Monday, 31 December 2018

Farewell, 2018


Dear 2018,
As you roll by, flow beneath the bridge,
slip between my hands like sand -
How do I write you away?
Do I bury you deep - repressed, forgotten
And begin again with a fresh new slate?
Do I write a ballad -
For the loved and lost, for the never loved, never seen again?
Do I write a limerick -
Make it quick!
Leave you with a smile and a chuckle
Or a free verse -
and embark upon the almost impossible task
String all that I felt in the 364, on the 365th day?
Do I give up on poetry, reflect some more
And bind you in a prose?
For all that I suffered and conquered
And all that I hold close?
Do I come up with a way - completely new
Fashion something out of the blue
To kindle some warmth, nostalgia and a smile
Wherever this might be read,
in the memory of you?

Well, sorry! This is none of them!
I'm a little under the weather
A little under life?
This is all I could muster,
For the lack of something better!

But I leave you with a promise -
To spin the situation on its axis
Put plans to praxis
And leave something memorable
For your successor!


Saturday, 29 December 2018

A letter from the future!


Hi! It's you! I mean, it's me! It's you from the future! You get it right? Right? No this is no prank! You're too tired to argue? Well, okay, believe me or not - do give me a chance to speak!

I wish I could put pen to paper (literally) and send it to you - I know you would have loved it - there are no substitutes for hand written notes after all! ( Wait, could I do that now? Can I send you snail mail? Why didn't I think of it before! )

What I am going to tell you is nothing new and it is nothing you don't already know. But the one thing that we both know and understand - I believe - that sometimes it does one good to be reassured of the things that deep down, one already knows. Oh and before your brain jumps to maladaptive core beliefs and scripts that one knows and believes to be true which are recipe for despair - please spare me the psychology for a little while!

I know you are tired, worn out, almost at the end of your wits thinking about what was, what is and what will be - and how it is building up great discontent within you that you have, till now, managed to put a lid on and you're scared that it is going to explode anytime now....

And this is where the trouble is - you think too much! 

Don't get me wrong, I am not here to discredit you. I am so proud of how you have grown, how you have held yourself up, how you climbed up from the lowest lows and carved a path where there was none. I am so proud that you move ahead a teeny bit every single day or at least plan to do so - even if you don't see any impact of the actions now! I am so proud that you are fiercely guarding that little flame of hope amidst the storms that rage - within and without. So when at times ( which is, I know, most of the times ) you feel you're lacking, a failure and not good enough - know that you're doing great! 

You need to breathe, you need to cut yourself some slack ( cut a big chunk while you are at it) and live in the present! 

Is that too difficult?

Ha! I know it is!

But hold on a little while longer, please? Better things are just around the corner... Yes that one... The next one... Oh next to that... Dude you just need to hold on and keep moving ahead! You are going to be just fine! 

What? You have questions now? I can't reveal much, you know - against the policy.... 
Will those four little dreams come true? Will you find love and get married? Will Rahul Dravid ever become the president? Will you grow your hair back?

I CAN'T TELL, OKAY? ( The answer to the last one is NO. )

Ummm...why did I write to you in the first place? I forgot! My memory is not what it used to be, you know? 

Okay then, I have to go and bake treats for my Godchildren... I'll see you around.. well we'll see each other.. but we do that every time we look in the mirror... You got my point right? Right? Ah, yes.. what a sweet child!

Let's see each other through

Love,
Your older self


[Free writing: Knots]

 My brain is in knots. I imagine my brain to be made wholly of knots - some might even say the imagery is close to the actual gyri and sulci...