As bark from an ageing tree
My life withered off
Torn off from the fatigued trunk
Each season peeling the snake skin
Of stuffed memories mounted on walls
Panther heads competing with deer horns
Flashbacks racing in streams of consciousness
Corroding the wobbly jelly of my tired brain
Broiling in furnaces spitting caustic heat
White dupattas soaked in blood red gulaal from holis gone by
Magenta sharaaras from a cousin’s flashy wedding
Skin tight trousers custom tailored by a sleazy tailor
The sweaty armpits of high school playfields
Raging hormones fighting for their rights
Blue pinafores grubby with ink stains
And shaky letters written under a moonstruck sky
I embrace my orange orbed years afresh
Caring far less about barbs and jibes
I walk with stronger strides despite the aching knees
I smile with a knowing look in my deepening brandy eyes
I let the shores of distant lands beckon me once again
As I hum alongside a shabad obediently played by a wondrous Alexa .
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