Past and Hope

Standing still with backpack on shoulders,
You with strong voice as if it had boulders,
Shouting at the morning, "Be in file",
And you could be noticed from a mile.

Wondering, curiously about Chemistry a lot,
Came you to my class, asking, "Neutralization reaction is what?"
Me in seventh, you in tenth,
Said it along its mechanism and that's what you sought.

It's been long, since we've debated together,
Yes, we shared the same house.
Competing for our team,
Rejoicing at our victory, like with cheese did a mouse.

I remember those days very much,
Want them to come back,
Wish you a success that is such,
The one who criticized you, will have whack.

Now that I am, even if I can't understand,
Wish you luck, and hope to God,
You will stand over the sand,
And discover the place you were at, like “The Alchemist”, had your treasure and you would nod.

— Shantanu Shubham

It's for Stefy Patel, my senior who's now a model and an actress.

Treachery

I remember tears streaming down your face.
When I fled, without any trace.
You wanted me back, I remember your shout,
All I know, my sins made me shameful and I couldn't open my mouth.

I know you're angry, me wrong,
To pass this by, I always sing a song.
And I was so scared to face my fears,
Because nobody told me, that you'd be here.

I want to hug you, to kiss you,
Like Shylock, you must do me sue.
For I wasn't able to keep my promise,
I'd want to remove bitterness, by some licorice.

I'm sorry, for everything I've done,
Left you alone when we should have had fun.
Forgive me if possible, I loved you always,
For you, I'll always let my hands raise.

— Shantanu Shubham

Robbery of a Gold Heart and We Are the Victims

Tall, dark and wore glasses, he was a teacher of English who taught so well. Children fled with his sight as they feared his keen vision. But misunderstood was him, for what I knew of him. His heart was noble, made of Aurum, as we call it GOLD! in Latin. A man who was flawless at grammar of his taught language and devoted to the institution, that made him the Discipline In-charge of our school.

   Taught by him for a couple of years, was our class, who misunderstood him like everyone else, but not for long, as we understood how soulful and pure he was. His name was Mr. Umesh Nath Pandey.

   Me among his close students, at least that's what he would say, remained relied on him, to whom he'd not let any harm touch. Always helpful, even to those he knew did talk on his back. Unaffected he was by cajolery and blandishments as he was very clever and never took the credit of the good deeds he would do.

   But, perhaps his nobility was adored by the Almighty more than us, for which we saw flowers pile up in the worst way. No one knew what to say, about a gold hearted man who died.

   He said to me that he had swollen feet. I replied to him that he must see a doctor. He said to me that he would go to see a doctor during the summer vacations of that year. Unfortunate was the Earth, that witnessed his liver failure succeeded by the failure of many other organs, causing his demise on the mournful day of May 20, 2015 at 20:00 hours due to Hepatitis B.

   The news was unbelievable to all those who heard it but equally displeasing, misty eyed making and saddening that would make his dears go numb for a week.

   A man of honor; who taught us Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare so well, that I felt stabbed by the God, as Brutus did stab Caesar, when the news was confirmed; and he was gone, leaving his children with tears and pain of his loss.

   For the school, it was like losing balance on a tightrope. The condolence of those two minutes felt like the longest two minutes, which were so less to accommodate all selfless philanthropy he had done.

   The school remembers him everyday and still hopes his presence. His bravery and warm hearted nature are commended and felt with each of his memory. We mourn his death but do respect the Almighty's decision, for everything happens for collective good.

For him, a thousand times over!

   For I've known, the greatest sin is theft. When you lie, you steal someone's right to truth. When you kill, you rob someone of a dear one.

   Well now, we've become victims of a sin, committed by the Almighty, to rob me of a teacher, to rob the world of a golden heart.

   Well, competent was he, but perhaps life is more unpredictable.

       We pray to God,
    "Let him rest in peace"

— Shantanu Shubham

 I do acknowledge of the major role U.N. Pandey Sir played to make me eligible to write this and I consider myself fortunate to approve of the opportunity.

