BETRAYAL

By Anita Manoj

Delicate,wrinkled,at once young

Astonishingly old in the next

Nimble fingers then, arthritic now

That gently caress

Memories of another life time

Another era, another space

Another person, another heart beat

Lifting a veil off memories

At once cloudy and hazy

Astonishingly crystal clear in the next

Sepia tinted , a kaleidoscope in the same breath

Colours grey now , spectral then

Of fiesty hearts then, of separation now

Of moonlit nights, of unbridled passion

Of Frangipani and silk

Of youth and embraces

Of promises snapping like twigs in a storm

Of memories burnt at the funeral pyre

Of betrayal

To be buried and to be never revisited

And now half a century later

After many full moons , turning into eclipses

After vows to never look back

One final adieu, one final act of redemption

One final gaze, aware of the havoc

Of the turbulence

To leap into the whirlpool

One final act of desperation

Before the curtains fall

A jewelled serpent lay

Cradled in the bosom of velvet folds

Trapped among bloody Burma rubies

Green emeralds and molten lava gold

The jewelled beauty lay coiled

Secure, undisturbed for decades

To be deceived, to embark on its final journey

Ready to strike, at fingers

That would dare to unleash it

With a venom coursing through the veins

At once pleasure

Agonising pain in the next

Memories of strong, warm hands

Gently clasping the jewelled serpent

Brushing, caressing, the smooth, taut

Swan like, creamy neck

Promising a life time of passion

Eons of companionship

An oath witnessed by body and soul

Trapped forever

A hunter's trap

Clasping tight around the neck

Choking, breathless, drawing life out in a single clasp

Leaving behind a chasm

A cracked mirror

Pulsating into every living moment, thereafter

At once the symphony of life

Astonishingly morbid in the next

Buried in the folds of silky opulence

The jewelled beauty marched its final journey

She walked with tired feet

Cradling the serpent

Tears falling through, rivulets on her wrinkled cheeks

Tears like dew drops

Astonishingly brine in the next

Pushing through the door

Placing the serpent on the counter

Staring at her, from every corner

Arrogant beauties,

Bought with pomposity and ecstasy

Only to be sold at the altar of life

At once crowned with pride

Astonishingly humiliated in the next

Greasy, greedy fingers

Rudely pried out the jewelled serpent

Staring at her with accusing eyes

The rubies flashing, the emerald harpoons

Cleaving through

In that final act of betrayal

In a swift moment

Her lips pressed against the serpent

One last time to hold

To hear the resonance

To be weighed and calibrated

Equilibrium between legal tender and

A gift of love

On a metallic balance

At Chand and Sons Pawn Brokers

A master piece , of sheer brilliance

At once an empress

Astonishingly sold like a harlot , in the next.

By Anita Manoj