Daybreak In Dixie

High upon a mountain

Beneath a huge hickory tree

Waiting for the dawning,

And a squirrel that I might see.

As I sit here and wait

For the breaking of the day,

There is a rustle in the leaves,

A deer has passed this way.

The starlight is fading fast

A new day is dawning,

The squirrels will soon be in the trees

And nuts will then be falling.

Peeping over the hill

And wishing that everyone could see,

Daybreak in Dixie

From beneath a hickory tree.

Towering above all,

Standing so tall,

Sitting on the hickory tree,

Through the sleepy eyes of a monkey....

Down lies the carpet of lush green,

And the meandering river, what a scene!

The days pass and the nights fall,

Arms of the hickory, ever shielding all!

Rage of the wind, fluttered a leaf or two,

Tears of the sky, wetted its feet too,

From its hands, playing children hang,

Remember my love, the songs we sang??

Come my dear, won't you walk with me,

Come with me to the summit and let us see,

From beneath that hickory tree,

In the lap of this night, the Daybreak in Dixie..

- by Manasa Kalkunte and Alfi Ashraf

PS: This was actually a work of my friend, Manasa, posted on her blog KALEIDOSCOPE, I loved her work so much that I added another 4 stanzas to what she wrote. Simply, just like that :P

Shadow In The Dark

I often wonder as I walk,

Why does it always stalk!

Moving as I move,

In the exact same groove?

I try to walk, I try to run,

It still follows, thanks to the sun!

With me in every step I take,

With me in every take and mistake!

Alas, I give up and yeild,

From it I have no sheild,

On my right, in my front, on my left,

Away from me it never drift.

I succumb and call for peace,

Two people but one piece,

For by now we know the fact,

Inseparable we are, intact.

As time goes, we get to know,

The seeds of camarderie we sow,

Moments we have together,

With this dark faceless figure.

Glory be to the bright god,

That gave me my twin from a pod,

For his brightness made me realise,

The dark figure is a friend in disguise.

LO! The light fades,

With it brings dark shades,

The skies go pink and red,

Is this moment I must dread?

The God decides to sleep,

Just when I was about to reap!

God closes the doors and window,

With it the darkness of shadow.

In the night I wonder as I walk,

Was the figure killed by the dark?

Or am I blinded by the night,

Taking the shadow away from my sight?

Moving as I move,

In the exact same groove,

In every step I take,

In every take and mistake....

PS: Split wide open for interpretation :P

Remember Remember, The Fourth of November

Remember, remember the Fourth of November,
The power, election and the slaught,
I can think of no reason, why the election
Should ever be forgot.

Obama, Obama, t'was his intent
To form the government.
Three n half cent of electoral glow
To prove old Republican's overthrow!

Some called him Arab, some called him Black,
They shouted "He's a terror, a traitor,
The quality of a President he lack"
They thought they'd fool the voter.

A pound of Iraq to feed the Bush,
A ship of Marines to serve him,
A barrel of Oil to rinse it down,
And the tax payer to pay him.

A stick or a stake for McCane's sake,
The shock of defeat he may not take,
If you can't give us one, we'll take two,
We'll give the other to Bush too!

By God's providence he was elected
Despite being shunned, mocked and tainted,
Victory, Victory, let the bells ring.
The song of CHANGE, let America sing!

O America, praise the name of God
That saved thee from the GOP rod!
But though the Bush ever be gone,
His sin now be Obama's upon!

Remember, remember the Fourth of November,
The power, election and the slaught,
For generations, all the nations,
This Change is forever to remember!

PS: Inspired by the popular English folklore "Remember Remember the Fifth of November" commemorating Guy Fawkes's Night.

Alfi The Vice

Allow me to introduce myself,
I am not a name off the shelf.
People come to me for advice,
For I am Alfi The Wise!

Open the drapes now,
Look out and see how,
I take your imagination,
Open the doors to a new translation!

Its hard to realize,
I very well surmise,
But you need to trust me,
Because that's how the game be!

I can help through your pain,
Hold an umbrella in the rain,
Be your sunshine,
Baby then why do you whine!

Now Close those books,
It ain't easy as it looks,
For life is a long road,
All I wanna know is are you on board

Words donn say,
No price they pay,
Tears dont drop,
But life ain't yet a full stop!

