Promises!

She gave me wings and made fly

Wiped the tears that i didn’t cry

She played me tunes and sang my song

Sweetest surrender and we rode along

The sky was blue and high we flew

Sailing on clouds to a place none knew

Free-spirited innocence of a child

Her love flowed and we ran wild

Kisses so sweet and her feathery touch

She lit up the sun, her smile was such

Had heard of fairies and known their tales

Her magic wand it never fails

We ventured far and i wanted more

My careless wish settled the score

She had to go and kissed goodbye

Promises of love they have to die!

Never

Like the most loyal friend

Loneliness follows until the end

Shadows in the darkness

The ones missed in light

Bitterness of this night

Goodbye blue sky

I know why

I would rather let you go

Not my horizon

Now i know

Dream another day

Feel another day

Fight another day

Cry another day

Love never!

The Night

The night i never forgot. It was Diwali and i must have been 7 years old. Though the memories are faint and the visuals of the night blurred, i remember the night. I do know i was the quintessential Indian kid with an undying passion and excitement for the festival of lights. We looked forward to Diwali with utmost avidity from the time the Durga Pooja began. The holidays meant being away from school for a good number of days after a rigorous 3-4 months of routined, placid and insipid life. To add to the fervour, was the city, beautifully adorned for the festivities. The sight on Diwali specially has always been exhilarating. The lights, the diyas, the candles, the lamps bejewelled every household in town. It was the best time of the year for me. The holiday, the new clothes and the crackers sent me into ecstatic frenzy. We went to our Nani’s like we usually did for any festival. Mama’s house was always stocked with more fire-crackers than i could ever imagine bursting in a single night. The rockets and the star sprinklers and the loud ones which could give the faint-hearted a heart attack! They had it all. I had quite a time  and  after a few hours of zealous show of crackers and a sumptuous meal it was time to get back home. I got inside the backseat of our Premier Padmini (Fiat) car and rightfully fought with my two sisters for the window seat which i always thought i deserved for being the youngest one. We bid goodbye to our cousins and were on our way. The hustle of the city had died down and there were few candles on the walls and terraces to be seen now. They too seemed to be flickering for life. The journey back home from such a delirious night always seemed uninspiring and uncalled for. We had been more than half way through when i saw a frail figure walking in the distance. His frame must have been more than feeble. By the time our car got nearer i could see the man was very old. He had long locks and long beard. His head was stooped over his shoulder and he seemed to be constantly looking at the ground walking ahead. His right hand was held out and a burning candle was stemmed on his palms. We drove past him and i looked behind in disbelief with a shiver that was sent down my spine. The man was stark naked.