questions to a blackheart

Why did our paths crossed?
Yours and mine?
I must have done something
Really, really vile

In some long-gone birth
If I believe in Hindu saying.
For I have not done anything
In this birth of mine.

to meet some one like you,
holding so much bitterness
so much anger and rage
against a stranger like me.

A woman masquerading as a man
keeping another entrapped
using pretty pictures of another
using brother and father to help.

Does your heart ever curses you
For the cruel games
That you played with me
heaven only knows with how many more.

for years you kept playing same game
never even bothering about Karma
guess devil’s adversaries think
devil too saves his disciples.

devil never saves his slaves
he lavishly rewards them
as long as they can work for him
then he just dumps them for another.


Sharmishtha basu
16.05.10

This poem is based on a real life story. Two engineering students used to trap boys and girls on internet, pretending to be of their opposite gender and flirt with them remorselessly.

Do they ever feel bad for the things they do?

seeking forgiveness

So now you say you are sorry
You seek my forgiveness
As the table has turned
You beg for understanding.

Can you give me back my dignity?
Which you ruined without reason?
Can you give me back my innocence?
Which you crushed under your feet?

Can you give me back my life?
Blissful and happy
Full of light and sunshine
Before you throttled it?

Would you have forgiven me?
If I had done the same to you?
Your face tells the answer
Go away, don’t come back to me.

forgiveness

There are times in our life
when we desperately seek
forgiveness
from someone or everyone,
sometimes we get it
and sometimes we don’t
only heavens forgive us
not the children below.

Shall we not keep in mind?
Broken faith, shattered trust
Betrayed love, cruel injustice
Remorseless wrong, ruined dignity
Destroyed reputation, dream and hope
Are seldom forgiven
So we shall not play with them
If we do, shall not seek forgiveness.

vengeance

wounded love
cheated or abused love
wounded pride
destroyed dignity
those sleepless nights
spent in bed
tossing around
chalking vengeance.

Sooner or later
If the cut is deep
They will seek out
A way to do it
Better not stir them
The dark feeling
Of vengeance
Evolving from crushed heart.

Go back

Go back undead go back to your crypt
go back in that dark place of rest
and resume your eternal sleep
she doesnot belongs to you or there.

You got tempted by her innocent youth
made a pact with her lusty kins
promising heaven in return of that youth
they failed to make her bow to you.

You returned from the door of heaven
unsatisfied still lusting for her
she was sleeping blissfully in her
lover’s arm, perfect picture of youth.

You stole her lover’s body but failed
to hide your shrivelled soul
soon your game was caught and
she backed away from you .

Don’t you realise the truth evil undead
your gnarled hands don’t look good
placed upon those lotus hands
nor does your dark soul beside the white.

Go back to sleep evil undead and pray
to God that he forgives your lust
and lets you enter in his domain
forgiven, cleansed and chastised.

Soul snatcher

Tender words forever praising beauty
always ready to fiercely protect fragile
never letting down his weapon when
it came to save damsels in distress.

Every body thought he was a saint
then one day merciful winds tore open
the covers from his dark soul
he was discovered as a soul snatcher.

Lurking in the alleys of pain and sorrow
he picked up the most beautiful souls
with his sweet, syrupy tongue
and words of highest virtues he killed.

Keeping his preys and the world blind
with his dazzling white robe
he made the kill in one strike
and stole the soul without being caught.

The princess

A king had a daughter full of love and grace
a blooming flower, a fragrant harsingar
she charmed the palace with her simple soul
she was smitten by a maiden of her age.

A girl with humble roots but dazzling beauty
she had all the charms which outshone the
modest princess, who was never jealous
never did she thought her friend was so.

Harsingar never guessed champa was red
with burning flame of jealousy for her.
allways counting her blessing in place of
her own and brimming with hatred for her.

They both fell in love with the same prince
the prince was noble, handsome, kind but has
lost his sight in a war, both the ladies nursed
him and the prince fell for the harsingar.

Champa knew it very well and hated harsingar
once a saint came to the kingdom and
promised he will bring the vision back to
the prince, but he asked the king one thing.

The prince should be wed to a princess
the couple will go to an isolated palace
where the wife will do what the sage says
and bring the vision back to her mate.

The order was followed and harsingar went
to a deserted palace with her husband
the sage came at the end of the year and
said that he will get his vision back next day.

Harsingar went to the river to worship the gods
Champa slowly tiptoed in the palace while she was
not there, she fooled the prince in believing
that she was harsingar and he left with her.

The trickster

Once a prince fell for an evil temptress
With beauty of a fairy but heart of ice
She wove her web around his heart
Dark, deep, sinister closing all light.

One day suddenly light of wisdom
tore open the web around his heart
the prince woke up, saw his plight
dark shadow took its true form in light.

