Shiny Happy Things

Magic. Do you feel it too? Do you feel the thrill, the mystery, the wonder and the awe, the presence of something unknown and implacable, yet always there.

Magic is in the everyday, it’s in the unknown.

It’s in the curve of a hip, or on the edge of a cliff.

It’s in the Sunrise after a dark night. It’s in a warm winter after a hot summer.

Magic is in the colourful women and that man who works his fingers to the bone.

Magic is in the creation of life.

Magic is when you jump without thinking and feel the uncertainty of life, or it’s a sense of surety in spite of the uncertainty.

Magic is in discovering the unknown.

It’s in a mother’s embrace, in the babble of babies.

Magic is when the waves crash on the shore, like a crazy lover always coming back for more.

Magic is in madness, it’s in letting go and seizing the day.

The smell of a damp forest, the wind rustling through the trees- all magic.

Magic is in first love and second chances.

Magic is in passion, that fire and the soft rug.

It’s in losing yourself and lighting up a city.

It’s in that bright sparkle in those innocent eyes, it’s in those damp eyelashes and that Mona Lisa smile.

It’s in that inexplicable connection and chemistry

It’s in the tinkle of young giggles

Magic is biology; biology is wonderful.

Magic is in the blossoming of a new flower.

It’s in a puppy’s yelps and whimpers,

Or in that poem that made no sense at all,

Or in that book you read last night;

The pages were dampened with tears,

Or that song that made you laugh.

Magic; it’s in nothing and everything.

Magic; it’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Magic; it’s in You.

So Much More

You are so much more than you know and realise,

You are more than that boy, who broke your heart,

You are more than the unshed tears in your eyes.

You are more than your looks,

Your stutters and stammers,

You are more than your mistakes,

Misgivings and misfortunes.

You are so much more than you know,

You are the reason for somebody’s smile,

You are the mischievous glint in your eyes,

You are a survivor,

You pick yourself up when you’d rather fall apart;

You sing a stupid song when you’d rather sob hard.

You are unsung,

You are the words that you leave unsaid,

And the voices that exist inside your head.

You are a hero,

You’re the one, who can save yourself,

You keep it all together, when you’d rather be dead.

You’re so much more than you’d ever understand

You hold your head high, when you’re sinking low;

You curl your lips into a shaky smile,

Although you’d rather crumble into a pile,

Of what you used to be and who you were.

Do you now see what you are?

Uneven eyeliner and the right shade of red,

You are so much more than you’ll ever understand.

P. S. Vyoma, baby this one is for you and that conversation we keep having. 

You.

You

Get Up

Get Moving

Get Lucky

Don’t just sit there

Sighing

Take charge

It’s your life

Be foolish

Be ridiculous

Be-you-tiful

Stop caring

They’ll always have something to say

Make your own mistakes

Let yourself get hurt

Learn your own lessons

Make somebody smile

Cry till you run out of breath

Run

For your life

Feel the rush

Watch the Sun Rise

Give in

But fight back

Swim to the surface

Breathe

Eat some chocolate and cheese

Inhale the warmth

Dance like an idiot

Exhale the frost

Read a book

Bask in its beauty

Set your life on fire

Soak in the Sunshine

Spread the cheer

Scream till your lungs feel like they’re exploding

Muss up your hair

Or don’t

How does it matter?

Glory in your curves

Be proud of that crooked smile

Flash it in their faces

Or that pug nose

Hold it high

Keep ‘em wondering

Don’t let ‘em get to you

Don’t be afraid of the night

The stars, they shine for you

Watch the Sun Rise

It’s a new day

And it’s yours.

I am what you make me.

I am my own creation;

I am my own destruction.

I build myself;

I break myself.

I fall, I hurt;

I feel, I heal.

I live every day,

I die every moment.

I am jubilant, I am mournful.

I am the bane of my own existence.

I am a poem, a gospel, a whisper in your mind;

I am the sky above you and the ground beneath you,

And the Sun and the stars that light up the Sky;

I am the wind blowing through your hair,

I am the ocean and the smell of salt in the air.

I am dust and dust I will become;

I am the shadow you’re chasing,

And the fate you’re embracing.

I am a warrior.

A daydream and long lashes;

A fit of madness and a dollop of Magic;

I am nothing and everything.

