Dear friends and admirers
today i plan to write a song
it will be a song
to which the world can sing along.
what would it be about, ask you.
what do you want it to be about ask i.
for it can be about a lot of things.
it could be about the world.
about steamy roads after it rains
on a hot summer day.
of walking barefoot on dewy fields
and of the sweet smell of grass in the mornings.
of watching the sun rise from my bedside.
of swimming in the lake
with slow, lazy strokes.
and of looking at the hazy world
out of the train window
amidst incessant rain.
let me also pen
the laughter of the sun;
and the soft smile of the moon
and the stars.
of rolling meadows and cloudy mountains.
of hailstorms in March
and the creamy dusk of holi.
of flowers inside folded pages
which smell of summer
And the slightly scented breeze
that heralds the coming of pujo.
of the butterflies in my grandma’s garden
and the grasshoppers in the lake right next to it.
singing with the birds
and of dancing with the wind.
of the sunshine on my neck
and the whisper of the leaves.
and what of us who people this world?
i could write about the stories
that are etched into each line
on the forehead of the beggar
i pass on the street everyday.
Or the strangers who smile back at me,
only coz we board the same compartment.
let me also tell you about smiles,
of laughter like the breeze in spring;
and of eyes which say a million words
with just a glance.
and of small gestures which underline
bonds beneath the seemingly disconnected
lives we seem to lead.
Of the dying and the homeless,
and shootings in schools.
Of words like freedom and love,
and dreams like freedom and love,
and hopes like freedom and love….
I can also write
words of a monsoon windowsill.
of football in the rain,
and walking back, drenched to the bone.
and the sugary tea
that the chai-wallah at Bansdroni
serves us every weekend.
and of old train tickets
and coffee stains on the carpet.
of faded family photos
and crushed jeans and old books
with dog’s ears; of cassettes
lying in my cupboard.
love letters that never got sent.
and dad’s favourite pen…
this is going to be a song
a very special song
to which the world can sing along.
so i should write about a lot of things,
but i’m lost for words to pen.
so I think i’ll write
about incomplete smiles and…..
