Just the first key here
to open doors of wisdom
Rest are illusions,
tempting us towards a path
of darkness with no foothold
Written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.
Friday Fictioneers – Nasim’s House
When Nasim, the politician, built his house, he decided to invest everything in it. The money from land scam, his biggest achievement, was his source for marble tiles. The funds from construction and oil scam, he had meticulously committed, went towards other lavish amenities. The house looked humble and forlorn from the outside, Nasim thought. No one would suspect anything! He loved his house, which was the result of all his ‘hard work’, until the ruling party decided to place him under house arrest. Confined for 5 years to the walls of extravagance, he found himself detesting his house.
Written for Rochelle’s friday fictioneers. Thanks to Janet for the photo.
Carpe Diem – Hope
In the face of dark storm
Baby sun peeks shyly
Human’s only hope
This was written for Carpe Diem haiku.
Picture it & Write – Rehan’s Picture
When Rehan asked Meena to draw his picture, he did not expect something like this. He had no legs, his features were contorted and he was apparently searching for something with outstretched hands.
“How do you find this?” asked Meena
“I sat two hours for something like this. Why did you even ask me to pose and smile?”
“You smiled for the world, but I looked deep inside and this is exactly what I saw. An aggressive man, struggling to reach the top at any cost. Swimming against the tide of life, with one outstretched hand to defend yourself against imaginary enemies and the other to block competition. You have no legs in this picture because you have forgotten your roots and your humble past.”
Written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.
For the Love of Haiku
Human’s style futile
while aliens dazzle with speed
and a focussed performance
This was written for the love of haiku.
The Ligo Haibun Challenge – Flower
She lives in a country, which has six months of darkness. Though she is accustomed to nights, she yearns for the sun. The dim street lamp illuminates the garden, from where a lone rose stands out. While admiring the rose, she hopes it would live to see the sunlight.
Your unmatched glow
Lights the darkest of nights
I pray you live forever
This was written for the ligo haibun challenge.
Friday Fictioneers – The ‘Professional’
Julia walked confidently, trying to look casual. She had stolen something again. It was not from a supermarket this time, but a jewellery shop. She checked her pockets. Yes! The tiny diamond ring was still safe. Though shoplifting in a foreign country scared Julia a little, she did not detect a camera. As she tried to cross the road, she spotted two security men, looking at her. Panicked, Julia started running, only to collide against a man who was standing in her path. She blinked in shock, as she saw the man jumping at her with an outstretched hand. She was handcuffed by the time she realized it was only a statue.
This was written for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. Thanks to David Stewart for the photo.
Cupid’s Fancy
Cupid enters the world
to play with hearts
and unsuspecting people
until his fancy
finds fulfilment,
but smitten by the
glowing earth, he falls
a prey to his own fancies,
decides to dwell here,
sharing his charm and art
with the most deserving of all
Picture it & Write – Ray & Rita
Ray was lost in nostalgia as he looked into his drink. He was 22 when he met Rita in the same club on a valentine’s day. She was dressed in simple clothes, a sharp contrast to other attractive women. As he saw her eyes through her glasses, he felt that he was peeping into her soul. They met at the same club till she learnt that he was a millionaire. After that, Rita slowly started distancing herself. She met him one final day, saying that she was going to pursue her masters’ degree in some other city. Then, he never heard from her.
Ray could not trace her, despite searching every university in the city she had mentioned. Since Rita had never spoken about her friends, he was further doomed. He had met many intelligent and attractive women after her, but was not even remotely interested. None of his friends who frequented the club had seen her either. Sometimes, Ray doubted if he had imagined the whole thing. He wondered if Rita would come back if she knew that he had donated most of his wealth to fledgling charities.
He sighed, as he saw young couples dancing away. He visited this club every valentine’s day. He was 62 and sill single. Forever single…
This was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.
For the Love of Haiku
Innocence all around,
Playground’s forgiving enemies
in a world of their own
Written for the love of haiku
call2read 