Disturbing the dead

Utramel Temple is the designated aboard for the soul of my grandmother to rest, until it is its turn to be born again. I went there today with my dad and my uncle, three people she loved beyond human reason. In Utramel rests some ten generations of elders of our family.

Its a small temple, a little unkempt, with very dense foliage in the boundaries. I asked my dad why they don't keep it clean? The "Kavu" is never cleared, he said. The dead are resting there, you don't want to disturb them, do you?

I don't know, I said. If my disturbing could bring grandma back, I would.

We walked back home, her two sons and her only grandson, together.

For A Better Tomorrow

May some dreams perish
For new ones to take shape
From the Ashes of the ones that we buried
In hope of better tomorrows.

Death is the only guarantee
To new life.
Kill me...every time you need
To be born again.

Forgotten Memories

Some day I will sink into your past
Like a forgotten memory misplaced
And when there are ripples in your lake
You will remember of me
In its little dancing waves.

On cold winter nights
When you light a cigarette
The smoke that gets into your eyes
Will make you cry
And leave you wondering if it were the smoke
Or some memory that got dredged up in time

This will happen.
And now that I need to exit your tomorrows
I will continue forever in your yesterdays.
Live long...for with you I live along.

The day after Diwali

Once the last of the lamps had given up their lights
And the last of the crackers had petered out,
The warm flow of togetherness
From a family getting together
Survived to prepare all of us
For another grueling year ahead.

May our tribe prosper.

This Deepawali

May The sunlight in your eyes
Sparkle and lend light
To Anaars Phuljhadi's and Thousand lights.
May the anklets you wear
jingle and spread baby smiles.

May your loved ones be with you
As you celebrate
This festival of a billion lights.