The Twilight

By Dr Lekshmi G G

https://youtu.be/AJRqv30IABA

For oft,I take a stride on the beach,

Watching the crimson sun dip into the azure sea

The sands sieving through my toes

And the cool breeze joying with my brown curls....

I hear the birds chirping far away

As they hustle to their nests

Perhaps to meet their families after a day's toil

And here I walk alone all by myself ,with not a hand to hold...

I sat down on the beach with a heavy heart

Loaded with memories of a forelorn past

Retching up my throat,my eyes welling up with tears

A catch in my breath,words choking up

I reminisce playing on the sands

With my family when I did have one

And how mometary happiness and love were

For what is a nest if there's not a being....

At nine years,I toiled as a maid to earn my bread,

And on a fateful night,I was raped

My flesh torn into pieces,the stench of blood numbing my senses...

Oh !How I longed for a soul to hear my wretched story

A lady,her face wrinkled by the passings of age,

The vestiges of a glorious past

And her eyes sparkling like the sun,strong yet kind

Came to my help and cared for me just like kin.

She cupped the light of my life

Giving me love when I needed it most

Only to leave me in my teens alone

Another time,I was all by myself.

Years rolled on,love did knock upon me

I married a man in the prime of my life

And I bore his child,nurturing him with care..

And for once,I had a family of my own.

The beach was our favourite place

I remember playing on the sands with my son

All robust and young,and how happy I was

To finally have two souls that were mine

Ah! Life is a tactful witch-

She shatters you unpredictably,mysteriously

Alike the capricious sea caressing with its kind waves

And destroying with its tempestuous tides

The man of my life left me for another woman

And I was all alone with my son,jobless and wretched

The future was bleak and hopes were dashed

But I had to be strong,for I did not want to fail another time....

I toiled day and night ,sweating out my blood

Nurtured my baby with all my might

And he grew up,handsome and bright

The essence of my soul,he was all I had

Time drained out my health and beauty alike

Losing my youth to days of endless toil

An aged woman I become ,wrinkled and thin

A silent spectator to life's fancies

Spiriting up my wretched soul,came my son

Smiling like a gallant soldier ,with his new job

And I cheered with all my soul,for-

Its not often that joy knocks my door

He tore down when he heard he shall have to move

Into the city,and hugged me like never before

And I empowered him to go ahead

And weave his story all fresh with zest.

And as he build his life,he frequented me

Talking endlessly about the charming and dynamic city life

And I would listen like a curious child

Painting a million pictures in my mind

As time passed,the visits were seldom

I yearned to see his smile and cheer for him

And all I heard,was he nested his life

With a wife and his child in some city I never knew...

A thousand memories of a pining past

Flashed across my mind as I sat there on the beach

The twilight- she witnessed all my life

With its merry and sorrow,with sheer helplessness

I watch as the blue of the sea

Gulped the red of the sun

And the black of the darkness

Hovered over me like a scary hood

Oh Twilight!Be with me

When Life's darkness darkens me

Life' s dampness dampens me

Life' s cruelty butchers me.....

By Dr Lekshmi G G