Parth Shrivastava

i) Ever since he left,you seldom opened your mouth for conversationsbut often for alcohol. ii) You smoked cigarettes after cigarettesover your mother’s favorite scotch.Just see her one last time, your father saidand you threw up near her coffinin search of a damnable redemption.Take her away and don’t bring her back,your father said.He lost her yesterdayand […]

“The world hasn’t been kind to you lately,” Gauhar said while running her pale fingers over my fresh scars.“When was the last time the world was kind to you?” I asked.“A few times since you first walked into this brothel,” she smiled.I looked into her dark, bottomless eyes and kissed her. The undressing happened faster […]

The fire cackles and laughs mischievously,invites me to her realmand spurts smoke of desires unknownand mother, I need to take the plunge.It is burning hell and heaven together outsidebut my insides are frostbitten.They don’t feel her touch anymore.They don’t listen to my voice anymore.They don’t answer to your prayers anymore.They are just brittle,waiting to disintegratewith […]

So, how should we do this now?My eyes are too damn heavy with guilt.And yours too drunk to even care.And, by God, we are both not yetready to take a look into each other’s eyes.They areblinking too fast;dilating too slow;hiding too often.One day, maybe, when they are soakedwith tears and not with guilt,or alcohol, I’d […]

“Why aren’t you writing these days?”“It’s not a necessity.”“But I heard writers go crazy when they stop writing.”“I’m not one of those writers. In fact, I doubt I am one.”“Don’t pretend you aren’t one.”“I’ve lost my appetite for pretentiousness. It’s all on the paper anyway – the pretentiousness.”“Aren’t you always this cryptic?”“I’m just being…me.”*lights up […]

पहली बार जब तुम्हे पुरानी दिल्ली केकिसी मेट्रो स्टेशन पर देखा था,एक ज़लज़ला सा आया और मेरी ज़मीनतुम्हारी धड़कनों की तरह हिलने सी लगी,और उस ज़लज़ले के ताराज़ के बीचतुम मुझे बे-कफ़न छोड़ गयीं थी वो जनवरी की सर्दी, मेरा लेदर का जैकेट औरतुमने अपनी अम्मी से चुराया हुआवो लाल पश्मीना पहना थासर्द हवाओं और […]

Your voice broke into a thousand notesthat sang goodbyesand I could hear the footsteps fadingthrough time-warp.We called the abandoned rooftop homefor a few hours life could spare for me,and you.Legs hung, heart sunk and waningparapets made space for just twoand we watched the sunextinguishing into the clouds.It cried orange, radiated red andreceded into the blue,all […]

i) The struggle to keep the eyes open turns into a war to find reasons to keep them shut. ii) You can remember the color of lipstick she wore. iii) Kisses become an obligation rather than a routine. iv) Suddenly, they have distinctive tastes. Salty; for the tear-soaked ones. Sweet; for the petty few you are going […]

Hey, how have you been?It rained in my city today andI took out the umbrella you left at my place.It doesn’t open in a go,stubborn as you are,waits for my left and your right,holding still tight,waits for shoulders crashing;random giggling;partial wetting;shadows intertwining;dreams materializing.It confines your omnipresence,looking down on me when I stepout for a cigarette […]

Hey, we should do this again. I’d practice in front of the mirror,different expression every time. My best shirt and over-expensive shoes on. And you will fix the lipstickfor the 23rd time and another. One more round of touch ups and practice, and the infinite loop will go on. I’d curse for the cab for being too slowand you’d run straight […]