A whole calendar year just whizzed past and I feel like a solitary
being on a dimly lit railway station watching the bogeys of Life Express’22
thunder past. Did I miss the train…..was
I supposed to be on it……well I will try and catch the next one for sure…….but a
whole fortnight has already slipped past and I can barely hold on to the handle
bar………….
Trying to catch my breath and wedge my foot firmer on the
foothold, let me reflect on the year
gone by…..
January had me with an armload of pups,
All black and cuddly.
Fat and waddly,
Endless meals of eggnog and ragi porridge
Broth with chicken all creamy and rich
Methi-chicken biscuits for the new mum
Lest she have a problem with lactation for the young ones
Tch tch tch tch tch tch……tch
And they all race behind me out into the yard,
Meals done , poop and pee
A robust game and
they are ready to sleep
Six times a day this routine
Saw me all thru January
Right into feb,,,,when to their new homes they went!
Feb saw the arrival of a new hen
The previous one met a sad end
When I forgot to close the cage door one night
The mongoose seemed to have got her…. Such a sorry plight
March spun me around on work
Was the rest all leisure girrrl?
A trip to Varanasi had me all charged up,
But an online tender
process caught me in a vice like grip.
Oh… I missed all the fun things with the group on this trip.
April brought a kind of a lull,
almost akin to one before a storm
The wave of work never abated,
Keeping at bay despairing thoughts, I accepted.
May brought fresh agony
The memories - last year’s,
Tore thru and brought fresh tears
June had me in the pits
A close friends’ grief over
An estranged daughter
Had me shed more tears with her
July spun me on work trips again
Chennai and Patiala helped me escape the rain
But then it had its vengeance in August
Floods never seen before – a cloud burst
Boundary walls washed away
Collapse of the partially built bridge over the holle
Closed all access roads and had me house bound
A brave attempt to cross the holle with the 4 wheel drive
Had me struggling to get out, what a relief to get back on
safe ground!
September brought some respite from the rain
But then 2 new calves saw me extra busy again
Huge cauldrons of gruel, spiced with ginger
Sweetend with jaggery, flavoured with pepper
A load of methi for the new mums too
Oh watch them slurp it up
Hopefully there will be enough milk, for some months to come!
October brought a sad event,
With the passing away of a great soul
My dear father-in-law
Just short of a century by 2
A life well lived,
Discipline, honesty and integrity
We learnt from him and much more!
November had me travelling again,
A solo trip to soothe my soul
The mountains offered a solace
With just their shadows and silence!
All too soon it is December,
The last bogey on Life Express ‘22
A long pending trip to Vellore,
When holiday rush have all websites saying – Tickets? No
more!
Booked a cab and drove across
And got a taste of Bangalore traffic woes
Nice road is not so Nice any more!
The last day of the year brought a rush of memories
Barbecues with the family,
Dad’s home, resounding with laughter,
Siblings and cousins all together
Those merry days have passed away,
Learn to enjoy your solitude
Says the vast silent sky
Learn to enjoy the silence
Says the thundering Life Express’22 just gone by.
