink in their hand. I browsed through the fellow associates who had occupied the bar at the same time. There were some very pretty ladies with lesser clothes. Their hair went in all directions and not one of them looked odd. They simply looked stunning and beautiful. They were raising toast for every drink that was placed on their table and they even shouldered all the men in whose company they found peace and happiness. Some women were older and I wasn’t sure if they had come in with their husbands. Maybe their better halves were at someplace else more important than this bar.

Few of them were boys and girls and I didn’t know if they should be allowed to enter and share drinks. I shouldn’t be allowed too, but somehow I sneaked passed the security guards. There were others who seemed like office goers and had come there because it was a weekend. They were talking intellectual and most of their topic was related to ‘how to grow financially’ or ‘which company could make them happier’. If there was another topic it had to be of ‘girls’. There were other old gentlemen who were having this air of superiority to go with the hefty amounts deposited in the bank accounts. There were carefully watching the crowd that had turned up that day and simultaneously having their usual conversation.

I took a peek of my own. Most of the people were indulged in their own drinks and the way their life had spanned. I further looked at them all. After careful observation I saw a man, probably in his mid-thirties. He was wearing a rimless frame with lenses that were not over excessively expensive. He wore a dark blue collared t-shirt to go with the even darker shade of denims. He was with two of his friends. He looked a little nervous maybe because he wasn’t drinking, while all the others around him were reeking of alcohol, cluttering their glasses and shouting ‘Cheers’. He kept looking at this watch as if he had to be somewhere else. Something worried him that was missing among all the other occupiers of the bar.

As I was glanced and made my own assumptions about the person, he appeared to catch me unguarded. Within that moment our eyes were in line and nothing seemed to come in between. He saw my eyes- and I saw his. He gave a look of concern as well as misperception. Maybe he was confused regarding the next step he should take. Our eyes didn’t blink and we kept watching each other. He sensed the melancholy that had filled my heart. I saw his look change from partially confused to fully concerned. Within a split second, he put down his soft drink.

He signalled to his friends about my existence, but before his companions could spot me I hid myself behind a wall. He kept pointing out in my direction, but his friends were least bothered. After a minute he gave up too. He retired to his drink but there was still my image at the back of his mind, I could sense it as he looked even more worried than before. He knew it and I knew it as well. The entire time I was out-alone and indecisive on the next step. But, when I glanced at him I knew within that one very moment that this man in picture is the one man I wanted to be with.

I took another glimpse from the corner of my eye and he was still searching for me. I knew it that it was right and I could not afford to waste time. I made up my mind to meet him and talk to him. The next moment I took a look at his table and he was gone. I felt bad and lonely, just the same way how I had been feeling the entire night. Probably he had gone to the place he was worried about, but I hadn’t seen him heading for the exit. I had lost the time and now it seemed that it was hard to make up for it. ‘The door of opportunity knocks only once’, this saying was coming to be true. I stood and scanned the entire bar once again and still there was no sign of him.

Could I walk up to his friends and ask them about his whereabouts? Probably that would be a bad decision as they didn’t seem as noble as he was. I was scared and looked for him everywhere. It took about another thirty seconds before I saw him reappear in my range of vision. Apparently he had gone to the washroom. I didn’t want to waste another precious moment and I took rather lengthy stride making advancements in his direction. I slowly reached in his vicinity without him even noticing me. I mustered all courage and touched his arm. He saw me and rose without any hesitation. He signalled his friends and took me outside.

He asked my name and the reason I was there. I told him everything and it took me roughly seven minutes to give him my story. He looked me in the eyes and embraced me. The warm embrace felt very assuring and I knew that my decision was right. He was the right man. He held me with a tight grip as he walked towards his car. He abruptly ended his party and took me home. His house wasn’t far from the bar and we reached there in no time. On the way we picked up dinner for both of us. We entered the house silently and tip toed our way to the kitchen.

