Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 5 Comments

Wooden Bedside Table – of Superstitious Behaviour

someone comes up to me
and says something nice
all I can think about, is wanting to flee
for how could someone say such vice

my body reflexes on the compliment and immediately reacts with “what the hell man, now why did you say that for?”
my hand, meanwhile, reaches for my wooden bedside table and I mutter the words “touch – wood” and at the same time, stare at the person in disbelief, with a glare

now what does that term even mean
it’s a rhetorical question, so leave it clean
I don’t know how I even started using that term
maybe I picked it off from my mother
who ardently believes that this would ward off evil intentions that people sometimes tend to cover

I use this term a lot
and whenever I do so, I tend to always get caught
whenever a compliment comes my way
I tend to make a face and try to get away, to my wooden bedside table to say those golden words and save my day

why did I only mention, my wooden bedside table
well, I’m always in bed, that’s why I said
so you don’t end up feeling, like you’ve been misled

© Lishaka Gulati

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 36 Comments

It’s Friday

it’s windy, and also a little chilly
but I don’t know if it’ll rain or not, really

it’s thundering now
but I still don’t see any raindrop on the ground

so, basically, what I’m trying to say
is that what has to happen, will happen
in its intended way

then why can’t I just enjoy the weather
for the way the wind feels and the sweet smell that it brings
without anxiously waiting for the end – result or the rain to begin

it’s Friday, I’m sitting near my half – opened windows
looking at the way the plants sway in their pots
and suddenly, I see the raindrop

the faint drops falling on the ground
and look how the Earth’s surface gets wet
the wind and the smell is now upset
because the rain has made people to forget

the weather is still windy
there is lightning now and thunder in the clouds
and I wait for the heavy rain to occur
because that’s the result of this weather, don’t you concur

there is no appreciation of the wind
or how dark it becomes on a Friday afternoon
just the pining need for the end – result, to happen soon

constantly thinking about, will it happen and, how will it happen
why can’t I just be in the now? instead of continuously waiting for the baton

it’s Friday today and this is how I describe my feelings, this day
we’ll see the way, of how tomorrow conveys

© Lishaka Gulati

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 9 Comments

Boundaries

there are these boundaries that I see and they somehow seem to constrict me
I don’t remember creating them, but they now, somehow, engulf me

there are these boundaries that I feel
that seem to have a strange power over me
they tell me, what is right and what is wrong, and that if I do something beyond
I will risk experiencing failure and my self-esteem will falter even greater

there are these boundaries that I see and they seem to have an unusual control over me
it is so hard for me, to even breathe, when these boundaries keep on smothering me

there are these boundaries, that I want to break, but I am so scared, as now they have placed these tiny pieces of glass on the boundary wall
as a means, to try to keep me enclosed, within the designated space

there are these boundaries, that seem to keep me, so walled off and so closed off
they have now become so rigid, so restrictive, thus making it so difficult for me, to escape them or get rid of

© Lishaka Gulati

P.S. this piece was written a few months back

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 5 Comments

Melancholy Musings – Part II

from that day to this
the girl has been dealing with an emptiness inside
the occasional mood swings, frequent crying
and those other things alike

the kid finally opened up to her family
told them of her suffering and the agony
she also informed them of the chest pains
that had started troubling her lately

the family supported the kid
and assisted her in getting the treatment
that was requisite for her, even though a little inconvenient

now the kid has been diagnosed
with anxiety and depression
so suddenly the kid has a word
that is within her comprehension

© Lishaka Gulati

P.S. this piece was written a few months back

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 2 Comments

Melancholy Musings – Part I

there once was a kid so lost
that she didn’t know what to do from one step to the next, no matter what the cost

don’t get me wrong, the kid had a wonderful family, who tried to motivate her at every step of the way
still, the kid felt lost and sad, inside her little heart but she didn’t want to bother anyone and seem apart

the kid wondered how to make sense of it all,
and in so, the kid started doing all those activities notoriously possible at school
eventually, getting the title of the coolest kid in class
but the kid still felt empty and in contrast

she then focused on her academics
and scored the best grades, inspite of her insides
being at times, in hysterics

she made her parents proud
but it still didn’t fill the kid’s hollow heart that stood unbowed

To be contd…

© Lishaka Gulati

P.S. this piece was written a few months back

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 10 Comments

Running sea

unheeded, neglected, unnoticed
a dragged affair, your profession


lately, you have been thinking about changing your job
ending, the state of thrall

but there appears to be too many options
for you to choose from
its really making you wonder
are those choices and options really there
or is it just a mirage for you
to be able to leave things with a flair

© Lishaka Gulati

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 22 Comments

Notes of Hope

so fearful, so much angst
everyday alive, thinking, what’s the point

let’s not be disappointed, disillusioned
in a sad state of mind

instead, let’s think about the profusion, boundless
that this universe offers to us

we’re well, we’re alive and we’re here
you and I
if this is not magic, what is?

© Lishaka Gulatil

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 10 Comments

Poem ~ Today the sky called me up

today the sky called me up and said

hi, I saw that you went for a walk but you danced instead
did you realize, that people were looking at you

like you were out of your mind

well, it wasn’t my first time

over the top, you appeared to be manic
lonely girl trotting on toes
so out of control
just swaying to the music

maybe someday, sky, you and the people will realize, that we have to lose ourselves to this lucid music
and not always care about other people’s eyes

try it with me, sky
let’s go for a walk
and dance instead
let them look at us and wonder
how we’re out of your mind
let them look at us and wonder
how we’re two of a kind

© Lishaka Gulati

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 13 Comments

Illegal trade, illicit trafficking

captive, caged, chained
elephants, expected to entertain

not just elephants
there are animals, many
who are engaged for human entertainment
at the cost, of their grave endangerment

clicking a selfie
with the caged animals
do you think that’s cute
were you not made aware
of their horrific abuse

from elephants to tigers
pangolins to turtles
all classified as species, endangered

illegal trade, illicit trafficking
for personal, profitable gains
all leading to these species, pained

© Lishaka Gulati

The above poem is written in support of the global campaign initiated by the NGO, World Animal Protection, India to gain support worldwide for banning the trade of wild animals.

Posted on by Lishaka Gulati · 10 Comments

Poem ~ Anxious and Distraught

look at you
you can’t handle the sadness anymore
just lying there like a corpse on the floor

you keep unraveling and there’s no one to speak to

you keep losing it and there’s nowhere to flee to

no one is there to hear your cries
no parent, no therapist, is understanding the agony that is your life

you want to give up on every step of the way
it hurts you so much and it’s not getting any better
being constantly bound by these fetters

all you want is for the misery to go away
that even giving up seems so easy today

here you are
trying to find your strength in God
to get over this misery, that you yourself caused

look at you
you can’t handle the sadness anymore
just lying there like a corpse on the floor

© Lishaka Gulati