The dead leaf, an anguished yellow
Floats with the tide to a future unknown.
The veins are visibly tired and beaten,
The giant river's currents overbearing.

There it is, bobbing from below the water
At death's door, one last gasp at life.
A horde of other such dead leaves follows
All dead, all being rushed to a watery grave.

Till one day, the sun shone brightly
And washed ashore the bank it was.
At the foot of a giant green tree,
The leaf now lay for one last tryst.

One last tryst with life, with joy
One last dance between life and death.
One last night, perhaps, of revelry
One last moment of love, of companionship.

The crowd, so powerful and boisterous
They shouted for him to match their steps.
They wanted him to join the revelry,
To adopt their emblem as his.

At first he resisted, but they were many
He was dragged, disrobed and gowned.
With blood his previous self was washed
There he was, finally, one of them.

His feet are slow, dead and tired
The smile sits heavy, almost gone.
Years of being an emotional punching bag,
Now shows finally on his frail bones.

His beard, white with the emptiness
Of broken hopes and unkept promises.
His walking stick is thin and frail
Hammered by years of false accusations.

He can't speak, he can't clarify.
Not even one receptive ear has been born.
The lips are sealed in a silent prayer
For the best, for everyone who hurt him.

There has to be an escape, a route
At the end of which lies final freedom.
Let him not be a football for others,
Let him care, at last, about himself.

To hold back, with sheer force.
To wear those masks at all times.
To swallow, with eyes shut tight
To swim in tides of self-pity.

One day the dam will break.
The collective fury unleashed.
The emotions, so long withheld
Will then create destruction.

So, don't pull it back today
Don't keep it under the lid.
Let it flow, in smaller bouts
Let it not mature unwatched.

Flow, like the furious river.
Run, like the careless wind.
Dive, like the bird in flight.
Cry, like the dew on the grass.

Live, like the last day of life.
Die, like the peace of the night.
Hate, like an eternal flare.
Love, like the mother's care.

Sing, like nobody's here.
Dance, like you don't care.
Talk, to the silent day.
Walk, when they all say nay.

There is motion, but no life.

There's a rainbow, but no colour.

But on the threshold of a new future,

Here I stand - waiting, wanting.

Here is all I desired, envied.

Here's something they all want.

But with a handful of dreams,

Here I stand - waiting, wanting.

What is there to life but You?

Who am I but Your shadow?

As your image flashes before me,

Here I stand - waiting, wanting.

These chains - the story of my present.

They bind me; make the heart bleed.

They dig deep into the skin; they hurt.

The blood flows in a teary stream.

These chains - the story of my future.

They scare me; make me step back.

They make me turn back, and cry

make me stare into the void; blank.

As the days wore on in drudgery,

As the sound faded and died out.

As the spirit got soaked out,

The dark brought an eerie calm.

There were no questions asked,

No promises made, no warning.

The giant sweeping hand of time,

Swept him, forever, away from home.

Till the river of tears dries,

Till the fire of the sun stops.

Till there are beats in my heart

Till then I'll continue to love.

Storms and thunder - let them come;

We'll play with them till they tire.

Gods and fanatics - let them frown

We'll laugh at them till they smile.

There will be days when land will burn

When the mornings will lose their blues.

But as long as I have you by my side

My life will blossom in all its hues.

Wings cut, feet tied and eyes shut

Baggage from the past; life in a rut.

A very faint voice, somewhere within

Looks for an escape from the dungeon.

A land of colour and joy it envisions

There is pain even as time might fly.

The dark black replaced by love's red

This endless sea of hope, it will never die.