Stare

The darkness stared at him

To find the light

He stared at the darkness 

To find himself!

- Words of Venus|Image by Venus

Black

So dark, so evil

Stay away, you devil

So stark, so real

With head held high, he lived! 

- Words of Venus, Image - Words of Venus

Soul

Watching the chaos at peace,

Listening to Noises in silence...

I sat beneath my soul,

Witnessing life from yonder!

Chaos killed my reality,

Noises deafened my voice...

Life died but soul prevailed,

I witnessed dream from yonder!

When in Love, You know it! Really?

“I am in Love” said Reena. Her eyes gleamed in such a way that it could melt anyone’s heart. Not because it was dramatic, but because she was cute. Oh wait, she was just too cute because she was just 14 years old. “You should meet him once aunty, you will definitely approve to my choice. He is so graceful and handsome. Oh look! There he comes” jumped Reena while her aunt was admiring the newly blossomed second love of Reena and Rakesh. They merrily joined hands and strolling. The scene was a sight to remember. “I am 35 and I never had a partner till now. Is something really wrong with me?” thought Ritu worriedly as she witnessed the spectacular love in the air moment. There were too many questions for which Ritu needed answers. Her heart felt really heavy and she decided to stop Reena. “Reena!” called out Ritu “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”. Without batting an eye Reena walked towards Ritu, “Yes aunty?”. The word aunty echoed in Ritu’s head as she blurted out, “How did you find Rakesh? How does it feel to be in love?”. Shy Reena started explaining with a wide proud smile on her face “It all started when Rakesh posted a funny Bitstrip about Karthik. It made me laugh when I was depressed. You know, Karthik ditched me because I decided to change my relationship status to “in a relationship” when I was in love with him. I told him I won’t add his name in it. Still he got so furious. He didn’t want the world to know about it but I did. Well, Rakesh understood me more and made me laugh. He was Karthik’s senior in school. He kept poking me ha ha ha ha and ...” and continued Reena while Ritu was lost. She couldn’t understand a bit of the whole story let alone the Bitstrip part of it. She started worrying more. She wondered if she had stopped evolving. She was so close to having a panic attack when Reena completed her story “when in love you just know it”. After that conversation Ritu decided to delete her Facebook account which she rarely used. “When I was 14 I was happy with my friends and books that I had to hang out with. May be I missed the point but it is better not to know it” thought Ritu when an unknown man asked her “I think I have seen you somewhere” and she replied “Sorry, I am not available online anymore!”

Lap and Nap!

“But, Ma! I need graphics. Can I get an app instead?” sighed Arya.  Arti was disappointed but she decided to do it today. “Ok. Let’s make a deal. You sit and listen to me for 15 minutes and you get to download all the apps that you want. How’s that?” said Arti. “Awesome!” delighted Arya sat still. Arti read the title of the storybook “Lap and Nap” and read articulately “In a digital jungle, lived a boy name Surya. He had cool virtual pals but no real friends. So, one day..”. Arya didn’t realise that it was past 30 minutes. From that day, Arya just needed a “Lap and Nap” at nights and no apps! Arti was so happy that she Whatsapp-ed her happiness with a Facebook friend of hers!

Woof!

“Girl, get ready. Remember, you have to steal a few hearts at the kitty party. Run now!” said Sundari. Obeying her instructions she swiftly ran to the nearest pond, jumped in and swam. Sundari saw her dripping wet and said “Fantastic! Let’s go to our neighbourhood and rock the show”. They promptly entered their neighbour’s home. Group of women, flashy and bored, looked at them with astonishment. That’s when they witnessed the most spectacular shake by Sundari’s girl - meticulous effort to sprinkle water all over them which lit that place with laughter and scream. In chorus they said “How Cute!”. Bailey said “Woof!” and thought “I was just drying myself. I am so glad that a petty thing like this can make people happy. Sundari is happy. I am happy!” Laughter continued and so did the woof woof!

I will live

     He couldn’t count his last breaths. He was tired. Physically but not mentally. His loved ones formed a protective shield. Love, sympathy, prayers and food overflowed. He didn’t have the stamina to tell them that he was “okay”. So, along with his age he gracefully accepted everything that came his way. “Is there anything that you would want us to do grandpa?” questioned Hari. “Ah, I wish I had few of you with me before. I want one good story to be told for the rest of my life and beyond. Take that pen and note down the title please”. “Sure” said Hari. “Words don’t die”. Hari wrote it down and looked at his smiling grandpa who said “and I will live”. He lived, died and lived gracefully.