Permanence of Family's Devotion

It was a sunny morning, as any other day, but the fact was not at all sunny. Gabriel was in trouble. "How can you? Did I not love you enough? Did me and daddy love you any less?", said Angela, Gabriel's mother to him. "Nothing like that mom, it was my fault." said Gabriel.

"Now that you understand? It's too late to catch the situation now. Well don't worry my child, we are family and we're here for you to stay by your side."
* Gabriel and Angela began weeping expressing care for each other *

7 MONTHS AGO

The mathematics class. Gabriel and Sophie had not become good friends until that, and were moving to the class together after introduction, casually. But Gabriel craved to talk to her, since he first saw Sophie. And that day was the day, he could ultimately do it. He was happy, and was hoping if she'd show interest in talking to him. Sophie often asked Gabriel for help in mathematics as the former and latter were weak and good at it respectively. Gabriel had a huge infatuation for Sophie and he had said it to his friend David. David was flirtatious and fun. His heart would begin racing seeing voluptuous women. David introduced Gabriel to Anne, the best friend of Sophie, in hope to make relation between their best friends, for which eventually Anne agreed for. Sophie was attractive and was very pretty and could not keep the eyes of people from not watching her. Anne threw her birthday party and decided to put a dress code of wearing black or white only, and she intentionally did not tell about the dress code to Gabriel and Sophie. They arrived the party in casuals. Everyone ignored them because of their unregulated outfit. Eventually Anne turned up and greeted them with regards and applauded them, teased them for breaking the rules together and apologized too. Ignored them, had none to talk to, so they walked and talked among themselves, where they finally develop huge interest for each other. Gabriel proposed her for a relationship and Sophie accepts and the whole scene is applauded by the party guests present there, with tears of hard work in Anne's and David's eyes.

4 MONTHS FROM THEN

"Get ready darling, you'd be a bride soon." said Ashley, Sophie's mother to her.
"Yes mom, but I need some time."
"Time is all yours, honey."
"Good night."
"Yeah, good night."

The next day, Sophie runs to Gabriel and gives him a tight hug, "I love you so much, but we cannot be together anymore, my mother found a groom for me, and I cannot deny her choice because she's my mother." said she. Gabriel was astonished and wished he'd never heard this. "I understand, try telling her once, I'll never be able to be without you."
"Surely."

The suspense continues for another month.

" Pardon me, do I know you?", said Sophie. "Obviously you do, we've been dating for a long time and you're not recognising me?" said Gabriel, bursting out.
"Security! Get this man outta here!"
"You shouldn't have done that."
"Security!", she screamed.
Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, thought a moment and then kept numb. He left.

David and Anne shameful and astonished of what they did see in Sophie.
"Her rich fiance made her forget about the guy who loved her deeply." said David.
"Perhaps it never was love." said Anne.

He didn't show for long time, abandoned his job, and stayed home for long.
"She left me!" forever the words on his lips.

A MONTH LATER FROM THEN

"Come over here, my love" said Angela to Gabriel.
"I'm coming mom, I'll be there." said Gabriel with wet eyes.

THE PRESENT TIME

Knock is heard on the door of a small house. The door is opened and the lady that opened the door was hugged tightly.
"I love you mom!"
"Your mom will never stop loving you."

Gabriel elaborates the complete happening to his mother.

"Now that I have realized, I loved that girl for a few months so deeply, so wholeheartedly, and what she did was to choose her family's for her choice over that of herself. Well maybe, she was right, because now I realize, that family never leaves us, they may do a tad wrong to us, but never think our bad. Family stays with you forever and loves you until the eternity. I see you. I love you mom." Gabriel hardly speaking that with his voice hitching.
"We love you forever son. Maybe Sophie didn't want to do it, but she did it for some reason and yes son, we will never leave you. We are always here for you, even now and will be by your side, no matter what happens.
The 27 year old Gabriel closes his eyes and falls asleep on her mother's lap, happy about having a loving family.

— Shantanu Shubham

Hope in Enviness

Hardworking father, sacrificing mother,
Together raising their children,
Within the poor family,
They had their own heaven.

