In a family of dominant siblings,
the eldest of us all is Shalu,
who was the apple of my parent's eyes
domineered with a will unconquerable
notwithstanding an avarice insatiable
Temperamental in her behaviour,
she wielded enormous authority
in the affairs of the family
amassed the family's wealth with an amiable ease.
A dark slim boy, my eldest brother,
Laksha,susceptible to eccentricities.
turned overnight into a hefty, bullish man.
Known for his impudence even as a toddler,
he defied our father throughout his lifetime
As a chosen pleasure,
dissipated peace with a fervour.
A quiet, introspective girl, Meenu,
docile and demure
came up next in line.
She did not find her feet in her childhood
remains so even now
being exiled from the family for reasons unknown.
Consequently, a non-recipient of her rightful fortune
she lives in absolute peace. Ironical!
Writing and reading
being the passion of her life
she thinks not of her loss
The unfortunate one is anyone's guess.
Palam, born the fifth in line
preaches one practises another.
Ambiguous he is, as always,
speaks no truth. Pretends to be ingenuous.
In reality, he is an impostor.
The youngest of all, Shan,
street smart and savvy in his days
became a dissident.
With his nose in others affairs
thinks he is great and unsurpassed,
having ties with officials and politicians.
I,
Oh! What a child, I have been!
and what am I now!
a good for nothing person
with no voice and without any rightful share
yet content. Happy I am to be so
away from the mundane.
Pity,
I see myself strange
bearing no semblance
to the ways of the world.
Like not to be in a crowd,
detest socialising, am neither
a conversationalist nor an entertainer.
I read books like a devil!
I turn an angel when I
listen to music, soulful and mellifluous
I contemplate on the niceties of life:
a rose enchants, a bird's tweet
enlivens, a child's smile fascinates
a drizzle bewitches me. I fly. I soar.
I sail.
Am I a mystic? I ponder.
Nay, I am not. I am an ordinary human.
An anachronism all too sure.