Among Roman ruins

Look at the arena said he

The Romans had an auditorium here

Lovely plays, music, theater

All the visages of a glorius culture

But they soon got bored

Sick of their life of plenty

They turned this into an arena

To get their high on blood and gore

Gladiators replaced the actors

The drama became lifelike

The crowds roared in delight

Men and beast were slain alike

The decadence was a sign

For soon the empire fell

All the glory, all the pomp

Reduced to rubble, a worthless pile

I felt the pulse beating

I heard them baying for blood

I saw them show their thumbs down

A sign which said kill kill kill

As I turn the page of my daily dose

I hear them baying for blood

Every day a new villain is shown

For the crowds to tear apart

Is it a sign, an ominous one, that

Our auditoria have also become arenas

We seek to see blood spilt

Where once we had quiet ballerinas

Off with his head said the queen of hearts

Off with his head we all say

This one is dead, all bloody and mangled

Tomorrow we need another prey

The time has come to introspect

Reduce our speed and quietly reflect

Forgiveness has to replace revenge

For we need peace, not violence to survive

Security Check

We shuffle slowly in the endless queue
A horde of cattle waiting for our turn
Hawk like eyes look up and down
Am I the one who could slash and burn

My small possessions, my little memories
The hazy pair of glasses, the bits of paper
My fingers touch, as I seek to hide
The dull photo, the smell of laughter

I reach the altar
Slowly with utmost care
Touching the memories of the past
I lay them bare

They peep inside, their eyes wary
Glancing at whatever I proffer
Stern disapproval writ large
Their faces reminding me of lucipher

Why oh why do they have to strip me
Who is responsible for this mess
My toes dig into the ground
As they leer at my nakedness

Vile serpent you
I suffer 'cause of your offer
Your one action, only one
Has condemned me to always suffer

You came upon the scene unseen
You killed without the slightest remorse
Devoid of feelings that we call human
You were not just cruel, but an animal force

The pain, the cries have now subsided
Time can heal they always say
But what about the ignominy of being a suspect
That I have to suffer every day

Humour it

The playful pranks
The naughty tricks
The hide and seek
The fight and weep

The serious look
The world in peril
Worries writ all over
The face of the saviour

The pitter patter of feet
Running all over the place
The hiding of pieces
When the jar hits the floor

The stiffness of thoughts
The upright gait
The benevolent gaze
You look so mighty my friend

The innocent eyes
The forgiving nature
The holding of fingers
Revealing the trust

The harshness of decisions
The sceptre of punishment
The hardening of nature
Partaking the nectar of revenge

Friends everywhere ne'er seen a foe
Fights if any are just for a moment or so
Soon all is forgotten
As in its world, all is easily forgiven

They are both in you
Just look a little deep
Down the road you've travelled
Near a milestone you see it weep

Rush back and hold it
Play with the child within
Appreciate and Humour it
Fret not, for it shall forgive

Marching Ants

Standing on my balcony
I see the station behind bars
Multitudes emerge like ants every day
Each one cuffed and chained

Faceless faces they all look alike
Frowning, concerned, lost in thought
They rush by silently
Shifting, shuffling, all in a hurry

What do they think
Why do they worry
What is the hurry
I wonder if they really know

They march on like soldiers
As if to face a fight
Indoctrinated by words of passion
Decimating the fellow being

Just to uphold thoughts
They maim and kill their own
The wizard controls their lives
By turning the knob of fear

The answer he propounds
Is in upholding the law
Imprison all those who tresspass
Freedom lies in slavery

Some bow, some bend
Some pay obesience by prostrating
Be obliged, stay obliged
For your life is not yours, you are not you

They make you feel secure
These thoughts that they sell
The cost is very small
That useless thing you call freedom

Ashoka my dear, where art thou
What happened to the rule of Dhamma
Which entailed the enlightenment of individuals
The rule of law just entails their imprisonment.

You spread wisdom and knowledge
To take place of darkness and fear
Fear which makes us greedy and corrupt
Fear which creates doom

The focus has shifted to groups
The individual face is now faceless
Identities are lost in the storm of duties
The wizard laughs as we all toil

We have become alchemists of yore
Mining metals and turning them into gold
Extracting till the last drop
The blood of our mother

Accumulate, accumulate he yells
There is no tomorrow
Smiling benignly on those who say fun is sin
Work is preferable to humanly pursuits

We shrink from a touch
Cocooned in our shells
Love is now mobile
Soon babies will be made virtually

The Street Magician

He sits on the ground
With all the magic around him
We crowd around peeping over shoulders
To see what will he show next.

His voice is captivating
Enthralling the watchers
The tricks are great
Never a dull moment

Things disappear and appear elsewhere
Sleight of hand as never before
We try our best to catch him
But always fail

The show ends and we all clap
Some walk away as he seeks the pennies
Some reach for their pockets
Horror of horrors, they have been picked

The tamasha goes on every day
Doves gather for the show
A hawk performs
While other prey

We slowly catch on
But other shows remain
This time one plays the villain
While others are heroes they say.