Waking dreams

This one i wrote as an epilogue kinda thing to both Maybe and Fear(the last 2 poems)...I am quite proud of it because I thought it came out well..

WAKING DREAMS
I hoped for too much
Too soon.
I knew it wouldn't last
But it still hurt when it ended.
I saw the warm brown eyes
Still smiling.
The hand in mine
Still warm,
Still guiding me.
I could finally see
The light at the end of the tunnel.
Bit in an instant
I turned smiling
Only to find
Blackness again.
No more warmth.
It had all been
An illusion,
A trick my mind
Was playing on me.
And I felt the crushing weight return
To block out the light.

I stood in front of the mirror,
Saw a reflection,
I reached my fingers out,
To touch the smooth glass,
Hoping the person in it,
The smiling, hopeful person there,
Wouldn't fade away.
But the mirror shattered
Into a thousand, million fragments
And I realised
That I had been fooled again.

I had let myself believe,
Hope,
And trust,
Only to have everything taken away
Only to realise that
There was never a silver lining
Never a light to end the darkness.
It had been an obscene joke,
Played by my mind.

I stand in the rain,
Feeling the splattering drops
Prick my skin
Like a thousand needles.
But the pain is nothing
Compared to the agony inside.
I hope the rain can wash me away.
I want to disintegrate
And flow away in the raging water.
If only,
To ease the ache.
Because I know now,
That life and reality are illusions
And trust and hope are weaknesses
And that all I have left inside
Are miniscule fragments
Of my heart and soul,
Which can never be put back
Together.......

maybe

I had written a poem before fear... I had actually planned to write more after the last line but eventually left it as it was.

All I see is darkness.
I am sinking
Falling through space.
Looking
For the light at
The end of the tunnel.
Any glimmer of hope
In the sea of despair.
I'd almost given up
And let go...
Then I felt it,
A hand in mine
Pulling me up
Guiding me.
I looked for a face
And then I saw them,
Warm brown eyes
Reassuring me that
All wasn't lost.
Encouraging me to
Hold on a little while longer.
Showing me that
I wasn't alone
And that someone cared..
Telling me that
When I needed help
I would find it.
I only had to trust...

The haunted mansion.

A story I wrote a little while back. I thought it came out quite well...

"Geoffrey, Geoffrey, I need you now. Where has that butler disappeared again? He is never here when I need him. He must have dozed off again. He was never so irresponsible."
"Madam, you called?"
"Yes Geoffrey, it is time for my tea. Have you forgotten?"
"I'm sorry, madam. I'll be back in a minute."

I walked towards the library, my favourite place in Windsor Manor. The Manor is my home and has been for a long time. It was built by my great great grandfather, Sir Bertram Wooster. I grew up here and spent my happiest times here. I found my favourite armchair and picked up my much thumbed copy of Pride and Prejudice. Mr.Darcy was always my favourite character. I always dreamt of marrying a man as handsome and mysterious as him.

Thinking of Mr.Darcy brought back a lot of memories of Him. His name was Lyle Kennedy and he was the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Beautiful blonde hair styled in the latest fashion of those times, soft grey eyes as spellbinding as the overcast sky in November. I was 18 when I met him, full of childish hopes and dreams and his eyes stole my breath away the instant I saw him.

I laugh now, thinking of the way I used to dress up for him. My best blue dress, my corset pulled so tight I had difficulty breathing, blue ribbons in my strawberry blonde hair; I was the belle of the county. Boys used to line up to dance with me but my heart belonged to someone else. My heart used to flutter everytime Lyle spoke to me and I caught my breath everytime I gazed into his captivating grey eyes.

I still remember every conversation we had, every walk we took along the borders of Wisteria Forest, the pink rose he gave me everytime he saw me..... all those happy times. I was a child, carried away be by his intoxicating conversation. I built castles in the air never expecting them to come crashing down so unexpectedly. I still blush when I remember those words, "Love, I am like the wind, never still. But you have captured the wind and made it want to stay forever in your little hands."

I was angry at him for going away so soon. "I have to fight, darling. The country is at war. They need all the help they can get. Dont't worry, you will be forever mine," he whispered before he galloped away. I looked till I could see him no more and then spent everyday waiting for him to come back. My heart would leap with joy whenever I saw a man on a horse and thensink again when I realised it wasn't him. I stopped singing or dancing and would read his love letters over and over again.

Then he was back. Lieutanant Lyle Kennedy. my darling was home and I vould smile again. But I sensed a change. He would suddenly stare away vacantly and his mesmerising grey eyes would fill with sadness. I tried to understand his pain but 21 year old baby that I was, I couldn't lift him out of his sadness. His smile never touched his eyes and it seemed like my Lyle was gone.

