Mom and her

No ostentation. But she ogled about everything ethnic. That makes her chic. Now what, she isn't the heartthrob really, yet certain to get heads turn around at her. She wouldn't wear exposing attire, yet her eyes steal the show instantaneously, almost always! Her smile captivating, her voice mildly husky, her figure not model-like, yet has her curves right. Basically, everything that would bloody attract attention. Oh yes, and her talking was no less than sweet- no exaggeration. Fan following to her had equal number of men, boys, women and girls. Yet things weren't just as hunky-dory for her. There were enough clouds amidst multiple streaks of silver lining. More often misunderstood she was, for all her bundle of niceties- just like her mother. She found herself beginning to acquire her mom's traits, so much so that she was advancing in age, only to become like her mom, fully: perhaps because she could never get enough of her mom, at various points in time...she was turning out to be her mom, personified.

Inside the cupboard

Her place of worship was the cupboard- no rituals- devoid of inhibitions- devoid of even clothes at times- devoid of anything ostentatious- just her God and her. He stood inside, with multiple dispositions- sometimes smiling, sometimes grumpy and long-faced, sometimes laughing! At every point during a given day, she had one of the doors of the cupboard open- just to take a peek and check Him out- as though it was her boyfriend who stood there all day. Sometimes, child-like delight ensued, sometimes no reaction at all- just an innate sense of assurance that He is around, right there for her. 

Of late, something quaint had been happening quite often though- She saw her God smile at her each time she stood teary-eyed before Him; and each time she was excited- She saw Him sulking and looking disinterested. Until she got a friendly response from her God, she would hang around there- What's more, she even put a mirror right in front of her God and watched herself romance with The Lord, her Krishna.

A rabbit inside the moon

Sultry nights got cousins and I to the terrace to sleep every night

As kids we enjoyed the time together

Watching the sky 

Connecting every cloud to a country or a continent!

Lying down, we'd tell each other:

Hey look, this one resembles India

Kashmir to Kanyakumari-

The geography is just right!

And that one, slightly wide with a tapering end-

Is totally like North America...!

Just before we shut our eyes,

One peek towards the moon-

And we spot a rabbit inside it!

Sensing cliffs and craters could be what everyone else does

But as a child, I always saw a rabbit, perched on the surface of the moon

Years have passed by, I have evolved with time,

So have states in India increased in number 

Yet the rabbit still remains- perched- 

I can see its long ear lobes

Against the background of the whitish-grey backdrop:

The moon- with a rabbit inside!