Book O' Wine

The smell of books
As divine as wine’s
a step closer to addiction
with every droplet of word
Unlocking the shelves
flings dust of gold
I tell you my friend
It’s always better when its old!

- Inspired by Omar Khayyam

Intelligent Donkey!

“Stay away from me” brayed Montu. “No wonder you are stupid. You don’t associate with intelligent people. How will you grow if you don’t learn? You adamant donkey!” said Mr. Chathurnath. Braying continues and suddenly Mr. Chathurnath realized that Montu was actually laughing. The most shocking part was that Montu was laughing at Mr. Chathurnath. “What’s so funny Mr. Lazy ass” mocked Mr. Chathurnath. “I am adamant. I am lazy. I may be dumb. I don’t want to grow as I have grown to the best or worst already. But it’s a shame” brayed Montu. “Finally you are ashamed” smiled Mr. Chathurnath. “No. It’s a shame that all these years you thought I was a donkey but never realized that I am actually a Mule. You fool!” and the braying continued, happily ever after.

Birthdays Never Die!

She stopped celebrating her birthday. To her it was just another day. It was her birthday and she wanted to spend it alone. Well, if controlling thoughts was as easy as it is shown in the yoga videos she would have definitely spent her day alone floating in air. She couldn't do that and slowly drifted into her past. Right from her childhood she had seen various ways of celebrating birthdays and getting hurt. House parties, surprise parties, midnight parties, parties at an expensive restaurant, parties in the middle of the road, parties with alcohol and music, parties with plethora of gifts and more. Strangely her memory played the nasty trick of remembering things that she should have forgotten and vice-versa. She started thinking about her 5^th birthday. Excitement and expectations were built by her family and friends. So many friends were there accompanied by their parents. Her mother had bought her a cute yellow frock. Her father had bought her a cake that resembled a baby girl’s face. “Make a wish, Make a wish” shouted her friends when she overheard someone say “Why is the face in the cake white? It should be black to look like her”. Part of the crowd laughed out and it was embarrassment that hurt her more than discrimination. She very well remembered her 10^th birthday. The usual excitement and expectations were built by her family and new set of friends. Her mother bought her a new dress. Father bought her a small vanilla cake. No face this time. “Make a wish, Make a wish” shouted her friends when she overheard someone in the group say “The dress doesn't fit her that well, may be her mother should have bought her a better dress”. That day she didn't make a wish but picked a fight with her mother. Her memory took her to her 20^th birthday. Life had changed. Expectations had changed. She had spent many birthdays without her parents by now. This time she wanted to spend it with her first love. She had ignored all her friends and had waited eagerly for one phone-call from that special someone. It was 12:00 am. She waited. It was 12:05 am. She waited. It was 12:30 am. She waited. 1:00 am. She cried for the next whole week and waited for many more months. That special someone neither called nor returned but life moved on. Excitement, expectations, infatuations, disappointments and hurt made her very afraid. Not afraid of anything else but celebrating birthdays. She did manage to spend her birthday without celebrating this time. Though there were cakes, laughter and wine it had no meaning as she considered it to be just another get together with friends. She missed calls as she decided to sleep throughout her birthday. Next day morning her husband’s phone call woke her up with a wide smile. “Good morning sweetheart” whispered her husband. “Good morning” she smiled. “Finally you managed to spend your birthday without celebrating” said her husband. She didn't have the courage to share the reason and was uncertain if her emotions will be understood in the right way. She wasn't happy about not celebrating her first birthday with her husband. So many thoughts had haunted her that pushed her to celebrate her birthday alone “How can I fake a smile? How can I celebrate my birthday without thinking about my past? How can I see my husband get hurt? What if I lose him? Every birthday had brought some disappointment, what’s the surety that it won’t happen again this time?” She was devastated. “I understand that you don’t consider your birthday to be a special occasion but to me it is. After all it was my wife’s birthday yesterday! I wanted to make you feel special. I just want you to be happy” said her husband. In a second her past vanished. She made a promise to herself that she would celebrate her birthdays with her husband. All these years there were only expectations but from that second she had a reason. A reason to celebrate birthdays and a very strong reason to celebrate life. The phone conversation ended and she said to herself “Belated birthday wishes Maya!”

Circle

She had to reach the destination on time. The excitement of meeting similar people thrilled her. She didn't want to reach first but wanted to just reach the destination with grace. With a focused mind she started strolling. She couldn't see anyone in front of her but there was someone following her silently. She didn't dare to look at the stranger as she could sense the presence of a known angel and a very well known devil. She ran. She was expecting to see her destination instead she saw the stranger in front of her. She saw herself - worn and torn. She stopped running. She didn't want to meet similar people after she found herself. And then the magic happened – she lived and died. Peacefully.

