Being Alice

This morning I woke up as Alice
Dreaming things - fantastic things -
And walked out into the world
with my dreams, both power and shield

I sauntered into the world,
My head brimming with pollen:
Ideas waiting to fertilize
Fresh flowers of imagination

Yellow-bricked streets, dancing trees,
Street urchins playing with elves, and
Sewer drains burping invitingly:
“Come explore the rabbit-hole!”

Concrete stumps sprout fronds
From which perfumed dewdrops dangle,
Windows and doors hide portals
To a matrix of holiday vistas,

Street vendor singing ditties
Of a jolly chimney sweep,
Dishing out penciled trail maps
Of riches waiting to seek,

Promises coloring the sunrise
With sweet lasting love,
Moon tide drawing the curtains –
Celebrations sparkle above –

Casper hiding in every closet
To befriend the lonely souls,
Everyday is Christmas
Charity sweetly tolls,

Nine lives for the cat,
Bu at least two for all else,
Strangers linking arms
Stepping out of ego shells,

Tanks and missiles delegated
On a one-way mission to Neptune,
Three wishes for all to find
Under an Egyptian sand dune

“Open Sesame” is the chant
That unbolts a heart’s treasures,
Humbleness and honesty enough
To seal an open wound’s sutures,

Hope - the highest mountain –
Omnipresent on every horizon,
Every aspirant in the race
Running for the win;

Then I opened my eyes,
With wonderland in my vision –
Book shut, on the rug –
Two past midnight: digital precision.

Famous

This is my first attempt at a 55-er, i.e. title + story = 55 words!

I hate those sidewise glances. I'm not gauche, or clumsy. In fact, I'm debonair, suave and good-looking - my mom says so all the time. So why did she nudge her friend and shoot me an eyeball from the corner of her eye? And they were still contentiously smiling.

Women!

“Jeevan! Dude, you’re on T.V.!”

I Try to be A Poet

I try to be a poet,
To connive with phrases
and words;

I try to observe the world,
To encase it in consonants
and vowels;

I try to capture emotions,
To reign them in for that
sublime effect;

I try to collect tears,
To draw deep from the wells
of inspiration;

I try to obsess with the inane,
To confound it into a thing
of beauty;

I try to defy all realms of
reason, understanding
and wit;

I try to be a poet;
I end up writing
shit.