At Heaven’s Gate

This is a poem about two men,

Who died and went to heaven,

And as they waited at the gate,

For St. Peter to judge their fate,

Standing together, in the dock,

To kill time, they began to talk.

“My odds of getting in are slim.”

Said the one called Tricky Jim.

“I’ve lied and thieved, all my life.

Hell! I even cheated on my wife!

And all the while, I enjoyed it too.

Why would they ever let me through?”

“Your odds aren’t as bad as mine.”

Said the one called Mr. Swine.

“But honestly, I just don’t care!

I already know I’m not getting in there.”

By the other’s conviction, irked, just a tad,

Jim asked, “What did you do that was so bad?”

“I’m a lawyer” said Mr. Swine with a frown

Jim said “Buddy, you win this one hands down.”

-Kartik Shastry 

...And They Listen

He struts to the podium, with a smirk on his face

His portentous persona, utterly devoid of grace

He reads the crowd well, and so knows what to say

A greedy guide, who has led his flock astray

And it shocks me, to watch this lot cheer

His revolting sermon, of hatred and fear

I know that these do not make a great nation, greater

And he who disagrees, is likely a bigot and a traitor

But how reason by so many, is so easily forsaken

My faith in humanity, now stands utterly shaken

Yet, I continue to hope, that he miserably fails

And that common sense, eventually prevails

-Kartik Shastry

The Monster Within Me

There’s a monster within me,

Who doggedly gnaws and scrapes

At the very innards of my being,

The prison of my docility, to escape

Knowing that patience has its limits,

I try my best to keep it chained

But the number of fools around me,

Ensure that the binds remain strained

As it feeds on my stowed wrath,

It keeps growing ever stronger

And I get this foreboding sense,

My control may not last much longer

And the moment, the chains break

I'll become a slave to the monster inside,

My body, left a mere husk,

By the monster’s will, shall abide

I may seem mad for writing this verse

But it's the only way I can make you see

'Cause believe me, when I tell you this,

No one fears this monster more than me

- Kartik Shastry