Memories

She couldn’t feel the wind. She couldn’t feel the sun. It was burning hot that day and she was sweating profusely. Sweat rolled down her cheeks. The saltiness of her sweat did not bother her a bit, she didn’t flinch. She was frozen on that hot humid day. The stillness didn’t give any chills to anyone as there were neither any passersby nor anyone beside. Ignoring the surroundings she could feel her thoughts. She could feel the pain. She could feel herself. Tear rolled down her cheeks and bothered her a bit, she flinched. Memories took her to trance but truth brought her back to life.

Bindu and Mr. Humble Bumble

Image: Bharath Kumar (bharathkumar27@gmail.com)

She gently touched his wings. Poof! Vanished the butterfly. Bindu stood shocked. She tried her best to run behind the butterfly but it only made her tired. “Are you lost dear kiddo”, asked Ms. Stranger. Bindu stood silent. “My mother has asked me not to talk to strangers. And yes, my teacher said the same too” said Bindu and kept quite. “Your mother is right. I stay in this apartment. My name is Indu and” before Ms. Stranger could finish Bindu cried out “Yey! That rhymes with my name Bindu”. Bindu realised that she should have not told her name and tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. “Oh! No, no. Don’t cry child. I won’t hurt you. You looked lost and I only wanted to help. I will go now. See you later sweet child” said Ms. Stranger and “Poof!” she vanished too.

Bindu kept staring at the flower where she found the butterfly. She wondered how the butterfly fluttered so fast. “Hello little lady” said an unknown voice. Bindu turned around and was about to say that she does not talk to strangers instead she went two steps behind shell-shocked. “Hello little lady, won’t you say hi to me?” smiled the unknown creature. “Who are you? You are so big and fluffy. Well my mother said not to talk to strangers. Only humans can be strangers right? Who are you?” questioned Bindu. “If you have seen a butterfly then you must have seen me too! No?” asked the unknown creature. Bindu thought for a while and one by one the creatures she knew popped out of her mind.

A for Ant
B for Bat
It’s neither a cow
nor a dove!

It’s in my mind
and I do see
How silly of me
It’s a bumble bee!

“Yey! You are a bee. You are so fat”, chuckled Bindu. “I am not fat, I am just big” snapped Mr. Bumble. He looked dejected and Bindu felt sorry. “I didn’t mean to hurt you Mr. Bumble. I am sorry. I am sad myself. I don’t want you to be sad too” apologized Bindu. “That is alright little lady. Why are you sad?” asked Mr. Bumble. “I lost the butterfly. I only wanted to touch him. Poof! He vanished” sulked Bindu. “Ha Ha” laughed Mr. Bumble. “Is that all? Let me help you find the butterfly. Will you fly with me?” asked Mr. Bumble. “Really? Really? You will help me find the butterfly again? You are so humble. Thank you” said Bindu and hopped on Mr. Bumble.  Bindu and Humble Bumble set out on a magical trip.

On their way Mr. Bumble told her so many stories to remember. He also told her the secret of how he can fly so high. Bindu promised that she will never let the secret out. They laughed and sang songs. They were happy. Time flew and that made Bindu nervous again. “We still haven’t found the butterfly. It is getting late. If it gets dark then I will have to go home” said Bindu. “We touched the sky, we touched many flowers, we touched the world and our fingers have the power” said Mr. Bumble. Bindu started losing her temper and shouted “That makes no sense to me. I shouldn’t have trusted you. You are trying to fool me”. She took her palm and was about to cover her face with shame when she saw something wonderful.

Colours!

Every tiny finger of Bindu had a different colour – Blue, Black, White, Grey, Green, Orange, Pink, Red, Violet and Yellow. “Wow! I am so colourful” said Bindu and jumped with joy. She jumped a little too much and fell off Mr. Bumble and screamed.

Bindu saw her mother beside her and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god Ma. You caught me at the right time. I would have got hurt so bad. I just fell off Mr. Humble Bumble” said Bindu anxiously. “Look at my fingers, how colourful they are” said Bindu and proudly showed her hands to her mother. Her mother was keenly listening to her and suddenly said “Oh how beautiful. The butterfly looks really beautiful Bindu. You have painted it so well. So many different colours Blue, Black, White, Grey, Green, Orange, Pink, Red, Violet and Yellow” said her mother with tremendous happiness. Bindu gleamed with joy and pride. She finally found her butterfly and said “Thank you Mr. Humble Bumble. I will never ever let your secret out”. “What secret? Won’t you tell me” pleaded her mother. “Well, he is not fat, he is just big. That’s all can I say Ma.” said Bindu and continued painting. This time it was a rainbow!

