“I
need to have another piece.” Sam thought
There
was just enough money left for one piece. She was over the moon after acquiring
her newly found love.
“I
should savor every bite of this scrumptious thing! I must take it home along
with me and wait until everyone dozes off. Then I shall consume this appetizing
treat. ” she told herself.
Sam
hid the cake piece in her purse. She couldn’t share it with anyone. She was
firm about it. She was received by her younger sister Ana.
“What
took you so long?” Ana asked raising an eyebrow.
Ana
must not know. Sam lied that she had to collect notes from her class fellow.
Ana didn’t seem to doubt her. She had deceived Ana’s hawk eyed scrutiny. Sam
needed to get to her room as fast as she could.
Sam
stumbled as she walked towards her room.
“Be
careful young lady!”
It
was Dad. She needed to calm down. She could not afford to draw attention.
“I
am okay Dad” she gave a nervous smile.
She
recalled the dripping chocolate. Oh my! Waiting was an arduous task but the
only way she could have that delight all by her was when no one would be there
to disturb. She was longing for that valuable moment.
Sam
reached her room. One milestone was achieved. Now she had to conceal HER
PRECIOUS.
“Where
should I keep it???? In the cupboard…no Ana will discover the secret… under the
bed… yes it seems fine... It will lay there untouched and then it will be
mine…Whole of it”
Sam
revised her scheme. She decided to stay in her room until everyone went to
sleep. Minutes passed like decades, hours like centuries. Sam didn’t even stir.
She had to safeguard her possession.
“Sam!
Come have dinner with us” mom said
“I
am not hungry!” replied Sam
Sam
was contented with her effort but OH NO!!! It was nature call. She had to go.
She didn’t want to but she had no option left.
“It
will just take a minute” she thought
What
she didn’t know was doom and misfortune was hanging around.
When
she returned, what she saw left her shattered, heartbroken and devastated. The
calamity was enough to deprive her of every single ray of hope. She felt as if
she was kissed by dementors.
Tom,
her pet cat, had his face stuffed with HER cake; his moustaches now source of
the dripping chocolate sauce.
For
weeks she thought; if she had just eaten that delicious thing in the shop, she
would not have to suffer that tragedy or if she had shared it with Ana the
unfortunate event could have been averted or for HEAVEN’SSAKE she could have
just locked her door but the disaster had taken place and there was no place
for any IFS.
I hear the ticking of the clock as every fragment of my being slowly dissipates into the void. Inside of me war wages on, a war that doesn’t decide who is right but only who is left.What if I didn’t make that decision? Would I still be split into two halves that when put together don’t even make a whole?
I was autumn and you were my spring. I put you on a weighing scale and gave away your life for a few bundles of paper with numbers. It was a decision I made for myself not out of poverty but out of greed.
I gave you away,
when every single atom of my body was against me.
I gave you away,
when you were supposed to be at school studying.
I gave you away
when you cried out to me “ No father. Please.”
I sold you to a man in the name of marriage.I escorted you through these hallways with tears in your eyes. I didn’t realize that after a few days, i’d have to carry you through these very same hallways void of life and far from this world. But believe me dear, I am now a broken man. I have seen the error of my ways but there is no way to rectify them. I am a wanderer who is lost.
When i go to the store, I now buy cigarettes along with milk.When I go to sleep, I now scream on top of my lungs while the radio plays. When I go to work, I bump into people & things. When I talk, I only stutter your name. When I look in the mirror, I see a distorted image of you.
Every single day I contemplate and cry to the lord. I question my very soul.
What will I say if i meet you in the next world.
I didn't know !
They will not understand
They looked like people
who you think you know
They seemed like people
who you think you can't deny
But the reality mirror,
' oh no dear'
they can cost you
so many wear and tear
All my thoughts gone vague
A point between serenity and rage
For whom I cared
not a single day spared
But a little mistake cost much
afterall that was not a mistake as such
The people near you, but not close
they act like real, but they do pose
They would care as you care
That's my friend, very rare!
Everything's not that clear,
And beware of what you share!
