The Old Me and the Sea

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Far away, from here and far away from there. By the moonlit shores of Bombay. Where a gentle breeze always blows. There lies a wall. Which faces the sea. I often think about that spot. On which you and I sat. Speaking about nothing in particular. Watching the moon dance over the muddy waters. Slight sea spray on our faces. And a girl selling roses. Desperation in her eyes, tiredness in her limbs, hope and hunger keep her going in equal measure. We look away. Our life is better. We sigh. We hold hands under the golden necklace. Legs dangling over. We don't know what is life hereafter. Life is now, maybe life is never.

Silence is good. But silence is not enough. Words fall short. But who needs words. When you have touch. Is touch enough? I am not sure and neither are you. Doubts and anger. A bumpy ride. In the Kaali peeli - our favourite. Words lie and so does my touch. What do we do now? Where do we go? Life is motionless but our minds keep racing. The sea is beautiful and so are you. I am thankful, maybe so are you. The sea beckons me and I must go. Hold my hand, you are not my foe. 

I don't remember certain evenings. When you and I sat down here. Perhaps it was not here, was it by the seventh bungalow? The coast was livelier there. And fishermen were in a good mood. The lights were dim and where was the moon? Hiding behind a cloud, like my love for you. Never complete but always so true. Young hearts beating is a beautiful feeling. Maybe it is the coffee, maybe it is my mind which is reeling.

The sound of the waves, the smell of the sea, the warm breeze and your scent are all that I carry with me. Away from that coast. Away from that warm bed of sand. Littered with plastic wrappers and used syringes, condoms and other paraphernalia of the night. Watching the planes take off, go away, far away from this coast. Like I did, many moons ago. Sitting not so close but not too far. Talking about the time flown by. The sands of time, slipping away with every passing moment. The aroma of pav bhaji wafting by the sea is hard to forget. 


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photo courtesy: Abhay Singh Palaha

Comments

Arjun Kamdar said…
Wonderful piece! Absolutely loved it :)
June 14, 2021 at 8:54 AM
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