Little Miss. Mishti and Mr. Big Brown Tree

Image: Bharath Kumar (bharathkumar27@gmail.com)

Mishti sat beneath a huge tree. “I remember Ms. Mary makes us spell the names of so many fruits. But how do I spell this tree’s name? I can’t find any fruit? I thought all trees had fruits” pondered Mishti. Her tiny mind was trying to connect something that she learnt in class with the tree that she saw, but she just couldn’t. The tree had a huge brown trunk and glossy leaves. Mishti was admiring the beauty of the tree when all of a sudden she felt something was wrong. “Oh Mr. Big Brown Tree, why are your branches hanging in the air?” questioned Mishti. Mr. Big Brown Tree did not understand the question and said “Eh?! Why do you ask that? My branches?”. “Oh you talk! That’s lovely. Now tell me, are you weak and dying Mr. Big Brown Tree?“ asked Mishti with utmost sympathy and she instantly started worrying about the tree. “Oh poor you, you look so sad little girl. I am alright. I am smiling, can’t you see? Come play with me” said Mr. Big Brown Tree. “NO!” yelled Mishti and said “You are sick and I am going to help you”. “Aha! I know what to do. I have always seen Ma water her tiny plants and she always tells me that water keep the plants alive. May be you need some water. Let me fetch a pail of water like Jack” smiled Mishti and she ran to her home to fetch some water.

“Mishti! Why are you panting? Is everything alright? Did anyone scare you? Oh my child,” said her mother Mrs. Vani. Mrs. Vani was appalled. Before Mishti could tell anything Vani’s imagination ran wild and brought tears in her eyes. “No Ma, I am fine. That tree, Mr. Big Brown Tree without fruits and hanging branches needs water. You know, he is dying. But Mr. Big Brown Tree refuses to accept it. I want to save him”, said Mishti. “Which tree? Mr. Big Brown? Hanging branches? Where did you go Mishti? I told you not to go too far,” sighed Mrs. Vani. “Maa! I didn’t go too far. Ms. Mary taught me about directions - left and right. I only wanted to try,” paused Mishti to check which hand should she show and said “left side of our home. You should come with me. You know how to save lives!” jumped Mishti.

Mrs. Vani and Mishti strolled to see the huge tree with a pail of water. On their way Mishti told her Ma so many stories about school, her friends, animals, fairies and dragons. Mrs. Vani experienced all kinds of emotions. She loved listening to Mishti. Mrs. Vani was drifting into her wonderland

Little Miss Mishti
Knows how to talk
Tell stories itsy-bitsy
Every time we walk

Little Miss Mishti
Makes me smile
With giggles itsy-bitsy
We walk for a mile

“Ma! Look, look...See, I told you he is dying,” shouted Mishti. Mrs. Vani looked at the tree and was surprised that she never spotted this tree till now. “That’s a lovely tree. Isn’t it Mishti? He is more green than brown” smiled Mrs. Vani. “Stop wasting time Ma. Let’s go water the tree” screamed Mishti and hurriedly ran towards the trunk of the tree. Mrs. Vani was admiring the warmth of Mishti and the breeze beneath the tree. “Don’t worry Mishti. The tree will not die. Those are not branches. They are the tree’s roots. That’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s a Banyan tree and...” Mishti interrupted before her mother could finish and said “Ok. It may be the Banyan tree but I know he is dying. I will not cry Ma. You don’t have to make stories. I know that roots are always underground. Ms. Mary told me a week ago. Please save him”. Mrs. Vani tried her best to convince Mishti but she wouldn’t listen. While both started arguing the magic happened.

It rained!

Mishti was happy. Mrs. Vani said “why don’t you now shake hands with your Mr. Big Brown Tree and enjoy the rain?” Mrs. Vani stood there, surprised, watching Mishti talk something to the tree and swing on the roots. “There was no sign of rain before. Well, may be Mr. Big Brown Tree is after all the Wish Tree. I remember Ma telling me about the Kalpavriksha – a wish fulfilling tree” wondered Mrs. Vani.

And with enlightened joy Mishti shouted, “I remember now, Banyan is the National Tree of India!! And now I know how you look. Mr. Big Brown Tree, you are the National Tree. Isn’t that amazing?”

Mr. Big Brown Tree was smiling and Mishty questioned “But where are your fruits?”