So let them do, what they do
Don't give up, do something new
When you've started a ride
You know you have to bide
So don't give up on your hope
Or they'll say you're a dope
IF they laugh at you, laugh back
Just live in your worldly shack
I wonder if they thought like this
The whole world would've been a bliss
But, as you know
They look like People!
They look like People!
Aruma Khalid 1st year MBBS
They will not understand
They looked like people
who you think you know
They seemed like people
who you think you can't deny
But the reality mirror,
' oh no dear'
they can cost you
so many wear and tear
All my thoughts gone vague
A point between serenity and rage
For whom I cared
not a single day spared
But a little mistake cost much
afterall that was not a mistake as such
The people near you, but not close
they act like real, but they do pose
They would care as you care
That's my friend, very rare!
Everything's not that clear,
And beware of what you share!
So let them do, what they do
Don't give up, do something new
When you've started a ride
You know you have to bide
So don't give up on your hope
Or they'll say you're a dope
IF they laugh at you, laugh back
Just live in your worldly shack
I wonder if they thought like this
The whole world would've been a bliss
But, as you know
They look like People!
They look like People!
Aruma Khalid 1st year MBBS
I may call myself blind, deaf or useless but unfortunately I can't, because they have a heart. I am the actual meaning of handicapped, the perfect depiction of senselessness. I am deprived of a heart that can feel, the center of all human emotions. I am the one who should be pitied upon, I am the one who needs to be looked upon with special care, with sympathy and an air of despair.
I have been given eyes but they don't see. They refuse to witness the melancholy that comes of all the brutality at every corner of this agonizing world. They see only that which is appealing to them, not that which should be seen, felt and cried over. The barbarity before reaching my eyes, assumes a blanket over it and this is why I can't bat an eye. I only know how to shed tears over my own unfulfilled worthless desires. Perhaps I wouldn't have been this blind if I had a heart.
I hear, I hear stories from far away lands, from nomads on high altitudes, from streets that are damp. My ears hear stories of rainbows and hues, of everything other than the blues. They seek refuge in the warmth of words that sprinkle contemplation. The shrieks and wails of people bleeding to death are just beyond my frequency range. And that's the reason why I'm forced to turn a deaf ear towards them. Perhaps I wouldn't have been this deaf if I had a heart.
My tongue is a source of joy for everyone who is already having the time of their lives. I utter bewitching words of love that endures, of admiration, of everything other than that which should be cured. I speak about the majesty of nature but when it comes to the atrocity prevailing around me, this lump of muscle in my mouth gets fatigued. Perhaps I would've had voice when it was needed the most, if and only if I had a heart.
My hands and feet are my own property created for none other than for myself. The power to control them comes from the heart, not from the mind. And that, I lack. I have everything, but I have nothing useful. I am physically complete but spiritually impaired. It's better not to be given this blessing called life even if it's given with all its spices but just not one, the power of empathy. And without it I'm just Satan's personification. An evil force hidden under the disguise of a heartfelt human. I'm nothing but a devil's image. I wonder how different the world today would be IF we had a heart.
How does it feel like?
How do we stand our grounds?
The mighty walls we built,
We, living in the bounds,
The fantasy painted blue sky,
Breathing love, hate and fear,
Wearing the name, privilage and identity,
Carrying the disease of pride, we bear,
Running, round and round, running,
Thirsty, greedy hearts, minds dirty,
Paper, money, worshipping currency,
Buying smiles, happiness and luxury - easy...
Planes, ships, sky-scrappers,
Mighty seas, rivers, bow down, the bridges,
Technology, gadgets, and the world connected,
Tracks to 'You' , fading, all those ridges,
How does it feel like?
Living modern, faster, tik-toking,
What if you stopped for a moment?
And realised, the human inside you, slowly rotting...
I might be more lively and cheerful, cherishing the moments as they come instead of counting the days left to see you. I might be more jolly and a bit less of a misanthrope, if you were here. I might be a little more pleasant-mooded ,enjoying the beauty of nature,inhaling the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers ,listening to the chirping birds, talking to stars, amused by the music, finding hope in flickering flame, life in opening buds and extracting joy from every minor little happenings. I might be a little more jocular ,a bit less infuriating, a bit more confident...!
