Thursday, November 16, 2006

that name on the merit list

They hadn't cost her a dime, her dreams. But there, in that very public of places, they melted into tears. And fell off her luminous eyes. Slowly and softly. She didn’t mind them, slipping away. There were enough happy, sparkling, bulbous beads to spare. She remained glued to that name on the hastily written list, checking every letter, her lips mouthing every syllable. That was the one, she told herself. That had to be her child.

She pulled herself out from the cloud of nervous parents. The glistening film on her upper lip was wiped away by an impatient hand that longed to be clasped with the other in prayer. She looked upwards and then inwards. Her God had a heart, surely.

That night she rode up the crescent moon and pitched her nascent dreams into the night sky. Before she came down, she broke a small piece off the lucent concave, heedful that it would disappear into an emptiness soon. She would try to make it last until the end of the month. Like an item of grocery. And then wait for it again.

She couldn’t believe that name on the merit list still. How much would an English school education cost? For then, it didn’t matter. Neither did the blisters wedged between her toes.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

this is senti stuff man.. chill maadi thoda

Pritesh Jain said...

voh..I hope we arenot getting some glimps from upcoming novel...

satyajit said...

prits: certainly not..I'm just giving my imagination an unleashed run..trying to narrate everyday incidents in a different perspective..dont know if thats working..
wat do u mean by 'voh' neway?

satyajit said...

And also we sometimes see everyday lives as non-descript but it isn't..there are distinctive qualities in most situations that set it apart in ways worth noting..

There r so many of us similar, yet I dont think the ways we react, express to the same stimuli are the same

Pritesh Jain said...

'voh' was just an expression.

shantanu said...

i was a bit surprised to see how u could inject emotion so quickly...in such a small piece..not an easy job..am sure 6 mths back u would have struggled...

satyajit said...

shantanu: I hope u've been happily surprised :-)
and if that's the case then yes 6 months back I mostly wudnt have been able to write such a piece..it comes with practice though i cant put a finger on wat 'it' is..

SUCHARITA ROY said...

the best of blogs dont necessarily come with th toughest assortment of words
great one
keep at it...
:)

emeraldpond said...

your words have drawn a picture, a picture that we see every now and then. but then when it come to penning them down, most of us find it an uphill task.
but you seem to achieve that with great ardor.
good work.