My Leona

A loving ball of cuteness
Radiating love ... So gentle and mild.
The apple of my eye ...
My moon, my child.

I came as the sun for you.
I gave my light to you.
You did me so proud.
I owe my pride to you.

I watched you with love
Waxing in and waning out.
I watched you with affection
As you playfully moved around.

Alas! I am only the sun.
Meant to become a star.
Much against my wishes
From you, I was sent afar.

You grieved for me.
You cried for me.
You miss me every single day,
Thinking of me, yesterday and today.

But know this my lil one
I may be far, I may be gone.
But I watch you all the same
From the darkness of the unknown.

And I shall always be beside you
Help you, care for you, guide you.
No matter what your life may hold
I promise 

I will always be there for you. 

Immune to intoxication!

“The cool breeze that touches you,

The moonlight that intoxicates you ...

Wish I was the breeze,

Wish I was the moon to you.”

Such poetry! Only a lover could utter such words ... Because only love is so far removed from reality. I shook my head at the couple sitting on the bench beside me. They were oblivious to my presence. Love does that. But moonlight that intoxicates? Seriously? I looked up at the moon and sighed. A celestial object is put on a pedestal and is almost idolised by lovers and poets of the world alike.

“A celestial object. So, that is all that I am?”

I looked around me.

“If only you would gracefully set your sight a bit higher you would know it is me, the humble moon that is talking to you.”

Suddenly the couple got up and started walking away. Maybe they wanted to act upon the ‘intoxication’ now.

“So you choose to ignore me? Amusing really!”

“I am not going to talk to an inanimate astral object. Whatever that the woolly-headed love fanatics may think of you, I am unaffected by your so called magic and beauty. Your fanciful intoxication is wasted upon me. Go find someone else.”

 “So sure you are of yourself! Immune to my charms?”

“I am immune to any charm or intoxication or concoction that is known to mankind. I am made of much practical composition.”

The moon smiled. “Proof of the pudding in the eating. See that pond close by? Go and look in the pond. You will see my reflection. My radiant reflection. Keep looking at it and then prove your non-intemperance.”

I stared at the moon. I guess the only way to prove it wrong was by proving it wrong. So I walked to the pond and saw the reflection of the moon. The cool calm water held the reflection of the moon in its lap, very tenderly. The breeze sent gentle ripples on the water and it looked as if the moon’s reflection was smiling, almost like a small child that is being carried by its mom. I looked up at the moon and said “Better luck next time. I am still thinking coherently and thet itself pruvs thet yur charm and byutee hazant workd on me. I am imyun!”

“But of course! So you are!” sed the mun, gladlee aksepting difeet.

And with dhis, let it be nown to the wurld thet I em imyun to the charms of the mun. And yu all bear vitnes to dhis as yu too prifer to reed dhis radher dhan luk up at the silli mun. Charm and intoksikeshan? Yeah rait!

Sighhhh!

The Caring Moon

Yes ... Lovely little lamps lit across the rows of houses, temples and streets. As if the starlit sky has descended upon the earth. Not everywhere though. Just a particular place in the earth, vast indeed. People of that place believe that their Lord, along with his wife and brother, returned home after an exile of 14 years. Though this had happened a great many years ago, people still celebrate the homecoming of their exiled crown prince. They light lamps to reflect the luminous victory over an evil demon. But that’s another story for another day. The sky looks down in amazement and wonder ... Twinkle twinkle little earth? The stars too smile and once upon a time so did the moon.

Oh the moon! The cute little round moon! But for all its cuteness, littleness and roundness it was a very thoughtful and caring moon. Why? Well, if only you knew what happened as many years ago.

The moon, with the stars and the meteors and the comets and the asteroids watched in awe as that vast place was lit with lamps.
“For all that brilliance and radiance, it really is nothing in compared to the moon”, Zuphris the garrulous star commented.

“Yes, true that. The moon doesn’t need a reason to brighten up the sky. It is as it is”, said Bondig, a star that was fascinated by the moon.

The earth beamed. The earth loved the moon ... treated it like its younger one. Each time anyone said anything nice about the moon the oceans of the earth sent ripples of smiles across. But, suddenly the moon was sad. You must be wondering why was the moon sad.

“I wonder why is the moon sad”, said Pouloch, a curious star.

