SNIGDHA AGRAWAL

 

Freedom Then

 

I want to be little again,

back to that home which

smelled of roast chicken,

covered with gravy thickened.

Back to mom, spooning food

into my open mouth,

while pages of Enid Blyton

flipped, without sound.

Back to the merry-go-round,

sitting on wooden horses,

dressed in frocks with sashes,

leaving dust-blown traces.

Back again to Loreto Institution,

run by nuns in white habits

Marching to piano key tunes;

daily morning assembly ritual.

Back to the basketball court,

aiming the ball into the net,

missed; opponents caught.

Return to the present

Old bones creak and weaken

O wish could be little again,

to taste once again freedom,

age has stolen.

© Snigdha Agrawal

 

Unorthodox Orthodox

 

His Brahmanical ways

is what made him fearsome

and endearing as well

Lived the puritanical life

but if any loved one strayed

never criticized their ways

A Pathologist by professional

Meddled with body fluids

Caste, creed, no exception

his unique selling points

dismissing all the hullabaloo

around touchable vs untouchable

 

Bound by traditions

Yet bent the rules

to accommodate

when the situation

so demanded

Blessing inter-caste marriages

encouraging widow re-marriage

Lost his wife when young

never took another

devoting his time to

family and profession

serving the unprivileged

 

Lived till ninety

Personally, a Brahmin

with a flexible mindset

to love and let love in

through opening the doors to freedom

inspiring others in the process

©Snigdha Agrawal

 

Voices Raised

 

Did I hear right?

I leaned closer to hear the verbal fight

"How dare you criticize

my parents?

You have crossed

the boundaries

expected of a wife?"

The man in the blue shirt

spoke with a stern voice

to the lady sitting across

in Jeans and a cropped top.

 

Her dimpled cheeks filled

up with tears, with a choked voice, she replied

"So, it's okay for them

to hurl abuses at my

parents and expect me

to keep quiet?

Sorry you got that wrong

I will speak my mind

whenever my parents

are dragged into

conversations arising from

the dowry shortfall".

Her chest heaving, stormed

out the door.

 

I couldn't help but smile

and admire the pluck

of this woman and said to

myself 'Atta girl...you

deserve a round of applause.

©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 is reflected 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. An intrepid traveller, her travel diaries can be accessed in her blog: randomramblings52.  She lives in Bangalore (Karnataka), India.