He ran away as far as he could
took shelter in the arms of an
innocent woman with heart of gold
he thought past is left far behind.

The temptress soon found him out
took shelter in the nearby wood.
The moment the prince would venture out
She'd take his form and torture his beloved.

The innocent woman was torn apart
a part of her heart worshipped her kind lover
the other hated the fiend in his disguise.
The innocent prince was shocked by her change.

Fate was kind to the lover and played its part.
One day the prince left his sword behind
suddenly he came back and saw the temptress in
his very form, the spell was shattered forever.

Runaway bride

Every one read that heart breaking story
saw the picture of a laughing girl below
the eternal story of the lost love with a
desperate plea from a bleeding soul.

Find my life, my love, my betrothed for me
because my life is slowly ebbing away
his mournful sighs touched every soul
finally some one chanced to see the girl.

The news was sent to him of his victory
the grateful lover thanked them and took
the bow and disappeared forever
filling up the knight with happiness forever.

Little did that knight knew that he led a hunter
to his prey, an innocent woman who escaped
his clutches of destruction and was trying to
survive hiding herself from his vicious eyes.

A news was flashed in local papers
a few days later, the lifeless body of
a young woman was discovered lying in an
isolated place, she was witness to a past murder.

magic

It hurts deep when your own blood betrays you, Reva never realized that the only place she had in the live of her siblings was of a free of cost baby sitter and errand doer.

She was a very soft girl, who was moulded by her siblings according to their wishes, she was always there to help them with a smile on her lips, her siblings felt it better to keep her as a helping hand, hence snipped off all her attempts to stand on her feet in the bud.

As a result, when her mother, the last of her parents passed away she was still single, penniless. Soon her brothers and their families started to harass her to no end and her living in the same household became impossible. Because they were planning to usurp the properties left in her name. They poisoned the minds of the neighbours and relatives taking advantage of her introvert nature. Within a couple of years they made it clear that they wont let her stay in the house, physical and verbal abuse became daily story.

One day she was walking down the street when she saw a small advertisement, educated social worker needed for ashray, a small orphanage, food, shelter and small honorary amount will be provided. She thought about giving it a try and went there.

She located the address, it was a small two storied house, she went to the door, and saw inside, she saw some small autistic children inside, her heart ached with deep pain, most of them were on their fours, crawling painfully, without much control on their limb.

A woman in white saree opened the collapsible gate and asked her in, she had a very serene personality. She asked her to sit down and when to inform the mother superior. Reva sat down, within five minutes four or five children flocked around her with big grin on their faces, their faces lacked proper symmetry but their inner purity made their faces brim with joy.

Reva was very fond of children, her heart went out to these helpless children, discarded by their own parents, too weak to take care of themselves.

A few minutes later she was called in, she met the mother, her name was originally Karuna but she was called mother by every one. She was an elderly lady, past sixty. Here entire personality was serene and peaceful. One look at her face and the heart of the person filled up with deep peace and happiness.

Karuna asked her to take a seat, she sat down, Karuna gently asked her about her qualifications and back ground. After talking with her she asked Reva from when she can shift and join. Reva asked her she will like to start working immediately but asked three or four months before shifting, because she wanted to look into her heart before leaving her home, because she knew once she will be out of that door, her siblings will ensure that the doors are sealed for her.

She started to come to ashray in the morning and left the place in night, within one week she started to love those children with all her heart, her duty was to do petty office jobs and help those children in home works who were able to attend school, with sadness she noticed, ninety per cent of them were not even capable of feeding themselves, forget about other things.

She used to observe with great happiness and pain that the love of these children knew no impurity, the moment they used to see her walk in their small faces used to light up, most of them could not talk a sentence but they used to shout didi, when the time of parting used to come she never felt like leaving them and going back to home.

Even though these children were some times moody, some times violent but their unselfish affection compensated for this all. Hence a month later Reva told Karuna that she wont go back to home any more.

When she left home her siblings smirked at her and taunted her that she will be back within a week, or latest a month but she ignored their comments and moved on.

Months passed to years, she never regretted her decision, one day she got the news that some one has left a small child in the area of her home, she went there, and while she was coming back she met her child hood friend Neepa, she invited her to her home for a cup of tea, when Neepa saw the helpless baby in her arms, she asked Reva about her works in the orphanage.

After listening all she asked Reva whether or not she regrets her decision, Reva replied she has given a lot more affection to her siblings and their children, but in the return she had to leave her own home, whereas these children has cured all the wounds caused by them and filled up her life with their unselfish, pure affection.

She told Neepa that these children have a heart that is not tainted with greed, lust or selfishness. They cant be corrupted, they follow the simple rule, if some one loves you love them back thousand times more.

After a little silence Reva added that that was all she ever asked for in life. And her family was slowly convincing her that unselfish love does not exists, a dark despair which these children has spared her from.

