At 13
History lies heavily
As mama warns you
Of boys in school
And a mirror tells tales of acne
And uncle next door suddenly
Puts his hand…(you know where)
And you know it’s bad, but you feel good
On Sunday mornings, you pray hard
For world peace
And practise for music teacher coming at 6
Sometimes the world is like a crazy merry-go-round
And you grin and bear it….
At 30
History and her story collide
And mama no longer warns
But wonders why there are no boys
And a mirror reveals
Signs of first grey
On Sunday mornings you still pray
Though world peace is the last thing on your mind And the only music you hear are
Love songs on the radio
Sometimes the world is like a crazy merry-go-round
And you grin and bear it
Somewhere between 13 and 30 is a place where there are no mirrors
To tell tales
And where History, a phantom of the past
Glides
On that highway of life.
You cruise past a billboard that screams, “Grin and bear it!”
And the winds whistle…to the sound of laughter.
Your laughter.
MOVIES LIE
Amma you never told me
How it would be
And so I thought it would be
Like the movies
That there would be music
And jasmine flowers galore
And somewhere between the time
He comes and leaves
A bee would kiss a flower
Three times or more
Amma you never told me
How it would be
And so I thought it would be
Like the movies
That they would look into
Each other’s eyes
And drink a glass of milk
(He first then she)
And then he would gently
Lay her head down and embrace her for eternity.
Amma, you never told me How it would be
But perhaps amma even you
Believed it would be
Like the movies
Well, Amma– let me tell you
What I feel.
MOVIES LIE.
Contributor:
ANURADHA SHYAM. Has a background in literature from Australia and enjoys experimenting with poetry and prose. Her work interests have been diverse – ranging from working with publishers to conducting story-telling workshops fro children. Currently, she works as a special educator at the Spastic Society of India. Writing, she says is her way of travelling to places, uninhibited and free.