All these things are still a part of the life but the sense they make is entirely different. Chirping birds sound melancholy, smiling flowers look exasperating. Listening to music is not same either, lyrics have suddenly started to make sense. Talking to stars turns into counting the stars. Every merry-making happening seems mocking upon me. Every colour of merriment seems fading. Laughter echoes ridiculously. Smile seems transient. Flickering flame looks like a dying soul. Every happiness has become a temporary veil to mask the grief...... the irony is all life affairs are going on as they were but the life is not same any more. Victories are still mine but you are not. I still get ovation on my writings but your appreciation was definitely matchless. I still get alot of encouragement but your advices are still the pillars of strength for me. How many things that are transformed, the personalities that are moulded, the thoughts that are changed, the happenings that occur, the desires that vanish... just by the absence of a single person! If you were here , whatelse i could desire? but now everything has changed . Outer me is same but inner me has lost!!!!
Salmana Moneeb
FOR EYES THAT SEE!
If your eyes outlive, the up surging dust and haze,
If the empty, raving crowd, doesn't set ablaze
your sense and sensibility,
your dormant, innate ability
to love what you find beautiful,
regardless of practicality.
Do stand up, for what makes you breathe
in the suffocating so called sanity.
Do fight to salvage what's left of
your dwindling, perishing humanity.
If you do see, you'll surely find
that they aren't nasty freckles
but constellations, whirling free
out of the wordly shackles
of surface-ideas of beauty,
Gone too far, a battle!
If you gaze, and if you're keen
you'll see those eyes have tears,
Tears that froze into the glistening sheen
of eyes, that smile atop fears!
If you make yourself observant enough
to see through the untarnished glass facade
you'll meet a charm in being vaguely broken
beneath layers of perfection, so well laid!
In the words of those who're too articulate
roars a silence, always unheard.
In the mirth of those you too often berate,
lies an utterly absurd
madness, calmness, sadness, regret,
waiting to be served.
The sophistication which you find so boring,
on the onset of a secret phase,
dances in a madness so alluring,
it's bound to catch your gaze!
So if your eyes do luckily meet
the silent beauty, which yearns
to be seen, embraced, forever kept,
till the flame of love burns
the chains, of conceited vanity,
of hatred, prejudice, insanity.
Hold onto it, don't turn away
your eyes, your heart, your soul.
Let love speak! Let purity say!
Don't deny yourself a parole
from this prison, so dark and deep,
this black hole; which will keep
you from giving.
From ever living!
HAMEEMA ASHRAF
MBBS 1st Year.
If your eyes outlive, the up surging dust and haze,
If the empty, raving crowd, doesn't set ablaze
your sense and sensibility,
your dormant, innate ability
to love what you find beautiful,
regardless of practicality.
Do stand up, for what makes you breathe
in the suffocating so called sanity.
Do fight to salvage what's left of
your dwindling, perishing humanity.
If you do see, you'll surely find
that they aren't nasty freckles
but constellations, whirling free
out of the wordly shackles
of surface-ideas of beauty,
Gone too far, a battle!
If you gaze, and if you're keen
you'll see those eyes have tears,
Tears that froze into the glistening sheen
of eyes, that smile atop fears!
If you make yourself observant enough
to see through the untarnished glass facade
you'll meet a charm in being vaguely broken
beneath layers of perfection, so well laid!
In the words of those who're too articulate
roars a silence, always unheard.
In the mirth of those you too often berate,
lies an utterly absurd
madness, calmness, sadness, regret,
waiting to be served.
The sophistication which you find so boring,
on the onset of a secret phase,
dances in a madness so alluring,
it's bound to catch your gaze!
So if your eyes do luckily meet
the silent beauty, which yearns
to be seen, embraced, forever kept,
till the flame of love burns
the chains, of conceited vanity,
of hatred, prejudice, insanity.
Hold onto it, don't turn away
your eyes, your heart, your soul.
Let love speak! Let purity say!