The moon looked at the stars and the earth and said “Oh but it isn’t fair! The love, the faith, the dedication of those beings on earth which is lit up so brightly ... It isn’t fair if it is compared to me.”

“But they are no match to your radiant beauty oh moon!” said a passing cloud on earth.

“I don’t know about that but I sure don’t like stealing their thunder”, replied the moon and the cloud hurried away elsewhere.

The moon sighed, thought, pondered, reflected and sighed again ... and then, smiled.

The earth, who was watching it lovingly, sensed that the moon had a moonwave (a brainwave to us). “What lies in the beautiful mind of yours, my lil one?”

The moon twinkled and said “Well, to be fair on those beings and their love, I shall no more be visible in the sky when they celebrate this day. Let their love and dedication rule the night. I have the rest of the year to show my deemed brilliance. Let them rejoice and sparkle and glitter and shine and gleam. I shall come back slowly after they have finished celebrating”.

“Oh my moon! You do make me so proud! Your thoughtfulness and care!” the earth said so and the highest peak on the earth got higher by a few more inches. Oh the swell of pride!

The moon, gentle and graceful that it was, gently and gracefully slid away. Suddenly, the lamps on the earth now seemed more luminous! If only they knew of the selfless act of the moon!

“I lighten up, not just your path.

I lighten up your glum heart”.

Bonded forever ...

“You have been a very naughty moon!” chided the earth.

But the moon just smiled playfully. It always did. Because it knew that the earth never really meant that from its core. It knew that the earth loved it above all the celestial beings. It knew that the earth used to go around looking for it whenever it didn’t see it. It knew that the earth cared. And that is exactly what made the moon take so many liberties with the earth. The comets often complained about the earth’s indulging behaviour towards the moon. But no one took the comets seriously. They cometh, they leave. The stars scolded the earth for spoiling the moon by letting it get away with all its funny frolics and comic capers. But then they twinkled away when ignored by the earth. And then one night ... a most miserable mishap took place.

The moon, which loved to play hide and seek with the earth, went hiding behind Jupiter. Oh! Jupiter is kind. It wasn’t him that was the problem. Or his size. And you really must not judge people according to their size. Because in the celestial world, the bigger the better. It was the awful asteroid! The asteroid didn’t have any sense of direction. It used to run against many planets and celestial objects. A headless chicken no less! And for a reason best known to asteroids, they were always in a state of hurry. It was this very state of hurry that made the asteroid crash with the moon! The moon, before it could even sense what happened, went rolling down. Luckily Jupiter caught its fall. See, what did I tell you about not making fun of large sizes? Suddenly the universe went still. Everyone knew the earth’s love for the moon. Everyone knew that the earth was looking for the moon again as it was hiding, hoping to be found. Everyone knew that the earth will throw up fire from its core, should anything happen to its beloved moon.

But the wail of the moon! In the cold stillness of the universe the wail of the moon was heard beyond stars. The earth rushed towards the moon, rushed towards Jupiter. Jupiter was nursing the moon and it perfectly understood what the earth must have been going through as it had many moons of its own and each one was as dear as the other. The earth wept, cuddled, hugged and kissed the moon. The moon had been scarred for life. Dark patches. But the earth kissed them all. The toughie that Jupiter was, looked on with moist eyes.

The earth thanked Jupiter, carried the moon in its arms and went back to its abode on the solar system. But it was no more going to risk any such misadventures of the mischievous moon. So, it borrowed a special glue from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. It bound the moon to itself with that glue. Now the moon could roam in space freely but only as far as the earth would let it go, which frankly wasn’t too far at all. That glue was invisible but very strong. How strong, you ask? Well, so strong is that glue that even after all these many millions of years the moon is still bound to the earth. And Jupiter still has a little red spot marked where the moon fell.

If only we could love and care for each other as much as the celestial beings ...

The Moon Song

Birds chirping, waves roaring, the heart-stopping clash of thunder ... sounds of nature. And then there are a few sounds that exist no more. Like the sound of a pink petunia singing or a blue rock whistling or brown birds snoring ... and then of course, the moon singing. Oh but it did sing!