Perseverance is not worthiness

Mahesh was an adopted child, he was the eighth son of his poor parents, his wealthy aunty adopted him and he shifted to Mumbai with them.

He was one of those persons who had a strong, unshaking belief that they were the most tormented soul in the universe, and rarely missed a chance to tell it. His foster parents gave him every thing, love, good education, a foundation for a wonderful career, but failed to give him a strength of character, a power to bear the ups and downs of life with dignity and courage. He used to cry like a small child at the drop of a hat.

His first love failed because the girl he loved got tired of his complaining nature and moved on after a relationship of five years. She married some one else and got settled in Mumbai. Mahesh changed his job and moved to Delhi where his biological parents lived. He rented a lavish apartment near them and maintained a superficial relationship with them. Never letting them forget that even though he has not forgiven them for giving him away to his aunty, he is generous enough to hand them out petty helps.

One day while returning from office he noted his younger brother Ramesh talking with a girl, who had a stunning similarity with his old flame Neeta, the way the girl talked, laughed and looked had a stunning similarity. Only this girl was of a darker complexion and shorter height. He watched her for a long time and then when his brother took his bus, he followed that girl to her home. He observed with a little pleasure that she entered a very poor household.

Next day he left office on the same time and when he saw Ramesh talking with that girl he deliberately showed up, forcing him to introduce her to him. He clearly understood that Ramesh and this girl Nellie were deeply in love with each other, but he thought that he will be able to win her heart. Because he was richer and better looking. Ramesh was nothing in his comparison. After all, he is the one who has always been deprived.

He cleverly started to spin his web, next day he went to his foster parents, he emotionally blackmailed them to permit him to open a branch of their business in Delhi. Next thing he did was he appointed Ramesh as its Manager.

Taking advantage of Ramesh’s gratitude he became very friendly with him and Nellie. He was extra sweet with them, showering them with expensive gifts. To his great dismay Nellie used to refuse his gifts, and kept on calling him bhaiya (brother, as would be brother in law).

He tried his best to create a distance between the lovers but could not, the more he was defeated the more his determination grew.

Finally he tried his ultimate weapon, he begged his mother to arrange his marriage to Nellie because he cant live without her. He sobbed like a heart broken teenager and created a successful impression on his mother that he will die without her. His mother who thought Nellie was Ramesh’s friend happily told Ramesh asked him to do so. Ramesh was shell shocked. He felt for a while that the sky has crashed down on his head. Because he knew backing off from Mahesh’s offer will mean losing his job, which was helping his impoverished family more than enough,accepting it will mean end of his own life.

After thinking for a little he consulted his friends, one of his friends offered him a job in middle east. He immediately left for middle east. He met Nellie and told her that he will be away for indefinite time and asked her to wait for him. He could not dare to tell any one the real reason, because he had to keep the fear of failure in mind. He told Mahesh that a friend of his has offered him a job in Middle East, he wants to give it a try. Mahesh wished him luck hiding his feelings of euphoria successfully.

With Ramesh out of scene he started to chase Nellie with all gusto, who adamantly kept on calling a brother. As Ramesh has not confirmed her place in his life to his family she could not tell Mahesh the reason but any way she kept calling him brother.

Mahesh chose to ignore that, but on his under the desk instructions and successful display of obsession to Nellie some of his employees started to call her names behind her back and indirectly in her presence. Hinting that she is flirting with a man whereas she calls him brother. He thought she will stop calling him brother, but it backfired, she started to avoid him like plague.

Mahesh got tensed and contacted her family asking for her hand, but they already knew that Nellie loved Ramesh, and knew that she was a girl of very strict principles. So they turned up their hands at him and told him clearly that they cant help him. He left the house in tears.

He started to rebuild his relation with Ramesh and poison his mind against Nellie, deliberately trying to hoodwink him that she has fallen in love with him but cant admit it because she is committed to Ramesh. He successfully created the illusion and Ramesh started to distance himself from Nellie. Their relationship became bitter and finally it was destroyed. Ramesh came back successful from middle east, married a girl of his parent’s choice and left again.
Mahesh waited for a month and contacted Nellie’s father, her family, which has guessed his games and have tried to convince Ramesh, bluntly refused his offer and told him that they will rather hand her a bottle of poison.

Her father clearly told him that their daughter is not meant for a thief and scoundrel, who doesnot minds stealing some one else’s love or ruining the reputation and life of the object of his passion, with the heinous intention of forcing her to accept him.

He then told him that if someone desecrates the idol of a goddess it doesnot becomes unholy, it may become dirty but it will be rinsed and restored back to its old glory sooner or later, but the hand that does it gets its due sooner or later.

Finally he coldly reminded him a set of golden words, perseverance is not worthiness. He may have chased her for years but that doesnot makes him worthy of her.