Mr. Smut

Image: Bharath Kumar (bharathkumar27@gmail.com)

The cockroach crept into the basin hole. The slush in the tube made the cockroach’s ride home a smooth slide. “Ah! What a ride back home, the only part in my life that I enjoy” thought the cockroach. Mr. Smut was very proud of his home. His home was as neat as a new pin. Well, he liked being in filth the whole day but loved spending his night in a fresh corner. His leftover dinner was done and it was time for a mighty slumber. His legs were tired of running. He had to run every day to save his life. “Why do the giant brothers and sisters hate me so much? I don’t hurt them. I try my best to stay away from them. It is the filth that attracts me so much. Why don’t they clear the filth rather than trying to kill me? Am I so evil? May be I am ugly. But I clean myself everyday and try my best to look good. What more can I do?” wondered Mr. Smut. These haunting thoughts always bothered him and he would end up staying up late at nights. It hurt him so much that night and he decided to travel with Mr. Smith, his giant brother, with whom he shared his home. He thought “May be living their life a day will make me a better friendly cockroach”. Mr. Smut slept well and the next day he found his way to the cosy coat pocket of Mr. Smith.

It was a typical day for Mr. Smith. The alarm blew off at 7:00am. He lifted his grogginess with great effort and crawled to his bathroom. Mr. Smut was as fresh as a daisy and was peeping from Mr. Smith’s coat pocket. He was all excited about his day off. He wondered why Mr. Smith looked so tired and dull. He waited and wondered again looking at Mr. Smith. “How did he manage to look so handsome? He just went into that room and he looks like a changed man now! His hair looks so fine and his body smells so nice that I cannot go near him. No wonder he hates me. But wait, I am clean too!” thought Mr. Smut with utmost shock. He kept staring at the way Mr. Smith was getting ready. He found many things in common. He felt that he was as clean as Mr. Smith. He felt that both of them had food very fast. He felt both of them were unsure about how they looked as he witnessed the long-time affair between Mr. Smith and the Mirror. In a jiffy Mr. Smut found himself enjoying a smooth slide. Just that this time he was in a car and Mr. Smith was racing against many other cars. Seldom did he understand that Mr. Smith was racing against time as he was getting late to his appraisal meeting. “Damn!” yelled Mr. Smith, “I am late, AGAIN!”. He was sweating profusely and he was tired already. Mr. Smut felt bad for him and thought “Do we have that room here? He can just go in and come out fresh!”

Mr. Grunt was twiddling with his mobile phone and losing his patience looking at the time. Mr. Smith rushed into the meeting room. “Good morning Mr. Grunt, sorry I got st...” “Oh please!” grumbled Mr. Grunt and continued “You knew it was your appraisal meeting today and of all days you think of giving me excuses today? Just sit down”. Mr. Smut did not understand the situation but did realise that it was not good and continued peeping. He saw an unfinished piece of cheese burger next to Mr. Grunt and was too tempted to jump out but didn't want to take a big risk of getting killed easily. It tempted him even more when he saw the burger thrown in the trash. “Let me just peep” sighed Mr. Smut. The meeting went on for hours. Mr. Smut heard pleads, silence, shouts, blah and more blah. After the meeting Mr. Smith was silent throughout the day. Finally, Mr. Smut found himself enjoying a smooth slide again. This time with a voice that put him to sleep. The radio was playing old melodies which silenced the noise of the bustle.

“Why do the bosses hate me so much? I don’t hurt them. I try my best to stay away from them. I just want to earn some money and worth. Why don’t they clear the prejudices rather than trying to kill me? Am I so evil? May be I am ugly. But I clean myself everyday and try my best to look good. What more can I do?” shouted Mr. Smith. Disappointed, he went to the basin to clean his hands and reached his coat’s pocket to take his handkerchief out. “Yikes! What the heck” gasped Mr. Smith and Mr. Smut fell into the basin. Before Mr. Smith could smash him he found his way through the basin hole. “Wish I could live a cockroach’s life, I wouldn't have to run and fret so much” shouted Mr. Smith. “My life is so similar to yours. Both of us live in filth and are constantly afraid of being killed” snapped Mr. Smut and slid to his home.

Both of them got away from each other and chanted “Home Sweet Home”

Questions to Self!

