I sometimes catch me thinking
Of days that were full of fire
I was, maybe, alone - not lonely
In sleepless nights of desires

I remember when words flowed free
And I proudly signed my poems
They were brazen, brave or broken
Some fears unknown and known

I found someone to anchor
An alien feeling seeped
Sunshine and meadows aside
I finally found some sleep

Content in my new comfort
I wrote my judgements raw
Till they ripped the bandaid off
Exposed my secret flaws

No longer a closet poet
They read every truth I wrote
Should I be ashamed, I don't know
But I stopped then for us both

Years have gone by living
And I have no memories to keep
Living at a prolonged ellipsis
I have lost a bit of me

I cannot be true to myself
So I cannot bear to write
Some day I will find courage
Tell me, do I have the fight?

Today,
They create their own truths
Where peace is possible
Through weapons and wars
And sacrifices of the young...
You take pride in it.

They promise a better life
Is in cities and highrises
The price of which is future
And half your lives...
You join the line in silence.

They pick on the weak
With no paper proof
To show that they belong
And must to be heard too...
You fail to hear them.

They make you believe
You belong to a country
That is in dire need
So you ought to pay the fees...
You rush to fill those pockets.

Tomorrow,
You will be the Other
No name, nowhere to hide
They will put you as the price
So that the rest may live by
They will tighten your noose...

And the world will watch.

What happens when we talk?
I know what you want to hear
And I know what you want not
There comes a slippery *****
Words go down the drain
They evade any meaning
Yet, they sound the same...

My dearest, when we talk
To you, I open my heart
There's love, hope and joy
That every soul has sought
But these words, my lifelong bane
They evade any meaning
Yet, they sound the same...

Hear me, when we talk
My silences are wrought
To say much in less than thought
How our lives seem so choked
With words that play their game
They evade any meaning
Yet, they sound the same.

Behold the give-up generation
That's out of land to run
Fearing mental castration
Out comes the rusted guns,
Get off the cursed confessional
The needle is now spun
Having no stake, no possession,
The hunted now shall hunt

Been cut so clean
With words so sharp
Hanging in there
Bare threads of life
No where to turn
No where to run
The deals once done
But now just begun

What have you been fighting for...?

When did we grow too old?
Our souls and dreams now sold
Too old to laugh and smile
To go the extra mile
Too old to say 'Need a hug'
To share the tales of hurt...

When did we grow so old
Nothing ever shocks anymore
The deaths the births unplanned
Basic rights being banned
All pass by, we shrug
No question, no if, no but...

Tell me, when did we grow so old
That tears and cries became cold
From doers, we are now undone
Dreams like a drowning sun
Will there be another dawn
For our spirit to be reborn...?

The gunman is a friend.
He was born in this street
He played in our arms
We saw him bawl and grow
Feel the pain of being alive
We turned our heads on time
To ignore the early signs
"Oye boy! Get outta here."
Let him live in fear
He's a problem, not mine.
He'll do just fine.
If not, we can always say
The gunman is no friend,
Just another headline.