any town

moulded plastic equipment, child-safe of course
waveboards, skateboards and roller blades in a rush
beyblades spinning, basketballs bouncing
trash talk with foreign accents at every corner
gated community with ID cards to enter and exit
spic and span walkway regularly mopped
swimming pool, fancy gym and manicured green spaces
california palms neatly lined

bengaluru, not bangalore

the story of ori

a dog! should we adopt one?
the kids had been asking
we had thought about it too
but it seemed a little daunting

would it be a lot of work?
we'll clean her poop
they said with a smirk
and then we went into a loop

going back and forth a bit
with one of us feeling unsure
her reasons were many, all legit
but he, he was sure

sometime around then, i chanced upon a post
of a goofy looking cutie, with eyes the colour of toast
a black and white body and one floppy ear
she looked so perfect, and out went my fear

it felt just right, was she the one?

to show to the family, i wanted to run
i hoped that they would feel exactly the same

and be even more excited when i told them her name!

what's she called, they asked with glee

oreo i said even more excitedly!

i said to the kids that they could change it up

no it's cute, no need, it suits the little pup!

so we set up a time to go and meet her

june 12 post lunch is when we greeted her

i was nervous, but they didn't seem to be

felt like they had decided, you see

we met her at the park at her foster home

wagging her tail and bounding along

she was so friendly and she was so free

we knew that our lives had changed immediately

she walked with us and got into the car

oh she enjoyed her ride even though it wasn't far

excited and thrilled, were we all that day

our love had multiplied in so many ways

it's been six months since she came home to us

yes there have been times when i have cussed

when she chewed up spectacles, wallets and toys

all the while looking extremely coy!

she knows she can get away with this and that

she just rolls over for a belly rub and pat

oreo aary kumar is her full name

ori, my third munchkin, she became

permanence

one week since i fell,
the scrapes and bruises have healed.
scars, old and new, stay.

wounds

oh come on
it's not so bad
it happens all the time
and it will happen again
it's just a small scrape
and a little bit of blood
it's not so bad
i say

his eyes well up
even more than when he came home
his lips quiver
and his voice shakes
it's small but it hurts so badly
and it's bleeding so much
you don't know how I feel ma
he says

i've fallen a lot, and i know how it feels
so bear with it just a bit
a little medicine, it won't sting
really, it won't
i've used it a lot
you're so brave, come on
i say

aaaahhh it hurts
you lied ma, it stings
you don't know how much it hurts
no I'm not brave
don't touch it
just leave me alone
he says

and i do, i walk away

lost in my thoughts, i wander the aisles
lost in my thoughts, i check off my list
lost in my thoughts, i pay the bill
lost in my thoughts, i step out of the store

and thud!

too lost i was, i paid no heed
to what was on the floor
bags, purse and more scattered around me
a sharp pain, one that i had forgotten
and a smear of blood that wouldn't stop
and a heavy feeling, one that i can't explain
is what I took back home

the stinging didn't go away
neither did the bleeding
and the worst part was
that the tears didn't stop
i told myself all that I told him
and i did to myself all that i did to him
but it wasn't enough
it wouldn't go away

i thought of something then
about memories and remembrance
how fleeting they can be
and about hurt and pain
how fresh they can be

maybe what we need
is hugs and commiserations
not, despite what's all around,
bravery, or stories of it

he saw my wound, maybe he felt my pain
he called it gross and smiled
it was his turn to put on the meds
and it was mine to cry
he hugged me and I cried some more
but it wasn't in pain this time

resolutions

come december every year we tend to take stock
of the things we set out to do when it was 00:00 on the clock

of the new things that we hoped to try 

and some old things we wanted to modify 

somehow everything seems possible at the start

even those half marathons, not for the faint of heart 

but as the months go by the optimism is faded

leaving us only more and more jaded

12 months go by with another 12 to follow

should we make a new list today or wait until tomorrow 

why does this happen at the start of every year 

january arrives and fills us with fear

because december is just a few months away 

and the cycle will repeat until the end of day