What job should one do? If we are doing a work dictated by the terms laid by the society then probably we are just wasting time by making money. "What job I do shows how capable I am, makes me feel good", said Mr. Wise. "Who says your are incapable otherwise?", questioned Ms. Ignorant. What defines a standard of living? If we shape our lives based on how others live then probably we are just wasting life by trying to be happy. "My family should live a life which can offer the maximum luxury and joy. I am not bothered about what the world does!", said Mr. Wise. "Who defines what luxury is? What connects luxury with joy? I am not asking if the icing is required, I am just curious to know if the cake is needed." questioned Ms.Ignorant.  

Well, everything is interdependent they say. How true, what is freedom then? So many questions to be answered and so many perspectives to be seen. We cramp our thoughts by yearning to be accepted and recognized by others. Those cramped thoughts gets crippled because of fear - fear of our intelligence being tested, fear of showing our ignorance, fear of being hated, fear of being loved, fear of being afraid. With those cramped and crippled thoughts we walk. We walk without realizing that we have become a movie which majority of people would love to see. Isn't that a good thing? Well, depends on who we are trying to please. Isn't it a cowardly act to find happiness only by pleasing others? They say it's a selfless act, seldom do I understand. 

The house was empty but the thoughts were not. A struggle to disconnect oneself from all the experiences and emotions caused by others. A struggle to cling on to that single thought that is pristine. One will find clinging on to nothingness. Nothingness that explains everything and can make a self experience freedom. Nothingness that will prove that seldom does a person has to please anyone, even the self. Nothingness that will end the fight of acceptance and recognition. For, a self will understand that no other person can actually accept or recognize anybody else, even oneself. One will witness the simplest truth that an embellished body destroys the beauty of a naked body.

Us

Shades of Green
and Shades of White
A leaf that fluttered
With all its might

Shades of hunger
and Shades of pain
A life that flustered
Through day and night!

Colour Me!

The flower bloomed. “Ha! What a sight”, thought the butterfly. She kept looking at the bloomed flower and felt something was missing. Was it the shape or the size? Was it the smell or the colour? She kept ogling at the imperfect beauty with grace. “Ah! It’s the colour. It should have been Pink and Yellow, wonder why it’s Blue”. “Let me take some shades from my wings and paint the flower right” thought the butterfly. With butterflies in her stomach, she took a slender and smooth grass. She dipped it in her shades of Pink and Yellow and started painting the bloom. “Oh no! Why are you stooping? You are about to look the best with my colours on you!”. The bloom said, “Now, I am dying because I am not you. I am stooping low because I am not Blue”. She disappeared before she could listen to the bloom. The bloom died with the new colours and the Butterfly died without her old colours. 

Hera the Hero

“Don’t pick your nose, you look so disgusting when you do that”, yelled the school teacher. He looked at the teacher and thought, “Who cares”, and continued picking his nose – it was fun! Hera was a very active boy. He studied in third standard of a very reputed school. So reputed that the school will not admit a child if his parents were not graduates. Obviously, Hera’s parents were very proud and Hera was, like always, ignorant.

It was just another day. Hera jumped into his dad’s car and was all set for school time. He loved sitting by the window and watching. As soon as the smooth drive started, he started admiring the skyscrapers. His admiration went a little beyond and changed into delight when he imagined the skyscrapers to be huge cone ice creams. He saw different colors, flavors and sizes of ice creams. Hera shouted, “Dad! Look at that giant dark chocolate ice cream. It has nuts on top too”. The scream disturbed his dad’s thought process, he was thinking about work. He said, “Hera my hero, I am a little preoccupied now. Can we talk about your ice creams later?”. The gleaming face of Hera shrunk, “Ok dad. They are not just ice creams, they are giant ones”. Till they reached school, all that lasted was silence. Hera slept well.

School was routine. Hera exactly knew what had to be done. Primarily his activities were limited between the classrooms and toilets. Oh! And there were breaks too. He enjoyed the lunch breaks that lasted for 30 minutes. That was the only time when he could talk to his best friends, Ritu and Anand. Well, school was a routine but the innocent talks were definitely a moment of randomness to Hera. Hera had reached school well ahead of time and he decided to sit and wait for other kids to come. He was hoping to play before he entered his classroom.  He waited and the final bell, to enter the classroom, rang. “Argh”, Hera frowned and started walking sluggishly towards his classroom. He said “Argh” again and this time because his bag was heavier than his imaginary dumbbell.