He withdrew two plates from the drawer and placed it carefully on the dining table, making no sounds. I sat on a chair and saw him doing all the needful. We didn’t speak much during the late hour dinner. After us both finished our dinner he asked me for anything else that I wanted. I bluntly replied no and asked him where the bedroom was. It had been a difficult day it was better to end it with a smile on the face and a bloated stomach. He walked me into one of the rooms. He carefully switched on the lights and brought me closer to the bed. Thence, he pulled the quilt and told me to stand closer to the bed.

With a slight shrug he woke up the person sleeping on that bed and said “Son, from today this is your younger sister and her name is Alisha”.

Mother.

Hello mother, my mother, can you hear me?
I haven’t slept in a while and I didn’t want this to be,
Behind this pantomime, I have become a body of inevitable lie,
Constantly terrified and this is not what you wished for me.

Oh mother, tell me now, what to do and who to be?
Battling this life, I am frequently and decisively intrigued.
Behind this network of masks, still lies your child,
Helplessly alone, thinking about you all the time.

Tell me mother, if a wrong can be made into a right,
Will my past frequent me with torment and dismay?
Or will my sins come undone for an emotionless final foray.
Oh! How I wish you would be here, but you, you are so far away.

Forgive me mother, for I tried my best and yet I have failed,
All your teachings and education have gone in vain,
Its time to sanctify my soul and liberate my mind to pasteurise the fate,
Please don’t wait by the door tomorrow, because I will be late.

FEAR

Fear- an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight).

To be true, we all have our own fears to deal with. Some face it every day, while some encounter them once in a while. Some of them can be overcome, but some persist for the rest of our lives. I remember I had a fear of addressing people from the stage. I have gone blank a couple of times, but now I have overcome, by gradually practising it. But, fear of getting an electric shock still gives me torrid times. These are fears that the mind has perceived and they will continue to stay there until we fight them out. Similarly, there are fears that are planted in our head. (For induced fear I would like you to watch a video called Little Albert. Although it was an inhumane experiment, psychologists believe it as a breakthrough).

Let’s say, when we were young we were all taught not to play with the gas stove or we might get burnt. Our mothers have enacted that to us, or to most of us. That fear had resided in our mind unless we figured it out that was not entirely true. As time passed by, we came to a comprehension that if we are careful we will not suffer burns from a gas stove.

This was just an example which is actually unimportant. This fear was placed in our head so that we could be safe. Whereas, some fears are introduced to us by people we don’t know. I remember, when I was young, my father always brought home Colgate toothpaste for all of us. The plain and simple white coloured toothpaste. Our entire family used that until we saw an advertisement from Pepsodent. They pointed it out that most of us suffer from bleeding gum problems. The next I found out that it was true. Blood did ooze out from my gums. The more I saw the ad the more I was tensed. So, after a huge debate I convinced my father that Pepsodent-G gum care was the best toothpaste and we needed it for the safety of our gums.

6 months down the line, the blood was still oozing from the gums and I thought as far as it doesn’t pain, its fine. After some time, I saw another ad- this time it was my favourite cricketer Sachin Tendulkar endorsing the brand. The toothpaste was talking about its relentless twelve hour fight against the bacteria and we had to brush twice a day to keep our teeth healthy. So my father and I had another debate, but this time I was unsuccessful to convince him that Colgate Total was better. He instead reverted to the traditional ‘Laal Dant Manjan’ for himself. So, I was left with my last resort- to convince my brother that we needed a change in the department of dental care. He agreed, and we got our first Colgate Total toothpaste. Expensive than most of the other toothpastes and the work it did was same that of the normal Colgate. Few more years passed and then there were many kinds of problems that were aired on the TV- plaque, bacteria, gum problems, cavity and sensitivity. I don’t bleed through the gums now, and I have changed my toothpaste so many times that I don’t even remember which one did the magic. Or was it just the fear that was planted?

Then there was the case with shampoos. To be frank, when I was twelve years old I never used a shampoo. It’s only after the ads in the TV that people were suddenly educated. They found out the problems in their hair.  Thin hair, dandruff, breakage and baldness were the problems pictured to us. Every six months the product companies come up with some new revolution and tried selling their products.

The list goes on- from deodorant spray (frankly I haven’t seen one advertisement that shows the features of a deodorant, all they end up showing is a boy who ends up with girls) to cooking oil.

