My Selfie is for You, not for Me

I tried a top angle first, then a side profile
My Sunday overflowing with frustration
Then I got one where I looked thin, but not too happy
Finally, I met my expectation
Now only if you'd like it,my world would be complete
Only if this picture would change your perception
If not I'll change it in a nano-second, you see
I'll do anything to seed a deception


My selfie is for you, not for me
Coz I'm trying my best to distort reality
My world is fun, it's got no glitch
Though up close and personal, I'm just an empty little bitch.


Candid works best, but the pout is essential
Naive is wholesome, if laced with wicked intention
Whether we nail the conversation, matters miniscule
As long as we nail a selfie, we'll fight ridicule
So judge me on my selfie, not my self-worth
And crown me the princess in your head
If not, I'll clutter your brain with a thousand more images
I'll do anything to mislead and be misread


My selfie is for you, not for me
I've sold out to a world debauched on imagery
My world is cool and I'm pretty and rich
Though up close and personal, I'm just an empty little bitch.

The Lady Got Spunk

She isn't the goddess of propriety

And she hasn't lived the life of a monk

She may have a few skeletons in her closet
And a couple more hidden in the trunk

But when it comes to biting the bullet

And speaking aloud what she's thunk

Make no mistake, she'll roll the dice

Coz that lady, she got spunk.

She won't be checking the right boxes
Or walking hand-in-hand with the hunk

She may not look half as graceful
When she stumbles and falls, quite drunk

But when it comes to taking her chances

And making do with joys that have shrunk

Make no mistake, she'll spin the game

Coz that lady, she got spunk.


She won't win the Grand Slam for popularity
And her manner, it's eyebrow-raising funk

She's planned her life to be plan-less

And knows that she's pretty much sunk

But there's one thing about her that is boundless
There's one fact you can't debunk

Make no mistake, she'll show her mettle
Coz that lady, she got spunk.

So Vanilla

Once upon a time, you had a point of view

One that was atypical, but so typical of you

Today it's watered down into 'everything is fine'

Nothing is improper, you never cross the line

Non-committal reactions

Non-frictional interactions

You were a pretty cool fella
When did you become so vanilla?

Your stories at parties are always so nice

They're like beautiful looking dishes, that somehow lack spice

You never have an opinion that comes with a sting

You're scared of being the outsider, or the ridicule it'll bring

Conformist not by choice

Always the reasonable voice

You were a pretty cool fella
When did you become so vanilla?

Some things are wrong, yet they feel so right
Some days are lived, without clinging to the light
Some thoughts should be aired, even if they're volatile
Some risks should be taken, even if they're futile
Go against the grain
Stop being so plain
You were a pretty cool fella
When did you become so vanilla?

The Ordinary Side of Me

I cry easily

Unnecessarily at times

And eat ginger biscuits

Too many for my good

But that's not going to make you like me

Because that's not wild or whacky or wanton

So let me try and say something shocking

I've shoplifted.

I like crows

But I like owls better

And hate lukewarm tea

Not down my throat, no

But that's not going to make you like me

Because it's not clever or cool or catchy

So let me try and say something shocking

I've kissed a girl.

I am clueless

About money and maps and meditation

And I pretend to read some books

When actually, I haven't even heard of them

But that's not going to make you like me

Because it's not sassy or spunky or savvy

So let me say something shocking
I'm done.

Kerosene

One day you're surprising me

Next day, you're chastising me

And when I do something out of character

No doubt, you're analyzing me

Your faults are only human

And mine are close to umpteen

But you're the fuel to my fire

Baby, you're kerosene

There's a blowout in the making

And you know it's coming fast

It's going down and won't be pretty

And we can only hope to make it last

Our life will get all tangled

Like a dish of say, chowmein

But when you come close, much closer

Baby, I'm kerosene

So the moment is here to live out

Much like a glistening, polished knife

And whether you flick it or drag it

It'll leave a scar for life

And simply because you don't get it

And simply because it's not routine

It's still a bonfire in the making

And Baby, we're kerosene.

Simple, Normal Day

The chai is good, my maid has come

The sun is streaming, breakfast is done

I got up late, no deadlines to meet

I have no need to look pretty or neat

No one unexpected has come to the door

I've cooked dal and rice, it tastes as good as before

It's a simple normal day, I hope it stays that way

And this poem is ordinary, but that's okay.

The television is on, and love is in the air

My favourite show is serving predictable fare

My mind is wandering, and I love that it does

There's nowhere to go, so why make the fuss

My friends call, they're staying up late

But by going to bed, I've sealed my fate

It's a simple normal day, I hope it stays that way

And this poem is ordinary, but that's okay.

