| Wo ujala aaj-kal khamosh hai, Mujh andhere ko roshan wo karta nahi, Chiraag jalte the raat bhar jinki raaho me, Wo shams ab raho me jalta nahi. | The light is rather mute; It doesn’t penetrate my night. Whose path my lamps lighted in dark, My path that Sun does not light. |
| Maikado ne unko aawaz di, Jaam bhar ke yuhi chhalak gaye, Palko ke lafz bikharate rahe umr bhar, Hum kehte nahi, woh sunte nahi. | Glasses called wordlessly; Wine kept filling and spilling– Eyes lost words through life; I didn’t say, he heard nothing. |
Category: Random Thoughts
Alien Abduction: Can’t Wait
I was just answering Colin McQueen on a dystopian scenario of our world once all humans are abducted by aliens. I started answering him, reminiscing the time of COVID lockdown and after sometime I realised that the comment was nearly the standard size of my post. 🤪 So why not create a post out of it. (Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle)
I can only imagine how the world would look like if there we no humans left on Earth. In essence, it would look something like COVID lockdown.
Fauna visits became a norm. Three days in, birds came tapping on windows to check if we were extinct yet. My house sits next to the city’s main road, which was empty due to zero traffic and peacocks, dogs and feral cows started claiming the, then disused, road. Babblers, Bulbuls, Sunbirds decided humans were not to be feared and sat in hordes on our windows, checking out property for housing. Squirrels decided they could enter and begin claiming their nook inside our house too.
50+ Pigeons and 50+ crows sat on both sides of our building, waiting for the gang-war to begin. Hundreds of Steppe Eagles crossed overhead too close for comfort.
The trees alongside our house got so huge that their branches ended on next door’s roof and inside our windows. (We need special government permission to cut the branches but since offices were closed, no permission to be had and no one to cut the trees anyway). Ants and termites decided to take over the world, bees joined ranks with spiders in tow. Multitude of mice (no rat poison, no shops), lizards, snakes, centipedes and other ‘guests’ tried to make themselves at home. And that was just three months. Imagine three years or thirty being the only survivors of a world with no other humans.
I would choose alien abduction any day.
Weeds
Author’s note: This is my first attempt at ghost writing. The idea and image are supplied by Asna Ali.
I am weeding today.
Inside.
I shouldn’t have.
I let it go on for too long, I guess.
The very soil of my being hidden behind
Years and years of procrastination,
lies, pretenses, fake smiles.
And more lies.
They hold tight to my soil,
Impossible to shake off.
I’ve been weeding relentlessly,
Heart aching
Where I had pulled at the roots.
But nothing gives.
Gaah! No point bothering.
Besides, it is just grass!
Tomorrow, I’ll just put on
a layer of fresh lies to hide it! Sigh!
Things I can’t live without
Lately, an article by Colin McQueen left me pondering about things I can’t live without. If I had to take only three things, what will I take?
Of course, we are not counting humans or pets, otherwise I will include my daughter and, by association, her barbie set and their one thousand dresses, her unicorn, the medical kit, a large array of food dishes…
Also, I will include my husband and with him comes his mobile phone, wifi connection, mobile charger, bike cleaning kit, the said bike…
I will include my parents as well and with them comes their phones, playing card stack, ludo set, their laptop, kitchen supplies…
So, in that case, I might take the whole house itself–Why leave the poor thing behind alone and empty?
So I will just things take three things then: mobile phone and laptop, and my debit card for the rest. I mean, the hotels, restaurant and malls are not going anywhere, are they?
This list pretty practical but even as I write it I know it is a lie. I am not a practical person. I live my life like pendulum swinging between being practical and being myself. So, if there were only three things to take, I will take my drawing kit, pen and a diary because these are the things I can’t live without.
My drawing kit: Even in the years I didn’t paint (there were twelve of them), I kept my drawing kit with me as a talisman. I was going through a tough time initially and then, I just left it all behind in the race of life. I would look at the kit and tell myself that I am going to paint someday but never get down it. It was my daughter who drew me out that dark hole and made me paint with her.
It is still difficult because painting reminds me of a lot of could-have-beens but I am trying to make peace with myself that I will never be a world-renowned painter but I am a kick-ass Instructional Designer who can also paint. So, my drawing kit is coming.
A pen and a diary: During school and college days, I always had a decent supply of pens–different colours, cute and inexpensive. (What? I bought it all with my pocket money and while my father was doting, he wasn’t Bill Gates. My pocket money was enough to let me buy little things I liked but I could never afford an expensive Parker pen on my pocket money. My father would get me those.) I also had a huge array of diaries, all supplied by my father: one for songs, one for poetry, several for friends to fill, one for… Well, I think you get the point.
