I narrowed my eyes and looked into the quaint sky to find the crestfallen blood Moon. But, Alas! I couldn’t see any celestial being there, neither the eclipse-d moon, nor a single star. The night had revealed in its bewitching aura, deathly dark was the overcast sky. I was all set with my cameras, ready to shoot the much awaited cosmic event, but in vain! It was acute dark, the sky merging with the brazen, mischievous night! Maitreni, the cynosure of shutterbugs, left her well-equipped camera behind and Anindhya, my budding photographer, left me all baffled up with these gizmos. And I was like that perplexed child trying hard to differentiate between the sleeves and the neckline of her new polo-neck-tee. But there was no glimpse of the Moon to shoot.
I was the only human in the house, sans any assistance, so Bambi followed me up to the terrace, as she never leaves me alone like others. Like all other Mishra girls, Bambi, too, is a selenophile and nyctophile. Whenever she looks into the sky and finds the luminous orb there, she starts howling, the concealed wolf turns up. But she barked today. The Moon always brings out the vixen and wolf out of her. She howls. Bambi is not my dog, but my third daughter. Anindhya says, her facial features resemble those of mine. Her elevated nose and her high(eye)brows 🙂 ! I have inherited them from my Dad. He used to say, our ancestors were Aryans. They might have been visited India from Germany. Hence, being a German shepherd, Bambi’s features ought to be similar like those of mine. And I know, Anindhya does this comparison to embarrass me. She asks cutely, “Ain’t you happy with that?”
Suddenly, it started drizzling and I came inside home from the terrace. I wanted to drench in season’s first heavy downpour, but had to save cameras. Unlike other dogs, Bambi loves water. Sprinkling, bathing, all water activities are fun to her. She is a Pisces, born on 10th March, a water girl like me who possess all the qualities similar to a Cancer. She reacts to mellifluous tunes and hates noise like I do. She, too, wanted to have a rain shower. But we came back dry without even having a glimpse of the Bloody Super Moon. Disappointed, I called my girls, but, as usual got busy tones on their phones. Later, they called and said that they were talking to each other. I heaved a sigh of relief. A mom is always a mom, paranoid and meticulous. Anindhya asked, “Mommy, did you manage to click ‘Super Glue Moon’? She, my crusader, suggested me to use old pix of Total Lunar Eclipse she clicked when it happened in February. Maitreni, my confidante, growled, “Mum, again writing about lunar eclipse?” I said, “No! It’s about life.”
I removed my glasses, narrowed my eyes and looked outside my windowpane. The Sun had already arrived riding on his chariot of seven horses. Luna was convalesced from the claws of Rahu (or Ketu? Don’t know). My sound bar was playing Bonnie Tyler’s…..‘Total eclipse of the heart’…..
….I wrote in my diary…
Zakhmon ki gar hoti zubaan to poochte zaroor,
Sitare tod lane ki zurrat ki bhala kyun?
Agaaz hi kiya tha ki anjaam ho gaye,
Ab ashq hi zaher hain to ankhon se gila kyun?
In neem-baaz ankhon ki talab thi roshni,
Fir mahtab aaj andheron se mila kyun?
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
ज़ख्मों की ग़र होती जुबां तो पूछते ज़रूर,
सितारे तोड़ लाने की ज़ुर्रत की भला क्यों ?
आगाज़ ही किया था कि अंजाम हो गये,
अब अश्क़ ही ज़हर हैं तो आँखों से गिला क्यों ?
इन नीम-बाज़ आँखों की तलब थी रौशनी,
फिर महताब आज अंधेरों से मिला क्यों ?
Urdu Glossary-
Jurrat: dare. Agaaz : beginning
Anjaam: end Ashq: tears
Gila: complaints Neem-baaz ankhien: half closed eyes.
Talab: addiction. Mehtab: Moon .
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nice lines..
Loved every bit of this post. It felt it was happening right here. Anindhya is fabulous photographer. And the closing lines stole the show.
ज़ख्मों की ग़र होती जुबां तो पूछते ज़रूर,
सितारे तोड़ लाने की ज़ुर्रत की भला क्यों ?
Beautiful Creation, Heartfelt Lines