Here, come, let me offer a snapshot of Radha’s mundane life.
It’s not a spectacle, mind you.
Come here, see for yourself.
No fancy, curated food pictures and hashtags,
no pretty cup of coffee or tea, steaming
alongside a pile of books.
Yes, there are plenty of piles of books,
stacked all around Radha, in nooks and corners,
and within bookshelves.
There are some on her table too
(her current reads)
that she arranges and rearranges absent-mindedly…
Boring? Perhaps. But, did you know that
doing so brings
a tiny, precious, happy flutter to Radha’s heart?
Radha reads every day, writes occasionally,
These, her little, everyday joys.
She gazes at stars on those rare clear-skied nights
and watches with gratitude,
the glorious cheese-yellow full moon
from her tiny kitchen window.
Alas, no pictures exist
of these moments of mindfulness
and none too of
stunning skies, breathtaking waters,
shimmering sunsets and striking greenery.
What a mundane, mundane life,
don’t you think?
Well, here’s more:
Radha dutifully waters her mini-garden
of six pots every other day.
She smiles when a bud sprouts
or when a leaf springs to life;
and views with a dull, aching heart,
the gaping hole in that large leaf
carved out by an unseen, ravenous insect.
Now, does Radha squeeze her brain
for a philosophical, poetic thought
to be served to the world, titled ‘Life
lessons from my garden?’
Doesn’t look like, for,
she seems more intent on carrying on with
other day-to-day insipid things.
Like,
gobbling two mini-jalebis,
alongside two medium-sized dosas
and feeling the sugar rush up to her brain…
Or, watching with characteristic boredom,
the thin dust that settles on every known surface
around her.
Radha views this with a strange detachment,
imagining the dust filling her lungs.
She thinks of the cobwebs in her brain –
tangled memories,
anxieties and aches and longings…
Then, she spots a fat mote of dust on her desk,
and flicks it with her thumb and forefinger
like a seasoned carrom player,
and wonders with a smirk,
‘Now, would that make for an insta-worthy reel?’