She was at the edge, the edge of the sharp cliff jutting into the raging dark sea. The fierce, howling wind almost dragged her listless body mercilessly to the steep drop below. Her bare feet slipped on the moist rocks as she struggled to keep herself erect. Blinded by tears, she scrambled desperately to avoid the fall. Her cries were inaudible to the deafening roar of the sea and its monstrous waves crashed violently in to the jagged rocks. "Dear God", she cried, "dear God!".

  The overcast sky with its swirling black clouds was like the mouth of hell itself, sucking all the light out of the earth. They thundered so loudly that it seemed as if the Gods were at war and the blinding steaks of lightning were the terrifying clash of their weapons. The ground beneath her feet seemed to tremble in mortal fear.
 
  She pressed her hands to her ears with all her might, her body shook in an almost surreal way, her heart thumped harshly beneath her chest. Suddenly, the sky burst forth a heavy shower of rain. It pierced her skin like a thousand sharp needles. The water was cold as death and she knew no more.

   When she awoke it was mid morning. The sun blinded her for an instant. She lifted herself up with much difficulty. The blue sky greeted her warmly, the birds flew in merry circles over the peaks and the stunted trees looked beautifully green. She walked over to the edge of the cliff and stared in wonder. The water was clear blue and the foamy white waves caressed the jagged rocks. The sea rumbled softly, almost like a monotone.

   She was sure that God himself had rescued her from the mouth of hell and brought her to heaven.

Dear Traitor

Dear Traitor,

                                Let me get straight to the point. I know who my real friends are now. I am happy and I feel nothing for you. Yes, initially I felt really bad and unsure of myself but now I have left you behind, I have moved on.

                                You impressed upon me that true friends do not exist. Well, you were wrong! They exist in my life. They are there for me no matter what, no matter where they are, how far they are from me. Look at you, on the other hand, so close yet so self -centered. My true friends and I have very good times together and these difficult years have shown me who they really are. It’s your loss, dear Traitor.

                                What is worse is that you slowly got me to believe in you and then withdrew when I least expected it. That is cold! Well, as far as I remember you are cold and heartless and always were.                 

                                So, I will end this worthless letter by saying that my true friends will always be there for me, whether it is on chat line or it is on the other end of the phone. For you, the phone will keep on ringing because you won’t even care to find out whether I am in trouble or not. You will be buried too deep in your own sorry, selfish world where no one exists but you.

                                Someone along the way will do the same to you, Traitor and you will be forced to care. The best part is that no matter how much you think that we can survive alone, we can’t. Human beings need other human beings to remain sane. I hope your sorry ass finds this letter. Oh wait, you are too preoccupied to contact me, never too preoccupied to contact others. Well, I guess you think I am a fool who doesn’t know. Come to your selfish senses, I know!

                                                                         Your blindly believing enemy.

Sea..

              I was lying on the soft wet sand at the edge of the sea. The scorching midday sun beat down on me.The cool waves gently kissed me bringing moments of sweet relief. I could hear the loud shrieks of the seagulls but could not open my eyes to see them gliding across the sky, trying to eclipse the fiery sun with their wings. Their cries seemed distant as the sea groaned in pain and thrashed against the rocks.
              Waves rippled along my body as the sand slid below me and drew me closer. Before me, there was endless blue and foaming white expanse of thrilling unknown waters; behind me, miles of unexplored hot sand. I had surrendered to the thrill of nature and my heart was racing.
               I was in a trance. The sea roared deeply as a gigantic wave crashed upon me and carried me within. I was thrown into a violent battle with the tides. As I struggled and gasped, a cool rush of water swept over me and all unrest ceased. I drifted down below. That's when I opened my eyes and saw the most spectacular secret world beneath. I could only pray in awe.
               But the sea always returns what it takes and I was soon thrown back onto the sandy ground. As I struggled in the harsh sunlight, I didn't belong to this world anymore. I had seen creation.

Bird

I spend many a day, singing away in lovely golden cage;

You said I will try, try and fly, when I came of age;

Months passed by, and I would sigh,

Yet the time never came;

When I will glide across the sky,

And join the jolly games.

You loved me, yes, but nevertheless my heart it did fly,

Tearing through the opposing winds, as I swooped across the sky.

With a weary heart I sang to you, I yielded to your love;

After all I was your very own beautiful white dove.

When you did stroke my soft white plumes,

And press me to your cheek,

Silently and painfully, my heart it would go bleak.

You fed me well; your heart would swell,

At the sound of my whistling tune,

I would sleep in comfort every night,

In the warmth of the silvery moon.

One day it grew too much for me,

And I demanded, you set me free.

You opened the door, of the golden cage,

Your pain, I could not see.

With a heavy heart, torn apart, you bade me a sad goodbye,

I froze at the edge of cage, in horror, I could not fly!

