A Feather

By Dr Manasi Naphade

It was two in the afternoon

I was wearing that blue oversized hoodie of mine

A small beam of light was filtering in from the half open window above the door

I looked around with my eyes still filled with sleep

There was the half eaten box of pasta from yesterday night on the floor.

Did you know I eat pasta when I am sad

Does that mean I was sad yesterday night?

I don’t know. I don’t know.

There were my half open books lying on the table.

Their pages kept making a sound as they kept flicking due to the fan.

This brought my attention to the fan.

Was my fan always this loud

How did I not realise that before.

I suddenly realised my back was hurting

How long was I sleeping.

I don’t know

I realised I was hungry too

I had some biscuit packets on the top shelf.

And 2 tetrapacks of orange juice.

Did I tell you how much I hated biscuits.

I thought about going back to sleep.

What was so gloom, the time of the day, the room around me or was it me.

I thought I might cuddle up inside my blanket and just cry

Did I tell you I have not cried since a long time.

I just can’t. The tears just don’t come anymore.

I walked over to my table.

My pathology notes were open on the chapter about necrosis

It is what happens to a cell after it’s death.

I wondered whether that applied to human beings as well.

Not just the body. Whether that applied to souls, to memories.

I looked up, beside the motivation quotes I had written on the wall, a peacock feather was moving with the air

A peacock feather that you had given me.

Did I tell you sometimes a small feather of peacock can save a life.

By Dr Manasi Naphade