Overrated

Amongst the many lies we have grown up believing, a sunny day being desirable has stuck with us till date. Its probably a cause for celebration in the West. But, in the context of India’s hotter states, the concept of inviting the sunny weather is so ridiculous it’s laughable.

 

 

Sunlight means one thing here. Hiding. Where are my shades ? Quick, find me an umbrella in case it becomes too much to take. Sunscreen lotions are scrambled for hurriedly and they form a forcefield to shield our gentle skin from the conspiring sun. We squint our eyes at anything in between the innocent sunrise and sunset and hunt desperately for the nearest shades for shelter from the rays. Even humid heat is unwelcome as it can only mean sticky sweat and huge electricity bills due to the AC running round-the-clock.

 

 

As for me, I’d never pretend to be a fan of the summer whose weather can only differ among the hot, hotter and hottest. I wait for the wind that trumpets the arrival of rain, a murky climate symbolic of our longings, the secrets we hold dear and a picture that paints the uncertainty of what’s to come. Nothing beats the weather that’s somewhere in between ‘rainy’ and ‘sunny’, a weather that’s just like you and me.

 

WordPress daily prompt : Sunny

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Strangers exchange- Poem

Strangers meet at an airport

Lugging their own trolley bags,

Spilling its contents :

Butterflies they had caught,

Causes for which they’ve fought,

Epiphanies and reality checks,

The experiences of foreign treks;

The footprints of all that they’d left behind,

Beliefs of the body, soul and mind.

Somewhere in the exchange,

The strangers are encased

In a hybrid bubble

with scents of both their lives :

Together, afresh,

They Blossom anew.

Book Mad- Poem

The clock ticks nine!

Lights out already ?

Too soon for a bookworm.

Night light under bed sheets,

Committing my own secret crime

to figure out who did commit the crime.

No way ! An anti-hero ?

It can’t be, it can’t be.

My eyes glued to the paper

totally immersed in the words

determined to follow them

to the very end.

Uh-oh, my battery dies.

I run up to my dad

to let me read for another minute,

just one last page.

He fails to comprehend

the gravity of the situation.

He says tomorrow. Tomorrow ?

But- but- What about the sad princess

who’s waiting for me

and the wicked sorcerer

who has her in his clutches?!

Alas, if only adults knew

what was important and what was not.

WordPress Daily prompt : Total

True sounding lie- Poem

 

Running breathlessly,

The finish line evasive as ever.

Alone in the hunt –

Inspired creation abandoned,

Bidden goodbye a decade ago.

Chased by dreary shadows

Of a fluid ideal,

Encased by ghosts of

an undefinable exemplar

that haunt me in my slumber :

Madness is my pursuit

that survives through

mythical tales –

tales of Paragon, of perfection.

Residue- Poem

You eased the needle through me

Slid it in, out, in, out

As though I were to be woven.

You branded me with holes,

Now I wear them pretty moles.

Questions asked, fears alleviated

In those bare spaces you created.

Faded marks, now jaded memories,

Grown dim, feeble, flickering –

Never can they be extinguished.

Better to be torn and taped

Than to be broken and replaced.

WordPress Daily Prompt : Puncture

So I hear ..

You yell at me in fury. You make a big fuss, throw tantrums and hurl accusations. I hear the silent pleas to notice that you’re hurt : pleas muffled under your siren-like screams. It doesn’t escape my ear. I pacify.

You whisper in the language of love to me as we reminisce over sweet nothings. Amidst those hushed, soft sing-song notes, I hear your longing for more, loud and clear. I yield.

There are times when your tone is high and squeaky. In the fluctuating fervour of your frenzy, I hear non-negotiable orders for things to be done just right. I consent.

When sentences fall out of you in measured monotones, I feel the facade of strength you erect to appear matter-of-fact and unfazed. Yet, I can’t help but hear the shrieks of agony calling out for help. I comply.

You’re gone, only for the fortnight, and there is a spooky stillness enslaving the air. The roads we take and the home we made are resonant reminders that recite scintillating stories of you. Memories abound, I’m surrounded by your sound. Isn’t it funny that your volume becomes too vociferous for me, only in the silence you set free ?

WordPress Daily prompt : Volume

Win – win : TTT

“Ouch,” she winced as he twisted her hand and forced it to the depths of defeat.

Now his heartless laughter filled the room, merciless despite her misery.

The ex-arm wrestler in her sulked but the momma couldn’t help but beam with pride!

WordPress Daily Prompt: Triumph

Into an amnesiac’s memory- Poem

I live, as though, in another’s stead,

Images Crisp, flash in my head.

Dancing around the shrubs, one summer break,

Served sweet potato fries and delicious steak.

A spring evening, walking down the aisle,

After years of courting, married off in style.

As autumn hit, I hugged my willow tree,

Worried it would shed: My last memory.

Now winter is here, I’m only a recluse,

All it brought me was apathy and abuse.

I’m told my remembrances are false,

By aliens who define me by my flaws.

Apparently, there was no beckoning food,

No diamond rings or the willow wood.

Yet, these pictures light up a present bleak,

Give me strength, when I feel weak.

So I let my desperation and hope speak

And hold on tight with all my might

To these vivid images that just feel right.

Wipe away these memories, my past is dead,

Believe you me, with no question of ‘instead’.

Svelte- Poem

You forget your manners at tea,

Gulp an extra sip, laugh loudly;

Too simple a soul to be called elite,

Yet they call you sophisticated and sweet.

You laugh from your gut, joke around a lot,

In place of a subtle smile that appears taught.

You’re utterly free with your mind and body

Yet they call you pure, they call you refined.

Day after day, I watched you hawk-eyed,

To decipher why the world took your side.

Barriers? They don’t mar you,

Spite? Insufficient to scar you;

Sorrow you thaw,

Embrace humanity’s flaw.

It all fit, as the realisation hit :

It’s my ideas, not your being

That need Polish: a new way of seeing

Your wondrous life led by your own unique law

Leaving all whom you touch to gasp in awe!

The better choice – HAIKU

Brazen, uncut edge

Of diamonds than the polished

lies gild glistens with !

WordPress Daily prompt : Brassy