His mustard-coloured diary
wrinkled pages, some old receipts
mums dry-clean expenditure
his disliked spending
milk, groceries, vegetables, holidays
a glance now shows price rise
his post breakfast schedule
to jot down monthly expenses
or match to past months
or many a time to previous years amounts
an easy pastime post-retirement
then, a sermon on inflation and
his well-managedlife on savings
pension not applicable
in his private job
the cupboard's corner now imitates the dairy's outline.
The pharmacy's big blue Nivea moisturiser
a bottle permanent on his side table in his last years
his dry skin constantly hungry for the lotion
every drop a temporary relief to his flaky skin
he would agree to no other lotion
my dad a long contributor to Nivea's sales
a gene both daughters have
the same dark blue bottle,
a permanent fixture in our cosmetic space.
Spicy pickles and chutneys,
his all-time must at every meal
bottles replenished by my mum's
tasty mango and gooseberry pickles
his taste buds relished them
a morsel for me from his hand
a time I looked forward to
at mealtimes
those jars and bottles long for his touch
just like the glow on mum's face
and me for that one warm morsel.
Few objects pale to define him
he left us three years before
I see him all around
in objects touched and untouched
as it was also, he, who taught me
what an object is.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
HIS PRESENCE
Sunday, March 16, 2025
FAMILIARITY
The flying dust in the air, the screeching horns, the blaring loudspeakers
birthdays of local leaders on massive billboards at every turn
bikes and motorcycles' daredevil stunts to cut across
auto drivers' incredible manoeuvres through blocked traffic
street hawkers' wares on commuters faces
exhaust from buses and other vehicles, the unwanted face pack
scene in every Indian metropolis or city,
yet every time I travel back to India
these accustomed visuals and muddled commotions
exude a chaotic warmth, silent senses locate a charger in the cacophony.
Night sleep adjusts to the rhythm of the ceiling fan,
a sound tucked in memory of growing years
the barks of stray dogs heighten the nocturnal harmony
The late-night TV sounds of neighbours
the slamming of lift doors, careless footstep sounds on some floors
each note, a lullaby chord, impressions tugging me to deep sleep.
Tunes of different calling bells arouse me from slumber
sounds of the caws of the morning crows,
sometimes squeaks of different birds
I fail to identify, break my dreams.
The cooker whistles in someone's house
sounds of slurping filter coffee in my house
eyes open to some neighbour in yogic posture on a terrace
another doing deep breathing exercises.
Stare down from the balcony
to see morning walker's matching strides
vendors selling fresh flowers, vegetables
sights so colourful and various, my eyes
unable to focus on one.
Each scene so well acquainted to eyes, yet so arresting
the joy of familiarity, the pleasure of the known,
sights, smells and sounds each a part of my being,
I am so comfortable with.
Sunday, February 9, 2025
WORDS
I open groggy eyes and see words dance
some small, some big, some easy, some difficult
and some repetitive,
they converse with me
accompany me to the bathroom, to the kitchen
stare at my sips of lukewarm water,
encircle my husband in my routine morning hug
stretch my yoga poses,
puff with me in my breathing exercises
get wet under the shower
some more new words towelled and dried
join me dressed to slurp my masala chai.
They are in every nook and corner,
on the sofa I sit, on the rug, on the duvet
they slip at times; I catch them
they spill at times on pages, I treasure them
but they do not fail me.
Some pain me, I discard them
few new ones send friend requests,
many give a fleeting glance
couple opt to stay put.
How many requests to accept,
will the old ones feel forgotten, I wonder?
Words of four languages I know, scratch me
vocabulary of some, obese some less visited, skimpy
many a time they sit next to each other
I laugh, friends now, aha.
At times, conduct assessments of my grey streaked memory
come on, they prod, say it, the same word in all four languages.
I try, give in at times, give up at times.
They soothe me, not on all occasions
at times, I crave for pin drop silence
enough, I tell them, just go
obstinate, they do not leave me.
Tired, we all cuddle up each night
drift off to sleep under the same blanket
old ones shift to house the new
all ready for another new day of togetherness.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
RECTANGLE OF LIFE
Verification of cards at every public place
shops, restaurants, ATM's, kiosks, airports
the list endless, humans in a race to amass them
proof of survival collapsed into obese wallets
with multiplied card slots
currency notes pushed to pillion rider's seat.
