Weeping Red Cherries

Kare-- " This jade studded barette is very pretty, very nice when it was clipped on the left side.

Mato-- " Yes very pretty, hey look books and songs in the shelf"." Neat arent they".

Kare--" Hmmm...I never knew in the shelfs there were books, she never mentioned".

Mato-- " I wish i could've read them, like it was wanted". Pause,"Hey look there is a packet here."

Kare-- " Neat aint it, addressed to whom Mato."

Mato-- " It says " For Mr. Kare Tomo, Please open it when you receive it, here take it, open it now as it says".

Kare (opening the packet)-- " It has a few books, cassette, a pink fan and painting of red cherries, These are for me all my favourite unread books like i once mentioned."

Mato-- " Lets hear the cassette" .

Kare inserted the cassette in the tape recorder. It played read with some songs of John denver, Extreme, Metallica, Dido, alanis, Jewel sung in between by Shamisoi. After the cassette is re-run and heard some 3 times, Mato gets up to switch it off.

Mato-- " You know who sung these songs and why?"

Kare staring towards to the tape recorder.

Mato-- " Here a sweater and mittens knitted for you, I was told to give you when you come,hope it fits.This fan has two eyes painted, wonder how one could paint !!! On the other side it says "

I look in these eyes thinking they are yours

And I see my reflection in these eyes,

Only if you knew how much you mean to me,

I always keep finding you in my heart."

Kare still staring with a prolonged silence between them.

Mato-- " You liked eating red cherries dint you when since you first met. "
Kare looking at Mato.

Mato-- " I knew it all this while".

Kare--" She loved me, she always wanted me to stop her from leaving,apologise to her for hurting her, for stealing her from her own heart. I never saw inside her, I was so insensitive, never listened to her. All this while she loved me, she truly loved me --like she said no one can love you more than i do. Even when I knew she loved & cared for me I never accepted her, worst all this while I felt the same for her.I betrayed my own heart,I was always stuck in my past & my selfishness, I hurted her so much .Mato my budd --I love Shamisoi very much, with all my heart, I will always keep her happy for the rest of my life."

Kare lifting his bag--" Come lets go and meet her I will tell her I love her songs, her fans, the sweater and red cherries , everything."

Mato stopped turned his face around towards the willowy weeping window.

Kare (agitated )-- " Come Budd lets go, she is waiting for me".

Mato-- " You can never tell Shamisoi how much you love her, she is now waiting only in your heart, I will too never see her again, no one will see her ever again".

With this Mato left Kare in Shamisoi's room to unburden his heart with tears and sorrow.

Emptiness

Emptiness, that bridge to far, I've tried so many times to cross that bar,

I've tried my best

Even bought a friend, but that proved fruitless in the end!

Time and age are against I am told!

Relentless each and every day, they all pass by and go on their way,

A knowing smile a friendly wave, would these same people surround my grave?

No time to chat, no inclination I've lived my life still on probation,

I know we all must die alone, why pay the bill to a silent phone,

The television my link with life, I sleep all alone

What will dawn bring, will I hear the bellbird deep inside the bush

Or feed the common garden ,

Maybe the sun will come out today,

Showing blue skies instead of grey there's hope,

There's life, I need to feel, the love of life so I can heal .

PS-I read this somewhere, not sure when & where exactly.

My- Nu Shu

My-Nu Shu --Titli

Titli (Butterfly)woke up early at 5:30 am, thinking about the lost time she had to make up for the presentation scheduled post-lunch. She hurriedly started working and was all set to go for work by 9 am.
Post- lunch the presentation went well, she was applauded for the first time by her new boss.
Titli thought "Oh a wonderful day, i also got my first appreciation letter".
She went back to her desk to meet her colleagues, but there was stink of jealousy & ignorance from everyone even from her so called "budd-friends".
Titli thought " Why are my friends ignoring me instead of sharing my happiness, no one is now even talking to me"
She went back to her desk to call her parents, but then again there was stink of ignorance & irrelevance.
Titli thought " why are my parents always unhappy with me no matter what I achieve".
She was very disappointed, there was no-body she could talk & understand her.
Titli thought " I am not going to cry today, not at all it is my day and I have earned it, neither will I talk to myself in the mirror"
She boarded the work bus back for her apartment, she had tears in her eyes but was holding back as she had promised to herself to be happy. Walking back to her apartment she saw the old woman who has been begging for months near the lane. The old-woman was abandoned and no-one knew wher she came from.
Like everyday Titli dropped the one rupee coin in the old-woman's bowl and for the first time the old-woman spoke and said--" Khush raho ( Always be happy)".
Titli walked away still with the tears sitting on the edge in her eyes, suddenly she re-called that everyone says the old-woman is deaf and dumb.
She quickly paced back to the old-woman, squatted on the lane and looked at the old-woman in the face and held her hand.
Titli said " Amma, tum bol sakti ho, sun sakti ho" ( Amma, u can talk and hear).
Old-Woman just nodded her head.
Titli said " Amma, fir tum bolti kyon nahi ho, sab ko lagta hai ki tum behari aur goongi ho" ( amma, then why dont you talk, everyone thinks your are deaf and dumb)
Old-woman again just nodded her head.
Titli still with tears on the edge making sure they donot fall said " Amma fir aaj kyon boli tum" (Amma, why did u talk today)
Old woman said " Beti kyonki aaj tumne paach rupiya ka sikha diya and poori do rotiyan bhi, par fir bhi tum roz ki tarah mujhe--- apna "ello" nahi kaha, tum bhi mujhe bhul gayi"( Beti, becos today you gave me 5 rupees and two rotis, but u didnot greet me, I thought you also forgot me).
Titli with tears flowing on her cheeks said- " Amma, I am lonely, no one needs me, my parents,friends, my boyfriend everyone ignores me no-one cares for me, they have there own worlds and I fit in no-where in theirs, they dont even have time or interest in living with me,
no one to share even my happiness, let aside my sorrows. I am very lonely and empty and worst no one sees it. '
Tilti was endlessly crying on the lane in front of the old-woman with a bowl. Suddenly she realised after a few mintues where she was sitting, and lifted her head
facing the Old-woman who was in tears saying " Beti, sab theek ho jayega, sab yahin is sansar mein hai ( everything will be okk, everything is here in this world .
Titli walked back to her apartment and first time in days together slept off without talking to herself and reading about Nu Shu.
In the next apartment, a little girl of 9 years who heard and saw the incident thought " Why are people unhappy, why do people stop valuing the person they love the most, why do we stop loving and giving as we grow old". " Here who was worse- the smart Titli Aunti or Quiet old- Amma".
She again got back to reading about Nu Shu in her bed.