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Disgust

He lay sprawled on my spotless bed,
lips curled into a sarcastic grin,
vile, gleaming eyes transfixed on me.

A creepy feeling suddenly ran through my body,
shivers of disgust funneled down my spine,
I felt like vomiting, legs becoming heavy like lead,
a bitter taste of bile filled my mouth,
goose pimples erupted all over my body,
nausea overpowering my muddled senses;
I booed at him; screamed at him,
he refused to move even an inch,
a helpless feeling of cowardice engulfed my mind,
I hung my head in shameful defeat,
the brute continued to torment me.

Suddenly, the door opened; a rosy cheeked kid came running to me,
he asked me in a shrill, mischievous voice,
“Uncle, have you seen my toy lizard somewhere?”

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Fragments

The burning sun scorched the land,
orphaned animals die parched of thirst,
I am a sunflower,
I love the sun.

Power blackouts darken the hapless town,
wind blows off dazzling neon lights,
I am a glow worm,
My glow never dies.

Men aim to reach the stars,
women crave to humble the moon,
I am a dog,
I have no aims.

Powerful empires rise and fall every second day,
time fades away the miraged nimbus of prophets,
I am a banyan tree,
I fight against time.

Trees are cut mercilessly,
wars are waged relentlessly,
I am a man,
I never change myself.

I remember you

I push off to work everyday,
without getting your lovely morning kiss.

I remember you.

I drive along the lonely highway,
without you giggling by my side.

I remember you.

I roam about the city mall aimlessly,
passing through our favorite eating joints.

I remember you.

I fight in the boxing ring every Saturday night,
searching for your excited face in the stands.

I remember you.

I try my hand in cooking every now and then,
waiting for you to appreciate my burnt toast.

I remember you.

I come back in the evening, tired and defeated,
trying to gather broken fragments of my life.

I remember you.

I lie wrecked on my death bed,
waiting for death to unite our souls.

I remember you.



The poetry of Ravie Shankar Rajan, a software engineer in Mumbai, India, has appeared in Voicesnet,Poetrylifeandtimes, The Ultimate Hallucination, Subjective Substance, Scrivener's Pen and Lily Ezines. Recently his poem "Mumbai" won the Lizabeth poetry award for 2004.



Copyright 2004, Ravie Shankar Rajan. This work is protected under the U.S. copyright laws. It may not be reproduced, reprinted, reused, or altered without the expressed written permission of the author.