The Joker and the Joke

Hi ppl,

I was away on a bicycle trip to Konkan over the last week...It was more of therapy than holiday...taught me a lot of lessons...made me push harder and farther than I ever had...inpired me to write and I do plan to write about that...not today though...

This is something I wanted to write way back in college...but then dint...for watever reasons...but then something happened and my inspiration to write this piece was up again (although in a different form and spirit than I would have earlier written).


Sometime back it was
of this joker I knew
a pleasure to be with
such people, by Lord, are few!

Oh! The tricks and the talks
and the drama that freely flowed
a never ending repertoire
of striking colours and soothing mellows

The stage, the smile, and
the carefully put together lines
engaged the audiences, big and small
as I fondly remember the times

What a sight it was
to see the artist in play
as he set the tone and pace
and went about his ways

and then towards the end
the curtains drew, up rose the smoke
in the joy and merry of it all
merged the joker and the joke

As he quietly slid backstage
and removed the smile
we exchanged pleasantries
occasionally he feebly smiled

Often we walked home together
not much did he speak
that is how I knew him to be
uneventfully passed many weeks

Then one day he disappeared
no letter, no last word
none knew where he went
no more delightful evenings were had

The audience asked me
Where is he? Will he be back?
I knew they sorely missed him
and knew he won't be

Lucky as I have mostly been
I knew the man behind the smile
to not have been so,
would have missed him by a mile

Today, after a long time
I got a letter for him
a toast raised to the times
that he had been

I read, smiled and shelved it
didn't reply lest raise false hopes
smiled cause I knew
the joker and the joke.

Somewhere

Somewhere is another world
a world of infinite possibilities
of hopes and dreams and joy
far cry from this drab reality

I have have been away for too long
too long since I have even tried
I don't know where to look
grass on the other side looks just as dry

But I know it is out there
though I can't prove it to be so
something beyond ordinary it is
the divine energy that flows

There is no reason that I seek
for no explanations will suffice
just the quiet and acceptance
and a smile at the roll of the die

But let me not get carried away
in the dark and gloom of it all
this is about the spring of life
let me not delve any more into fall

For this is just time
and in it I shall pass through
block out the noise for a while
the old thoughts and the new

I shall just be for a while
away from the worldly cares
close my eyes and let it flow
I know it is around somewhere