Poetry: Shailaza Singh

Shailaza Singh

Dreams and the abyss

I am standing on solid ground,

Yes, some pebbles hurt my feet and there are thorns around.

Blood is dripping from my fingers and sores on my feet abound.

The ground feeds on my flesh in return for letting me stand,

The pain is the price I pay for walking on this land.

Yet all that does not matter as I stare at the dark deep abyss before me,

The darkness is all that I can see.

Fear creeps in and whispers ‘Run before it is too late,’

Faith holds a wobbly stick and says, ‘wait.’

‘Why don’t you explore what the abyss holds?

‘May be your dreams are hidden in those dark folds.’

I stare at the abyss remembering what brought me here in the first place,

A deep dislike of the mundane rat race.

I wonder what will it be like to just jump without any safety harness or a line,

Faith whispers ‘Just jump, trust. Believe that you will be fine.’

‘That darkness shrouds a world where dreams come true,’

‘A place where the sky is forever blue.

Let go of the trepidation and take a leap,

Or stay and let those thorns prickle you to sleep.’

***

Platonic love

The world runs on a love of a different kind,

The one that makes no demand on the heart and mind.

The love that makes people look out for one another,

Even though they may not be related to each other.

Someone checks on you just to see if you are safe and sound,

Or when someone for no reason just hangs around.

A love where people care enough to ask you out,

Without any expectation or motive or doubt.

A love where a stranger goes out of the way,

To hand you over the wallet that you’d lost the other day.

Platonic love is when someone you know hears your sob tale,

When someone trusts you to succeed, even when you fail.

Platonic love is when people meet you to teach lessons you must know,

And when it is time to move on, they let you go.

So, let go of the notion that love can only be a familial love or a romantic affair,

Love can be anything, a smile, a wish, a warm greeting, a prayer.

This universe is alive, and it manifests its love in different ways,

Open your eyes and you’ll find that love in every sphere of your life, every day.

***

To a stranger

I wish I could hug you stranger

Or cry my heart out, held in your arms.

I won’t know you; you won’t know me.

Anonymous masks we would wear.

Who are you or who am I,

We wouldn't ask, we wouldn't care.

So much that this heart wants to say,

Unknown emotions and feelings at play.

I wish I could gaze deep into your eyes,

Pools of compassion that they are.

Perhaps somewhere in those bright orbs.

I would find my North Star.

I wish I could whisper in your ear

The incessant longings and yearnings of my dark night

Maybe that would heal my soul,

Perhaps that would be my respite.

Maybe as we unload our burdens 

And go our separate ways...

Maybe our nights would become calmer 

And brighter would be our days...

***

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Setu, August 2024