DL8CK9883

They tell me, eleven years is a long time

To hold on to a second-hand car

But how do I explain, that

For a little over a decade

She just stayed.

Through heartbreaks and happiness

As people left and others walked in

And I coped with lonely cigarettes

For a little over a decade

She just stayed.

Through long-distance drives 

As cities changed five, no, six times 

And I struggled to find my home

For a little over a decade

She just stayed.

She just stayed

Till there was no journey ahead of us

And I decided to move on

Because there comes a day in all our lives

When poetry gives way to practicality

But, right till the edge of that dead-end

She just stayed.

- - - - -

Post Script: I just handed over the keys to my 2007 model second-hand silver Maruti Suzuki Esteem LXi. In a few days, there'll be another car parked at the designated spot. A more practical car, with all safety and comfort features. And I'm sure we'll have our own adventures in the days to come. But today, I can't help think about the crazy stories this girl was witness to. DL8CK9883, thank you for the memories. Exit stage left.

Dunia Gol Hai

These days, every time I'm on Facebook, I'm filled with a sense of amusement and awe, to see familiar faces of people from long past. My old friends and cousins now look exactly like their parents, as when I had first met them, decades ago. And their tiny children now look exactly like my old friends and cousins, from when I had first known them, decades ago. The familiarity of these faces, and expressions, and mannerisms, remind me that life, indeed, is a circle. It has all happened before. It will all happen again. The same play is running in an infinite loop. Only our roles change with the passage of time. As we welcome this new year, here's to us adapting to our new characters. And here's to those who taught us how to play them.

Happy New Year 2022!