Rich relatives, enough to make you blink,
All you can do, is nothing but think,
Of "What was my fault?" in the situation you're in,
Inferiority running under your skin.

You weep, you sob,
You feel alone within a mob,
Being ignored gets embedded in your memory,
All you do, is try to say "goodbye".

They have everything, you envy,
Pretending you're okay, is just your predilection.
You know you're not okay, and you're sorry,
Even when  you're wrong nowhere.

Wheel rotates, feet come front alternatively,
Time is wheel too, ups and downs,
Hoping for a change, will never stop,
We expect the almighty to give us strength.

— Shantanu Shubham

A Promise Flouted to a Promise Kept

"I'll never do, trust me" said Alexander to his father.
"Hope you won't", his father said, " And you know all this is wrong and will kill you someday".
"Yeah!" said Alexander.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

"You're not a man, you don't pose manliness, you moron!" said Frederick to Alexander.
"What makes you think so?" puzzled and insulted Alexander asked him.
"You don't smoke, you don't drink, don't take drugs, what can you be said? Anything else?"
"You'll die."
"We haven't, you're making excuses, because you're not a man and thus can't prove it." Fredrick and his friends burst into laughter.
"What? That's what you think? Let me show you!" Alexander takes the cocaine bag and starts inhaling it.
After 5 minutes, his coordination system gets totally disturbed and he feels of being in heaven.
"You guys were right, it feels amazing!" said Alexander.
"And now you're a man!" said Duke.
Then Alexander becomes used to cocaine and enjoys its consumption. He regularly intakes cocaine and gets addicted.

TWO MONTHS LATER

"Doctor, please, do whatever you can, save him!" says Alexander's father to the doctor of a multi specialist hospital.
"The situation is quite complicated, if something serious is done quickly, there may be paralysis or brain hemorrhage and if we leave him this way, he'll die."
"I can't believe, he broke his promise"
"We'll do our best, but can't assure you of our success."

*Operation theatre bulb goes red*

2 hours later

"The body has been totally paralyzed, the nerves have stopped responding, the medulla oblongata has failed and his heart stopped to death."
"What? He was my only son, my only child, he is my life.", shrieks Alexander's mother to the doctor and groans.

* Everyone bursts in tears and begins to sob and mourn his death*

"Curse the one who seduced him to this, resulting in his death" coaxing his mother, with tears rolling throughout her face.

"Jonathan, remember this, forever, you cannot be the way your uncle Alexander was."  says the mother of Alexander's nephew.
"Maybe mumma, he didn't know, how to stay away from these."
"The world is cruel, everyone's keep score and keep your eyes open. You know what you are and you don't need to prove anything to anyone. Just imagine Jonathan, if he hadn't paid attention to what that seducer Duke had said and if your uncle Alexander hadn't come to that bad company, this might never have happened! Stay away from bad company and choose friends very precisely. Don't just come to what they think, be what you want to be, not what they want you to be."
Jonathan says, "Mummy, I love you so much, I don't want you to sob for me anyway, I'd never do such thing to you and dadda."

"Keep your promise!"
"I will."

— Shantanu Shubham

Story (A Poem)

Red canvas, yellow light,
Right from where you'd go  downstairs, is still in my sight,
Wearing same coloured clothes, and fickle as molasses.
Ah! We both were wearing glasses.

Two, three? I don't know how I do know you.
All I know, your mother introduced we two.
Talking all about English movies and songs,
Shy me and grinning as people passed by us in throngs.

Time passed, photos lost, numbers shared,
Talking about ourselves, and we cared,
Understanding each other, I crack jokes on your celebrity crushes,
Like "For Harshna, Ranbir and Brent fighting on your birthday fusses"

For you, a thousand times over,
For the darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality at times of moral crisis,
For we understand our condition of facing treachery, cajolery and transitory life.
I intuite you, "okay", always.

Trust me, you're my Asian Beauty.
And the one, I'd love to laugh and giggle with.
And for I know, how it is to leave the words, "I'll be by your side", flouted.
I won't leave 'em for you!

— Shantanu Shubham

Happy birthday Harshna, 5th November. This is a birthday present to her in 2015.