BURNT FLESH, UNBURNT DREAMS

Coloured feathers floating in the air
Was always more than a fancy for me
Fancy turned fascination
Later, a fervent dream
Dawn and dusk, I’ve dreamt a dare
Of chasing the kites
That hurt the clouds
And tame the hawks
That mock the stars.

I grew up...
The dare was met
I weighed less
Our bank weighed less
But assurance enough
That i would live
And the lockers would fill

Sitting on this embedded throne
Amidst my passions and emeralds
I wish i was in my mother’s lap
On that dreaded day
When the hell blew in.

The layers of powder and the pink rouge
Couldn’t obstruct the angry flare
I wanted to be fair
Fatal darker, i became.

I’ve felt only warmth
When the flames engulfed
But felt the stings
That my mother would feel
Holding my burnt flesh
And unburnt dreams.
I never yearned for a whirlpool
When life around me
Was burning to ashes
But in that red hue haze
I pined for a petal
To wipe the cataract
In her brimming eyes

Playing in the mud
Ages ago....
I wanted to float
And reach the stars
Hence,
Should i be sad?
Or be ecstatic?
As i float in this light
And dance with the stars.

(In remembrance of the deceased in the Mangalore air crash)