The Closed Door

I wonder what’s happening behind

The closed decorative door of your mind?

Yes, I can open that door only if you open

Your mind and let me inside.

I know, I will find the shattered shards

Of many broken dreams there.

But I promise to step lightly,

Broken dreams can fragment at the slightest touch.

I will not let the mad rain drench you,

Or, let the fiery sun scorch you and the ornate door to ash.

I am sure behind the beautiful carved door;

I will find lonely hours of cravings and passionate sighs.

Longings that turned into milky secretions,

Behind creaky hinges, stained pillows, and fungal growths.

I think you decided to close the door in the flush of adulthood,

When you decided no doors must be left open.

It may be dark behind those closed doors,

It may suffocate a human and many hungry rodents and pests.

No light may filter through the cracks and crevices,

So for clarity there is no hope of ingress.

I know, it must be chillingly cold or melting hot,

Depending upon the season.

But I see a wind weeping outside your door,

Please allow it in, so it can purify the insides.

I will not disturb anything, I will only tread on

The threshold to see what others have not seen.

Whether you are fed, clothed, sanitised,

In accordance to the custom and observance of the land.

Or, if you are being prepared to be sent,

To another closed door far away in a stranger’s company.

VII/MMXVI

The Power Is Gone, My Dear!

Waking up I say: the power is gone, dear,
Can’t pump water, but don’t despair,
The fridge will not work, my dear,
For the food gone stale don’t shed a tear.

My dear, it’s dark because the lights are out,
Step carefully, and please don’t you shout
At the servant. She is not the reason,
It’s the doing of the ministry in season.

The cell phone battery is way down,
You can’t call a taxi to go shopping in town.
Except in emergency you can’t call or chat,
Until it’s recharged from the very start.

They say they will fix it in two days,
That would mean a week, anyways.
Can’t chat with our abroad-living son,
Without power the internet won’t function.

There’s no water so we can’t bathe,
Let’s eat stale food and go to bed straight.
Tomorrow, dear, is another day of powerlessness,
The government doesn’t care for its uselessness.

Can I fix anything? At least, the back-up?
No dear! There’s no liquid in that damn set-up.
Unfortunately, no television soap operas or reality shows,
This here is reality; not a chimera the world follows.

Note: On a recent trip to my home state of Kerala, following heavy rains, there was no power for almost a week. This was written then. Just to show how in a connected world everything we do is dependent on electricity.