Tell Me No More of Enchanted Days

  My family got into a funny situation last week. It all started with me being extra sweet to my younger one. I do admit, I'm kinder to him and call him my 'ball of positive energy'. It got him declaring to everyone, 'It's because Momma loves me the most in the world'. The elder raised his eyebrows and turned to him,' You know that's not true, don't you? We all know who she loves the most.' They started bickering and the question that I was avoiding hit me in the face. I dodged it like most parents do, by saying I loved them both equally. The elder one didn't give up. 'That's all lies. Everyone has that one person they love more than anyone.' The younger one added to the confusion by saying, 'Maybe it's Daddy she loves the most.' The elder one speculated, 'I don't think so. Not more than us. Maybe it's her mother. She does keep talking about how much she loves her mother.' I said, 'I love everyone.

All the faces around me, Look like they have died. The bodies animated, Moving wildly, making plans, Choosing silence over truth, Submission over forbiddance, And yet, they are dead. Gone off Into the abyss like a stick in a gutter, Rudderless, unaware and confused, About where the current is taking them. I see them hiding their voices In dark, forgotten corners, Where they are shoved in secret places, Between the ant hill and the wet leaves. From time to time, they peek in to check, If anyone has stolen their precious words, That they want no one to hear. Their rebellious thoughts, That they want no one to judge. Their broken hands, That they want no one to hold. But I do. I always do. In a glimpse of a second, I see the dead. I see a small flicker of life there. I say nothing. I hide too. I'm not dead. Just pretending to be Just like them. I hope they see me As one of their own and confide In me about how and when they died. So then I can bare my secrets And tell them how I'm

 "Owww oww oww" "What happened? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?" "Yes. It's my heart and it's broken." "Who broke your heart?" "I did." "I don't understand..." "See, I was watching this movie. This guy loves this girl a lot. And then he tells her he's going far away. Leaving." "Where is he going?" "To fight in the war. Away from her." "So then what happens?" "I don't know. I was howling away, so I didn't watch. I saw her suffering, her crying and it broke me inside. Why are men so stupid? How can he leave the best thing that's happened to him and go away?" "Maybe he comes back a better man for her. Renewed, more brave, more sure. Wars are supposed to change men." "What if he dies and never comes back?" "That would be his fate then. He is only following his destiny. If he was destined to be with her, he will someday. That

 

 I used to be a word addict, Start every day by consuming them in pills, Sweet ones to give the energy boost, Bitter ones to release the inner wounds. Scoop them in jars, melt them  And blend them to create smoothies. Serve them straight up for a dose of honesty. Sometimes I would hide them behind curtains, And ask people to play peek a boo. There would be banquets so grand, With guests getting customised treats. For the curious, there were subtle metaphors, For the lovers, always a side dish of hints. I lived in a fortress of poems, I swam in a fountain of explanations. Then the castle burnt down, Eyes like arrows, with ash and snow Rained on the tower, and the guests all left. Out of the smoke of the remains of  What was said and what wasn't,  Grew nothing and I lived in nothing And loved how transparent it felt. You don't need words in order to feel, You don't need to know in order to believe. We all have our armours to get through the day. Some hide behind saying it all

Coming in from the cold, Is like crawling back through death. The icy confines seem like home. And you get used to the nonchalance You so despise in others. But it must be done. The phoenix can rise from trial by fire. The susceptible fool must bind the heart In sturdy leather folders of un despair. Tender was the night, Tender was the night, Falling through a blizzard Of endless white and disappearing stars. Forgotten is the day, Forgotten is the day. Lock your front porch And hide inside till the snow subsides Till the rivers remember to find their way.