Twenty Years

I remember a schoolboy, dressed in baggy shorts,

That got soiled everyday without fail,

No matter what my mother had to say,

I remember coming home at around five,

To watch the new episode of Pokemon on the TV,

And the plate of Maggi I'd be given to eat,

I remember my profound hatred for Maths 

And the bald dude who came one day and drove me mad,

I remember a thirteen year old boy, who had sent a writeup to his school mag,

And the fifteen year old fat guy, who took his dog for a walk,

And then at age sixteen, the moody ineffectual,

With bad grades and an acid tongue, 

Lashing out at everyone within range,

The angry young man who for some reason,

Could never forget, nor forgive, nor let things be,

I remember a seventeen year old, who started to write a blog,

That has thirteen thousand views and support from near and dear ones,

I remember all this, and yet,

I don't remember the happiness I had felt,

I have changed and I don't understand,

Where I'm going or what I'm doing,

Twenty years, I've been looking in the bathroom mirror

Yet, there are days,

When I do not recognize the face staring back

The Bilge Master

A Lot Does Happen

A long day of class has passed,
Or maybe I've just got time to kill, 
I don't really know which,
Either way, me and my friends, 
Head down south out of college
And into the streets
Relaxing with a smoking cup in our hands, 
Cradled from the wind,
And Subho starts telling us about the girl he's kissed,
He describes her eyes and her smile,
We tell him to he'll be married in style,
He blushes and quietens down,
As another cup comes our way,
And then it's my turn to tell a tale,
There by the corner shop without a name,
Hours pass in the blink of an eye,
And then we walk down to the station,
Having had our dose of that liquid relaxation,
It's true what they say my friend
A lot does happen over coffee each and everyday

The Bilge Master