Unsettling

The sand feels soft 

Yet it isn't doughy enough to stay in my palm

Trickling away like the seconds of time

Painfully reminding me that nothing is here to stay

I lost you and yet I live

I don't just exist, I lead a whole life

Filled with hope, expectations, ambition and love

The pang appears suddenly and pierces like a pointed arrow.

I am jolted out of my dreamed up reality

Surreal is what true reality seems

Where do the two merge and where do they separate

The sounds of the waves crashing seem to echo my cry

I can remember the lines on your face clearly

The harsh feel of your stubble, the warmth in your eyes

Yet sometimes I wake up trying to feel you, 

Trying hard to remember the face that was once oh-so-familiar

It hurts that you've left without a word

Just took an unreturned goodbye kiss from me

You've moved on to greener pastures and so have I

Yet you're sorely missed, every moment, every day... all the way.

Adventures of the Haripa girls - 1

While walking towards Taste of China one cold dull snowy afternoon and chattering away to glory, the haripa couple spotted this thin, gaunt, eh actually cachexic looking African-American girl with signs of malnutrition screaming aloud. RipuChuckling, suddenly becoming conscious of her med-school past, mentioned in passing:

R.C.: "Arre, poor girl yaar. She's so malnourished. Upar se itni heavily pregnant bhi!"

Hari P. Sadu can never multi-task when she's walking and especially when there is food around the corner. 

H.P: "Kahan, kaun?, Ohh really that girl is pregnant, I didn't notice?" In Sadu's defense, the girl was facing the other way and Sadu was also looking at the Burger King logo.

R.C.: "Nahin shayad she is not pregnant, may be it's only ascites. Malnourished mein hota hai na?"

H.P.: "Yeah, ascites hi hoga. Peeke talli hui hogi"

R.C. (interrupts): "Cirrhosis... Ascites"

R.C. & H.P. are waiting for the signal to cross the narrow alley like path between school and B.G. Ms. Cachexia is waiting to cross Monument St. 

H.P. suddenly goes quiet. Intense observation and scrutiny. More like a lull before the storm.

H.P.: "Ayyyyy! Woh kuch pregnant-wegnant ya ascitic nahin hai... She's carrying a big bag under her coat!"

R.C. squints her eyes in close observation... and spots the big blue bag (as big as H.P.'s bori-bistar) under the girl's coat.

And the goofy couple smile brightly and widely, thank the supernaturals for sparing Ms. Cachexia a terrible illness and walk with a sheepish grin towards T.o.C.