Capital Punishment – From the Eyes of a Hangman
By Radhika Agrawal

http://www.writerbabu.com/post/4334/capital_punishment_from_the_eyes_of_a_hangman/

Of haunted eyes,
And every man that dies.
Of remorse and penance,
And a guilty conscience.
Of an empty life,
Only full of dread.
Of living in fear
Of what lies ahead.

The words rang in my head,
Another guilty, made it nine.
But as I looked up at the prisoner,
His guilt doubled up with mine.

When I walked down my street,
Their stares bore holes in me.
But they wouldn’t meet my eye,
Afraid of what they’d see.

Yet another night
Of nightmares and shame.
And the morning that followed
Told me reality was the same.

They say that one criminal dead
Is one criminal gone.
But with every man I hang,
A criminal in me is born.

New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve.

By Radhika Agrawal

Thinking about it all,
It’s making me see.
What all I did,
That I could do differently.
But there’s no way I can,
Renovate the way.
The mistakes I’ve made,
Are here to stay.

It’s a funny New Year’s Eve,
The last day of this year.
It came and passed me by,
Left me standing right here.

The beginning, the best,
Couldn’t have asked for more.
Holding the flag up high,
Proud, alive, like never before.

Content with what I had,
The love, frolic, fruition.
Living in the present,
Relishing the action.

Went on unaware,
Of the damage I’d caused.
I never looked back,
Selfishly never paused.

Hurt egos and a lot of pain,
Broken trust was worth the same.
From a carefree little soul,
To everything I became.

But I guess I never learn,
For it hit me yet again.
And hard as I tried,
I couldn’t refrain.

Love washed over me,
Made me live out loud.
I watched the civilisation,
From above the ninth cloud.

And he sang to me,
With his voice so sweet.
Made my heart smile,
And skip a million beats.

I knew I’d love him,
Even before I did.
Didn’t mean to fall so hard,
I was nothing but a kid.

And I got really weak,
Almost gave in.
But I’d always believed,
Deep down, deep within.

I guess I lost myself,
Somewhere down the lane.
But I learned to smile,
Through the unmistakable pain.

Yet I’m standing on top,
Of a mountain of memories.
I’m looking down below,
Smiling, and at ease.

I learned a great deal,
Things I didn’t know before.
And every passing day,
I learn a little more.

Thinking about it all,
It’s making me see.
What all I did,
That I could do differently.
But there’s no way I can,
Renovate the way.
The mistakes I’ve made,
Are here to stay.

War of the worlds!

In this war of the worlds,

I've forgotten how to live.
You take so much from me,
It's time for you to give.

By Radhika Agrawal

How Did I Get So Bitter?

                                                    By Radhika Agrawal

I flinch when someone hugs me,

Or at the slightest human touch.

I dig my nails into my skin,

I dig till it’s too much.

I sit in a silent corner,

Averting my gaze from the curious eyes.

I talk only when I have to,

Conversations made of lies.

I let the phone ring,

And leave the door unanswered.

I hide under the sheets,

Like a bitter coward.

I ignore the life inside of me,

And the empty void of absence.

I suppress my beating heart;

The remorse, regret and repugnance.

A Shattered Dream

A Shattered Dream

                                                                      By Radhika Agrawal

A shattered dream, a broken heart,

A deed gone wrong, she’d done her part.

A bruised ego, an untold secret,

Been there, done that – you name it.

Screaming until her voice went hoarse,

Her heart, her past, full of remorse.

Crying until her tears went dry,

Waiting for the time to fly by.

The web got tangled with every lie,

And the pain deepened with each goodbye.

Tears, guilt – everyday anew,

Reasons to live – very few.

The joys seemed blurred, happiness forever gone,

And this life – a burden, with the crack of every dawn.

Every passing second became a liability,

Alone in her room, yet not away from the humility.

Tired of her cold heart, and the chills,

She lunged forward for the bottle of pills.

She crashed on the bed, with a loud THUP,

Fell into a deep slumber, and never woke up.

Goodbye

Goodbye
By Radhika Agrawal

She looked out the window,
At the luminous sky,
Searching for the ones she'd lost,
Aching for a last goodbye.

She craned her neck,
Urging the blue to appear.
She had waited months for the sea,
To unearth a home for her tears.

She gazed at the portrait,
She had made last night.
She held it close to her heart,
Where it felt just right.

She was proud of her art,
It mirrored all her love.
She hoped and invoked,
That he could see it from above.

Now she stood in the sand,
Unable to weep.
She was tired of promises,
The ones he couldn't keep.

She scuttled towards the water,
An infinitesimal creature in the sea.
She walked closer to the horizon,
To set him free.

She folded her portrait,
The way he had taught her to.
Then she set it amidst the waves,
The way he would do.

Her heart stood in her eyes,
As the boat sailed away.
She smiled, knowing her gift
Would reach her father someday.