A very long time ago, when the birds till hadn’t learnt to fly and the flowers still hadn’t learnt to bloom ... the moon used to sing. Every starlit night it would come out in the sky very shyly and then would start singing. It was so melodious that the creatures of the earth would be lulled to sleep. The trees would stop swaying. And the bats? They were wise. They used to sleep during daytime so that they wouldn’t miss the moon singing. And the ocean? Oh it fell in love with the moon and its song! Now that worried the Troxon star no end. Why? Because the Troxon star, a father figure to the moon, knew that the day, or rather night, the moon realised it was beautiful it might become vain and would not be able to sing so beautifully. Its beauty lay in the ignorance of the existence of its beauty.

One night, when the moon didn’t come out in the sky, Troxon shared its concern with the ocean.

“Oh mighty ocean! Do you not see if you tell the moon that you love it because it is beautiful, it might stop singing so sweetly.”

The chivalrous ocean answered “Oh bright Troxon! You fear not! My love for the moon shall remain undeclared and unrequited. Be at peace.”

“But oh powerful ocean! The moon will see itself in your stillness. It must not do so. For it won’t love you but rather fall in love with itself. Heavens forbid, should that happen, it won’t be able to sing anymore!”

“Oh twinkling Troxon! You have my word that whenever the moon shall sing I shall not sit still. I shall dance wildly. The moon will never be able to see itself in me. Be at peace.”

Appeased, the Troxon star stood guard in the sky nevertheless and the next night the moon came out, shy as ever. It started singing. Creatures started sleeping. Trees stopped swaying. Bats started listening. And the ocean? It started dancing. Jumping and thrashing its waves. And so it went on ... till one fateless night.

The moon sang with a soulful sweetness hitherto unheard of. The squirrels swear that even the trees cried that night. A melancholic song. And the ocean was tranced by it. So lost was it in the song that it forgot to dance and thrash it waves. It stood still. Alas! The moon saw its own reflection in the stillness of the ocean. It stopped singing. It couldn’t believe it was so perfectly round and radiant and resplendent. The Troxon star reminded the moon to continue its song but to no avail. Too late, the ocean realised its mistake and started dancing again but the moon lost its voice with what it saw of itself.

The creatures cried. The trees talked. The bats bawled. But the moon couldn’t be persuaded to sing. And to date never has and probably never will.

And the ocean! It cried a million tears. Hence the salty ocean. Oh to hear the sweet song of the moon once again! 

Leona's Homecoming

I went looking for her everywhere.

Beyond the purple mountains and the green seas

On a little raft

Made of honeysuckle leaves.

I had no oars

So I paddled with my hands

Till I reached the golden sands.

There I met a fairy under a palm tree

Who buzzed in my ear like a bee.

“The one that you look for awaits you already ...

Off you go homeword bound, ready and steady!”

Slowly and steadily,

Homeward you came.

But she wasn’t there,

Oh what a shame!

I wailed and I cried ...

For the fairy had lied.

I returned in vain

But that’s not the last I tried.

Don’t lose heart

That you couldn’t find her there.

Take a voyage across the pink seas,

Even if you dislike the sea fare.

The sea deters me not

For I love her above my fear.

I shall bring her back home.

Bring her back to love and care.

Oh how she craves for

Home and the shore.

There is nothing in this world

That she would want anymore.

I row for her.

I row for myself.

Her home, her solace.

I shall bring her back

Whatever I may have to brace.

Happiness wouldn’t wait,

So she rowed for it.

Oh how would the sun shine

If its hearth no one lit?

I found her rowing

Braving the seas.

Swimming against the tides ...

She now deserves dry land,

She now deserves peace.

She would be glad

To finally set foot on the lands.

What could finally be had

Was the clasp of warm hands.

Her hands I held

And brought her home.

To a warm fireplace

To freshly baked cakes and hot coffee

Freshly brewed for her, by me.

Coffee and cakes

And sweet winds in the air.

So good she makes ‘em

It’s not even fair.

She tasted not the food or drink,

She tasted love I think.

For the smile that she beamed

It was for a song that I sing.

She couldn’t help it.

It made her cry, that song.

The voices of her heart,

Which she hadn’t heard in long.

I wiped her tears

And she put her head on my lap ...

“No more tears my child!”

I said to her with many a loving pat.

In her lap she forgot her longings,

She was home,

That’s all she knew of things.

I lifted her and carried her to bed.

Tucked her under a blanket.

With love, with care

I kissed her head.

Little does she know

That she is never alone.

An angel guards her forever,

An angel that will never leave her lone.

