Ni.Bho. Poetry

  • In between trivial things

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    I lived
    As I thought so,
    But,
    Not in the whites
    Nor in the blacks
    But in the Greys
    Just like everybody else… Apparently
    On a spectrum
    Everything went into a circle

    Should have let everything go when,
    Everything was in the blues,
    Of yesterday, today and tomorrow
    Let it shine like a rainbow, half circle

    Being oblivious is a weird thing
    Or the exact word is “ignorance”
    But how does it even matter?
    When the only thing that mattered was being “ok in the moment”

    I guess we have to live without questions being answers sometimes
    Or maybe just asking no questions at all!

    Maybe trivial things do matter more than we think!

    -नि.भो.

  • It’s Hard to Let You Go

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    The clock’s ticking,
    And it’s almost time to say goodbye.
    Like a child, I held your hand
    (gripping your index finger tightly),
    Fearing I’d be lost in this unknown world—
    For you were the only familiar face I knew
    In this goddamn jungle.


    I know, I know—
    I’m contradicting myself from a few days ago
    When I said I wanted to get away from you,
    To find some peace from this chaos.
    But in a way, I fell in love with the mess you were.


    I’ll miss…
    The fights,
    The parties,
    The games—Mafia’s and the Gods.


    I’ll miss…
    The hunger,
    Your weird way of nourishing me,
    Quenching my thirst
    With the most sugary drinks ever.


    To my sun, you were the moon.
    To my clouds, you were the rain.
    To my cold, you were the winds from the North.
    And to shield me from all the elements,
    Even my umbrella hung by you.


    For all the smoke and the booze,
    I was never of your culture.
    I lived reclusive,
    Just to meet a techie
    In this non-technical world.


    You pushed me into companies
    Where I learned how to live—
    To be okay with the Lefts and the Rights,
    The Ups and the Downs.


    Now that our time is coming to an end,
    I’ll let you in on a secret—
    I somehow hated, yet loved, every moment with you.
    Like every romance before this.


    Frenemies? Maybe.
    But this time,
    It’s infinitely harder to let you go.


    — नि. भो.
    (4:30 a.m., Amaltas 6)

  • War

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    In life and death
    I shed no more tears
    To the hypocrisy of  the West
    To the agression of the East

    Sometimes I question,
    Was war the inevitable truth for forever to reign?
    The discomfort between individuals beloved
    The silent crashing of cultures into oblivion

    People’s faces glow more than ever
    Less of smiles and more of screens
    Connected to the hive mind
    Disconnected from us around

    Temperature’s rising
    Tea’s boiling and the Coffee’s brewing
    More than ever the doomsday inching closer
    Have I become numb to these warnings?

    Hmmm…
    Chaos indeed!
    Time to take a step back
    A grow a bit older and wiser (?) with a smile 😉

    — नि.भो.

  • Correction

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    From afar, I saw you
    Your eyes dripped with redemption
    For life has never been kind to me


    I clutched you in impetuosity
    My heart said, “Grab and bolt down the centrepiece!”
    “And we’ll figure out the rest of the puzzle later”


    Yet we forgot—the grip of despair is too strong to bear
    The piece of blue sapphire cracked in an instant…
    Now empty and desolate nights, with nobody to care


    — नि. भो.

  • Guts to your feelings

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    You know when it is meant to be yours
    It’s one of those midnight chills you get during the day
    Like a crossbow on a journey, alone in snow-covered mountains


    You know it when you know it
    One of those things not meant to be spoken


    The universe knows your secret
    You radiate it through your mind every day
    It admires your fantasy


    Even if you’re busy in a meeting
    It knows whom you’re greeting in your mind
    A smirk on your face—brief, fleeting


    “What’s meant to be yours will find its way”
    The universe compels that prophecy every day


    You know it when you know it
    Don’t let moss grow over it


    — नि. भो.

  • Comfort and Cost

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    In life and death
    I shed no more tears
    To the hypocrisy of the West
    To the aggression of the East
    Sometimes I question,
    Was war the inevitable truth for forever to reign?
    The discomfort between individuals beloved
    The silent crashing of cultures into oblivion
    People’s faces glow more than ever
    Less of smiles and more of screens
    Connected to the hive mind
    Disconnected from us around
    Temperatures rising
    Tea’s boiling and coffee’s brewing
    More than ever, the doomsday inching closer
    Have I become numb to these warnings?
    Hmmm…
    Chaos indeed!
    Time to take a step back
    And grow a bit older and wiser (?) with a smile 😉


    — नि.भो.