“May I come in? uh..please” requested Hera. “You are late! Look at all your friends. They were inside the room 5 minutes prior to the final bell. Where were you?” asked his teacher. Hera was confused. “How on earth did I miss seeing all of…oh, how did I miss seeing Ritu and Anand enter the school? I was right there. I was waiting for.. I was.. I was…but..and what happened?” thought Hera. “I heard the bell just now and I came running to the class” said Hera. “He was moving like a turtle teacher, I saw him while I was running” yelled a student from the class. “Argh”, Hera frowned again and was disappointed to see someone let him down. “Hera!” shouted the teacher and said “You cannot be this lazy. You forget to do your homework. You are not attentive in the class. You have no discipline and etiquette….”. By then Hera was lost in his thoughts, dreaming about a tiny fire spitting dragon that laughed while spitting fire, as he could not understand what his teacher was mentioning. “And there you go picking your nose again. Shame on you!”. The class burst out laughing. Ritu and Anand were looking at Hera with dismay. Hera burst out weeping. The fire was put off and the tiny dragon transformed into meaningless tears. “Stand out for 15 minutes and then you can step in. This is your last warning Hera. And stop crying like a baby” blabbered the teacher and continued marking attendance.

Hera stood out - of the classroom. He was still confused. He really could not understand how he turned up late to the class. The confusion changed into a bunch of clouds, just that the clouds had all the colors of a rainbow. He was sitting on the cloud and reciting aloud

One, two and three
Look what I see
four, five, six and seven
Colors in mighty heaven
One, two and three
Look what I see!!

“Why are you not inside the classroom child?” Cloud of confusion disappeared and he saw a tall lady standing in front of him. His neck hurt while he attempted to look at her for more than a minute. The lady knelt down in front of him and repeated “Why are you not inside the classroom child?”.

“I was asked to stand out because I was picking my nose..No..no..because I am lazy…oh no…because I didn’t…no…YES..Because I was late to the class.” The lady asked “but I saw you entering our school way ahead of time”. “I don’t know. May be I went blind because I don’t remember seeing any of my friends enter the school” said Hera with a shrunk face. “Hmmm..anyway..do you like coming to school?”. “I like it. I get to meet Ritu and Anand”, said Hera. “And?”. “Eh..I get to pick my nose because my mother doesn’t let me do that at home. But I don’t think I can do that in school now. The teacher finds me disgusting too” said Hera. “Oh! Picking your nose is not a good habit. It can spread infection. You can fall sick and you can make your friends Ritu and Anand fall sick too. Will you like it? Hera was never so shocked in his life before. “Really?” asked Hera. “Oh! I don’t want my friends to fall sick. I can fall sick and I know my mother will take care of me. If picking nose is going to make Ritu and Anand sick then I promise, pinky promise, that I won’t do it ever, never again”. The lady smiled at his innocence and continued talking, “So, do you want to get in and sit with your friends now?”. Hera jumped up and down with joy and was all set to sit next to his best friends, said “YES. YES. YES. YES”. The lady instructed the teacher to let the kid inside and the teacher obliged.

The bell rang. It was lunch break. Hera dragged Ritu and Anand out of the classroom and went to the Neem tree, which was the only tree amidst the tiny plants, before the spot could be occupied by some other gang. They sat there chatting and sharing food. Hera was talking about his heavy dumbbell and how he exercises daily to build his muscle and become strong. Ritu loved listening to Hera as it took her to a very different world, a world of amusement. Anand would listen and pull Hera’s leg now and then. Three of them loved being together and loved laughing without reasons. While they were chatting, Anand said “Sorry Hera. I saw you sleeping at the stairs but before I could wake you up I saw our class teacher walk hurriedly to our class and I panicked. I ran to the class without you. I am really sorry you had to stand out because of me”. Hera felt great relief and thanked Anand. Anand was confused now. “Why are you thanking me? It was my fault”. Hera said, “Since morning I was breaking my head thinking how I missed seeing all of you. I am glad to know that I just fell asleep and didn’t turn blind. We should celebrate. I am alright. I thought something went wrong. I thought…”. And then it was only laughter, cheers, hugs and kisses that the Neem tree witnessed. The breeze was chill and gentle. The bell rang again!

The day somehow came to end at the school. Different subjects had tired Hera a lot. He looked dull and so did Ritu and Anand. They were waiting for the final bell to ring and the jingle bells rang! What Joy! Kids sprung out of the school – the jacks out of the box. Hera bid adieu to his friends and promised to meet them tomorrow before school. He ran to his dad’s car and was ready to hop in for the smooth drive. All of a sudden the tall lady called him, “Child! Sorry. I didn’t ask your name. What’s your name?”. He said “Hera”. “Oh! You are a gem. Is that your father?”. He said, “Yes, he drops and picks me up every day. He is a superman. Just that at times he won’t listen to me. But it’s okay. I often don’t listen to him too”. Hera’s dad was watching the scene with anxiety. He asked the principal, “Is everything okay? Has he not behaved in his class properly? Should I warn him?”. “Please. No. Nothing has gone wrong. I just wanted to tell you that Hera cannot look disgusting no matter what he does. He is your child” Hera’s dad didn’t understand a word of what she said and the principal explained it to him in detail. Hera watched everything with no reaction and before he could drift into his world his dad called him “hop in Hera. Let’s go home. Shall we?” Hera happily hopped in and hoped to see lots of giant ice creams on his way back home.

