Lakshmi M Nair

"Let's go to the ocean", I whispered to her! "It's been long. I believe I left a bit of my soul there. I should go check on it sometime." There was something about her presence that made me think of the ocean. Vast and all encompassing like her love. With a frown she replied, "Yes It's been so long! Looks like they have forgotten me. I probably should remind them." I turned to look at her. Those frowns suited her well but I missed her smile. Closing my eyes in reflective calm I said, "There are so many drops in the ocean my love! I am sure there is one drop that remembers you. I am sure it is in love with you." I looked around the garden till I found the shells scattered around beautifully. Picking one up, I called her. "Come listen to this conch shell. It hums the song of the waves that are missing you." Holding the conch shell close to her ears she was quiet for a while. Gazing at the horizon, a shadow of doubt cast ove...

The streets were absolutely silent, not even a stray dog was to be spotted. It might have been around four thirty in the morning, but one couldn't determine whether it was day or night. The lanes were dark and should have been silent, but that was not the case here.  As I walked past houses clustered together like rows and rows of unkempt books, I could hear every other home abuzz with strange noises that one identifies with the kitchen. A clang of fallen spatula here, a shrieking whistle from a pressure cooker there, many such voices kept breaking the silence of an otherwise silent morning.  How long had it been since I had entered a kitchen this early in the morning? Months? Years? I couldn't remember any longer, though I could recall vaguely the rush of adrenaline I used to wake up with. There was never a moment to spare. As soon as I opened my eyes, a mad rush to finish tasks would begin. Cooking, packing, sending everyone to their respective activities or jobs, then keepi...

Nights always made me feel alive.  Calling me a creature. of the night will not be too far off the mark. As the city embraces its nightly mistress, I lie awake, staring at the twinkling orbs of gas, far up in the sky. It fascinates me, those patterns on the vast expanse of space that extends over and beyond the reach of one’s eyes. They are my fellow travellers, my companions on lonely nights and my guide on the days I wish to travel.  I remember reading about constellations as a child. Those days I used to feel guilty about not being able to identify any, other than the Orion's belt, but as years progressed, I realised my joy in the stars did not decline one bit for not being able to recognise the constellations. Just laying on soft dewy grass, gazing at the stars, time would cease to exist, yet pass by so fast. That's the beauty of distancing oneself from all things ‘in’, you know, for contradictory to common belief, one does not fade into non entity if they steer clear of s...

It rained that night. Did you see it my love, or were you still locked up behind those closed cabins in one of your never ceasing meetings? I had waited, you know. For hours; nay, for days. Maybe I had always hoped you would notice all those small signs that I could no longer hold it together. Ours had been a whirlwind romance. Something straight out of the storybooks they said. Unlike any other, they said. Those days had been more fun and frolic than just holding hands or gazing at the stars. Pranks after prank we pulled on each other, trying to best each other and nearly splitting our sides with laughter at the end of the day. We had been the best of friends, even though we were just too different from each other.  It seemed right too, for don't they say that opposites attract? You were the positives to all my negatives. I believed that with all my heart. I believed that with you by my side, I could only grow from strength to strength. Wasn't that a perfect way to kick start ...