The thunderstorm, untamed, wild
Swept me off my feet
When I saw you waiting in the corner
Getting drenched in sheets

Your eyes caught mine involuntarily
Across a sea of vehicles and more
As you were waiting for a bus
On the opposite side of the road

A split second and a second glance
Was all that it took
For the thunderstorm to vanish
And roses to bloom

Not on the busy street
But in our innocent hearts
Bubbling with trepidation
Trodding the untrodden path

The rain was still beating down
But then who cared
For the moment was precious
For the feeling that we shared

Who cared
That we were wet to the bone
Who cared
That we were far from home

Subir Chakraborty / 25th March 2018

Death of a friend hurts in inexplicable ways
Reminding me of the departed
As well as those in the queue
Waiting for the cue from up above

Removing me from the transient
And placing me in the permanent
The mind under free float
Where the present assumes irrelevance

Where I begin to analyse the basis of this life
And all the accumulations, I’ve fought so hard to gather
To protect and to preserve
So as to trumpet my name endlessly in the plazas of posterity

For the belongings shall finally gather dust of uncared years
And my name shall remain just a whisper, if at all
In the minds of those I loved and those who loved me in return
Ever so silently in the woods of anonymity

Subir Chakraborty / 11th June 2018

When humans embraced humanity
Over a long period of time
Arts, Literature, Philosophy, Science
Continued to flourish and shine

And then came Technology
Followed by Management
To ease human workload
And make systems efficient

For a while it was good
And increased human leisure
Till it went overboard
And started to create pressure

Turning humans into robots
And the earth more polluted
Humanity perhaps superficial
And humaneness attenuated

Using the tools of Economics
To search for heartless rationality
And maximisation of personal gain
At the cost of values and morality

Did we miss a trick or two
In this mad rush to develop
In order to turn into super humans
Without a plan or a prop

The real danger to humans
Comes from within rather than without
Lurking danger of an unliveable earth
And sans a God to doubt

Subir Chakraborty / 1st March 2018

The dry dust of Pompeii
Whispers to me softly
Of the days gone by
In a long winded story

Where valour was deep
And labour was cheap
Where Greeks and Romans
Mingled within easy reach

Where mosaic and frescoes
Achieved remarkable artistry
Where politics and bureaucracy
Attained unique mastery

Where prostitution prevailed
As though mandated by fate
Where the rights of women
Were curtailed by the state

Where city planning skills
Accomplished rare distinction
Where gladiators were induced
To fight to extinction

Where theatre and arts
Existed in harmony
With spa and sports
Without any acrimony

Where a furious volcano
Reduced them to dust
Where Pompeiians got coated
With the earth’s molten crust

The bodies in plaster
Tell us only one tale
Of human vulnerability
In the face of a gale

One angry Vesuvius
Fuming with fury
Destroyed a civilisation
At the height of its glory

Subir Chakraborty / 30th May 2018

The Gondola of my mind
Navigates through the emotional waterways
Trying to dock at thought jetties
While coursing through life’s bays

At times the joy of a Rialto*
Takes me on a high
And at others, what stares
Is the Bridge of Sighs

The beauty of a Murano**
Indescribable to the eyes
For it is only the heart
Which can feel its vibes

When human cruelty torments
And literally consumes my torso
My only place of refuge
Is the Basilica San Marco

The Venice of my life
Rings with bitter sweet melodies
Emanating from the strings
At the Teatro la Fenice***

Subir Chakraborty / 23rd May 2018

*Rialto Bridge // **Murano Glass // ***Venice Opera House

The mild zephyr in spring
Reluctant, indolent, tame
The rustle of the leaves
Whispering your name

Swept me to a time
Many springs apart
When the gentle breeze
Blew a gale in my heart

Escalating to a thunderstorm
As you alighted the steps
While I waited for you
Patiently, without haste

And then your smile
Would worsen matters soon
As the gale would heighten
To a full blown typhoon

It would take hours thereafter
For the storm to subside within
For my heart to return to normalcy
And beat its usual rhythm

Subir Chakraborty / 8th March 2018

A curtain of joy descended on the couple
When they looked at their first born
Lying all wrapped and cocooned in the cradle
On her very first day on this earth

They stood transfixed, spellbound
Marvelling at their own creation
Carved out of their own genes
Shaped with their tenderness and love

No words were exchanged
Yet the child seemed to be acutely aware
Of the deluge of  ‘niagaresque’ affection
Which seemed to flood her being

Creating little rivulets of lullabies
Which tinkled in her tiny ears
Soothing her to deep slumber
With a hint of a smile on her lips

Time came to a standstill for the couple, as
Strands of longing emanated from their little fairy
Entering their body, winding up their sinews
Before nesting silently in their hearts

Unwilling to disturb the pristine moment
They held together, speechless, motionless
As long as they could, till they heard a faint cry
Shaking them out of this sublime trance

Subir Chakraborty / 23rd April 2018

When I drink the sprawling beauty
Of the sunset spreading a riot
My heart speaks in hushed whispers
While my tongue remains quiet

Each element of the changing landscape
Ushers in subtle alterations
To the unfolding canvas in front of me
Revealing the sublime variations

Gently cradling my entire being
To a state of unique salience
Where the cacophony disappears
To give birth to silence

Which screams through my mind
And creates that precious moment
When I am one with nature
Without the body to torment

Subir Chakraborty / 12th April 2018

Your physiognomy betrays a slight discomfort
Not the uneasiness of distaste or mistrust
But the discomfiture of a face reflecting your inner storm
Portraying an avalanche of emotions

Your mind is a riot of colours
Like a forest aflame with cherry blossom in full bloom
But only a hint of it touches your face
As you leave behind the remains of a trace

Some of your emotions want to scream
Some want to hold you in check
For you do not as yet know
What lies silently in wait

I do not want to let out even a whisper
Or ruffle your divinely slanted angelic face
For you look exquisitely beautiful
In this half expectant state

I shall breakdown shortly, I know
For I cannot see you suffer so
For my heart is leaping with butterflies
And crying out your name from the core

Subir Chakraborty / 5th April 2018

The dark side of my character
Envelops me once in a while
In the midst of fun and laughter
Mirth, gaiety and daily chatter

Lurking behind the smile
Is the surreptitious self
Waiting to strike, biding time
Expectantly, cautiously, patiently

Is the dark side real
Or just an illusion
Perhaps merely a figment
Of my own imagination

And yet it surfaces
Every now and then
Unveiling the veiled desires
Revealing my primal appetite

My eyes turn shadowy
My gaze reflecting hunger
For the forbidden fruit
For satanic splendour

Subir Chakraborty / 3rd March 2018