The morning after...

                                                 

The night was filled with fear, the unknown causing the heart to skip a beat.

The lightening blinds her, thunder makes her shudder.

Would she get someone or have to be alone?

She walks down the road,  finding no one, slowly walks towards the traffic signal, knowing that her luck increases at these junctions.

Anxiously staring into the distance, signaling with her hands and eyes, no one stops!

Some slow down, only to speed away when she vehemently turns down their proposals.

Some pitying glances over her now drenched body.  She looks unwelcoming, needy and pitiful.

Finally he stops, words are exchanged, no negotiations this time, the desperation shines through.

She gets in.

The ride is short, she holds on tight, feeling every bump on the road, praying he would not stop.

She just wanted to get it over with!

The lashing rain and the thunder and lightning and the flashing lights around her, loud honking, were comforting, knowing she was not alone!

At one point, she felt herself sinking, the tears come rushing, all she had were prayers.

The 50 minutes seemed forever.

The morning was calm.

His smile shone bright like he had nothing to do with her night time fear.

She stepped out and realized everything was as it should be-

Clean, fresh, clear, innocent!

Night time and the drama starts again!

Sounds of Silence

Have you ever listened to the sounds of the night?

Night time brings with it, its own mystery, a different bed time story.

Growing up in  a small town, living in homes away from heavy traffic movement, the silence of the night booms out loud!!

The nerdy me, needed to study late into night as well as wake up in the wee hours of the morning.

Living in a bungalow with glass windows where walls should be, was scary.

The rustling of the leaves, the swaying of the trees, the banging window which would not close….

A scuttling noise, a thump, then the growl of our faithful watch dog…

Was that a baby crying???? No.. there were no babies around……..

Shadows cast by the coconut trees, moonlight filtering through the leaves and the wire gauze windows causing my imagination to run amuck.

Suddenly, as if to calm my fears would be the floating of  sounds from a movie hall nearby.

I would hear shooting of guns, screams, pleading, melancholy songs, crazy laughter!! 

The night watchman walking around with his portable radio playing loud music to keep himself alert.

The sudden shrill whistle from  the police station across the road.

“Night is a world lit by itself”-Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943,

Morning was more comforting.

The bells from the church, sound of the birds feasting on the cherries from our tree, the milkman tinkling away with his cans on his cycle.

The occasional bus on the road stopping with a screech near our gates, the night watchman still on his beats, his stick hitting the road at regular intervals.

The dogs yelping and fighting over the spoils and spills of the night.

Till the sun light slowly crept in through the netting and the reflection jumped off my mirror and I could see the hands on the clock on my study table.

Signifying everything was right with my day.

“The day has eyes, the night has ears”- David Fergusson