A picture of Morgan House in Kalimpong, believed to be one of the most haunted places in India. It now serves as a governor sponsored hotel. Photo taken by me during my visit to the hills in December, 2023.
On days, like today, when the sky looks a lot more grey
And the bright violet hues of sunset are replaced,
By shades far gloomier than usual;
The cuckoos sing but songs of despair
And the Flowers no longer dance to the pitter-patter of raindrops
As they get all weary from enduring the thunderstorm;
On days like that
When making my evening cup of espresso
Feels like the most arduous task in the world;
I take out the old shoe box stuffed atop my cupboard –
A treasure trove of all the priceless moments acquired over the years,
Like pensieves used by magical folks –
Postcards, letters and old photographs;
And I read them over and over again
Or perhaps stare at all the old pictures.
I find the letters you once wrote me,
Describing how my curly tresses fell on my forehead,
Like ivy vines growing on an old fortress.
I look at the polaroid we took,
On our first date in that shabby coffee shop,
That has now ceased to exist.
I think of all the good times that have gone by,
All that were and all that could have been;
Trying to unravel the mysteries of this cosmos
Of how tiny specks in the maze of time,
Alter everything we have ever known and experienced.
Earlier I had written about first love and teenage romances, but never have I written anything for the friend I had when I was really young; the one with whom I grew up and then under various circumstances we lost touch and then never spoke again. We never had any ugly fights or disagreements but simply moved apart. This goes out to the girl, I was once very close to and who had shaped my life in many different ways. Thank You !!
Here’s to the girl I met when I was just ten,
Sitting all by myself in the class on the front bench.
I was shy and a little clumsy,
While you were chirpy and forever busy.
I never thought we would be friends,
But guess what, sometimes what you least expect
Is exactly what happens.
You taught me the names of all the boys
And ways to heal my regular heart-breaks.
I helped you with the periodic table,
Your homework and kept you out of trouble.
Do you know that one music video you showed me,
Of some random country singer on the rise ?
She happens to be my favourite now;
And only last week I attended a concert
Sitting on the very front row.
You changed my hairstyle,
From boring braids to chic ponytails.
You kept me updated with the in-vogue fashion trends
I changed my dungarees to sleek denim pants.
You touched my life in more ways than one,
To my gloomy days you added the element of fun.
I would have been lost in oblivion,
Amidst the ocean of pre-pubertal teens
Had you not saved me
Adding colour to my wings.
We were the most unlikely of pals,
As people often said.
We had almost nothing in common,
And that worked in a good way;
Like enhancing the taste of an apple pie
With just a pinch of cinnamon.
I do not remember when exactly we stopped talking,
There never were arguments nor fights
But I guess it was just life happening.
We moved to different cities
And got busy fighting our own battles.
We met new friends, fell in love,
Sometimes felt lonely and then bounced back again.
It was only yesterday I scrolled through Facebook
And a photo popped up of the two of us,
From our high school yearbook.
It was just another memory on social media,
That made me think of you after so many years.
I wish we spoke and stayed in contact,
After all you had upon me a deep impact.
I owe to you a lot of what I am today,
From the way I dress to being mindful of what I say.
My life was dull, even though I was doing just fine
And then you crash-landed like a ray of sunshine,
Changing it forever with a hint of your chaotic mess.
livelovelaugh893 