The Beautiful Tigress

Once upon a time, in a jungle that was far away in a place unknown to man, lived a beautiful tigress up on a tree. She slept on the big wide branches of the tree. A beautiful tigress with rather sad eyes. Why sad? It so happened that a bunch of naughty monkeys harassed her no end. She wailed and cried and implored and begged and pleaded to be left alone but it was all in vain. The monkeys would take shifts in standing under the tree, thereby restricting the tigress movements completely.

One fine cloudy day, a giraffe happened to pass by that tree and he laid his eyes on the beautiful tigress. The sadness in her eyes touched his heart and he climbed up the tree. The tigress was vary and jumped to a branch further. But the giraffe coaxed her and gently convinced her to trust him.

“Pray tell me what troubles you, oh striped beauty!” said the giraffe.

“Oh dear long-necked friend, I am being harassed by the bunch of monkeys that stand under the tree. It has been over a week since I have stepped afoot on the ground. I am afraid I shall never ever be able to wander in the bountiful jungle. Perhaps I am not a favourite child of destiny” said the tigress, almost on the brink of tears.

“Cry no more! Wail no more! I shall seek help and rescue you from these cruel creatures. Do not lose hope and do not give up” said the giraffe compassionately.

He climbed down the tree, gave a scornful look to the monkeys and headed home. One monkey tried to climb the tree, having seen the giraffe do so. Alas! He slipped and fell. The leader of the monkeys gave him an earful and warned “Do not attempt the unknown”.

The giraffe went to his friend, the grasshopper. He narrated the pathos of the tigress to his friend and requested him to help out. After all, it was a matter of the giraffe’s word to the tigress. The grasshopper thought long and hard about it, like grasshoppers do. He then announced to his friend “tomorrow, my army of grasshoppers shall be led by me and we will attack the monkeys with our full might. They will learn a lesson good enough to fill the hearts of their future generations with dread whenever they recollect the attack. Rest assured, your word is now my honour. Go home and sleep at peace, for tomorrow you shall have to guide us to the tree”.

Next day the giraffe and the army of grasshoppers went to the tree where the beautiful striped tigress lived. Under the tree were four monkeys standing guard. The rest of the monkeys were playing hopscotch nearby. The grasshopper divided his army into two groups and commanded them to tackle the group of monkeys separately. He led the group that marched towards the monkeys standing under the tree. Without issuing a warning the army of grasshoppers mercilessly attacked the monkeys ... stamping them under their feet until the monkeys began to beg for pardon and promised to mend their ways. But the grasshoppers were in no mood or form to listen to them. The leader of the monkeys, who was himself very badly injured in this sudden onslaught, held out a white flag to the leader of the grasshoppers.

“We shall spare you on one condition alone. Promise that you or your kind shall never ever harass any tiger or tigress. Promise that you shall make yourself be unseen in these parts of the jungle”, said the leader of the joyfully victorious grasshoppers.

“I promise that I and my kind shall never ever harass any tiger or tigress. I promise that we shall make ourselves be unseen in these parts of the jungle”, said the leader of the rather badly injured monkeys.

The grasshopper then allowed the monkeys to leave the premises and lose themselves in another part of the jungle. The giraffe thanked the grasshopper and pleaded the tigress to descend from the tree. The tigress, who was watching this act of valour by the grasshoppers, came down. Her eyes were teary but this time the tears sprung from happiness, relief and gratitude rather than sadness. She turned towards the grasshopper and said “Oh you wonderful hopping creature, how may I ever repay your kindness?”

But the grasshopper simply couldn’t answer back. He was rendered speechless by the beauty of the tigress. Such grace, such form ... he had never seen so wonderful a creature ever. His lovestruck eyes just gazed upon the tigress, who had started blushing ever so slightly. The giraffe watched this and realised that his friend was enchanted by the object of his desire. Friendship or love? What shall be given in? The grasshopper looked at the giraffe and realised that his friend had more than compassion for the tigress. Friendship or love? What shall be given in?

Whom shall the tigress be with? Had it not been for the giraffe who took the trouble of climbing up the tree and asking the tigress what troubled her, the grasshopper might never have known of the tigress’ existence. On the other hand, it was the grasshopper and his army that eventually defeated the pesky monkeys.

While they both were wondering as to who should give the ultimate sacrifice, a swift elephant came and saw the tigress, held her hand and they both ran off in the jungle, where they lived happily ever after.