Don't deny yourself a parole
from this prison, so dark and deep,
this black hole; which will keep
you from giving.
From ever living!
HAMEEMA ASHRAF
MBBS 1st Year.
She looked eerily like her. That was the first thought that came to his mind when he saw her that day. The resemblance was so apparent that at first, it almost knocked him off his feet. He even found himself going towards her, arms out stretched, ready to pull her into himself like he used to pull the love of his life for long affectionate embraces. But luckily he stopped himself from doing that. For no matter how alike they looked, she didn’t fool him. Not completely anyway.
Such a shame, he thought to himself. She was an attractive girl, he would have loved to go out with her if only she didn’t look so much like her. She could have saved herself from the terrible fate that he had planned for her if only she looked different and beautiful in her own way, instead of trying to imitate his wife!
________
“Baby I’m sorry”, she whispered into his ear and then left, walking out through the front door. Right in front of his eyes! While all he could do was stare dumbfounded at her, the bouquet of roses that he had brought for her earlier today, lay in the corner, forgotten.
________
“Why did you do it?”, the doctor asked him in a very passive voice like she had been taught to. She was a very patient woman, something that went very well along her profession. She had to talk to psychopaths and freaks all day long and patience was the key.
“I… I.. She left me!”
“I know that”, the cool voice said, “but why did you kill all of them?”
“Don’t you get it?” the man said, his voice trembling, “they all looked exactly like her! If only they looked different…. If only they didn’t copy her..”
“Who copied whom?” she had to get him on the tape. That too clearly or else his lawyers might be able to twist his words and defend him somehow.
“The women I killed! I killed them because they all looked identical to that bitch! She left me! I loved her so much…. I gave her everything and SHE LEFT ME!”
That’s it. The confession was made.
________
“Please…. I won’t tell anyone….. please…" the woman whimpered as she lay on his table, her hands and feet tied firmly to the edges of the table. She was attractive. Very attractive. Her skin was creamy in color and very smooth to touch. And that’s what the problem was.
“If only you didn’t look like her….” He whispered, running his hands through her hair gently “We could have really hit it off, you know?”
“Look like who!? Please let me go… please… I don’t know what you’re talking about…. Please I won’t tell anyone… please..”
“She left me, you know?”, he said completely lost in his thoughts and ignoring the woman’s pleads. “
“Please…. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Please… I don’t know who you are talking about.. ple…
“LIAR!” he roared as he brought the dagger down into her chest. Not once, not twice, but fifteen times, one for each year they were together.
_______
She had the confession but she kept going.
“Why do you think they looked like your wife?” the doctor asked.
“I … I .. they must know each other”!
“Did your wife ever mention them?”
He was getting irritated and angry but she didn’t care. They had put huge restraints on him and a couple of policemen also stood beside them. But the thing that was really assuring her was the fact that he only killed his wife’s lookalikes. And she didn’t look like her. She had seen the photos of the poor woman.
“I… I don’t know… don’t remember. But believe me! I didn’t want to… If only they didn’t look like… I….”
Something was wrong here. She knew she was missing something. They had found one body in the house, the wife’s. And that man didn’t appear to be be smart enough to find a good hiding spot for the rest.
“Where are they, Andrew? Where are the bodies?”
He had started shaking and was repeating the same thing over and over again.
“If only they didn’t look like her…. If only….”
“Andrew! Andrew!
“If only.. I didn’t want to… If only….”
“Get him out of here.” She said to the guards. “We are done for today.”
_______
“The body wass stabbed sixty times.” the forensic specialist announced as he entered the doctor’s office.
“What? Sixty?!”The doctor looked at him wide eyed.
“Oh ho.. My lady. Calm yourself. I still haven’t given you the strangest news.”
“And what’s that?”
“Most of the wounds are postmortem. And not just that. They were inflicted days apart! How about that? He kept stabbing the body days after he had killed her. The wounds that she died of are only..”
“Fifteen?” The doctor said before he could finish his sentence. In reply the forensic guy gave her a funny look, affirming her thoughts.
“You’re shitting me! They really were fifteen, weren’t they?!” , she asked him again as she stood up excitedly.
