READING BETWEEN THE LINES.

"Ages passed in turning pages..
A few willingly, a few unwillingly..
But as I moved from one alphabet to another,
New words sprouted in front of my eyes,
Enchanted me with their
eloquent rhymes,
Engulfed me deep into their meanings,
But some were raucous,
Some vacuous,
Some inscrutable..
Some jumbled up like half baked facts,
Some naked as truths..
And blatant as lies..

Some were capricious and chameleonic,
Though they rhymed the same,
Changed their colours when put differently..
Some appeared simple and short,
And they were deeper than I thought.

And I realized people were words too..

 And as I moved from one chapter to another,
Leaving back the old characters,
A few more words and a few more phrases came and passed me by,
Each left their indelible mark,
An imprint or a scar..
And I again wondered what they meant,
Until I realized that the story never ends,
It only takes a new beginning..

Words come and go,
Alphabets stay loyal..
Creating a beautiful interplay as they collide and dance to form metaphors on my page.
 And as I kept turning and returning to the pages- same old and new,
I learnt not just to read what was written,
But even learnt to read between the lines.. "

 ~ Devashish Palkar

THE HOMECOMING

THE HOMECOMING

"A bandage on my broken arm, a wound in my heart..
Many a pieces I got shattered into, some lost some buried deep..

The day when enemy bullets ransacked us and we were blown apart..
Now I walk dead buried in the guilt of the promises I could not keep..


Yes, we were outnumbered a hundred to seven.
When terrror hit us in the dark of the night..
I am sure they will ask me when we meet in heaven..
If I fought with all my might..
Yes sir, till my broken hand could not lift a gun,
But I promise you even then, I did not run..
Stood there following your order..
Until I collapsed at the border..
Only to be taken in as a survivor..

Oh you will never know the pain of not being able to pick up the gun,
Oh you will never know the pain of picking up the gun!

Oh you will never know the guilt of losing a war.
Oh you will never know the pain of winning a war..

My hands are bloodied, so are theirs..
A bandage on my broken arm, a wound in my heart..
Oh you will never know the pain of coming back alive from the war!!"

~ Devashish Palkar