ಮಂಗ ಮತ್ತು ಕಾಗೆ

ಒಂದಾನೊಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ (ಒಂದಾನೊಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ)
ಬಹಳ ಹಳೆಯ ಕಥೆಯಿದು (ಬಹಳ ಹಳೆಯ ಕಥೆಯಿದು)
ಬಿಳಿ ಮೂತಿಯ ಮಂಗವೊಂದು, ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ ಮುದಿ ಕಾಗೆಯೊಂದು ಒಂದೇ ಕಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಸವಿದ್ದವು

ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಮಂಗವು (ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಮಂಗವು)
ಕಂಡಿತೊಂದು ಹೊಳಪನು (ಕಂಡಿತೊಂದು ಹೊಳಪನು)
ಗಾಜಿನ ಗಡಿಗೆ ತುಂಬ ಹೊಳೆವ ಕಡಲೆ, ಕನಸು ಕಂಡಂತೆ ಕಂಡಿತು.

ಕಾಣಲಿಲ್ಲ ಮಂಗಕಾಗ (ಕಾಣಲಿಲ್ಲ ಮಂಗಕಾಗ)
ಬಲೆಯ ಬೀಸಿ ಅವಿತು ಕುಳಿತ (ಅವಿತು ಕುಳಿತ)
ಚುರುಕು ಬೇಟೆಗಾರನು (ಚುರುಕು ಬೇಟೆಗಾರನು)

"ಜಾಗ್ರತೆ, ಜಾಗ್ರತೆ, ಜಾಗ್ರತೆ ..."
ಮರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕುಳಿತ ಕಾಗೆ ಆಪತ್ತನ್ನು ಸಾರಿತು
ಮುಟ್ಟಬೇಡ ಕಡಲೆ ಗಡಿಗೆ ಜಾಗರೂಕನಾಗಿರು!

"ಜಾಗ್ರತೆ, ಜಾಗ್ರತೆ, ಜಾಗ್ರತೆ ..."
ಮರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕುಳಿತ ಕಾಗೆ ಮತ್ತೊಮ್ಮೆ ಕೂಗಿತು
ಆಸೆ ತುಂಬಿ ತುಳುಕಿ ಮಂಗ ದುರುಗುಟ್ಟಿ ಹೇಳಿತು "ಬಾಯಿ ಮುಚ್ಚು ಮುದಿ ಕಾಗೆ, ನಿನ್ನ ಕೆಲಸ ನೋಡಿಕೋ"

ಆಸೆ-ಭರಿತ ಕಂಗಳಿಂದ ಗಡಿಗೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಇಣುಕಿ ಮಂಗ
ಜೊಲ್ಲು ಸುರಿಸಿ, ಕೈ-ತೂರಿಸಿ ಕಡಲೆ ಬಾಚಿಕೊಂಡಿತು

ಗಟ್ಟಿಯಾಗಿ ಕೇಕೆಹಾಕಿ ಕಾಡಿಗೆಲ್ಲ ಸಾರಿತು
"ಎಂಥ ಅದೃಷ್ಟ ನನ್ನದು, ಎಂಥ ಅದೃಷ್ಟ ನನ್ನದು!"

ಮರುಕ್ಷಣವೇ ಅರಚಿಕೊಂಡಿತು ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಬಾಯ ಗಡಿಗೆಯಿಂದ ಕೈ-ತೆಗೆಯಲಾಗದೆ
"ಯಾಕೆ ಈಥರವಾಯಿತು, ಯಾಕೆ ಈಥರವಾಯಿತು?"
ಗಡಿಗೆ ಒಳಗಡೆ ಅಷ್ಟು ಕಡಲೆ, ಬಾಯಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಚಿಕ್ಕದು

Abandoned .....

You left me wondering
why there is so much silence all around,
had this feeling there's no one left
and I am all alone.

Did you leave me & am i dreaming
that you'll come back for my love,
i'm pleading like i ask for pardon
from the one who is up above.

Take my hand lead me there
i'm blinded by the glare,
pull me up bail me out
i'm trying but i fail.

Leave me if you want to
but make sure that i'm ready,
to face the hardships and the pain
and i'm in good custody.

Like a blind man on an island
i feel so very stranded,
i'll have my faith guarding me
and i don't ever feel abandoned.

- The Crooked Pen

Trauma .....

Waking up in the morning
i know not whats in my head,
Looking at my face in the mirror
its bloody, i'm filled with terror.

I realise on the second look
its not mine and i'm shaken,
is it time? the crooked clock?
i'm given..i'm taken..

There i go, searhing for my true self
all along, standing up for myself
Yes I kill.. Just to live!!

