REMEMBER THE TIME?

Remember the time

I shared with you my fascination

for ancient civilizations

Those broken mud pots

Their funny weapons

Their quaint paintings

Their lifestyle so different

from ours

But the sky was the same then too

The Moon shone just as bright

There was then too a Bloody Moon

The Venus still spoke Love

And Saturn buzzed with so many rings!

Remember the time

I said I wish we were in a time machine

Or moved far away and flowed with the river

Moved back in time or forward

Now just part of a landscape

encompassing a Universe?

I LOST MY VOICE

Somewhere in the innumerous rituals that surrounded your death

and the selfish demands of the living

and in the midst of the abuse

and in the lack of light in your eyes and your perfunctory nods that reiterated your indifference again and again...

while they lit up with animation when my brother so much as came into the room

Somewhere amidst the rules of behavior that children must be seen not heard, that your opinions don't matter, so do as you're told

and the 'isn't it time you started working, you lazy so and so'

and the 'you're in your mid-20s, it's time you got married (even though you're...)'

and in the time that I laughed with the boss at his stupid, senseless jokes, and did his dirty work for him that he so diligently delegated while my promotion dangled in his hands like a knife on a thin thread..

Somewhere about the time I came home to a spouse who found fault with everything I did, nothing is right

whose love swayed with the amount of money I earned

Somewhere amidst the lack of friends who had all got married and disappeared

Somewhere...when I had no say when the 500 Rs notes in my purse turned to mere papers in a moment

and the movie ticket I bought to spend a little quality time with my family doubled overnight making it an unaffordable luxury

Some time when no matter how much I achieved, I couldn't make it to 'first grade' because that's reserved for a certain skin type, for the insider, for the right caste...

Somewhere when I was told that some section was imposed that could take away my living in the wink of an eye and leave me and my family stranded on a road to nowhere...

Somewhere amidst it all....

I lost my voice.

JUST

watching the sylvan expanses flying past in a circle through the train window,

I mull over the past, trying to gauge its relevance to my current scenario...

the sky turns dark, the trees silhouette and the stars appear...

bigger and brighter than at home

My head on my arms, fast asleep....

my musings lie in a heap at my feet.

PROOF OF MY LOVE

there's a waiting in me

my patience the length of your life

let the birds that woke up early this morn

fly back home, their foraging done

the autumn leaf debate its fall

fish have swum to ocean while the little boys hooked their bait

there's the smell of home cooked hotpot

my child runs home fast, her hair flying in the wind

outside the dog chases its own tail

the crow sits on the cow

my neighbor has not tired yet of the bucket he holds

while he explains the merits of organic fertilizers

across the fence

the scratchy squeaky noise of chalk on chalk board

teacher with eyes

at the back of her head that capture the flying paper missile..

the length is the time when a girl smiles

and there's that cute dimple again!

"oh my oh my!"

how many more instances do you want

as proof of my love?

then let me show you

the love line that starts at my wrist

and goes all the way to the rest of our lives

as i wait...

my patience still the length of your life