The Untold Lie

 "What is pain, without its pleasures!!"

Caleb was loud and drunk, flailing around a blade daring his peers to go through his challenge.

No one took him seriously of course, a town joker trying to make a name for himself, and as Caleb waved around a weapon of mass flaying, no one thought that he was capable of the one thing he kept bluffing about. Soon his drunken challenges turned to sloshing tug of wars with words, and at the end of it,  his best bud, Forge, carried him on his shoulders to be put to rest on a bed in the trailer.

"I will not drink again !!!", Caleb woke the following day, prophesying the week ahead till Friday, because, worst come to worst, he would again be making the same prophesies on the coming Saturday, the same way he has been doing for the past six years.

Caleb was not exactly the way you see today, he was an honor student, waiting to be the next success story of his town. It all changed that one fateful night, when a challenge turned pretty ugly. Ugly enough to make Caleb blame himself for the out come and live out his life like a nobody, waiting on the side of the road for a truck to take a wrong turn and end his misery. He was not brave, not brave enough to end his life. But he did pride himself in putting others to the task, and six years ago on a Friday night, that challenge was the one thing he regretted to this day. But again, this story is not about the pointless existence of Caleb, but about the meaningful life which his friend - Forge, lived.

Forge was always the silent types, only standing up in direst of the situations, and he stood up that fateful night. He stood up, but only to help his friend escape the consequences of his action. A tad bit late. That was all that was required to turn his life upside down. "If only!!!", the two words which ring his ears to this day. But again, Caleb would have fooled you into believing this story was about Forge, and he is a convincing actor - Caleb. This story is rather about Eli, who lost her life on that fateful night. The fateful night when Caleb lost his sense of self. Forge lost his sense of self worth.

Eli was a happy go lucky kid. A single child to a church going couples immersed in good deeds. A topper in her class, and always there to protect and raise her voice for the downtrodden. But again, the world doesn't care about people like Eli, they just want jocks like Caleb, and their buddies who would make life miserable for kids like Chris.

That fateful night, Eli was there to stand up for Chris, stand up against the formidable force of Caleb and Forge, the formidable force of "drunk" Caleb and "righteous" Forge.

She witnessed Chris slash his wrist, letting the jet of blood drench the walls, as Forge and Caleb cheered him on.
She was there, putting pressure on Chris's wounds, as he lay gasping, while Caleb and Forge went through their trauma of having pushed their classmate to death.
She was there, when Caleb decided a baseball bat was the best when it would be batting on her head, while he hid the crime, pinning it on Chris.

The police was there that night, "A murder suicide, a stalker bludgeoning the girl to death, and then taking his own life, leaving two classmates in shock and trauma.", that is what the newspapers wrote the next day, no one knew the truth.

Forge pondered as he lay down to sleep. The untold, the lie.

The Mirror of Scars

The box creaked, as beautiful dream bid farewell,
The velvet walls, broke the bliss,
They broke the silence.

'Sleep', said my spirit,
'Sleep, the nightmare will pass',
The wooden cage creaked,
As the carriage rattled down the stony path.

Yesterday I had seen the sunrise,
Today's just a dream.

The horse neighed,  repose to the hearse
A slow rumble on the cobbled stones,
Sang the shingle, 'Ahoy, and alight'

I heard the box creak again,
Through space I moved,
The squeeny voices of people I knew,
Drowned the being in me.

Yesterday, her face flushed with fear,
Today its a pale smile.

I heard them speak,
Concoction of lies, I sighed,
'They can't hurt',  My spirit replied.

My sins were forgiven, the soul obligated.
My ticket bought, kings I ride with you,
A purple robe sewed for me waited,
'Sleep, as long as you may',

I tried, I failed, the sleep eluded,
I tried, I failed, as dirt hit the box.

Am I dead, I asked,
'You are but asleep', says the preacher
I live, enslaved to trust.

I heard the knock on the wood,
The key clicked, the shambles untwined,
Light dawned, as I walk,
I was finally free, I sighed.

The Friday of Life

As we see the sunset,
Into another horizon,
The days are numbered,
The nights un-numbered?