Moving on to unknown realms
Ignoring the onslaught of who I ams,
I travel through a maze of thoughts
My path is just a line of dots.

The waters oily, the air is thick
My Breathings hard, i'm feeling sick
This is not what i want..

-The Crooked Pen

Missing in Action ....

Legs broken, arms twisted behind my back,
I lay as a mangled piece of flesh in a butchers shop!
People look at me like 'm the icon of hatred,
Cuz from the skies i dropped!

The very ebbing of my life stirs my senses,
Only to realise the spreading numbness.
I'm being drawn deep and fast into trenches,
with stenches of the past and the sweet smell of future!

I dont even have the time to thank for the future,
As the numbness is complete and through.
I lay there helpless as a heap of food,
For the vultures not of flesh but of beliefs.

I will be mentioned as missing in action,
In the papers of the morrow with words of praise.
I will be mourned for my bravery and valour,
My name will be printed in books as "Hero of our days"!

I rot in this hell-hole as my brothers walk past me,
Ignoring me, for i wore the clothes of the enemy.
They search for me in the rubble where i'm not,
They write my name in a piece of paper as MiA.

Principles that kept me from telling them the truth,
Were not the ones that saved me from the jaws of death.
It was the enemy who wanted a brother alive and well,
Who draped herself over me to protect me from being reached.

I survive and live to the tell the story of the gory past,
But words fail me, who am i to be faithful to?
The land that gave me birth and sent me to the enemy,
Or the enemy who saved me from my own brothers?

I am missing-in-action and i live, live like one of them,
I am missing inaction as i join hands in their toil.
I like the sun that burns my skin as i till their soil,
Its the same sun that shines in warm splendour over my land!

- The Crooken Pen

Pardon or Confession ..?

A mistake done is a mistake done ......
Time cannot be re-wound ......
Time's inevitable claws ........
and tasks had me bound .....

Aint sorry if it hurts ......
Cuz it hurts here too .....
Cuz love aint from one side .....
It takes two ....

- The Crooked Pen

The egotist ......

Should i speak
of what i've done
or should i think
of days to come

Everyday is a new surprise
like a shooting star in the darkened skies

Moments spent in agony
days lost in distress
Sweetest times and memories
nothing that can be replaced

Everyday that i welcome
with an open heart with the morning drums

Not a sound i hear
Not a sight i see
The darkness is playing
tricks on me

I rise above
for the rest to see
Then end it all
as they cheer for me!!

- The Crooked Pen

The writers block .....

Your hair falling in place
That smug look on your face
Looking like the harvest moon
on a simple sunday noon

So begin the first few lines
and the writers mind misaligns
The flow of words are astray
for better lines, he just prays

On vital chords he scribbles down
a silly line as ever known
He wonders what to write down next
his mind is filled with scrambled text

He gains his glory,
his hand runs fast
He pens a story
to everlast

This is not the end
but the beginning
He wrote it down
to make us think ......

- The Crooked Pen

The ending ......... To begin with!!

The light fades out,
Its dark out there,
The glowing eyes take me away.

I float in air,
My feet are numb,
I cant stand the rolling drums.

Is that you i'm waiting for?
Have you come to take me far?

He says:
Take my hand now,
Lets make it warm,
When we lose our shadows,
We cant be harmed.

I see the portal
Am i next in line?
Will i be tried for
my sins in time?

He walks beside me
I can feel his breath
But his face eludes me
Is this all thats death?

Is that you i'm waiting for?
Have you come to take me far?

I am the judge
of my acts and past
If i do the right sins
I live to last!!

- The Crooked Pen

Ode to those ..... !!

A worn out stone
lying beside the road
makes me think
of days bygone

I walk my way
past the pillars of lore
marking the moments
of the success enjoyed

Yes there were men
before me and after
i leave i will be among
those sought after

Moments of agony
mixed with beads of sweat
have made me realise
there's no hard way ahead

I take the path i want
and tread with trust
cuz if i dont believe
then fail i must

I sing this song for those
who made me wise
and showed me how to live
bare and naked, sans disguise

An ode to those men, who stood their ground
to be a light for all of us who'd come around!!

- The Crooked Pen

Two ways!!

Open your eyes,
I heard her say
And realize
your better days.

Let the warmth
sweep over you,
Colder days
are overdue.

I missed a word,
I missed a beat,
The warmth is turning
to searing heat.

Oh my god!
Please, rescue me,
I am on the road
to insanity.

Can I walk
on duality?
Imagine!
Cheat reality!

Stay afloat,
hold onto hope,
It’s a leaky boat,
you have to cope.

Hope and fear,
go hand in hand,
While either sits,
the other stands.

Life and death,
the wise men tell.
Two ways to heaven,
Two ways to hell.

- The Crooked Pen