Day one in the new home

Darkness around, and I woke up. It was still middle of the night and I was all tucked up cosily in my bed.

Scenes from the morning started playing like a movie. It was a tough day for me, mom and dad. Shifting from hotel to new rented house in an alien land was quite difficult. And for me it was little scary too. The quietness (unlike noisy Indian ambience) where you can hear whispers loudly "sounded" creepy. You can hear every step. Moreover, there was no…no…no home like feeling yet. Biggest problem was that we don’t yet have a TV at new house and so I latched onto every minute of TV at hotel, trying to soak in like a camel would store water in its hump, before starting the long journey in a desert.

Finally the car keys turned on the and rattling sound of engine with the loud heater fan inside started humming in unison and we started down the narrow lanes and green pastures….

Pop!

Suddenly my eyes opened and I felt a movement and then I saw a streak of light. It beckoned me to follow. I followed the light in thin air with mixed feelings of fear and excitement. I wondered what was in store for me and at the same time trembled if I will be able to return home! It invoked a conversation from within. The safety part of mine kept saying-“Don’t go Jappi. You will be in great danger”. But adventurous part pegged me on, “You have learnt karate, even if you left it at yellow belt. You can surely defeat the bad guys or at least scream aloud!”

 And then I saw my unicorn trying to set itself free. The walls around were looking at me. I broke into a cold sweat. I was running after the unicorn in the dreamland and I heard something falling down the staircase. Might have been a vase or pot. And I pulled the covers over my head and felt for protection of my mom by side…and slept off, huddled in the cosy comfort of my “fairy” mother.

The journey in the armchair

I was in the armchair
said I narrating at a pace
When suddenly I felt the air
blowing on my face!

And then I saw on the road
many a kids and cats
and suddenly I found myself in Shiva's abode
and sages on the mats.

Glad was I to be down the mountain
for it was very bumpy
Happy to in the strange field of cotton
with no cotton, but eggs
I thought I saw Humpty Dumpty
But instead I saw pegs

Said I ,sadly, was it me?
And that's when I saw my mom
holding my wardrobe key.

Stand out and stare..

     I cannot stand out and stare as there is too much work at school. Homework, going to tuitions or doing projects is nothing. Many a times I even have to go out to shopping malls or accompany parents to someone's house from 11 am to 10 in the night! With this fast paced life, there is really no time to lookout and appreciate nature's beauty all around us.

Sometimes, we do get lucky and get an opportunity to stand and glance (only glance) out of the window. But then I have to quickly return to our routine world again and start rattling away with the chores. If only I can, then I would love to sit long hours in the balcony and stare at the lovely violet and indigo afternoon sky, with birds chirruping their way to home or to nowhere; the gentle breeze blowing through the trees causing them to sway a little or tiny drops of rain gently pitter-patter on the roof of the house. I would go for a walk, see blooms and butterflies hovering around me and the sun rising behind the gray mountains.

Alas, it can only be a dream to most and even impossible for some. I think that at least children should enjoy all this because when we grow up we might never be able to see it again.