Hope

Several years have withered away

Yet, I recall that fateful day

When I wept, like never before

‘Cause mother, you were no more

your loss forced me a burden to bear

Of immense pain and deep despair

And for this I knew not, whom to blame

So I blamed god, with regret and shame

One night I dreamt, of your smiling face

As you said to me, you're in a better place

From where you have watched over us, long

Throughout, your faith in us, has grown strong

Thence I ceased my future to dread,

The tiresome ordeal, that lay ahead

For mother, you gave me the will to survive

Eternal hope, which keeps me alive

-Kartik Shastry

The Hunter's Bane

One quiet night, as a Hunter slept,

A dream of a wood, in his mind crept.

Wherein dwelled the king of the wild,

No, not a lion, but a wolf reviled.

Shivering in sleep as he writhed in its lair,

Himself shred, he watched in despair.

When he awoke the following morn,

Sweating all over, woebegone.

His damaged courage in order to mend,

He resolved to put the wolf to end.

His family he bid farewell, with sorrow,

And marched a forth with bow and arrow.

He walked along in sunshine and rain,

Seeking the wolf for scores in vain.

So far from home, journeyed had he,

He knew his family, he’ll never see.

And though the wolf was nowhere found,

By his resolve, the Hunter was bound.

And finally the Hunter could walk no more,

For he lay dying on the ocean’s shore.

As he acknowledged his final breath,

Welcoming the cold embrace of death.

He said to himself, with great disdain,

‘The wolf indeed, proved my bane’.

-Kartik Shastry

Dig! Dig! Dig!

“Dig! Dig! Dig!” the master says,

“Dig! Dig! Dig!” while the world revels;

“Dig! Dig! Dig!” this grave right here,

“Dig! Dig! Dig!” ‘til the end’s near;

And all I do is follow orders,

All I do is dig, in fear;

For Digging all day long’s, my bane,

Digging, until I writhe in pain;

When the day dies and the night arrives,

A few hours, there is respite;

And then the morrow, again the sorrow,

“Dig! Dig! Dig!” my miserable heart cries;

Then I pause but a moment, wonder,

Do I pay for a forgotten blunder?

Yes or no, for certain,

I cannot tell;

But this much I know,

This grave I dig, there someday I shall eventually dwell;

-Kartik Shastry

Fly Away

Often, I dream a dream,

That somewhere in another world we’re together.

I awake, but the dream lingers,

Forcing me to hope against hope and wonder.

Aware that the human will,

Can make the most unbelievable dreams come true.

I tell myself,

We can be together forever, if we truly want to.

Humanity is a cynical race,

And, being far apart, I know that it’s harder done than to say.

But, in the end,

To defy the world, all we have to do is hold hands and fly away.

-Kartik Shastry

Memories

Life is like a wave upon the sea,
Sometimes forgiving, and at others, ruthless as can be

Moments which interlude, however
Be they filled with tears or replete with laughter

Sometimes so profoundly effect a person,
His being may either change for the better or worsen

Though as all things that are, do,
All moments have to eventually end too

And life waltzes on like a wild breeze,
Nothing remains of that moment but sweet or bitter memories

Then, there may come a day,
When all your loved ones have gone away

Alone you lie, awaiting your death
Yet memories linger, until your last breath

As faithful a friend as this is hard to find
Memories, ever reminding you of what’s left behind


-Kartik Shastry

About Me

On a lazy summer day

Almighty God, who I suppose had very little to do

Decided to create a boy

The likes of whom there were but a few

Though at first, it seemed fairly simple

God sat confused a moment, wondering how to begin

But then came to him a potent notion

And he got down to work, his face bearing a wide grin

He first decided to add

All the good that was lying around

Then He mixed

A tad of sweetness that could there be found

A little modesty

So that nobody at the lad ever frowned

Bits of wisdom

So that he remained faithful and sound

Seeing His work almost done

God decided to rest Himself for a while

But unfortunately He was unaware

That the devil was in attendance hiding behind a pile

Mr. devil sauntered

Nonchalantly to where the blend lay

Mixed some goo, other bad things too

And quietly sneering, he floated away

Alas! God did not know

What had happened while He was gone

And therefore on His return

He added life and lo! I was born

Twenty and three I’m now

Surely not proud to be

For the goo et al, screwed it all

And the people I know regret knowing me

-Kartik Shastry

If I could turn back time

If I could turn back time
I would do so many things differently
All the mistakes I have made
Hard to believe, it was really me

I think of them every day
For the pain refuses to let go
What I had and what I lost
I’m the only one to really know

Often, I hope those moments may return
As only then, can peace know my mind
But no matter how strong I yearn, I also know
That time moves on, it never looks behind

- Kartik Shastry