I am infinite.

I am you

You are me,

And yet,

I am

What you make me.

Happiness is..

Happiness is

A cupcake

Happiness is my Mom’s all-encompassing-hugs

Or my father’s appreciation

Happiness is that song you keep humming to yourself all day

Happiness is being silly

It’s A’s lopsided smile

It’s the fuzzies that love gives you

Happiness is a special perfume;

Or the smell of a new book

Or the smell of wet Earth

Happiness is when Feru gets what I’m trying to say by the look in my eyes

Or the shameless PDA between Megha & I

Happiness is knowing that you’re a little crazy

And finding someone just like you
It's in discovering new places
Or a pretty picture

Happiness is in Anisha’s silliness

Or in Archita’s little hearts and flowers

And Parita, when she goes mad
Happiness is in Akanksha's crafty grin, or Shagun marvelling at the softness of my skin
Dhwani's readiness to click pictures and Drishti's perky "Hi!"

and Sakshi Dube's concern for me
Happiness is chilling

It’s defying distance with Tanvi

It’s when Jiggu flicks his hair and calls himself ‘The Jigar’

It’s a long chat with M or meeting Shrutu after ages

And Shruti Anand’s nautanki (yes I miss you)

It is Shivani’s squealing (you too I miss, woman)

Happiness is dancing in the dark

Happiness is just being stupid

Happiness is not caring

About what they think, say or do

Happiness is when I write

Or learn a new language

Happiness is the creation of a new life

It’s in my nephew’s dimples

Or in my sister’s motherhood

Or in my other sister’s unconditional love for children

It’s a heart to heart

It’s in saying the truth

It’s in making bawdy jokes

It’s in catching on slowly

It’s in laughing loudly

It’s in appreciating

It’s in being appreciated

It’s in the sound of the waves

It’s in the air we breathe

It in the Sun that radiates warmth

It’s in the stars that shine down on us

It’s all around us

Happiness is everywhere

We just gotta find it.

The last song.

We may crash and burn sometimes,

Strength is when we pick ourselves up and shake the dust off.

We may burn bridges sometimes,

Moving on is when we blow the ashes off ourselves,

And don’t hesitate in building new ones.

We may hurt and get hurt sometimes,

Growth is when we forgive and let go.

We may be foolish sometimes,

Wisdom is in learning from our mistakes.

We may be silly sometimes;

But what’s life without a little silly?

We may cry our heart out sometimes,

But so what? We’re human.

We may feel defeated sometimes,

Spirit is when we get right back up.

We may wander sometimes,

But not all those who wander are lost.

We may also get lost sometimes,

And that’s okay really, as long as we have fun while we’re at it.

We may fall sometimes,

But love is when we do so with abandon.

We make mistakes sometimes,

But redemption is when we forgive ourselves.

We may find ourselves in darkness sometimes,

But remember,

There is a light that never goes out,

Oh yes, There is a light that never goes out. 

Big city, bright lights.

The city that never sleeps,

The city of Scars and Dreams,

Rapes & Craters,

Anger & Indifference,

26/11 and 13/7,

Footpaths & Signals,

Grief & Ghosts,

The Gateway & The Causeway,

Bollywood & Consumerism,

Razzle Dazzle & Disillusion,

Hawkers & Chaat,

Blasts & Floods,

The shiny sheens & The murky underbellies,

Town & The 'burbs,

Glamour & Dirt,

Love & Hate,

Opportunities & Dejection,

Cheap Chinese & Expensive Italian,

Construction & Con-men,

Resilience & Hunger,

Pretty Girls & Fake Accents,

Demolition & Progress,

British Architecture & Chaos,

Parties & Pedophiles,

Chor & Police,

Love-birds & Monsters,

Marine Drive &  Aqsa Beach,

Groping & BEST,

Local Trains & Perverts,

Mushrooming shanties & Soaring buildings,

Rickshaws & Cabs,

An unbroken spirit & Defeated citizens,

The High Class & The Working Class,

Cuffe Parade & Nallasopara,

Juhu & Wadala,

The Sea Link & Dharavi.

And Bandra.

And the Rains.

And oh yes, the Sea.

You are in Bombay.

Welcome aboard.