We talk an endless tale,
Legends and heroes play,
The victories of another life,
Is the end just another strife?

Scared of an unknown truth,
We sip on our iced tea,
Head banging our way to glory,
On a Monday, are we really sorry?

I see us parting ways,
On the fork road from the legends,
I made a poor choice you say,
But its just another Friday.

- Justin [Head banging to an unknown album]

Questions.

The question is all about the 'Why?' or may be more accurately about the 'what' and the 'when', Or if asked precisely it can be transformed to a 'who' and then after pondering for a while it will be turned to a 'Polar' question. We never realize why we answer or what we answer, but when we answer is also neglected at times. Are you, your own obstacle? Well I can answer it now, but chose a later date. I can ask Why would I be my own obstacle? or What would I do being my obstacle?, but never think what all I can do by not being an obstacle. I can stand looking in the mirror, figuring out whether I obstruct my own thoughts, or let my feelings be chocked up. I can stand in front of a crowd, and still choke up. So the question finally trickles down to Who am I? Then comes the polar question, Will you let your self free? Its a no or a yes, but its pretty hard to decide, What will I do if I let my self free? Will I fly like a bird, or swim like a fish, or even close run like an animal. I don't have the answers to all of the questions, but if I let my self free, may be, I might fly as a bird, or swim like a fish or run like an animal. Why now? or What now, that I have set my self free, questions again. Brain a cobweb, a platter full of pie. 

Then one day I might wake up from this sleep, 

To see the sun shining bright.

Yet another day I wake up from this sleep,

To see the moon squashing my dreams.

Again the questions, tricky ones, not so tricky ones. Questions to dodge and questions to face. Questions to be responsible about and questions to let go of. Questions to ask your self, questions to ask the one whom you love and finally the questions which will keep you alive, the questions which will get you killed.

I saw a rabbit, white and bright,

Go down the rabbit hole, I followed,

Questions to ask, answers to know,

The rabbit disappeared, just left the hole.

I realized the other day that, rabbits answering all your queries are just mythical creatures, if you follow them without questions, you might see the light at the end of the hole, or the questions might kill the rabbit, leaving you with the hole. 

White horse, grey horse and a black horse,

In a horse market, at a land far across.

Buy one, kill one and let one go free,

Is it the black or the grey that should flee? 

Figure out the when part of the question, an answer two seconds late would've  already lost its taste. So ask and answer now. "Who am I?"

The Story of the Night.

Long ago, there was no night, but just light,
And this light gave birth to an unending love,
A true love, that bound the Earth and the Sun.

They were together, nothing to separate them,
And their love was known across the universe,
Man was happy, for there was no darkness to fear.

There was a seer, who was enchanted by the beauty,
Enchanted by the beauty of the Earth, and he wanted her
But it was the Sun who stood in between him and his love.

His love turned to jealousy, and all he wanted was her,
He plotted days on end, plotted how to get rid of the Sun,
And one day he came up with a plan, plan to take his love.

The seer went to meet the Gods, "Does the human pray to you?",
"Does he come to you, praying for the well being?"
"Does he humour you with his thanksgiving?".

"He has long forgotten fear, so he forsakes thee",
"He has forgotten anguish, so he doesn't heed thee".
"Give him darkness, and he will come to you, you will see".

The Gods were impressed by what the seer said,
"So let it be, let there be night, let there be no light",
"Let the man fear me once again, and countinue to pray"

So came the night, and the sun was gone,
And the seer seizing the opportunity, pursued his love,
The Earth was frightened by the darkness, and afraid of the seer.

She ran to the Gods for help, and she begged them,
Now the Gods understood what was that what the seer wanted,
"You have deceived us oh great Seer, so you shall be punished"

The seer was cast into a bottom-less pit,
"And for you, oh Earth, we can't undo the night",
"But we can give you light in the night"

And saying thus, they placed the Moon in the sky,
And it shone bright, with the light from the sun,
While the Earth waited patiently for the dawn.

And to this day, the Moon shines,
Shines with the promise of love,
A true and eternal love, that would return one day.