Poetry

A PRAYER
Two in a family, he was one.
It was a perfect life
It was a life filled with happiness and joy,
For the mother and her little boy.

Then came the scary dark night.
It was a night when the lady had to fight.
A fight it was, a battle for her own breath.
If she lost, she had to face death.

She called out for help.
That pain was making her unconscious.
During those moments too, she prayed for her son.
For she knew her time was on a run.

Her son was nervous and helpless,
He could not imagine losing his mother, his goddess.
He fought, struggled and cried for her.
He cried out and shouted,’ Please sir!’

The doctors were insensitive to his call
And when they told him she was dead,
He looked at her.
Like an angel she was,
Lying on the bed.

He fell on his knees, cried and hoped that it was a bad dream.
The moment seemed to stay on forever.
When the phone started ringing, I picked up the phone.
I heard him sob.
Like that old man, Bob.
Now I sit here watching him cry.
Don’t know what to tell him, can’t even try.

He loves and adores his mother.
He questions God, ‘Is this how you exercise your power?’
I feel like it s killing all of us inside.
And he’s the one going through all this.
He sits and recalls the good times,
While an uncle consoles him and listens to his words.
I pray to all the mighty Gods,
To comfort and console his pained chords.

HOPE

She sits by the window and watches the rain,
Closes her eyes to let go some off her pain.
She wants her life to be that dream again
But her old friend is lost, lost to life’s game.
She wishes she could speak to her soul,
But her friend has taken it away.

She switches on the radio and makes some tea.
Listens to the song, and remembers times when she was free.
She looks at the mirror and she sees a stranger.
The stranger looks lost in a moment lost forever.
And suddenly she realizes it was a moment that has been lasting forever.

She walks to the window again and it is still raining.
Now she closes her eyes and listens to the rain drops falling.
She smells the rain and feels the rain drops on her fingers.
She realizes she has little time and all she needs now for her is hope.
Just like those days when she was younger and always had a smile on her face.
Now she goes to the radio and switches it on again.
Dances to her favorites and smiles at herself in front of the mirror.
She makes some tea, calls some friends.
And before she knows, the day had come to an end.
Before she went to bed, she looked at herself in the mirror.
She saw herself smiling, and she knew this smile was meant to last forever.

DILEMMA

Dressed in a T shirt that was lemon yellow,
She sat talking to a good old fellow.
It was a day in March.
And they sat under a shady branch.

Remembering the good old days,
When they fought to make their ways,
They laughed till their stomachs ached,
Dint stop for those strange looks’ sake!

As they giggled, he told her about his new love.
While from the branch kept falling flowers that were colored in mauve.
She listened keenly because she had never seen him so serious.
Also to know the girl’s name, she was curious.

He told her she s been on his mind since a year.
But if he told her, he would lose her was his fear.
He even spoke about ‘her’ to his sister.
And she would say, “Go tell her mister!”

Now when he told all this to his friend,
He could not look into her eyes even for a second.
While she was saying, “Tell me her name!”
He kept smiling like he had won some game.
The girl kept wondering what s new with her best pal,
‘Oh Boy!’ He was indeed in love with this ‘her’ gal
While she wondered about his secret,
He had said, “That girl is you “with no regret.

She jumped a little, was quiet for a minute,
Then the words she said was, “Bad prank, fanatic”
Then he told her why he loved her
He even quoted a line or two from Shakespeare.

Friends they would stay, no matter what she would say.
But for his heart break, he would have to pay.
Told her she could take her time,
Pushed off for a fresh soda lime.

Weeks passed by, friends they did remain,
But sometimes he said, “Love has made me insane!”
Played songs for her on the radio,
Sometimes sang songs of goodbye.

When she met him to make sure,
That their friendship was still strong and pure,
He would say, “This pain of love will always endure”
For her it was not easy, for she had two battles.
One within herself and one to keep the friendship alive
But it seemed like on both she could not rely.
Now are the days when they say a lot without having conversations
They are on a level of mixed emotions.
Friends they are, they are also more.
Love and friendship, both she has or both she has lost!
It was indeed a dilemma of love and friendship.

