272. 'Mokokchung'

Philwaqt nahin, yaaron
Dil sakht nahin, yaaron
Kal faqat, yahin, yaaron
Mil jaaye to kaafi hai!!

271. Mulaaqat

tum
har roz
jab bhi aate ho
shaffaaf si hoti hain
nazrein tumhari

benaqab se khayaal
tumhare
zara sa
dikhne lagte hain
tere chehre par

aur phir

tum bolne lagte ho

tum bolne lagte ho
kuch fashionable alfaaz
jo har kisike zubaan pe
ek hi jaise lagte hain

is lafzon ke parde me
main tumhe
pahchaan nahin paata
lovely

tere saath rahke bhi
tumhe bahut miss karta hoon

aaj
please
tum kuch mat kahna
main bhi chup rahta hoon

aaj
yun hi
khamosh baithe baithe
dubaara
ik doosre se
milne ki koshish karein?!

270. Excerpts from random mental to-do lists - II

to
step out in the blue shirt
in which I think I look fat;
the one I try on each time
and change out into something else

to
say no to him finally
when he comes home
tonight
I have been trying for the last 7 months

to
sell all the balloons by evening
and buy myself a coca cola
like I do each month

to
take a bat
and beat Raj
next time he bullies me in school
or maybe, I should just change schools

to
binge-watch the series
I am tired of spoilers on facebook

to
vote before I go to work today

to
take my family to Mc Donald's
on Diwali
as promised

to
sew the fall 
on the special red saree
so I can wear it to Mc Donald's
on Diwali

to
push my boss
to have the discussion
on my rating

to
actually walk into the mall
and not walk by it
like I did the last 13 times
I have money now
but the guard looks so intimidating

to
try and get better at maths
and make Papa proud
I cannot fail the unit test,
another time

to
start exercising

to
go to the Ganesh temple
I have taken a vow
to walk up the steps
for 21 tuesdays
I can't tell you what I am doing it for
They say the vow does not work as well then

to
tell her
I love her

to
not give in
and ask my children their pocket money
to go to the bootlegger's
again tonight

to
make tamarind rice
maybe this time, it will turn out right

to
accompany Aai to the bank
though I dislike how
the people there talk down and embarrass us
each time

to
apologize to him
for all the hurtful things I said;
and accept that I was wrong

to be unafraid

to be different

to be brave

to be better

to be

269. Excerpts from random mental to-do lists - I

to waltz off

to walk up

to walk out

to tell

to surprise

to stop

to stay put

to stand up

to speak out

to scream at

to scream

to run by

to run away

to rise above

to quit

to please

to plead

to move on

to look out

to look away

to look at

to know

to give up

to give it another try

to give it a try

to give in

to forget

to find out

to dance

to breathe

to begin now

to be

268. Encounters

each encounter
is
a stamp
on my worldview

I am not sure

are these stamps
souvenirs
from reality

or

are they just
ticket stubs -
a pointless proof
of yet another journey

as I parse through
all these stamps
I worry

I worry
about being an unintentional hoarder
if I hold onto them

I worry
about being a willfully blind traveler
if I throw them away

so
while I figure out
what to do with my encounters,
maybe
I should not
meet
anyone
anymore