  • Middle Class ख़यालों की जोरी

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    आसमान से
    तोड़ लाऊँ
    चाँद-तारे
    सजा दूँ इन गहमा-गहमी वाले रास्तों पर
    रोक दूँ ये traffic
    रोक दूँ ये चहल-पहल
    कि बस हो गई ये भागा-दौड़ी


    जादू ना आए तो
    जादूगर ही सही
    सीख लूँ छड़ी के मंत्र,
    आम के मौसम में
    पेड़ों पर आम की जगह खट्टे-मीठे lollipop उगाऊँ


    खेल कई
    खिलाड़ी कई
    और ख़त्म ना होने वाली पढ़ाई
    ना ख़त्म हुए exams में आने वाले सवाल,
    बोहोत हुई अब घिसाई
    इन students को आतंकवादी घोषित कर
    School–Colleges बंद करवाऊँ


    कई हो गए गड्ढे और छलनी-छलनी हुए रास्ते
    हर रोज़ ठोकरें खा-खा कर…
    अब मेरी गाड़ी के suspension भी कह दिए—
    “माफ़ी करो मालिक, अब हमसे ये बर्दाश्त ना हो पाए”
    (और चल दिए अपने मायके)


    गिरफ़्तार करूँ इन BMC और PMC के contractors और clerks को
    ले चलो इन्हें “आमरण उपोषण” पर इन गड्ढों की बस्तियों में
    वहाँ बसने वाले कुपोषित बच्चे भी केह दें इन्हें—
    “एक-दो दाँव Dangal के हमारे साथ भी लगाएँ!”
    (जो जीता वही Corporator!)


    इन चोर बाज़ारों में ले चल पड़ता हूँ हर इतवार
    लेकर अपने ख़यालों की बोरी
    काश हो जाए घर आने से पहले इनकी चोरी


    फिर कोई और बने…
    जादूगर या शायर
    या बने आतंकवादी या School का master
    हम अब ना सह पाए इन middle class ख़यालों की जोरी!


    — नि. भो.

  • A toss and a tail

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    Why don’t you hate me without the thin veil you wear?
    Just straight up tell me that it’s not meant to be!
    That fish are better even in the shallowest pond there’s to be (i.e., those tears of mine)

    All this drama,
    Like a dog going around in circles,
    Trying to catch its own tail!
    Or like the Haka,
    Performed but non to be scared

    You know,
    Things bottom out eventually
    The oil floats to the top
    And the gold nuggets settle  at the bottom
    Yet, the rainbow colors don’t ever seem to be interested to explore the world underneath

    My point is,
    Stop the game
    Take a toss
    Winner takes it all
    And I’m happy to be the loser… as always!

    But it’s ok,
    The loser’s hands are full with mirrors
    Even on the darkest nights,
    They will show the truest picture of oneself!

    — नि.भो.

  • If I Were to Give Death a Try

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    If I were to give death a try
    The world would be ending

    The last of flowers dried and perished
    Oceans boiled

    No place left to hide my horcrux (i.e., you)
    Neither any magic left in those eyes

    The birds, flying off to space
    Meteors punching the soft Earth’s crust

    Nuclear bombs whimpering in a corner
    World politics, with the only vote on the ballot — NOTA

    If I were to give death a try
    The world would have ended

    — नि.भो.

  • माझ्या मनाची दशा आणि दिशा

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    उत्तरेकडे खूप पाऊस पडला
    ह्या वेळेस थंडी जास्त असणार
    “आई sweater आणि hoodie काढून धुवून ठेव हं”

    मी राहणार दक्षिण मुंबईचा
    जिथे थंडीच्या नावाखाली फार तर फार baniyan घालून फिरावं लागणार

    अरे पण पुण्यात तर जाम थंडी असणार ना
    नुसता hoodie नव्हे तर full pant पण घाल
    स्वप्नं फक्त आणि फक्त थंडीचीच

    बसलो तर विचार येतात
    मनाभोवती गोल करून उभे राहतात

    एक विचार की – तुळशीचा रोप खूप दिवस झाले
    कुठे दिसला नाही
    दुसरा – concrete ला इतके तडे का जातात?
    contractor नी नीट काम केलं नाही?

    केस खूप पांढरे झाले आहेत
    आता कात्रीने काम चालणार नाही!
    पण आज संध्याकाळी पण तेच जेवण!
    यार मला ते परत खायचा मूडच नाही

    घरघर फिरणाऱ्या पंख्याला पण
    कधी पाठवले पाहिजे सुट्टीवर
    आई त्याचा motor
    आणि वडील त्याची पवनचक्की

    काय वाटत असेल त्याच्या घरच्यांना?
    साला हा पण Mumbaiत struggling actor!

