The agony of a city dweller, travelling in the spatial world and the voyage within are the concerns of Mamta in this evocative poem.
Cyclical nature of festivals
Entwined with vacation
Lead homewards
Bursting with sashaying emotions
Of Travel, waiting rooms and related horror stories
The initial disappointment of disappeared landmarks
Dug up roads and ugly facades
Quickly forgotten
The comforting sight and smells of familiar neighbourhood
Of weathered threshold
Moist eyes and warm embraces
Careless talk and unlimited laughter
Gifts in stylish bags
Suitcases spilling over with unworn clothes
Plug points stuffed with mobile-chargers
Refrigerators groaning with leftovers
Selfies storing away memories
Switching off from the cumbersome outside world
Tremors of departure loom over short revelry
The long journey of inward silence
Makeshift places replace home
For another annual exile.
Picture design Anumita Roy, Different Truths
Mamta Joshi did her post graduation in History from University of Allahabad. She writes short stories, reflective essays, prose pieces on everyday life in national dailies and international e-magazines. She writes with equal ease in Hindi. For over two decades, as a teacher of English in college section at SMC, Allahabad, she has been interacting with young minds, understanding their pulse and in turn being savvy on technology, fitness, fashion, humour and rumour too.
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