The Exchange

Always knew

Always loved

She knew I loved her not

Yet she loved me still

My heart belonged to another

This she knew

Once, my heart got broken

I became dejected

Feeling glum, and down

She listened, smiled

Expressed her love

And took me for a walk

We passed by the workshop of a goldsmith

She went in

Then came out

Then dragged me inside

I paused, wondered

She said to trust her

So I did

She said to lie down

Hesitant

But I trusted her

She lay by me

Held my hand

The goldsmith took a dagger

Placed it in his fiery furnace

Fiery red it became

The goldsmith approached me

I froze, shuddered, chilled

I wanted to bolt

But couldn’t move

She held me still

Speaking words of comfort

The goldsmith carved a hole

In my chest

I felt an instant pain

Then no pain

In His hands, I saw my heart

If it were a face

Pale and sad will be the right adjectives

The goldsmith moved towards the furnace

I tried screaming

My voice box failed

The goldsmith placed my heart in the furnace

He turned towards her

Lifted the dagger

And made a hole between her firm breasts

I was horrified

Her heart glowed

It was beautiful

The goldsmith placed her glowing heart into the furnace

I tried to think

My brain failed me

He took out my heart

It looked pale and flaccid

But not sad

My heart went into her chest

And the cavity sealed

He then took her heart out of the furnace

It glowed more, radiated with life

More beautiful than before

It has been refined, purified

I experienced a tingling sensation

As He placed her heart within me

As the goldsmith sealed the hole in my chest

I felt a new life

A new force

Renewed energy

A soothing warmth and

Unadulterated Love…

Broken Soul

He called me his son

I called him my father

He told me to be wise

So the one taunting him

He’d put to shame

He accepted me as his son

Yet I kept breaking

Breaking his heart into pieces

Trampling upon his heart

Not meeting his expectations

I disappoint him

Forgive me my father

You keep forgiving me

You gave me multiple second chances

Yet I continue to disappoint

I make you grieve

And bring shame to your name

Forgive me father

To rely on me

To trust in me

To place a bet on me

Its difficult, suicidal

I know

I wouldn’t, if I were in your place

But

Oh father,

I need your help

I desire your discipline

I yearn for your guidance

I crave your thoughts

I plead for your forgiveness

Father, please

I need to change

I want to change

To regret and to repent

Your laws

I need to love

To cherish and to obey

My father,

It’s you I need

To make the most important

The most important person

In my life…

Dreams of Yesterday

Dreams of yesterday

Reality today

Reality transforms to nightmare

And I’m ‘live’ in it…

The book, yes the book

The book they kept from the common people

They banned translations;

For fear of it being misunderstood

They forbade reproductions;

Lest the common folk manhandle it

They even prohibited discussions

When no priest was around

I dreamt of a day,

When all, could cherish it,

Read it,

Appreciate it.

That day dawns

And I desire to break with it…

The chance fell on me

To translate into the common language

With joy in my heart

My quill pen commenced work

Halfway through, around the 36^th,

They found out

And they found me too

They smoked me out

Accused me of being a heretic

Even “Saint Peter’s” stool was hurled at me

(Their own sacred stool)

I was dragged through the street

(Reminiscent of a figure in the book)

I was made synonymous to the devil

(They almost trampled on me like a serpent)

They urged me to recant, to confess

I refused, never giving in

Their anger got fuelled

They took me to the center,

The center of the square

The square in the “Holy Yard”

They tied me up

And bounded me to a pole

Then they put my copy around my neck

They placed a lot of wood, dry wood, around me

(The sun was scorching)

They sprinkled 666 bottles of gasoline on then

(The sun was blazing)

A lighted match was thrown in

(A piece of the sun touched me)

The people began to roar

My torture had begun

I knew I’d thoroughly burn

Burn to death and fall in ashes

(Those ashes will be holier than their conscience)

Yet

I looked up

I smiled

‘Cos this nightmare

Will soon be over!