Twilight

In the twilight of my life,

When its time to find my way home,

When the harsh light of the day fades,

Into soft darkness.

The sun has abandoned the sky,

And suddenly there is a sense of urgency,

A haste to find shelter.

My steps quicken on the much known path,

I cannot see well, only silhouettes of people,

Progressing forward like dark shadows.

I can only see their faces,

When they are too close for comfort.

The air is torn with the cry of birds,

As they call each other to safety,

The hastened flutter of wings,

Cut though my soul like steely knives,

They cut through my sanity.

They fly in flocks across the sky,

And darkness descends like heavy smoke,

It engulfs all that falls in its path.

I strain my eyes to see ahead,

In the twilight of my life.

Amongst these ghastly faces, I must find you,

I must hear you over this din.

I know not what is ahead of me, my love,

But I give you my word, I will fight

Till the last ray fades,

If only to unite our battered souls,

In the twilight of my life. 

The parking line at the station seemed to stretch endlessly. There he sat fidgeting impatiently and checking his watch. She was coming home today with the babies. The smoke, dust and sweat blurred his thoughts of them. Yet he couldn’t stop thinking.

He could almost feel her hair against his cheek when he would hug her, the soft skin of the babies, he could imagine her smile. He felt somehow that when she would return, everything would magically be alright.

The loud car horn burst through his thoughts. He felt irritation creeping in, then a longing for her. He wished that he could at least call her once but the transmission lines were too weak. He tried not to think about it, it caused a lot of worry.

After locking the car and checking the doors, he tried to orient himself in order to locate the platform.

His heart leaped when the phone rang. He scrambled in his pocket and hurriedly put it to his ears.

“Hi sweetie!”

The voice flooded him with relief, the station seemed to melt away before that voice, “Hi, how are you?”

“I’m fine, I’m almost there. Are you there yet?”

“Yes”, he replied, making his way through entwining lines of people. 

A laugh came through the phone, making him weak with emotion; almost pulling him, hypnotized, to her.

“Did you have your food? How are the babies?”

“Yes, yes to all your questions, I’m a good girl. And yes, the babies are bouncing uncontrollably, can’t wait to see you. I’ve never heard so much of ‘daddy, daddy’ in my life!”

He was straining his ears to hear her over the deafening noise of the stations. “Babies, you will see me shortly, be good and listen to Mommy. Be close to her.”

“Chotto babies, see what daddy is saying. Sweetie, I think we just entered the platform.”

“Yes, I’m nearly there.”

He moved impatiently through the crowded platform, excitement flooding him. How will she manage with all the bags and the babies? He felt worried, “Take care while getting down, and take care of the babies”.

“I will. Listen, I’m leaving the phone now, just wait for a moment.”

He waited, heart throbbing uncontrollably. His look pierced the crowd. Hoards of people passed by, pushing from all sides.

A small face appeared at the carriage door, a small boy holding a fistful of cloth, the cloth of her dress. He tried to make his way to the carriage but the crowd prevented him.

She appeared next, a bag slung across her shoulder; two little girls beside her, holding on to her dress, looking lost and scared and a small baby wrapped in a pink cloth lay asleep in her arms.

His heart leapt as he was moving with increased urgency towards them, joy filling every inch of his body.

Finally he reached the carriage door, they spotted him. The little boy stretched out his small hands towards him and he lifted him and put him down on the ground. The two girls stretched out their hands towards him. He lifted the younger one and put her down. She scrambled towards him and threw her tiny arms around his legs.

When she came down and smiled at him, the whole place disappeared in a flash of light. She took his arm and guided him forward.

Please

Sweet Nandini, come to me. I’m so tired of waiting, I can’t take it anymore. Come to me and free me from these earthly bounds. My heart yearns for you, my souls cries for you. Don’t play games anymore, my child, nighttime approaches, come to me.

                Fill my arms with your precious little body. I crave to hold you. My arms feel empty without you, come and play in my arms. Fill my senses with your demanding cry, I will hold you close, I will keep you safe, nighttime approaches, come to me.

                 My pain is too much for your little head to grasp. I don’t want my pain to touch you, my love. Just know that the pain will end when you come and I will be free. But before I go, I want to hold you and look at you, my angel. I want to kiss those rosy cheeks and hear your sweet cry. The day draws to end, nighttime approaches, come to me.

                Sweet child, when you come, I will be happy after a long time. You don’t know how much I suffer. I know it will all fall away when I look into those crystal clear eyes full of purity and innocence. I know that you know nothing of pain, of suffering or struggle. Yet you know all about love.

I love you my sweetheart. The only reason my heart beats is because I know that one day you will come to me. It’s getting dark, come into my arms. I will keep you warm and safe.

Dear Nandini, you know my plight. I know you are watching and laughing, your laughter as smooth as the peal of little bells.

Nighttime approaches, I beseech you, come to me.