Oh to be alive

Innocent souls they were ready for another day,    oblivious to danger, they laughed and played. They knew not what it would mean to leave their home bay; they knew not their lives would be snuffed out and leave such pain. What’s come on us, where are we heading? Does loneliness indeed lead one astray? They say he was bright, but a loner too, did no one see what he was thinking all through? Kids in school, away from their moms, not a moment did it take to leave a void in those arms. Where do we get the courage to send them out again? How do I tell them be good, study and stay safe? There were heroes among those who died, just on the verge as they were of a full life. May such a heinous act not happen again, let’s put the guns away and teach our kids to pray, maybe there’s some truth in that, lost souls need to follow a dedicated way, they need to be loved too, not shunned away. It may not be the answer, it may not ease the pain...

They did what they could, to defile her that day, they violated and mutilated her body, then just threw her away. She fought back bravely, did not plead nor relent; she was alert and spirited, even as her body was grotesque with bleeds. There are millions like her, dying every day, she wrestled and she  grappled, to wish them away. Everyone was baying for their blood, wanting to narrow down to a kill, she did what she could, alive yet still. Where was the curse, where was the ire, why was the bestial in us, out with such fire? Where was it lost among the humans, the ability to respect and coexist? Whether it was a body raped or a lewd gesture, where did we go wrong, where did it begin? Impinging on freedom, debasing even blasphemy! Was it Iblis (Satan) and his tribe? Or was God still testing mankind? Questions sometimes rush through my mind. Questions to which there are no answers. Or perhaps we all know the answers but refuse to gle...

Her little palm curled around his fingers, she exclaimed in glee, I want this house with the garden, why do they, not agree? He had no answers for the little one, all he said was, what’s the  hurry? She piped loud and clear, we’ve done the rounds, looking high and low; everyone says the same thing, you know: you are  nice people, without doubt   we’d say, but it is against our policy, to have you live in the neighbourhood, is beyond everyone’s imagination and isn’t it understood? Another child, in another time, frolicked in her friend’s bower, she played in a garden of Eden, literally, for they had Jesus as their God, and hers was the fire God, you see;  Everyone was at ease, no one around did cower. Their other neighbours, were Nanak’s children; at the far end, were the ones who prayed to Allah supreme. Around the corner was a home with bells ringing, mantras emanating,  morning and eve,   yet all the n...

The world, apart from being a magnificent creation: a kaleidoscope of multi-hued facets and melodious to jarring sounds, is also perhaps peopled by beautiful human beings. One doesn’t find them easily, but often bumps into them when one is not really looking. My faith in humanity was restored in the most satisfyingly, amazing way recently, through people I didn’t know from Adam and Eve, to use a clichéd phrase. Just when I was beginning to think of myself as a misanthrope, there came, out of the blue, literally, or with a certain divinity, a chain of incidents that changed my perspective. In fact, not really changed, but returned it to what it used to be: open, trusting and acceptingly tolerant and well, forgiving. Just for a lark, I had decided to get henna applied on my hands and arms, as is the practice, in not only many parts of our own country but, also elsewhere in the world. It is considered auspicious and apart from beautifying, it is soothing to the eye. Also, the intr...

Dusk was setting in as she made her way through the fields with ease and expertise. This is where she had spent each working day. She really didn’t need the light of the stars to guide her. It was as if there was a compass embedded in her feet, or would one say heart. Every Sunday she had made this journey, as if a voyage to the end of the earth. For her it was her world. The village was always tranquil at this time of the day with an occasional loud banshee like whistling, from the new factory recently opened on the outskirts, breaking the peace and quiet. Walking through the village was akin to wading through layers, a labyrinth so complex that an outsider would certainly not venture anywhere alone. For her though, it was nothing short of a pilgrimage, a ritual, a habit, she could not let go of; a reason for her being alive:  A promise to keep, a commitment, something, about long ago.    She entered the neat little hut at the edge of the field and quickly fin...

The emperor’s clothes were a must see, eyes wide open, they thronged the streets, a heavy silence cloaked the air, when people realized, he was indeed bare! No one uttered a sound, this really did confound, why was no one calling a spade, a spade? What really was the case? Was he dressed, or even when one could see, something forbade, the truthful decree, till a child proclaimed in glee. Life is a lot the same, bared souls writhe in pain, the ones with a cloaked mantle,  happily sustain. Ironic or crazy, the divide is blurred by deceit, naked or clothed, it’s for you to see.

We often look for reasons to complain, wanting always to frown with disdain. Most pass through life, pompous and vain, often playing the blame game. Looking within is a rare strain, few have the courage to go against the grain. When they do, there’s not much to feign, ‘cause everything else seems so lame. They carry on in spite of pain, for they have nothing to lose or gain. Their sights are set on a different plane, everything else is unadorned and inane. Recognizing the spark within is the aim, winning or losing its just a name.