I remember every minute of that fateful day when my castles shattered. I was in the library in this very chair when Geoffrey came in and said,"Madam, something has happened." My heart stopped and I ran out to see Lyle on the ground, eyes closed, chest cstill. I refused to believe that he would never talk again.. I was shocked into oblivion. :He was riding and fell off his horse. he broke his neck. he died instantly and there was no pain." All those words stabbed at me like knives. It was my fault. I couldn't keep the wind from blowing far away. Hewas gone, never to come back. he came like a rush of emotions and left like a forgotten dream. I think I fainted and I remember them carrying me to my bed. All I could see were his closed eyes, his mouth which would never smile again. All I could hear were the words, "Forever mine."

"Madam, the tea is here."

I think I must have dozed off. My eyes were wet, I had been crying again. I sipped my tea and Geoffrey lit the fire.

Everyone left after that day. They went away never to come back. Only Geoffrey stayed to take care of me. I stayed on in this house never to leave. How could I? It was the only place I was ever happy. It was the only place I knew.

The tourists were back. I could hear the guide explaining the history of my home, my life. They reached the library and all of them screamed at the same time. they turned and ran away screaming, "ghost, ghost!!!" for that is what I am. Death by shock they said. Death because of heartbreak I say......

Some lines I think are worth sharing..

These are some lines that i made up. I think they sound nice...

Some rules are meant to be followed,
Some promises meant to be kept
And some hearts meant to be left whole...

It is when you dont look at all that you find what you need..

The promised land will find you if you deserve to find it..

We will meet
Some other time
Another place
Some same old thoughts
Another face...

These are some things i have read or heard or someone has told me..

He came like a rush of emotions and left like a forgotten dream.

Better than to scorn is to destroy and recreate.

Where the mystery of love stops,
The romance begins
It is good to live afresh each moment
With an unsuspecting thorn or kiss around the bend
Than to live in a land of make believe bliss...

Words are almost always too simple to express emotions, because emotions aren't love and hate, they are not just black or white, they are as enigmatic as the very soul itself, but they are damnably beautiful.

Life is like a book waiting to be edited, where the nice parts are bound to be cut out.

This was a collaboration between Sameer and me..

You and i are just a line in the book of history,
Not even a line,we are the space between words.
True..but an integral space without which the words would not make sense.
we are the silence after and before the storm
Without realising it is us who causes the storm
We are the silence and the creators of storms
We are instruments, we are the notes which make up the tune
...the tune of life...

Fear

Wrote this one last night... Its actually quite bad and repetitive...

I am living a dream
Everything is too good to be true
Life seems worth living.
I'm afraid to open my eyes
I'm scared it will disappear
Like everything else.
I don't want to wake up
To the same gloom and despair
Of life that chains me
With bonds of sadness.
I am afraid everything will vanish
In a flash of blinding light
Leaving me alone and friendless again.
I dont want to go back
To my world of tears and pain.
I know the dream will end
The beauty will dissolve
The ache will return.
I want to hold on
To that vision
Of what could have been
But never will be.....

Freedom at last

This was story i wrote for an exam. I don't think it came out very well.

FREEDOM AT LAST

Martha Young pottered about the kitchen making toast and tea for breakfast. She set the water to boil and put the bread in the toaster. Meanwhile, she folded the laundry and made the bed. After the water boiled and the toast was done, she sat down with the morning paper and
her cup of tea and browsed through the news. At 9:00 sharp the phone rang and Martha answered it with a cheery, "Good morning Clark." Her son told her about his day at work and once again advised her to slow down and employ a maid. She answered, "Dear, we have had this
conversation so many times before. I need the housework to keep me busy. You don't worry about me and go to work." After a few more motherly admonishments she put the phone down and took out her grocery bag to go shopping. She bought a few odds and ends and then made her
way to the hospital.

As she entered the doors of Charleston General Hospital, Jim, the doorman said, "Good morning, Mrs.Young. How's the son?" She answered, "Fine, Jim. How are the wife and daughter? Has little Cassie started talking yet?" After exchanging a few more pleasantries, she made her
way to the elevator. On the way she enquired about the health of Susanne, the receptionist and chatted for a few minutes with Carla, the head nurse. Reaching the fifth floor she went straight into one of the rooms and started cleaning up.

