WHERE DID I BLUNDER?
My eyes tingled
As , unobserved, with the crowd I mingled.
With panic gripped
When on the ground I tripped
But no one raised a brow
Impassively from a telephone wire watched a dove.
None did yell
When on the ground I fell
Or lent a helping hand to a fallen man
But as if , in a rodent derby , they ran
In helter skelter confusion
The road, of myriad sounds a weird fusion.
Hysterically , the wind howled
And the traffic viciously snarled .
But, like a spirit lost, I sailed along lightly
Missing my home mightily.
Ah, at last, I was home, home sweet home.
In the beams of the bloated moon {Was it on steroids?}
My name plate beamed .
Or so it seemed.
I peeped through the window
Yearning to know
How my family caring
In my absence was faring .
Ah, here I now stand outside my sweet home .
I almost choke
Seeing my loved folk
Laughing boisterously and talking
One with irrepressible mirth almost rocking .
Come on , I am not stalking.
Ah, soft, she comes, she comes.
A happy song my heart hums.
The sky which once was an ingenuous blue
Suddenly assumes a darker hue.
She stands near the window.
Is she smiling? How can she smile?
I seethe
Gnashing my teeth
And banging my feet.
And then she is gone.
Is she not sad that she will now grow old alone?
No, I am not furious
But just a little curious .
Curiosity killed the cat , they say.
But, perish the thought
Wasn't I killed almost a year back?
In a road accident severe.
I wipe away an invisible tear.
There is the aroma of roast in the oven
Have they forgotten how I loved it ?
It was as though in the solar plexus I was hit.
It is unmistakable.
The aroma , I mean.
I am not able
To stop my invisible tears
Am I forgotten so soon ?
The moon
Hides under a cloud, not having an answer.
I dare one last look at my photo in the frame.
No, I no longer look the same .
In the frame I am beaming
Or, maybe I am dreaming?
Oh, where did I blunder?
Overhead , the clouds thunder.
With one vicious tug
I yank away the name plate from the wall.
And despite my sudden stoop, try to walk tall.
Away from the cacophony and clamour
The glitz and the glamour
Of a world in a hurry
To bury
Me and my memories too .
With the aroma of the roast in my nostrils embedded.
Towards a different path now I headed.
They had moved on.
I too had to move on.
It was time again to be bedded.
Ah, I was finally home, home sweet home,
No more would I roam
I could now rust in peace six feet under.
As , unobserved, with the crowd I mingled.
With panic gripped
When on the ground I tripped
But no one raised a brow
Impassively from a telephone wire watched a dove.
None did yell
When on the ground I fell
Or lent a helping hand to a fallen man
But as if , in a rodent derby , they ran
In helter skelter confusion
The road, of myriad sounds a weird fusion.
Hysterically , the wind howled
And the traffic viciously snarled .
But, like a spirit lost, I sailed along lightly
Missing my home mightily.
Ah, at last, I was home, home sweet home.
In the beams of the bloated moon {Was it on steroids?}
My name plate beamed .
Or so it seemed.
I peeped through the window
Yearning to know
How my family caring
In my absence was faring .
Ah, here I now stand outside my sweet home .
I almost choke
Seeing my loved folk
Laughing boisterously and talking
One with irrepressible mirth almost rocking .
Come on , I am not stalking.
Ah, soft, she comes, she comes.
A happy song my heart hums.
The sky which once was an ingenuous blue
Suddenly assumes a darker hue.
She stands near the window.
Is she smiling? How can she smile?
I seethe
Gnashing my teeth
And banging my feet.
And then she is gone.
Is she not sad that she will now grow old alone?
No, I am not furious
But just a little curious .
Curiosity killed the cat , they say.
But, perish the thought
Wasn't I killed almost a year back?
In a road accident severe.
I wipe away an invisible tear.
There is the aroma of roast in the oven
Have they forgotten how I loved it ?
It was as though in the solar plexus I was hit.
It is unmistakable.
The aroma , I mean.
I am not able
To stop my invisible tears
Am I forgotten so soon ?
The moon
Hides under a cloud, not having an answer.
I dare one last look at my photo in the frame.
No, I no longer look the same .
In the frame I am beaming
Or, maybe I am dreaming?
Oh, where did I blunder?
Overhead , the clouds thunder.
With one vicious tug
I yank away the name plate from the wall.
And despite my sudden stoop, try to walk tall.
Away from the cacophony and clamour
The glitz and the glamour
Of a world in a hurry
To bury
Me and my memories too .
With the aroma of the roast in my nostrils embedded.
Towards a different path now I headed.
They had moved on.
I too had to move on.
It was time again to be bedded.
Ah, I was finally home, home sweet home,
No more would I roam
I could now rust in peace six feet under.
As is usual with Santosh's work, I had no idea where this piece was going. Practically all of it is surprising. Never once in my entire life has the prospect of coming back for a visit after I've died, occurred to me. Now I'll add that to my thought options, like a dream awake! I've thought of going through it's files after I attain Heaven, even going on a day- trip to Hell from there, (to speak with miscreants resident there). I can now see that there is much more to the Afterlife than I had previously appreciated. Thanks, Santosh!
ReplyDeletethanks a lot for reading and commenting, Pete.
ReplyDelete