Me

​Little did I know

Then

That there were

In my heart

A thousand poems

Of a thousand colours

That I just had to set free

And they would

In turn

Set free me

You

The little empty spaces in me

The ones I did not even know existed

You fill them by being yourself

And do not even know

You

I hide behind a wall

In the hope that

You will come

Seek me out

That

You will know

The miracle that is a baby

Tiny fists

And

Tiny toes

Peeking out of furry blankets

Pummeling the air –

How can something so fragile

Pull your heart’s strings so?

*********************

The brother-in-law and his wife became the proud parents of a baby girl earlier this month, giving the family the perfect New Year’s gift. Today was Her Adorableness’s naamkaran. She held the entire family in her thrall, while she was being named after her great grandmother. 🙂

And, oh, best wishes for Pongal, folks! Hope you had a great one!

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Chill

A chill came in

On his frozen feet

And sat down in the midst

Of both of us

Like a wizened old man

In a youth’s gathering

She

Today
The little girl with skipping rope and sand pail
Peeks out from beneath
Her salt-and-pepper hair
And loose folds of skin

Today
There are giggles in her throat
Roses on her cheeks
And words rushing out
Clamouring to get free

Today
She has discovered
That her soul has wings
Her heart is on fire
And the world is hers for the conquering

Little things that get lost

I wanted to tell you
About the one mango that has sprung up
On the tree in front of our house

I wanted to tell you
How the malli plant at home
Yields exactly three flowers every day

I wanted to tell you
That I looked up the recipe for your favourite salted cookies
Yesterday, on the internet

I wanted to tell you
How our neighbour was all praise, the other day
For the pink saree I wore

I wanted to tell you
Of the prank call I received
In the late evening, yesterday

But your cup of tea went from hot to stone cold
And the things meant to be said over tea time
Never got said at all

There formed a layer of neglect
On the surface of your tea
To mock me of stories untold

Rain

The rain comes rushing
In his black chariot of clouds
To meet his beloved earth
And slake the thirst of her soul

Kite

Today

I am a kite

A gay, bright red

And a cheery yellow

Nimble of limb

Giving chase

To cottony white clouds

Up, up, up

In a pale blue sky

You – 6

You

Feel warm

Loving

Like a favourite coat in winter

The lining worn

By use

Smooth and comfortable

Safe and familiar