I stopped writing at the same time as I stopped painting. But without be a pen and a notebook, I still feel vulnerable. So, I was hoarding them too until my daughter got the whiff of them. One-by-one my pens started disappearing and now, if I need to write down anything at all, I have to borrow her pencil (pens are all used, empty and probably in a landfill now). In my daughter’s defence, I wasn’t using them anyway. But still the lack of pens makes me feel vulnerable. So I keep on getting new ones though they are bound to disappear the same way within a week. Hence my pens remained inexpensive. I hid my diaries from my daughter so well that I can’t find them anymore. But at least they are still somewhere around here. I will find them once the time comes to live with three things.
And then, I will slip my little debit card in my pocket where no one can see it. (Afterall, the restaurants, hotels and malls still aren’t going anywhere!)
Khushboo
Tapti mitti khwabo me soundhi khushboo deti h.
Teri rehmat shayad khidhkiyo se dil tak aayi h.
Translation:
I dream of fragrant first rains
in hot and fiery lands–
Through the windows your blessings
sneak into my weary heart.
Author’s note: In Urdu, rains are considered a blessing since they are the harbinger of relief, growth, prosperity and plenty. When the first rain of rainy season touches dry land, the land becomes fragrant and touches the very soul of Indians. It beckons children and adults alike to rush out and feel the raindrops on their faces.
Day Brightener – The Journey Of Life Over The Years
Here’s something sweet from Loren!
* I’ve learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing “Silent Night.” Age 5
* I’ve learned that our dog doesn’t want to eat my broccoli either. Age 7
* I’ve learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9
* I’ve learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. Age 12
* I’ve learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 14
* I’ve learned that although it’s hard to admit it, I’m secretly glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15
* I’ve learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. Age 24
* I’ve learned that brushing my child’s hair is one of life’s great…
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Burning: Lantern
Glaciers
are melting
with jealousy, anger,
hatered; global-warming just
an excuse.
In Time
Love, like fragrance of flowers,
Is not lost with passage of time–
Merely concentrated in the core of our petals.
To smell it, you have to believe in it.
4th Rebirth Day Celebration
4 years back, I decided to give my blog a new lease of life. Earlier, it was created to post silly photos. But I decided it needed more silliness so I started adding stories to it. 😯
Before that, I had only told stories to my nephew and my 2-year-old daughter. I didn’t feel qualified enough to badger the world with what I thought. But then, I decided it doesn’t hurt anyone. I had no followers anyway. 😋
Today there are 502 of us here. Well, I am a part of the crowd too, my own cheerleader. 😊
Thank you for sticking to me, having my back, helping me through my writer’s block, just being there listening to me rant and adding your own perspective in the comments.
Lately, I had been absent a lot. Been busy with my book, looking for literary agents and then, life as usual has been keeping me away. But mentally, I am always here with you, wanting to tell a new story, share what my daughter cooked up (she has been cooking clay food lately. I have seen green Pizza, brown dumplings purple icecreams with pearls 🥘🥟 🍦…) 😋 Please feel free to eat!
Please continue the support as I struggle to get back on the track.
Thank you everyone! I love you all!
Rapunzel 2.0
Where is that crazy girl who calls me Rapunzel? I am no Rapunzel. What does it even mean? If someone insists on giving a name, I would say “Henry” may be more suitable to my age and gender. But these human kids have a knack of giving weird names. One of them even called me “Gandalf, the gray”. But I guess it is still better than “Rapunzel” any day.
Hmmm, coming back to Rapunzel, where is that weird girl who used to try talking to me every day, complaining that I wasn’t responding and being rude. I would be sitting quietly on my favourite branch while soaking up the sun on those cold mornings, listening to the loud, raucous, erratic music created by those huge things that humans travel in, when she would open the window of her third floor room and begin chatting up like I’m an old friend. She would ask about my day, my nest and how the kids were doing, as if I would have time to sit there if I still had kids. They have flown away to find their own life–every single one of them since I and Mrs. got together. Now that she too has moved on to the higher skies, I would rather spend my time sitting quietly remembering her rather than play with a pesky kid.
But it still doesn’t make sense. She was always here, playing in this room and one fine day she was gone. I haven’t seen her in so many days. It left me uneasy. May be she too has flown away. But that couldn’t be possible. Sometimes, I hear her voice from lower floors but she doesn’t come to our window anymore.
Is she being kept a captive? Not sure why I felt the compulsion but I had to find out so I tried sneaking into the house–thrice. But I was always thwarted by that big human who said something like “Fan” and closed windows on my face. When I enquired with her about the little girl through the window glass, all she did was look at me like she couldn’t understand me and say, “Rapunzel, Betu’s gone school”. Moron! Fine, I’ll just sit here and enjoy my music.
Humph! May be I will turn my back to the window. That should help the urge to look out for the little inconsiderate brat, worrying an old bird like me because she is too busy to come visit!
“Oh Rapunzel! You were right mom, Rapunzel is waiting for me.”
“For the last time, my name is NOT Rapunzel!”
“Mom, I think Rapunzel is talking to me again!”
What the ****?! Humph! I’ll just ignore her as always. Now where is that music when I need it?
Short Stories | Fish-eye Perspective 