“Yeah but how do you….”
“Never mind Greg”, she replied, picking up her purse and making a dash for the door. “I think I know where the rest of the bodies are.”
_______
“Hello, 911. What’s your emergency?”
“I killed them. All four of them….. If only they didn’t look like my wife… I….”
“Sir, can you repeat that?” the puzzled operator asked as he tried to pinpoint the caller’s address using tracking service.
“Why did they look like her…. I…” The caller hung up.
________
“Hold on a second. You saying he only killed his wife? One victim? He confessed to killing all four of them!” The detective was completely confused by what the doctor was saying.
“I know he did. But you can’t really find the bodies, can you?”
“Hey! We are working on it.” The detective said defensively.
“You won’t find them. There aren’t any. The wife was stabbed sixty times!”
“So?”
“We know he said he killed four women, right? And it was the eve of their fifteenth anniversary when he killed the wife, right?”
“Yeah.. so?” the detective still had no idea where this was going.
“So here's what I think happened. He killed her. Stabbed her fifteen times. Forensics confirmed that. And then killed her again and again imagining her to be someone else every time in his own mind. Her body had sixty stab wounds, right? Fifteen for each woman he imagined killing.”
“So… what you are saying is…. He killed his wife. And then thought her body to be a different woman that looked like her wife and stabbed it again, fifteen times, thinking he was killing that different woman. And he did that three times?!.... Wow.. doc.. I mean…”
“I know it sounds crazy. But why else did he hide all the other bodies and left the wife’s in plain sight? And he confessed too. He says all the bodies are there… at his home where we found the wife. Why would he say that if he went to all the trouble of hiding his victims in the first place? Besides, you’ve seen the guy too. Does he look to be intelligent enough to hide the bodies so well that we still haven’t been able to locate them? I mean… that guy?
In reply the detective just sat down, unable to say anything. If all of it were true, then this surely was the craziest and the weirdest case he had ever worked on in the twenty years he has been on the force.
_______
“Baby I’m sorry”, she whispered into his ear and then left, walking out through the front door. Right in front of his eyes! While all he could do was stare dumbfounded at her, the bouquet of roses that he had brought for her earlier today, lay in the corner, forgotten.
He couldn’t let that happen. He shook himself out of his stupor. He couldn’t just let her walk out. She just could not do that, not to him! He went after her, picking up a knife from the kitchen on the way.
_______
Such a shame, he thought to himself. She was an attractive girl, he would have loved to go out with her if only she didn’t look so much like her. She could have saved herself from the terrible fate that he had planned for her if only she looked different and beautiful in her own way, instead of trying to imitate his wife!
________
“Baby I’m sorry”, she whispered into his ear and then left, walking out through the front door. Right in front of his eyes! While all he could do was stare dumbfounded at her, the bouquet of roses that he had brought for her earlier today, lay in the corner, forgotten.
________
“Why did you do it?”, the doctor asked him in a very passive voice like she had been taught to. She was a very patient woman, something that went very well along her profession. She had to talk to psychopaths and freaks all day long and patience was the key.
“I… I.. She left me!”
“I know that”, the cool voice said, “but why did you kill all of them?”
“Don’t you get it?” the man said, his voice trembling, “they all looked exactly like her! If only they looked different…. If only they didn’t copy her..”
“Who copied whom?” she had to get him on the tape. That too clearly or else his lawyers might be able to twist his words and defend him somehow.
“The women I killed! I killed them because they all looked identical to that bitch! She left me! I loved her so much…. I gave her everything and SHE LEFT ME!”
That’s it. The confession was made.
________
“Please…. I won’t tell anyone….. please…" the woman whimpered as she lay on his table, her hands and feet tied firmly to the edges of the table. She was attractive. Very attractive. Her skin was creamy in color and very smooth to touch. And that’s what the problem was.
“If only you didn’t look like her….” He whispered, running his hands through her hair gently “We could have really hit it off, you know?”
“Look like who!? Please let me go… please… I don’t know what you’re talking about…. Please I won’t tell anyone… please..”
