Mix Tape

 The old shoe box, dust settled thick.

Cassettes full of songs,

Random hits from the 90s; 

Untold stories of life and loss, 

Unsaid chapters of my memories.

That song in my head that made me dance, 

With the rain, in whirling romance.

That song with which we connected once. 

Shared smiles, feelings unsaid

Yet not unheard.

Thanks to that one song.

Then that song, that made me sad, 

Or the one that lifted my mood 

Like a child at play.

That song reminds me of college days.

Of old jeans, and nostalgic lanes: 

Of guitars, and cricket, 

Letters and journals 

Love and heartbreak.

Sitting pretty, half broken in my attic today,

Amidst the heaps of cassettes.

I found one unnamed.

Dusting the title with my fingertips, I smiled 

"Playlist of my Life", it read.

~ Suranya

Stress

 What will I tell them, Dear Heart?

Honestly, I don't know where to start. 

Sleepless nights yet full of dreams. 

Thoughts and music in perfect sync. 

The mind stays alert in signals red,

Promises and flattery are often fake. 

The heart in pain still bled, 

Some wounds never really heal from rest. 

Thoughts that can't be reached, 

Distances that can't be breached.

Between alter egos within; 

Fear and uncertainty lurk there in, 

That often burns the bridges of chances, 

Holding the soul back from a leap of faith; 

And the soul keeps asking questions 

Why do we live with conflicting egos?

While the heart and mind 

Doesn't know how to let go...

~ SURANYA