    Iran ला bike trip वर गेलो तर…
    मिळेल का माझ्या अ-गणित प्रश्नांची उत्तरं?
    का यावं लागेल परत मला
    मन भागवून फक्त Irani chaha
    आणि Bun-maska वर?

    आयुष्य एक रेषेसारखं असतं
    एकदम सरळ किंवा वाकडी-तिकडी
    किंवा अधूनमधून थांबत थांबत

    ती रेषा कशी घडवायची
    ह्याची Shaka-laka boom boom pencil तर माझ्याच हातात!

    माझ्या मनाची दशा
    आणि माझ्या मनाची दिशा
    दोन्ही काही माझ्या बुद्धीच्या सध्या तरी आवाक्यात नाही!

    -नि.भो.

  • In between trivial things

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    I livedAs I thought so,But,Not in the whitesNor in the blacksBut in the GreysJust like everybody else… ApparentlyOn a spectrumEverything went into a circle Should have let everything go when,Everything was in the blues,Of yesterday, today and tomorrowLet it shine like a rainbow, half circle Being oblivious is a weird thingOr the exact word is…

  • It’s Hard to Let You Go

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    The clock’s ticking,And it’s almost time to say goodbye.Like a child, I held your hand(gripping your index finger tightly),Fearing I’d be lost in this unknown world—For you were the only familiar face I knewIn this goddamn jungle. I know, I know—I’m contradicting myself from a few days agoWhen I said I wanted to get away…

  • War

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    In life and deathI shed no more tearsTo the hypocrisy of  the WestTo the agression of the East Sometimes I question,Was war the inevitable truth for forever to reign?The discomfort between individuals belovedThe silent crashing of cultures into oblivion People’s faces glow more than everLess of smiles and more of screensConnected to the hive mindDisconnected…

  • Correction

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    From afar, I saw youYour eyes dripped with redemptionFor life has never been kind to me I clutched you in impetuosityMy heart said, “Grab and bolt down the centrepiece!”“And we’ll figure out the rest of the puzzle later” Yet we forgot—the grip of despair is too strong to bearThe piece of blue sapphire cracked in…

  • Guts to your feelings

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    You know when it is meant to be yoursIt’s one of those midnight chills you get during the dayLike a crossbow on a journey, alone in snow-covered mountains You know it when you know itOne of those things not meant to be spoken The universe knows your secretYou radiate it through your mind every dayIt…

  • Comfort and Cost

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    In life and deathI shed no more tearsTo the hypocrisy of the WestTo the aggression of the EastSometimes I question,Was war the inevitable truth for forever to reign?The discomfort between individuals belovedThe silent crashing of cultures into oblivionPeople’s faces glow more than everLess of smiles and more of screensConnected to the hive mindDisconnected from us…

  • Middle Class ख़यालों की जोरी

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    आसमान सेतोड़ लाऊँचाँद-तारेसजा दूँ इन गहमा-गहमी वाले रास्तों पररोक दूँ ये trafficरोक दूँ ये चहल-पहलकि बस हो गई ये भागा-दौड़ी जादू ना आए तोजादूगर ही सहीसीख लूँ छड़ी के मंत्र,आम के मौसम मेंपेड़ों पर आम की जगह खट्टे-मीठे lollipop उगाऊँ खेल कईखिलाड़ी कईऔर ख़त्म ना होने वाली पढ़ाईना ख़त्म हुए exams में आने वाले सवाल,बोहोत…

  • A toss and a tail

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    Why don’t you hate me without the thin veil you wear?Just straight up tell me that it’s not meant to be!That fish are better even in the shallowest pond there’s to be (i.e., those tears of mine) All this drama,Like a dog going around in circles,Trying to catch its own tail!Or like the Haka,Performed but…

  • If I Were to Give Death a Try

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    If I were to give death a tryThe world would be ending The last of flowers dried and perishedOceans boiled No place left to hide my horcrux (i.e., you)Neither any magic left in those eyes The birds, flying off to spaceMeteors punching the soft Earth’s crust Nuclear bombs whimpering in a cornerWorld politics, with the…

  • माझ्या मनाची दशा आणि दिशा

    —

    by

    नि.भो.
    in

    उत्तरेकडे खूप पाऊस पडलाह्या वेळेस थंडी जास्त असणार“आई sweater आणि hoodie काढून धुवून ठेव हं” मी राहणार दक्षिण मुंबईचाजिथे थंडीच्या नावाखाली फार तर फार baniyan घालून फिरावं लागणार अरे पण पुण्यात तर जाम थंडी असणार नानुसता hoodie नव्हे तर full pant पण घालस्वप्नं फक्त आणि फक्त थंडीचीच बसलो तर विचार येतातमनाभोवती गोल करून उभे राहतात…