Confused Men!

First I wanted a fair oval face,
Black silken hair to run my fingers through,
Soft lips to caress, a smooth neck to kiss,
Deep eyes that compelled poetry.
But she wasn't the woman for me.

Then I looked for the talented kind,
One that would sing like a nightingale,
Solve calculus in a jiffy,
Discuss with passion, Keats and Dante
But no, she wasn't the woman for me.

Then I went the practical way,
And looked for a wife,
A housekeeper and cook
A good mother for my children to be,
But she still wasn't the woman for me.

Now in my long unending quest
I am tired, spent and forty.
What a perfect woman looks like
I still have no clue.
And frankly, any woman will do.

The Lass

Far away in the woods,
In a long ago time
I loved a pretty lass
Oh! She was mine.

Her eyes were two endless pools,
Lips pure honey.
You could not buy a smile like hers
For all the king’s money.

She walked fearless, nimble,
With wild curls and unbraided hair
She was nature’s daughter
I a mortal, mere.

The birds flocked to her
When she set a tune on the hill
I was a city cad,
But she loved me still.

Why she favoured me so
I never quite knew.
She was life and she was blood
And my talents sadly few

Perhaps she loved my books,
The clever talk and smart ways.
She clapped her hands at my poor jokes,
How sweet and happy were those days.

But a fool was I
Nothing could still my mind.
Doubt wrapped like black plague
No reason could it bind.

How she could love
A man such as me,
When princes and nobles of many lands
Could hers surely be?

And what if I was a village bum
With nothing bright to say,
Would she love me still?
She laughed and teasing me, ran away.

With distrust I recoiled
When she gently touched me now
Strange questions I asked her
My good lass, I troubled her how.

Slowly darkness set in those happy eyes
They grew sad and deep.
At my curious madness,
They could only sigh and weep.

At last I broke her heart in full.
And the magnificient dame
disappeared into the woods
The way she came.

Before she left,
She laughed sadly and said,
I did not love your smile,
Or your hair as you loved mine.
I did not love your books,
the way you loved my looks.
I did not love your wit
The way you loved my dimple pits.
My poor, unhappy lover.
I loved you for you!

Far away in the woods,
In a long ago time
I loved a pretty lass
Alas! She was almost mine.

Pearls

It is no place for tears
Where not prized.
Oh no, do not waste those precious pearls
On a waste land dry.
In hope there might bloom a flower some day.

For a land barren
Will stay thus sans rain.
And it has no use
For a few drops of salt.

Strangers

Tell me dearest,
If we were strangers all over again
Could we go back to the beginning,
Forget the pain?

To that time, when you looked at me
And I pretended I did not care.
Did you know how long I stared at the road
Once you were gone from there?

Or to that time when you stood hours
for a glimpse
Knowing that the wait
was only deliberate.

To that time when I wet your chest,
With the storm in my heart
And thanked heavens
For your warm shoulders.
My only anchor and relief.

Could we walk slowly this time?
And avoid the dark potholes
On this rugged road?
Check our basic urges
and curb the bitter words we once uttered
Could we really save us from ourselves?

May be it is worth a try and how!
Because could we be any more strangers
than what we are now?

Easy Love

She paints you a picture and you say wow!
You long to touch her heart and how!!
Oh I know how!!!

You talk of her and I listen resigned
How each time,
You walk those holy stairs
To bow your head at her shrine.
And there are always a few more to climb
A few more steps to climb.

The path is long and unending,
Yet you hear her laughter sublime.
Distant as in stormy seas, the elusive beacon,
And hopeful, you prod on.
On and on.

She’s an enigma, she dances like a dream,
Her face is an angel, eyes lit with crazy gleam.
She’s the woman you want, the woman you cannot get.
And yet,
She is the woman for you, you bet!

So I sit lonely by my stairs,
And draw circles in dirt.
With a broken twig
Eyes cast down to hide my hurt.

This is all I can draw,
I cannot sing or rhyme.
But look into this true heart of mine.
I have wood for feet, I cannot dance
But won’t you give me a single chance?

But you know I love you
And I love you free.
You know I am easy.
And no one loves an easy lover.
Is that why you don't love me?