So come on out now,
Let me show you how,
The game is played,
How the chances are swayed

Look, do you see that door,
Calling out to you for more,
Listen to that beckoning,
Why waste the time in reckoning?

You're not the one and only,
For it is never a road lonely,
Look around you,
You will find someone new!

So now that you know me,
My contact with u be,
Forget me not,
When its cold or hot!



PS: I have no idea why i wrote this.... Just some meandering thoughts.

The Dark Knife

I am trapped inside a crowd,
Of faceless people, crying out loud.
The receding waters of the shore,
Washing away with it, horrors and gore


The crowd moves, at a steady pace,
Chased by cats, a rat race.
Each don't look hither or thither,
The path treaded, of no concern either


I watch the crowd, with doubt and dispair,
Forward or bacward, I do not dare,
For the road forward is progress,
The road behind me, should I not address?


The crowd stares at me and my like,
Our confusion fetches dislike.
For we are scared of the sunset,
As it unleashes the demons, we bet!


Whom do I blame for my fear?
Why is it that I cannot see it clear!
May I accuse the sunset bringing the night,
Or is it my own lack of sight?


The night blinds the likes of me,
The beauty of the night we do not see.
For we are afraid of those who go ahead,
Will leave us powerless and dead


The roses shed their petals and grow horns,
So that the beholder lies on a bed of thorns!
And hence in the name of the faultless Sun,
We choose to take the gun!


"It is prescribed!" We claim,
And our claim spreads with fame,
And more disillusioned like me unite,
Like an army of ants marching to bite


Neither Bush, Prescott, nor Sarkozy,
Can stop me, and never will!
For I am a true Mozy,
And I have the license to KILL!


In this urban concrete jungle of wildlife,
I give my body, soul and life!
I will stab in the name of a meaningless strife,
For, verily, I am the DARK KNIFE!




PS: This piece of work was written after the Delhi blasts. This is neither to encourage nor to support the idea depicted. If one reads with utmost care in comprehension one would realise it merely ridicules. Hence kindly do not jump into any negative conclusions.

A Bitter Sweet Farewell

I stood there, on the shore,
Watching the sky, I adore...
And then the wind blew,
And with the wind my woes flew.

A strange liking, a strange fondness,
An inexplicable kindness,
Oh lord, why oh why am I on this bay,
When I know time will take wind n sky away?

And thus, it happened, the inevitable,
To fight destiny, it is impossible.
What comes to one has to go away,
A strange law, we call the life's way!

So long oh my dear sky,
The distance brings a tear in my eye,
And how could I stop you oh wind, my my,
Pray! Do not say to me bye bye




6th September, 2008, Manasa and Pavan bid farewell to Abu Dhabi... Wrote this on my way to the airport, as I myself was leaving for Doha. We had a splendid time for 2 days in a row, that parting was difficult. 

Wishing them all the best in the life ahead.

My Best Friend's Hyderabadi Wedding

Path carpetted with petals of rose,
Scent of love in the air, it grows.
The moment, much awaited, arrives,
When the cosmos will join them, their lives.

"Make Merry" they said, joy was the mood,
And amidst the celebration I stood,
Witnessing the greatest union,
"Made for each other" we cried in unison.

He came like the wind, slow but soon,
Swept her off her feet, like a devine boon.
She was his sky, infinite expanse of love,
Their love on earth, destined by the High Above!

As I stood in my space, looking,
To Welcome her man like a King!
I knew I had waited for this day in keen,
When he would make her, his queen!

In her eyes I saw a plethora,
Of emotions, of the compassing aura.
In his eyes I saw his heart,
Thanking the devine for this life, this start.

For all those who believed there was nothing,
Nothing called Perfect, oh lord!
Verily, they are not here, seeing everything,
For she and he are more perfect than the perfect god!

Why take things any further,
She completes him, he completes her!
Marriages are made in Heaven,
But the wedding was held in Hyderabad!


On 20th August, two of my greatest friends, my family, Manasa and Pavan were joined in the bond of matrimony. I was lucky to be there, to bear witness to this wonderful day. This is my tribute to the lovely couple..... An Ode to celebrate their wedding