|
The last word
The beginnings were uncertain, lost in a maelstorm of conflicting
aspirations and fulfilment. The eyelids drooped with the
falling tears, the shoulder sagged under the burden of the
cross, silence deafened and the spirit wondered wide-eyed...But
Will edged on, inch by inch, bruised, bloodied, yet refusing
to die...
Curtains
are about to fall on a long-running play: four summers, stretched
winters, with a sprinkling of spring. The folio flutters with
the quick turn of events and the epilogue enacted a trifle
earlier than planned. The audience does not rise on its feet
for a standing ovation...the protagonist just walks away into
darkness. Clutching the dream and the fluttering folios.
It is a quiet exit.
The curtain falls. Tomorrow is another day.
Another familiar play begins for the protagonist. The show
goes on...
The beginnings were uncertain, lost in a maelstorm of conflicting
aspirations and fulfilment. Will the I remain buried under
a pile of files, or will it string together words, for bread
of the body and butter of the soul? Questions tailed logic
as the dreams huddled together for survival. It went on....The
eyelids drooped with the falling tears, the shoulder sagged
under the burden of the cross, silence deafened and the spirit
wondered wide-eyed...But Will edged on, inch by inch, bruised,
bloodied, yet refusing to die. And bit by bit confusions and
perplexities weathered into firm resolve and determination.
The heart, the eternal winner, won again. And on a cold wintry
night I travelled alone, on a familiar track towards a new
horizon. The rainbow awaited me.. The date: November 18,1991.
I was baptised into the Times family. Controversy preceded
celebrations. Even before I could walk on my own, I was on
crutches...Bewildered, I refused to hang my boots...No, not
without a fight. I fought and survived.
Another beginning was about to unfold, my prayers ready to
be answered. But I remained oblivious, for my heart did not
flutter at his sight.
I brought the rainbow home and stuck it on my walls. There
was a window for the sun to peep in... a huge door with buntings
hung to welcome the breeze and a brightly-lit home with no
epitaphs for Grief and Betrayal; a heart, the receptacle
of all.
Life sprang surprises and bequeathed a motley of emotions,
all jostling for a little elbow-space. Too much happened in
too little a time. It has been four years, plus an autumn
of discontent.
Now...The rains have washed away the seasons...The autumn
flowers into spring and the sun trespasses on the clouds.
They mingle and merge. And it is time to pack the bags again...
This time not alone. For another pilgrim waits at the other
end...
This time I'll pack the rainbow along with my belongings.
And would post the sun my new address. I'll draw the heavy
blue curtains for you to peep in...and if you wish, Sun, you
can move in with Us. You'll find the rainbow on the walls.....and
love everywhere.
For there, two best friends live together.
|