The figure on the bed opened his eyes and said, "Hey Martha. So what's the latest news?" Martha opened the windows, put a bunch of fresh carnations in the vase by the bed and told him all the gossip she had heard. She went and sat next to him, smoothed the gray hair from his
forehead and kissed him on the cheek. "Jonathan dear," she began, "did you know the Sallie's daughter is to be married next week? I had hoped that Clark would be the one marrying her and but that boy just refuses to settle down. He will be the death of me." Jonathan took her
wrinkled hand is his and said, "Martha, will you stop bugging Clark about getting married. He is a strong, independent young man and will find a lovely girl soon enough." They talked for a little while longer and Martha got up to leave. "Bye Jonathan, I'll be back tomorrow. Don't flirt with Carla now. I might be old but I can still throw a good punch," she warned, with a mischievous grin. Jonathan had laughed and waved goodbye.

This was Martha's daily routine for the past few months. Ever since Jonathan was diagnosed with brain cancer, life was never the same.

Martha and Jonathan had met in high school and had fallen in love instantly. They were an odd pair. Jonathan was tall with lovely brown hair and eyes and Martha was short with blonde hair and eyes as gray as an overcast sky before the rains. Martha was a straight A student and Jonathan loved sports. He excelled at everything from baseball to basketball. It was a case of opposites attract and they got married soon after leaving college. They had a son named Clark and everything was going right in their little family until Jonathan started complaining of splitting headaches. He fell seriously ill. It was hard blow to all of them but resilient as they were they stood up straight and dealt with it head-on.

They had tried everything, chemotherapy, alternative medicine, nothing worked. It seemed as if God was bent on taking Jonathan away. The once healthy Jonathan, who always has time for a game of baseball with his buddies was reduced to a wisp of his former self. His mind and heart
were young, but his body refused to cooperate. Martha stood by him through everything. She was his backbone during the worst times, when he would sink into a crushing depression. Their love had endured and Martha was determined not to let her husband go without a fight.

One morning, Martha awoke as usual and went to the hospital for her daily visit. She reached her husband's room and saw Carla standing outside with a grim face. Carla said, "Darling, he died in his sleep late last night. He felt no pain and went peacefully. We tried our best to revive him but we failed. We waited for you to see him before we did anything else." Martha nodded silently and entered the room.

Her husband was lying on the bed, a peaceful smile on his face. Martha walked to him, lovingly stroked his hair, adjusted the sheet around his still body and whispered in his ear, "Goodbye darling. You are free at last. Your fight is over." She kissed his unmoving lips and took one long last look at his beloved face before straightening up and striding out to make the necessary funeral arrangements…….

Another speech

I wrote this one for the final round of a competition. I lost but I spoke well...

Developing Countries need Better Governance
The entire world is made of three types of countries namely the developed, developing and less developed countries. This demarcation or differentiation is usually done on the basis of mainly the economic development and to some extent the political.

India, Philippines, Nigeria, Columbia are some examples of the developing countries.

To understand what Governance means will be the first step before we understand what the role is in the developing countries. Although the concept of governance has gained popularity in the recent times it is still quite ambiguous. As per the World Bank’s definition it is the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social development. To be a little clearer on the idea it is the manner in which political leaders manage and use or misuse power—is the power used to promote social and economic development of the country or is it used to pursue such agendas that would undermine these goals.

When we talk about developing countries this governance takes on a totally new dimension because it is the back bone for them. The power and its use or misuse has a direct impact on the future of the country.

A main issue in governance is the alignment and horizontal coordination of markets, government hierarchies and networks. These three elements need to work in near perfect synchronization to ensure that the country is able to meet its goals.
Research shows that one of the main reasons for Africa’s under development is the lack of proper governance.

For a country to develop itself there need to be rule of law, accountability, transparency, and the enjoyment of human and civil rights. And these are possible only with strong governance. Another way of explaining what governance is the sharing of authority for public management between state and non state organizations. Simply put governance is the rules which regulate the relationships between the rulers and the ruled. And for a developing country it is imperative that the governance be so good that the concentration of power is not so much with the central government.

When we say good governance we are actually saying a government that is not corrupt and is for the development of the country. And what is most required for all developing countries is this kind of a clean government that can and will support the growth of the weakest section.

What we see in most of the developing countries are corrupt politicians for whom money is more than anything else and to the extent that money allocated for the public is misused and misappropriated. Years back the World Bank also saw how countries like China and Japan were affected by this governance issue.
What is the need of the hour is that all developing countries have a strong system for a strong governance.

The focus needs to be on making the government more decentralized and give the power concentration on local bodies that will directly help the people and not depend upon the central government.

It makes decision making easier and faster and more personalized.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill shall be made low, the rough places will be made smooth, the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. These words of Martin Luther King Jr were spoken years ago but they are still relevant for developing countries today and stronger governance is what will help us fulfill these dreams.