NECESSITY

Miles apart…
The ocean playing barrier
Emotions ebbing
Competing with the waves,
Rising and falling
Circumstances deter them
No means of proximity
The need to look
Into one’s soul
Feel the thrill…
Of that smile.
Making you dream
Far beyond ability
The need to see
The heart of happiness
Soaring high.
--Shivangi Vyasulu
Copyright ©2005 Shivangi Vyasulu

I hate long distance relationships!

Oath Of Recollection

Hey You! Standing there…

Hey you! Remember the fair?
I’ve gotcha lookin’ at me.
I pay no heed
Lest I care
Hey! I swear
I’ll be there for you
Anytime you dare
As long as I’m there
I’ll always care
Everywhere
What say you?
Do you care?

---SHIVANGI VYASULU
Copyright ©2005 Shivangi Vyasulu

Never got to meet him after all that!

Journey There

Two hills and valleys
Of sun and shade
Between still and windy
Earth amaze
The need to move along the grove
Of trees and shrubs and stars above
A stillness covers the fields
A warmth descends
A shrill bell rings
And condescends
Peacefulness and curiosity asunder
While traveling along the stars under
The final destination
Oh so very high
Climbing beneath the crimson sky
To the land of clouds
The land of trees
The land of wind
and true cool breeze
when the ascent is finally over
just stand on top
look down to the land of clover
and never forget to finally drop!
--Shivangi Vyasulu
Copyright ©2005 Shivangi Vyasulu

Scheming Techniques

Deception and manipulation
Are the names of her game
Slippery and unawares
Trapped like prey
Nowhere to go ..oh
Cornered by disgust

She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you anyday
She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you(2) anyway

Caught by her distraction
Techniques and schemes
She’s a regular at it
Evil view painted clear
The target is invisble
Till you’re oh.. to near

She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you anyday
She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you(2) anyway

Blackmail and false promises
Venom oozing from her breath
Taunting and eradicating
No escape detour
Intervention with guilt
And oh.. backfiring motives

She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you anyday
She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you(2) anyway

Just immunise the effect
Of sight or sound
No necessity for poisoned reaction
No time to spend understanding
The cause for hatred- coz oh yes!

She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you anyday
She’ll do it to you all the time
She’ll do it to you(2) anyway

Uninhabited

The sun is setting 

And so is her life.
She thought he’d return…
But the copter had failed him.
Was he alive?
Her heart felt empty.
Her mind refused to accept 
The fact that he was gone.
She wanted to cry.
The tears wouldn’t flow.
She felt like a star
Without it’s light.
Like an uninhabited island-
Deserted!
She tells herself
`Life must go on’
Her heart says `no!
I am empty.
I cannot go on.’

--- Shivangi Vyasulu

Delusional Humanity

We buy our luxurious cars
And diamonds that shine so bright.
We boast of jobs and talents
And those damn salary hikes.
We promise to help others
The ones who really are in need
But once those bonuses come
We just give in to greed

We says we'll educate the poor
Help them build a life
Then we look for job experience
Those B-School sell-outs and the like
We tell the less qualified
That they need to learn some more
We don't offer them the training
That can help through that door

We save for our retirement
We talk of our life when old
We ignore our friendships
Often they grow mould
Then we judge the people
They make time for the wise
They choose a different life
And then we call them trite.

SHE

She's a woman with spirit
She's a woman with soul
She's a woman that shows
That women are bold

She's a double barrel gun
She's unpredictable
She'll take you on
Like double dynamite

She's a woman who sees Mars
She's visited Venus
She's a woman with guts
Through the strangest of scenes

She's a double barrel gun
She's unpredictable
She'll take you on
Like double dynamite

She knows all the tricks
She uses them well
She's got all of them
Under her spell

She's a double barrel gun
She's unpredictable
She'll take you on
Like double dynamite

- Shivangi Vyasulu

It beckons me-every time

Rivets and knobs
Pickups and strings
Tease a tune
Provoking a beat
Challenging the bass
To keep up the pace
While the lead
Pitches in
At a feverish rate

Once in a while
The keys chime in
More often than not
A voice contorts
Filling the silence
Otherwise bare
This music so good
This music so rare
When in harmony they are
That's when I'm there. 

