SNIGDHA AGRAWAL

 

Solitude My Friend

 

Ah!

friendship you have let me down

allowing politics to rule minds

cloaking intentions to appear nice

losing your glow and shine!

 

Ah!

friendship you have been deceptive

I believed in your transparency

You let me down, clouding

clarity with your breath saline!

 

And

now I would rather do without you

than flow with the tide

pulled by pretentious kinds

your essence is lost

your presence is a mock

contravening all friendship

norms!

 

Solitude is most admire.

©Snigdha Agrawal

 

Bottlebrush

 

Every morning at the crack of dawn

seen sitting under the banyan tree

Brushing his teeth with neem* twigs

He sat in solitude

Watching the village belles

moving around

Swaying their hips

balancing mud urns

 

'Hey old man' she shouted out loud

'what’s all this fuss with your bottle brush'

He had a mischievous twinkle, smiled

went on plaiting his moustache

Teeth like black melon seeds peeping between parted lips

Beckoned to her; narrated his story

Shaking off his solitude

 

'This moustache you see, has a long history

For forty days buried under deep snow

Had no access to razor nor shaving cream

My moustache grew unwieldy.  Next when

I looked in the mirror, I found it becoming.

So decided I'd leave it on to look dandy'

 

Told him he was a hero, touched his feet

to honour a soldier bravely fought

Left sifting through traumatic events

Attention seeking mistakenly thought

Therafter every day on way home

Sat with the old hero, war stories told

 

Two summers went by, friendship grew

exchanging pleasantries under the banyan tree

Then one day he came minus his bottle brush

looking sad, eyes downcast

Lice turned up to nest in his moustache

he had to cut.

 

Thus ended saga of the solitude old man with the bottle brush moustache!

© Snigdha Agrawal

 

* Tree native to the Indian subcontinent known for its antiseptic properties.

 

Splendour Of Solititude

 

On the banks of the Ganges

Located in the upper reaches

Stands a small little cottage

 

Whenever I need a brief respite

From the chaos inside me resides

Escape to this hideout, small size

 

Here in solitude I spend time

Have found answers sublime

Alone in environs so quiet

 

River gurgling the only noise

With my pen and paper poised

Cobwebs from mind destroyed

 

I'm able to think coherently

Sort out the messiness in me

Then return to city infused with peace.

©Snigdha Agrawal

 

SNIGDHA AGRAWAL

 

SNIGDHA AGRAWAL (nee Banerjee) is Bengali born, raised, and educated in a cosmopolitan environment, with exposure to the Eastern and Western cultures, imbibing the best of both worlds.  With more than two decades of experience working in the corporate sector, her outlook on life is balanced, which reflects in her writings. A versatile writer, she writes all genres of poetry, prose, short stories, travelogues, and hotel/restaurant reviews on TripAdvisor, under the pen name ‘puchka’.  A published author of four books, the latest titled TRAIL MIX, is a book of short stories for all mindsets. The book is available on Amazon.