Then I close my eyes, and expect to sleep

But what I see, takes an astonishing leap

And normal becomes strange, and strange becomes crazy

And crazy gets crazier, my thoughts are a bit hazy

And my roller-coaster mind, it takes a long-haul flight

And simple normal days turn into not-so-simple nights

It's a simple normal day, I hoped it would stay that way

And this poem is ordinary, but nothing else is okay.

Today's not a Day like Everyday

I walk out into the morning

Do the skies seem a little bluer?

It can't have changed in a day, I mean

But can it be that today is truer?

Today's not a day like Everyday

Today's not like Everyday at all

Today's not a day like Everyday

Today, I don't feel all that small.

A crow looks beautiful on the wire

The traffic is dragging, but what's the hurry

And when I feel the sun skim upon my skin

It doesn't feel like this day is so ordinary.

Today's not a day like Everyday

Today feels a little inside-out

Today's not a day like Everyday

And I know tomorrow willl be filled with doubt.

Random Observations of a Hungry Mind

You Sir, you're a Flirt

And it's quite known that you chase the skirt

And while you pretend to deny

 That you've got a case of glad-eye

 Be warned, you won't escape unhurt

You Madam, you're a Tease

And while you can do as you please

 You can't cry foul

 And then begin to howl

 When you lead them on and then freeze

You Mister, you're a Quitter

What's worse, you're a fence sitter

 You're not sure what you want

And despite the machismo you flaunt

You're as lost as a pup in the litter.

You Girl, you're a Keeper

Problem is, men don't look deeper

So while you're all homely

And decidedly comely

There's a high chance you'll end up a weeper

You dude, you're a Show Stopper

And by god, your looks are a jaw dropper

The gym keeps you busy

You send girls into a tizzy

But as for wit, there you're a pauper

You lassie, you're a Whiner

No obstacle is ever minor

Tears are your tool

But nobody's a fool

So brace up, life won't get any finer.

Oh weary world, don't stop reading

Just because my words are bleeding

With sarcasm and acid

And nothing close to placid

I think I'm hungry, I need feeding.

The Fix

Fix me a drink, will you

Make it strong, two cubes of ice

I’ll laugh while you tell me a joke

Or we could just stop being nice

  

You could tell me of your travels

And I could pretend to ask more questions

But the night won't be charmed by our chatter

Or with our best intentions  

You’re charming, I’m cute and all that jazz

But that never makes for an igniter

So should we shut the lights and go our ways

Rather than make it an all-nighter?

And just as you start to light a smoke

And just as I look at the ceiling

The unsaid gets spoken, the spoken gets bite

And we discover a nice, new feeling  

So give it time to brew

Fix me a drink, will you

Make it strong, two cubes of ice

Settle down, let's make this nice.

But Stay?

You're done speaking and yet, you've got something to say

You're done blaming yourself and yet, you have demons to slay

And while others are figuring out your life

It's been cutting you up like a knife

And you just want to go

You just want to go

But stay?

You're done holding on and yet, you're told to keep doing it

You're done paying for your lies and yet, you can't help undoing it

And while others are talking of healing

You've got this empty feeling

And you just want to go

You just want to go

But stay?

You're done with the smiling and yet, you wish there was a reason to smile

You're done with the philosophies and yet, you wish they weren't so futile

And while hope is in the making

Your resolve is kind of breaking

And you just want to go

You just want to go

But stay?

Sold

Out there is a world

That's opening up to your story

And just when you stand at the brink

You trip and fall into glory

It takes you for a sweetened ride

And you devour it in haste

One bitter pill of failure down,

You choke on the after taste

The road has ended, the ride is done

And the sign on you says 'Sold'

And all you have to show is this

That you're weary and rich and old.

Don't give up on me just yet

Truth is, I’m a little less stronger
I’m a little more brittle and broken
Truth is, there’s nothing new to tell you
Except that I’m out in the open

Truth is, I’m such a sham and bad at it
And I play it up by being direct
Truth is, there's a smile that's hiding somewhere
So don’t give up on me, just yet.


Truth is, there’s an open diary out here
And it’s got tales that are far from diabetic
Truth is, we’re all alike but we don’t know it
So you and I, we’re pathetic

Truth is, life has made its own choices
And we’re not part of its chosen set
Truth is, we’ll leave it all behind someday
So don’t give up on me, just yet.