Fear is a big weapon that these companies use to sell their product. Take for example the detergents, all the detergents show ads cleaning the white shirts- none of them show cleaning a coloured clothing. With clothing I remember what the brand and media has done to us. If we buy a t shirt for 1500, we are proud. We will buy a pair of shoes for 2000, with our heads held high. But, when the time comes to donate a rupee to a beggar, we are overburdened by the weight of life and shoo them off. Same goes for mineral water, they are pure, and we should drink them. Don’t use the ear buds they are made from used hospital cotton, instead use Johnson and Johnson ear buds, it will cost you ten times more, but you will be safe.

Don’t drink sugarcane juice; the ice is bought from a morgue. Paint your nails and look glamorous or else no boy will approach you. Drink carbonated water to quench your thirst, but they don’t mention that it contains caffeine. Don’t wash your face with soap, apply face wash. If it is dry then apply moisturiser (of the same company of course). Use the great fair and lovely cream to be fairer and beautiful. Are they serious? They sell us cream which will make us fairer! Somebody has a conflict with their pigmentation. Wasn’t it natural the way God built you? These petty things have put fear in our hearts and it has become difficult to lead a simple life we use to live when we were young.

The media is jointly to be blamed for this- my father owns a general store, after the sensitivity problems were aired on the television by Sensodyne, the next day, every customer wanted Sensodyne. I have even seen parents buying fruits for their children. It’s a nice thought, fruits are source of vitamins, but the same family ends up dining at McDonalds, munching burgers and putting on fat.

Now I don’t say that you should not eat in McDonalds or restrain yourself from using branded high priced tooth pastes, or for that matter clothes. I am just saying that there is vast difference in being literate and educated. All of you who are reading this are literates, but are we educated? Sadly the answer is no on most of our parts. Do we fold the wrappers of eatables and place it in our pockets when we don’t see a dustbin? No! We throw it on the road. As long as our houses are clean to hell with the environment. This is the new attitude people are carrying.

We have convinced ourselves that education means reading and writing in English. Well, let me direct your attention towards China, very advanced and they use their own language everywhere. I see young children in the malls taking in English. I am impressed, young cheerful lads and lasses talking in beautiful English. Mothers tend to propagate this English attitude. But, when asked about their mother tongue, they hardly know a thing. This is also fear- fear of competing with the others at school.

Actually, the answer lies within you- will you educate yourself around the things that are thrown at you or simply squat and waste money, logic and brains buying things you don’t need? Meanwhile, I have changed my toothpaste to the simple Colgate and I use any shampoo that is available- because I need to wash my hair, I try not to use those which damage my hair and rest everything is fine. I don’t use deodorants because I don’t want girls falling for me (pun intended). I do eat sometimes at McDonalds and KFC and also buy branded clothes because I earn so much money I have to spend it somewhere. And whenever I see a beggar I take care to give him/her some amount so that they are happy.

“Let not fear consume you, let education fill your mind so that you consume your fears”

                                                                                                                        ~Mjkgupta.

So Far Away

The rain is always beautiful, if you have a home.

The return is always wonderful, if the person waiting is your mom.

Sometimes it feels miserable and all alone,

Sometimes it feels you are still there and I am not on my own.

Sometimes in the dark when I am scared,

I turn on the lights to ward off the pain.

Relentless and in dismay,   

I call out your name, but you are so far away.

Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night,

And only a lullaby can make me sleep tight.

I advance ahead to kiss your face so grey.

I am all alone, because you are so far away.

 

I see your smiling face in a photograph, and I wish you were here.

To revive me with your grace, ever so clear.

Somewhere very close and whispering night and day

Then when I open my eyes, I realise, you are so far away.

When tears roll down my eyes,

And I try to find solace in compromise.

When I close my eyes and realise,

I miss you in silent thoughts and in woeful cries.

And it still doesn’t feel that you are gone,

You will come by and hold me when I am down.

Keep me away from falling,

Lend me a shoulder for crying.

I stretch my arms for the comfort,

Then I realise that I am still hurt.

Now my life starts to go astray

Then I wake up to find, you are still so far away.