Hera asked, “Dad, is sleeping being lazy? Is walking slowly, because of my dumbbell and schoolbag, bad?” His dad said, “No! not at all. Sleeping is good. It keeps your healthy. And you have a valid reason to walk slowly. Nothing wrong Hera”. “Hmmm. Can I pick my nose?” His dad said, “No. It is a bad habit. I think you know the reason why. Your principal told me about it.” Hera smiled, “But for my nose-picking whatever you tell me and whatever my teacher tells me, only confuse me. But it’s great, I meet my tiny dragon, Mr. cloud and many other friends while I am confused”. Hera continued admiring the giant ice-creams. His dad went speechless and realized that few of the buildings do look like giant ice creams, and mumbled “Hera, you are my hero”!

Hera shouted, “I want to become a bodybuilder when I grow up!!!”

Contd..

Laugh without any reason. Teach with proper reasons. Wrong reasons can ruin a moment and a future! 

Trance

The man looked at the tree with awe. “So mighty, so strong”, he thought. He admired the network that the tree had built. The tree had birds with nest, birds with long beaks, tiny animals (almost camouflaged) and little bigger animals (extremely naughty yet lazy). “Look at the fresh green leaves, maybe that’s why the tree is so mighty. Look at those fresh and juicy fruits, maybe the ability to bear and share makes the tree so strong. The tree has so many living beings which will never let loneliness creep in, may be that gives life. Hmmmm”. The man was lost in thoughts. He was so immersed in admiring the nature’s beauty that he went into trance.

Many years later reality hit him. He opened his eyes. There were no birds, no animals, no leaves and no fruits. It was just the tree standing still – Still mighty, still strong. The man was depressed, he screamed.”How cruel is this world, why didn’t it let the mighty tree live longer? How cruel”. He heard himself saying “I am still alive. I feel much better without the unnecessary companions who crowded my thoughts and life. I never wanted to bear and share. I am happier to stand alone and admire the beauty alone. Just like how you did. You got a little involved and look how depressing it is. I am happy and I thank you”. The man experienced silence. He was so immersed in admiring the nature’s beauty that he went into trance – again!

- Words of Venus

Naked Thoughts!

The room was dimly lit. He sat there staring at the naked, fiery and gleaming beauty. The bright red colour meant nothing in front of the voluptuous richness. He kept staring. The heat and light melted his thoughts and mind. The mesmerizing fragrance kindled his lust. Every move sparked off all his senses. He felt touched; he felt alive. He had missed this so much. For years he couldn't see her and today she stood there – smiling at him. So many words unsaid. So many moments that died in imagination. Rage and love conquered his presence. He was about to hold her tight and shrivel in her arms when suddenly her body fluttered. In a second he could see nothing. He wiped his tears and slept restlessly in a dark room. The room was dimly lit by a red candle. The candle lost its life because of his tears and he lost his thoughts. 

I am not you

I am accepted
For what I am not
My heart bleeds
But heals fast
For I am what I am!

- Words of Venus

Live a little longer

Every discovery is praised
Every invention is awarded
For mankind needs remedies
Which when used
One grows stronger, lives longer

Get lost in nature finding oneself
Get lost in self accepting oneself
For, remedy of life is death
Which when seen
One lives now, a little longer!

- Words of Venus

Reality vs Reality

Chirp of birds and Touch of wind Took me to a world Yet to be seen Oh, what joy! The freshness in the air I could touch delight definitely a class apart Burp of humans and Noise of roads Took me to a world Where I belong Oh, I cry! The stench in the air I experienced pain that ripped me apart

- Words of Venus

Blind

Here and there
Truth or lie?
I shall not know
Till I die!

In my mind
I do know
We just see
But are always blind!

Chaos!

What life is a life without people?

A dense jungle without roars!!

What life is a life with people?

A dense jungle without peace!!

There are times when you indulge…

And times when you divulge

But what would you want to ignore?

World or your world?

Well, what life is a life without people?

A dense jungle without roars!!

Words of - Venus

Image Source: http://scottyonker.com/order-chaos/