"Riding with you"

This one's for Gayatri - to the good times and bad.

Through the crystal ball
I pen you down
In black and white
To reverse that frown.

Starting with a glimpse
Of an ever changing past
Here are stories of our life
That has gone by fast.

This is the time
When we first met,
Agitated and agonised
Your patience was at test.
You warned me
'Its too hard', you said
I smiled
And knew I'd made a friend.

And there is the day
When we wore hats proud
"Class of 2004", it said
Bold and loud.
From teen-nights to townhalls
From day one to the next
A journey long, yet short
We walked similar footsteps.

Change of scenes, from a nook
Peeps an image of you
This story describes
The person in view.
Excited, cheerful, strong
In all situations fair
Ever proud and smiling
Of her long shiny hair.

Suddenly a period painful
Shows up its ugly head
But we struggle
And put it back to bed.
Tears and apologies
Were not all that low
It was a trying time
But it made us grow!

It ends with a picture
Of us smiling wide
Through the ups and downs
We stand side by side.
There is a noise
In the background gray
But we rise above it
And know its all ok.

As the images closed
And we turned into a dot
Popped up a flashing question
With an intriguing thought.

'Erase unwanted stories?'it asked
I jumped, could I do so?
But I smiled at the devil
And clicked on 'No'.

"In search of a Soul"

Here I go
Fly away
A pre-mature leg
On a mature day.

Go as I had come
Feel as I did
Stepping forward into the past
With nothing to bid.

Hunger, anxiety, solitude
All friends of mine
I think of no tomorrow
And go back in time.

Some smile, some don't
I feel the pressure
Of decisions and life
And being as I were.

I Let go of one
Yet hold on
Promise to look back
For the moments gone.

I feel strong
Like never before
My heart feels the pain
And my eyes are sore.

Bag in one hand
In another my mess
I clutch to the feeling
Of nothing-ness.

I listen hard
Two devils at my neck
One screams "Go"!
The other is a wreck.

So, here I go
Fly away
A pre-mature goodbye
To learn the mature way.

"Framed"

I looked at it
Looked at it with care.
Beautiful and green,
With the sun kissing its edges
And peeping through the leaves,
There was a bird
A bird casual yet rare.
And grass and children playing,
But what caught my eye
Was what no-one was saying,
In the silence
The silence of the air.
Behind the scene,
In a glimpse hid someone
And could barely be seen,
But I saw you
Saw you clear and tall.
Sitting with your face in a book,
Under the Neem tree
With that ever familiar look,
You spoke to me
Spoke about unsaid things.
Slightly blurry and far,
Yet so near
Almost in my arms,
I looked harder
Looked to see those eyes.
Eyes I loved and knew
You turned to the camera,
Curious and new
I thought
Thought of so many things.
But mostly that you're there,
In the corner of the green
And that's my share,
I stare at it
Stare with a wonder grin.
You weren't meant to be in it at all
And now I have a speck
Of you on my wall,
I love the picture
This picture I took once.
Not because it's happy,
But because it has a power, You
And You love Me.

"Global warNing"

I buy 3 and sell 5
Make more money, live right
In the process I save trees
Or so I am told at-least.

If the wind is blowing west
I can put my strategy to test,
Watch the prices do tricks today
And wager the dewdrops in May.

No grazing cattle in the farms
No falling snow in my arms,
De-value the abundant, value the rare
Humans vs the polar bear.

I set my mind to work the books
But ignore the ever innocent looks,
Profit, governments, policies to sustain
People say they're not all in vain.

Walking in the Sunday mall
Built over the equatorial forest's fall,
I sense the mercury rise as hate
In degrees Centigrade.

Just then a man runs to me making a din
Says his lungs are filled with emission,
I must have sold him credits spare
This is the part when I show I care.

I look apologetic, say I'm sorry
Next time I'll do him a Buy-2-get-1-free,
Saved for now, back to the game
Of care, concern & speeches of fame.

Its vast, its political, its free-range
I work with climate change,
Want some pollution by the bay?
Its selling free today.

"Hobnobs and Fraternizing Bobs"

Time and again I have been forced, or rather put in sitations to evaluate the meaning of friends, and friendship. To understand my definition, and then put into perspective others take on it, and acknowledge there is a gap. A broad one.

Since I moved to Hong Kong, 7 months ago, I have thought over this topic ever so often and I may have reached a conclusion. But then, it might not be a conclusive one, and may be re-visited in a few months. Till then, here are my thoughts. Friends to me are (very simply) people who are there when you need them. Not only in happy-go-lucky times, but of course in sad, pressing times as well. They tell you whats right from wrong, but at the same time let you make your mistakes. This is probably the same cliche definition a 5th grader is taught while in school, and holds in his/her heart while reaching out to make life long relationships. And this is the same definition which taught me how to pick my friends, my very many good friends. And I have done a rather decent job at that, if I may say so myself.

Why was it then when I moved to HK, I felt there was a subtle noise in this city which prevented people from understanding this definition? It could very well be a function of me being here for 7 odd months, out of which 2 were spent settling in, another 2 back home in India and 1 in a rather anti-social mood, leaving 2 to judge the crowd, which, in all honestly, is hardly fair. Having said that, in those 2 months, amidst the long working hours (which have persisted since day1 in the city), I noticed something unusual. Something very typical to HK, and that is the concept of Transient friends.

Transient friends to me are the people who hang out, have fun, know each other (not in the true sense of the word), kiss each other goodbye when moving away, and may or may not keep in touch. But they are also those who would never know when their friend is sick, is missing from a night of hard partying (possible passed out somewhere!) or is having a baby once he/she moves away from the city. They are however, as enthusiastic about your housewarming as your leaving drinks, will be the first to ask you if you feel better, just so you could go out again, and possible not remember you name the entire weekend thanks to the grueling hangover they presented to you(and themselves). They are what I'd like to say, a booty call -without the booty. Always there, never care. Always up for fun, never facing the gun. Always in need, never indeed.

I suppose its the flavour of the city which suits this sort of lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I think HK is a great place to have fun, but to me, fun loses its essence if not had with the right people. People move in and move out all the time. They come here, work hard, party hard, and say their goodbyes. I can't blame them, but I feel sorry for those who have to settle for this and be fooled to believe this is something true. Maybe they are afraid to open up to someone who might just pack up and depart in an instant, or they are happier being a mystery. Whatever the reason may be, somewhere deep down I hold a lot of resentment and anger towards such people. Possibly because I feel strongly about the meaning of friendship, and they thwart my definition (and are yet having fun!). Maybe it’s jealousy, jealousy towards those in the world who can live without needing another. Amazement that they can pick up their lives, sans any emotional baggage, and live in another city exactly the same way as they did in the previous, and with probably as many transient friends. I don't feel comfortable giving them the title of jet-setters, go-getters, trend-setters or anything fancy. They, to me, are merely deprived of the one thing that teaches you how to care about another. They are, as harsh as it may sound, clueless.

The two takes on friendship leave me as baffled as before. There are those who genuinely seem to enjoy such relationships, and are far from being out at sea, then there are others (like myself) who would not hear anything off it. I like to make friendships which would last me a lifetime. I like to go out with people who understand why i'm there with them in the first place. And I like to place my bets with those who would pick me up if I were to fall. As far as I'm concerned, I rather be a 5th grader my entire life. After all, it carried me this far. So for better or for worse, I may as well be making a premature judgment of the city & the people, but the vibes have failed to do their part. And to give benefit of the doubt, the opinion may change if I were around longer. Unfortunately, I have so such luxury.

Till the noise lessens, and the decision heals, I shall sit on my side of the road and watch the gap diminish.