His Myth, His Truth

He battles traffic to reach work on time
While another battle rages in his head
He cracks a joke, steps out for a smoke
And then carries his pain to bed

He makes a point at most meetings
While he desperately looks for one in life
And it goes without mention, he gets the attention,
As the loneliness cuts through like a knife

He shares his bed with the ladies
He makes friends at the bar
At karaokes he's singing, his phone won't stop pinging
But thats the view from afar

His reason to live is a myth
His manner of living is all-suffering
But he'll continue to shine, and believe he's fine
While his tale, it continues buffering.

Don't Ask

Don’t ask me if I have the time

When you don’t have the inclination

Don’t ask me if I will take forever

When you don’t have a hold on the situation

Don’t ask me if I am feeling bad

When you’ll never do me any good

Don’t ask me if I feel insecure

When you’ve never made yourself understood

Don’t ask me the road to happiness

When the path you take is long and winding

Don’t ask me if we were meant to be

When you’re so clueless, it’s blinding

Don’t ask me if we’re heading for trouble

When trouble is what we’re having for dinner

Don’t ask me if we’ll ever be good

When you don't know a saint from a sinner.

When I Let You In

 

I'll let you in
Through the stories
To the sadness
To the shame that makes me lie

I'll let you in
Through the filters
To the sorrows
To the fears that make me cry

And it will all be rather morbid
And it will all be rather strange
For your journey will end in nothing
Nothing that you can change

I'll let you in
Through the wildish
To the childish
To the girl that makes me shy

I'll let you in
Through the maze
To the mayhem
To the passion that makes me fly

And it will all be rather wonderful
And it will all be wicked-strange
And that's the thing about journeys
One turn and things will change.

Speaking of Which

I have been in love with you for years
So many, that I don’t know how many
Speaking of which

There are many reasons to love you
So many, that I don’t know which one is most important
Speaking of which

You are the most important person in my world
So important, that I don’t know what I’d do minus you
Speaking of which

The only minus about you is your poor sense of humour
So poor, it actually makes me cry
Speaking of which

I wince each time I open your Twitter page
So badly, because it’s sucks
Speaking of which

Badly is exactly how I’ve been lately
So bad, I think I may be in love
Speaking of which

I have been in love with you for years
So many, that I don’t know how many.

Same Same, Different Year

And so we wake with a heavy head
Read the papers, check the forecast ahead

The predictions are vanilla, but we live in hope
This year will be better, we’ll do more than just cope

Eat healthy, think positive, get drunk far less
Bury the past, get a move on, deal with the stress

Go to the gym, find a hobby, remember to smile
Get paid better, save money, donate once in a while

Cut down on shopping, read books, sleep easy
Make less plans, go with the flow, be breezy

Wishing life takes a turn, for the cheery and the clear
And yet we continue, same-same, different year.

This Too Shall Pass

We must maintain our composure
We must learn not to weep
We must keep faith in the fact
That the past is buried when we sleep

And so we condition our minds
But when we wake up, alas
The night has died, but the cliché survives
That maybe, this too shall pass.

Can this storm be calmed down
Can it be numbed by witty conversation
Can we continue with the cheer and wine
While hurtling in the opposite direction

There’s no telling what will happen
For all of it seems such a farce
The further we grieve, the further we believe
That maybe, this too shall pass.

What's your Type?

Seriously conformist
or nonchalantly jovial
Homely and laidback
Or supersonic trivial

Quiet neurotic
Or mixed-bag eclectic
Anti-social wallflower
or emotionally exotic

What’s your type, baby
How do you come undone?
Stereotype, tell me yours
Come on, everyone has one

Time you fixed on that
Instead of seeking something new
You say you don’t get typecast
That’s a joke, and it’s spreading like flu

White meats go best with white wine
And solids go best with stripes
So why oscillate, then hyperventilate
When you can just stick to types

What’s your type, baby
How do you come undone?
Stereotype, tell me yours
Come on, everyone has one.

Our Failings

Words have a habit of failing you

Just when you need them the most

Feelings are obnoxiously outspoken

At times you want to be composed

Regret comes cropping its ugly head

When you think you’ve left it behind

Nostalgia takes a turn for the worse

Even when the future looks kind

Hindsight comes a poor second

Just as the worst is over

Relief hits you like a rolling wave

And immediately runs for cover

Hate is a fickle friend

You never know when it will turn

Love is the sworn enemy

For those who pray for it and burn

Within you they exist

Without them, you’re dead A

And since you won’t ever leave them alone

You insist on taking them to bed