“She left me, you know?”, he said completely lost in his thoughts and ignoring the woman’s pleads. “
“Please…. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Please… I don’t know who you are talking about.. ple…
“LIAR!” he roared as he brought the dagger down into her chest. Not once, not twice, but fifteen times, one for each year they were together.
_______
She had the confession but she kept going.
“Why do you think they looked like your wife?” the doctor asked.
“I … I .. they must know each other”!
“Did your wife ever mention them?”
He was getting irritated and angry but she didn’t care. They had put huge restraints on him and a couple of policemen also stood beside them. But the thing that was really assuring her was the fact that he only killed his wife’s lookalikes. And she didn’t look like her. She had seen the photos of the poor woman.
“I… I don’t know… don’t remember. But believe me! I didn’t want to… If only they didn’t look like… I….”
Something was wrong here. She knew she was missing something. They had found one body in the house, the wife’s. And that man didn’t appear to be be smart enough to find a good hiding spot for the rest.
“Where are they, Andrew? Where are the bodies?”
He had started shaking and was repeating the same thing over and over again.
“If only they didn’t look like her…. If only….”
“Andrew! Andrew!
“If only.. I didn’t want to… If only….”
“Get him out of here.” She said to the guards. “We are done for today.”
_______
“The body wass stabbed sixty times.” the forensic specialist announced as he entered the doctor’s office.
“What? Sixty?!”The doctor looked at him wide eyed.
“Oh ho.. My lady. Calm yourself. I still haven’t given you the strangest news.”
“And what’s that?”
“Most of the wounds are postmortem. And not just that. They were inflicted days apart! How about that? He kept stabbing the body days after he had killed her. The wounds that she died of are only..”
“Fifteen?” The doctor said before he could finish his sentence. In reply the forensic guy gave her a funny look, affirming her thoughts.
“You’re shitting me! They really were fifteen, weren’t they?!” , she asked him again as she stood up excitedly.
“Yeah but how do you….”
“Never mind Greg”, she replied, picking up her purse and making a dash for the door. “I think I know where the rest of the bodies are.”
_______
“Hello, 911. What’s your emergency?”
“I killed them. All four of them….. If only they didn’t look like my wife… I….”
“Sir, can you repeat that?” the puzzled operator asked as he tried to pinpoint the caller’s address using tracking service.
“Why did they look like her…. I…” The caller hung up.
________
“Hold on a second. You saying he only killed his wife? One victim? He confessed to killing all four of them!” The detective was completely confused by what the doctor was saying.
“I know he did. But you can’t really find the bodies, can you?”
“Hey! We are working on it.” The detective said defensively.
“You won’t find them. There aren’t any. The wife was stabbed sixty times!”
“So?”
“We know he said he killed four women, right? And it was the eve of their fifteenth anniversary when he killed the wife, right?”
“Yeah.. so?” the detective still had no idea where this was going.
“So here's what I think happened. He killed her. Stabbed her fifteen times. Forensics confirmed that. And then killed her again and again imagining her to be someone else every time in his own mind. Her body had sixty stab wounds, right? Fifteen for each woman he imagined killing.”
“So… what you are saying is…. He killed his wife. And then thought her body to be a different woman that looked like her wife and stabbed it again, fifteen times, thinking he was killing that different woman. And he did that three times?!.... Wow.. doc.. I mean…”
“I know it sounds crazy. But why else did he hide all the other bodies and left the wife’s in plain sight? And he confessed too. He says all the bodies are there… at his home where we found the wife. Why would he say that if he went to all the trouble of hiding his victims in the first place? Besides, you’ve seen the guy too. Does he look to be intelligent enough to hide the bodies so well that we still haven’t been able to locate them? I mean… that guy?
In reply the detective just sat down, unable to say anything. If all of it were true, then this surely was the craziest and the weirdest case he had ever worked on in the twenty years he has been on the force.
_______
“Baby I’m sorry”, she whispered into his ear and then left, walking out through the front door. Right in front of his eyes! While all he could do was stare dumbfounded at her, the bouquet of roses that he had brought for her earlier today, lay in the corner, forgotten.
