The Letter

To,
The Wise Men,
and the Rational Ones.
The old and experienced,
and the young and successful.
The ones who know too much,
and those who think they do.

This letter is for all of you,
and all others are invited to read too.

Forgive me for any social blunders,
Etiquette was my third language in school.

I know,
My hopeful heart is out of tune with your thrifty ones.
But I have a Deal,
an Agreement of sorts.
Please read it carefully
and sign it with your words.

I promise you my share of it,
if you promise me yours.
Give-and-take just like you taught.
It goes, like this:

Do not judge me for being different,
And I won’t judge you for being ordinary.
Do not right my wrongs I beg you.

Leave me to my reckless mistakes,
and I won’t scorn your hackneyed perfection.
I do not throw stones at your mansions,

why then do you burst My bubble?
Leave me to my blissful ignorance,
and I won’t challenge your vengeful wisdom

You mourn for parents who lived past their stay,
and I for the saplings you slay.
What made your sorrow greater than mine?
You lay your heart out for the boywhodoesn’tcare,
and I for summer rains and winter air.
Why is your love greater than mine?

I am dancing to music you cannot hear,
You march to drums I do not follow.
I am gliding on air you cannot eye,
You tread on ropes I do not see.
Am I deaf, or are You blind?

Don’t judge me for being strange,
and I won’t deride you for being stale.
I will let you frown at me, I swear...
if you let me laugh at your expense.

Yours truly,
The Dreamer

- Saheli Khastagir

(featured in the poetry forum 02.25.12)

editor's note: Does this come Postage Due, Postmark Unknown? You can mark it Return to Sender, or pay the extra postage and reply in kind. - mh

Unbound

Tie my body, if you must,
My soul you cannot bind.
it soars through the iron bars towards open skies,
squeezes through doors jammed with clichés,
floats through the meandering river of our lives.
Is grasped in your palm,
and then set free in your song.
stored in your diaries,
recovered in memories.

It’s as Real as the promised Land of Eden,
and as Mythic as the Truth that I speak.
It’s in the rays that warmed your bones,
And the wind that kissed your face.

You may lose me in your thoughts,
but in You I remain.
I glide through your blood,
twisting in your gut,
gushing to your limbs,
ambulating around your heart,
And then released in a quick guffaw,
a long sigh,
a silent tear,
and a distracted doodle.

Your arrow pierces my heart,
but my soul it cannot touch.
You crush it like dry leaves,
but it blossoms from dust.
You burn it to ash,
but it rises like a phoenix.

It’s closer than your fragrance,
and farther than the horizon.
You can touch it with your eyes,
and it slips through your fingers.

You chain my body my dears,
but Me you cannot bind.
I am as fickle as your marriage vows,
as inevitable as changing seasons,
as smooth as a politician’s lie,
and as free as a cuckoo’s cry!

- Saheli Khastagir

(featured in the poetry forum 09.02.11)

editor's note: Can't help but be what we be, no matter what constraints might constrict. Loud sing cuckoo! - mh

Bondage

While he shackles her with the beautiful diamond ring...
All she really wants are a pair of plain white wings.

He builds her a house at the cape...
Frantic, she searches for a window of escape.

As his love for her grows stronger...
Her soul struggles to fly yonder.

He pulls her in sweet embrace...
While she dreams of open space.

To the music of the wild, her heart craves to dance...
But she is stifled under his adoring glance.

He indebts her with his fetters of affection...
Defeated, she finally submits in exhaustion.

- Saheli Khastagir

(featured in the poetry forum 07.08.11)

editor's note: Hmmm. To be the object of someone else's affection can be bondage, indeed. Must have signed away true love in the pre-nup. "Look before you leap." - mh