In the past, cards meant playing cards or greeting cards
playing cards' dog ears exchanged hands during summer or winter breaks
some corner shelf now stacks mildew creased old birthday and new year cards
UNO cards of my daughter's childhood, a shared pass time of ours even now in winter break.
Now cards have many aliases
Credit card, debit card, health care card.
insurance card, national identification card, loyalty cards
some labels unheard of then, now household names
some laminated, some electronic
each updated model an upgraded verification.
Frantic at the loss or theft of a credit or debit card
cards are treasured, they are our daily oxygen,
these small rectangles rule our lives,
who are we without them?
Lost travellers in this modern path of life.
So similar are we to the rectangles we carry
an expiry date printed on each card
we likewise have one each etched the day we are born.
Every traveller one day reaches the expiry date,
a dug-out rectangle on the ground tucks the body
the only rectangle that slips by whole life
rests him or her at the end.
Some cloaked in a coffin
some just buried in the ground
some burnt on a pyre, similar shapes
all preserved cards just waste papers.
Sunday, January 12, 2025
DREAMS
I dust the scattered ones on the duvet, some slip on the floor
swept and lost in winter day's cold grind
few insist on continuation, sequence missed
ruin the grip.
How did they enter our lives,
who taught us to dream?
When do soap operas get created in our sleep,
few with multiple casts as in movie Tenet like
past ancestors and present gen Z collide at times,
backgrounds and characters intermingle in sleep.
A toss or a turn ruins the continuum.
Trickles of daylight evaporate the residual few
the steam of one rest on my plain white cup of chai
I sip my masala chai and caress it with my fingernail
dream flattened on the cup, traces recede in the amygdala
to rehearse another scene for heavy eyelids.
The day rolls brim with duties and activities, night cruises along
yawns stretch, stillness of the night engulfs body and mind.
Lights switched off, I settle under the blanket, accustomed snore of my husband
he in his dreams probably, my eyes close in a deep slumber
dreams costumed and ready enact their part.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
A TRIP BACKWARDS
Growing up emotions cuddled in the orange warm blanket
now forgotten tossed aside in the wooden bunk bed
yellow stained albums of school picnic some unrecognisable faces
black and white pictures carefully preserved then, now unwanted space
hazy numbers on old bundled and forgotten salary slips
paper files of old cheque books and passbooks
announcements of new family additions via postcards
additions, on way to retirement soon
romantic cards and long worded letters arranged date wise
files as antique as the thirty-six years of marital togetherness.
Tedious chore to clear bunk bed and old suitcases
separate obstinate pictures from damp albums
garbage bags queue to fill musky discoloured files
a week's effort cleans the room
old suitcases and bags given in charity.
an age-old-procrastinated task finally accomplished.
Each photo bounces different thoughts
childhood, youth, marriage, children
nostalgia reveals contours of life's stages
many aged family members just remain as pictures
loss a vacuum unoccupied.
mundane task ahead to compress memories in gigabytes
click or swipe in future to see life backwards.
The orange blanket sits alone in the bunkbed
its comfort hugs me in my imagination as I write.
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
NO EXPIRY DATE
DEATH OF THE WEST
I
watch millions of rupees wasted in just a name change
colonized names of Indian cities scrubbed hard by politicians
Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, the endless list
I
stare as citizens relish western fries, burgers and colas
willingly immerse head to toe
in Ray bans and Gucci's to Nikes and Reebok's
free models for all western brands
chained for forever
I
gape at my youth's race for western universities and jobs
the amenities of green card or other Western passports
my blue passport easily bartered
I
soak tears of their parents' eternal wait
and the struggle of grandparents' inability to
comprehend grandchildren's western accents
I fumble
at shops full of
cakes and cards of Halloween and Valentines' day
I
am awestruck at an Indian Prime minister of country that ruled us
and another in nail-biting contest in another western democracy
Who am I?
A country of teeming millions,
an endless market for western commodities
a mute witness to the myriad hats of west
each time a new garb or a new mask to camouflage.