CRUEL and KIND
On a trip to rejuvenate my soul, I visited a green farm
As I walked by, I admired nature’s beauty and charms,
I saw a warm nest,
In it, I saw love evolved to its best.
In the nest was a bird, feeding the young ones.
Also, I saw two small ones that were not from the family.
The mother bird was so generous and kind.
That I thought was the beauty of love and sharing.

I walked further, I saw a little lad.
A lad of seven with a look of an angel
In his eyes I saw innocence and so much pain.
That I was not sure which one I saw more.
He was beaten up by his mother with a cane.
He had refused to beg at a traffic signal carrying his baby sister.

I close my eyes. It seems like I am here now and my soul has tripped over somewhere else.
There is a dream of that mother bird doing her best to her little ones.
And then the nightmare of that mother beating up her own little lad.
And I begin to wonder why men can’t be kinder and why animals are so humane?
Why are the cruelest often the most powerful.
Why hunger can’t die down? Is it because some are being fed by greed?
And over and over again, I ask ‘Should our kinds be so cruel’?

On the creative side -My superhero

I could feel the frigid wind on my face and the night was just getting darker. I looked up at the sky. I saw one shining star and in my mind I heard myself crying....I never thought I would miss him so much....
I really don’t remember how we became friends or when was it that I had started to take him for granted. That was probably because I never did think of him much .All I knew was I loved him a lot for what he was and that was it. But yes, now when I look back, he was always there. After a long day at college, he would be there waiting for me with that warm smile to take me out.
We had a strange rapport. we never told each other how much we loved each other but it was just as normal as any other relationship and I dint believe in bragging and giving it publicity. He could sense when something was wrong and that was what made me very comfortable with him. When he would realize that I was not in my so called "great moods”, we would land up going on long drives...

It was just one of those outings that day. I had finished a long day at college…filled with continuous lectures which weren’t so interesting. We were sitting in the car and he was expecting me to tell him him what had happened that day. Moreover the date for my final seminar was announced in the company where we were doing our final project. We were competing for the best project award and considering the fact that it was a huge company there were more than thousands of entries. This was a lot of pressure but it meant a lot to me considering the fact that I was ambitious. I dint want to talk that day. I was lost in my thoughts when he asked me," Is Everything OK? You seem to be lost somewhere”. I felt I dint have to explain it to him. I did though and I concluded saying, “I can take care of myself. I think I would appreciate it if you don’t ask me anymore questions today" .He just looked at me, smiled and said “But remember I am always your Superhero”. And after that he had taken me for a long drive.

Days went by. I worked really hard for my project and i had started moving away... i don’t know why but i had .We spent very little time together. We were quiet since ten minutes and that wasn’t like us. Finally i broke the silence…I told him to drop me off. After that I dint have the courage to look into his eyes. Before the guilt in my throat could clog me, we had reached the destination. I heard the car brakes screeching and I got out of the car. He looked at me with the same warm smile and said," Don’t miss me too much honey, after I am gone...”

The final seminar day came. He had called me to wish me luck but I was busy with my presentation. So had decided to talk later. I did well. The judges were impressed and all the hard work was worth. Yes, we finally won. We had got the Best Project award at the national level. I could not wait to come back and share my happiness. I was both happy and proud...How I wished he was there to share that moment...I had so many thoughts rushing to my mind when I heard my cell phone ringing. On the other side, there was a man's voice...” Madam, Is this Rachna?"... I said "Yes... May I know who I am talking to" and the voice answered...” Madam. I am Dr.Mohammed calling. Mr.Arun passed away in a car accident this afternoon. I found your number on his cell phone. So I called you...So can you please inform his family.".... I could not believe what I had heard. Here I was celebrating my victory and suddenly , I had received this call which had taken everything away. A Numbness had come over. My Hero had been taken.

Life seemed to have come to a standstill after that. Everything was lifeless...Days passed by but it did not help me forget him.Today it had all come back rushing to me. That star was twinkling bright in the sky...I looked up at the sky with my eyes full of tears and I heard my own voice saying..." Yes Dad, You were right…You are my Superhero....”

Soujanya.R