El Salvador - Really!

Of red-oxide and French windows
Of diamonds on leaves and watching the rain
Of 'chauka bara' and 'Who am I?'
Of home-made pizzas and alphabet dosas
Of moonwalks and bharatnatyam
Of Street Hawk and Knight Rider
Of balconies and backyards
Of bunk-beds and sleeping in the attic
Of falling down in your sleep and beds on fire
Of 'dorlyfying' and bounding around
Of swimming in the 'thotti' and hiding in the kennel
Of posters and paintings
Of tapestries and ganeshas
Of power-cuts and 'antakshari'
Of living under the stairs and living in the garage
Of locking the wrong side of the doors and fighting about cupboard space
Of TVs with footprints on them and dousing with water on 'holi'
Of Romeos and Julies
Of bamboos and ivy
Of bananas and bleeding heart trees
Of being plucked from a tree or exchanged at the hospital
Of three-legged cows and fringes
That's what it all is
That's what home is...

--Shivangi Vyasulu

Conditioning

Waxing and waning conversation
Much like the lunar tides
Reflect your indifference
Suddenly initiated
Promoted and sponsored
By jealousy
Envy or insecurity
Making you lose
The comforting
Confidante and friend
Because you were told to.
You were manipulated
Emotionally backed into it
In exchange for your soul
Your someone
Your something
Your somewhere
Fading as you fight
Hang onto your individuality
Your personality
You
Can't
Lose
It

What's the point?

When you see the cause,
But are unable to reason.
When you hear the call,
But are unable to listen.
When you know it's wrong,
But cannot make it right.
When you feel hope and joy,
But are unable to remember it.
When you can earn well,
But have no time to spend it.
When you have a fear,
But are unable to face it.
When you have pain,
But are unable to ease it.

What's the point?
When you have a life,
But cannot live it.
When you have a dream,
But cannot achieve it.
When you have love,
But cannot give it.
When you have the words,
But cannot express it.
When you bare your soul,
But nobody notices it.

What's the point?
Is there a point at all?

-Shivangi Vyasulu

SEEKING REVIVAL

I once walked on the wild side
Among roads so so green
I met those folks who we all pass by
But have never really seen

They've gone now
They've gone now
They've lost their dreams!

I spoke to them of Woodstock
Rainbow, R.E.M and Queen
Where did they go
They're the best it's ever been

They've gone now
They've gone now
They're lost in dreams!

I asked them for stories
Of gigs and fans and scenes
Those wise wise blokes then began
Performing their routine

But, they've gone now
They've gone now
They were only ever dreams!

They've gone now
They've gone now
Someone please revive the dream!

-Shivangi Vyasulu

I had to say it

Snippets of thoughts
Slowly form into rivulets
Meandering in my brain
Growing with the current
Gaining momentum
Crashing the obstacles of speech
Bursting through the barrage of reason
Eroding the resistance of stereotype
Rising and falling over little doubts and hesitation
Into a mighty pool of expression
Pushing forth into words.

SYMBIOTICALLY

Like old gnarled trees
In an otherwise barren land
We twist and root ourselves
We reach out wide and deep inside
For souls filled with light
Grasping thoughts
From swaying dreams
We absorb the wisdom of life
Then transform ourselves
And twine some more
That's how amity survives.

Telepathic Proximity

Transatlantic conversations
Teetering and tottering
Ticks of black and blue thoughts
Grins and sniggering
Between the lines
Peppered with happiness
A mere chat
The ocean but a table across
Bridging the gap

PATTERNS REPEAT

Hailstones rap against the glass
Clatter with a beat
The rain fills in the silence
Of a thunderstorm
Much like
Criticism raps against the soul
Feeding the pandering audience
While murmurs fill the awkward lulls
In conversation
As does
Excitement rap against the cage of your chest
Pounding your heart
Magnifying emotion
At a new idea.

--Shivangi Vyasulu