He couldn’t let that happen. He shook himself out of his stupor. He couldn’t just let her walk out. She just could not do that, not to him! He went after her, picking up a knife from the kitchen on the way.
_______
If you were perfect, it would be the absolute worst. You may think perfection is everything but let me convince you otherwise.
The way your smile is crooked makes my heart skip a beat, and when you slur while pronouncing your words makes me heady.
The
fact that your 'r' looks more like an 'n' makes me shake my head a
little, and the way you keep looking in the mirror to see if you look
alright makes me smile inwardly.
You might think that your laugh-lines make you look old, but it just reminds me how freely and frequently you giggle.
You
may hate the little nick on your face, but for me, it brings back the
memory of when you were extra-playful and hit your face on the floor. To
add to it, you're short and you think that it is the worst thing to
happen to you, but to me, you look like the child that you are at heart.
You
think that telling everyone everything the way that it is, puts you at a
disadvantage, but believe me when I say that your honesty is the trait I
love most. Sometimes, you trust people with your feelings and emotions
and they desert you. Understandably, you think it is a weakness, but
you're so wrong. The fact that you can open up to people while knowing
the risk you're putting yourself in tells me how brave you actually are.
You fear letting other people in, but it makes me love you even more
because it means I am one of the lucky few you chose even when your
heart said otherwise.
Your
tan-lines worry you but to me, they show that you're not afraid to step
out into the sun. Also, the freckles on your face make you cringe but
for me, each and every one of them is another thing that makes you
unique.
You
hate that you're too stubborn but i find it cute that you fight for
what you think is right, and what may look like inflexibility to you, is
standing up for what you believe in, to me.
by Hafsa Amin
2nd Year
An
energetic young boy
All
his life he had been so coy
That
he surprised all by speaking against the ploy
Of
his daddy, that even it made him wry
“Dear
son”, he said, ”Oh son”, he cried,
It’s
now time for you to decide
Whether
in your life you want to take a smooth ride
Or
endeavor to sail over threatening tides
I
now consider you the heir
Of
my business enterprise
You
are now the one to rear
The
business I have built all my life
“Daddy”,
he said, “Oh daddy”, he cried,
“It’d
be better for me, not from you to hide
That
this one time, I am not going to bide
What
you for me did decide
My
passion, my love is to pursue
Research
in my future life
I’ve
always wanted to do something new
On
the mysteries of science to shed some light.”
“But
son”, he said, “BEWARE!”
“It’s
too risky for you to dare
To
do something new is as full of danger
As
confiding your secrets in a stranger.”
“Daddy,”
he said, “for humans to progress,
‘Tis
imperative for us to transgress
From
the societal norms
Though
others may think it can cause harm.”
“What
if you won’t anywhere get hired?
What
if everyone refuses you a job?
What
if you can’t even clear the exams?
That
are, it seems to me, designed to fail all.”
“Oh
daddy”, he said, “had Columbus thought,
What
if on my voyage by pirates I am caught?
What
if I get lost in the ocean,
By
sharks I am eaten or drowned by some storm?
Would
he have discovered America at all?
These
What-iffers in the disguise
Of
a wise and calculated approach to life
Hinder
the way of humans to achieve the great
Or
to make one’s wildest dreams come true
“Daddy”,
he says, “just think for a while
If
Wrights had wanted to stay on safe side
Refused
to take some choices so hard
Would
any plane now take flight?
Today
our minds are so preoccupied
We
deem on money, on safety does depend our life
That
we are so hesitant to let our children,
Tread
on grounds never trodden before.
“Oh
son, my son! Please think wise,
At
your reckless age such thoughts seem nice
But
this can be the cause of losses so huge
So
it’s best for you to be safe and be good!”
“Heavens”,
he said, “I leave it to you,
To
answer if one would like to be safe and be good
Or
to take a chance and be great?
To
cajole you I think this query’s a nice bait
To
put it in the words of Helen Keller
“Life
is either a daring adventure or nothing”.
And
quoting Goethe, another famous poet
“Safety’s
among life’s dangers infinite.”
We
have become so risk conscious these days
Always
afraid to try new ways
Gratified
to stay as a pupa in cocoon,
Hesitant
to discover the delights of life’s maze
“Oh
my son, it’s been the yearning of my heart
From
which, the way you talk it seems I’ll have to part
To
see you settled with a happy life
And
cute little children, a beautiful wife
I
thought you’d be the one to run
My
business while I would play with the grandchildren
And
in the evening when you would return
We
would all together have great fun
Even
now it’s not too late,
For
you to decide your own fate
Do
not let these contagious thoughts raid
Your
mind. I hope they’ll eventually fade.”
“I
am sorry dad you might think I am bad,
But
let me reiterate
That
man is never born a slave
To
society, to parents, to curbs, no not a tad.
We
live our lives to do great deeds
Risk
consciousness to me is just a weed
To
be removed from among our desires
To
let thyself really live thy’s life.”
Now
that you have read what the son said,
You
can relate the conversation to yourself
Because
in our society, risk averse-ness is so wide spread
Though
people can’t be blamed because that’s how they were bred
Just
ask yourself, what is the cause
Of
us lagging behind all?
It
would not be wrong to say
Risk
consciousness had got in the way
By
giving some examples let me reiterate
When
it’s time for betrothal for a girl
For
her mom to select her possible suitor
A
boy of the clan she’d prefer
By
the unhappiness of her daughter she will not be deterred
Because
the mom has so many misgivings in her head
About
anyone who’s been in some distant land bred,
The
prospect for such a man seems to her paltry
Because
an “outsider” is unacceptable to avert any jeopardy
As
on mind uncertainties crowd
About
many things people are in doubt
Their
instinct will push ‘em to seek the truth
To
take a risk, but in our society, it’s disallowed
The
cavemen had a mind so brave
They
didn’t fear to undertake
A
journey to some distant land
That
was for discovery’s sake
As
they settled in places new
Their
worries lessened to a few
Hurrah!
Risk taking did it all
If
Robert Frost were here today
This
is what he would say,
“Two
roads diverged in the woods, and We,
We
took the one more traveled by,
And
that has created all the woes"
To
the risk averse society of present day,
Anais
Nin for you has something to say
“And
the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud,
Was
more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
If I were a man in early youth
I would have Passed a smirk , caressed my hair
And Stood
fearless all tall and fair
My grades
would have been of meagre importance
My gender
would have been my supporting substance
If I were
a man in early youth
I would
Have walked through the crowd with my manly éclat
Without
having the fear of any brickbat
Catcalling
and Eve teasing would have no more been
a sin
I
wouldn't have bothered anything deeper than the skin
If I were
a man in early youth
I would
have drowned the innocent in my never -ending sea of lust
Victimizing
harmless would have been a must
So what
if I got caught
That
manly Constable could have been bought
If I were
a man in early youth
I would have
roamed escort free for whatever I did
Drugs,
Bribery, molestation and some millions
overbid
Ruling
the women,would have defined me
Burnt to
hell if she defied me
If I were
a Man in early youth
People
staring at me, would have no longer been my fault
My
progress would have no longer been hindered by an verbal assault
I would
have been a bird ruled by desire
I would
have been free from the shackles of this vicious social quagmire
Today I
write this satire , regrettably a truth
My life
described 'If' I were a man in early youth
The
murky clouds of despair,
The
muddy paths to nowhere,
The
ragged clothes on our backs,
Our
bare feet on broken glass,
Heads
lying on hard ground,
No
sheets to shield the cold around,
Deep
scars that never hurt,
Leave
a memory so berserk,
Constant
fear of death being near,
Loneliness
that makes us surrender,
Tears
in our eyes that no one sees,
Invisible shackles that bind me,
I
wonder if it will ever change,
To
the glory of our happy days
Dressed
to boot for walk in park
Left
our homes and warmth of bed,
With
family for a picnic day,
Unaware
of the dark time ahead,
Smiles
that shone brighter than sun,
Safe
and sound among friends,
We
laughed till there was no end,
Free
as a bird to roam around,
The
joyous memories everlasting,
I wonder
if it will ever be the same
