Firefly out of the Jar

 Fasting. I have always been far from this word, as well as the deed. Thanks to my faster metabolism, the mere thought of skipping a meal would make me voracious. However, I could eat in moderation if need be, like taking a salad instead of a three-course meal or saying no to dessert during dinners with health-conscious friends just so I don't spite them. And that's that.      Marriage changes people in strange ways. I, too, am not an exception. I was in the US for an onsite assignment at a client place. This meant I was to be away from my newly-wedded husband for the duration of the project. The company was a primary insurance provider in the mid-west and took care of employee's lunch and logistics. I had a group of North-Indian girlfriends-slash-colleagues, who on one day told me that they were going to observe a fast for the Karva Chauth festival, which was on the next day. It is a significant day in the lives of married Hindu women, where women observe a day's fa...

I met a summer afternoon in the streets of Yangon wafting through the mundane sights, of a dog lying at the feet of a man in a hammock, of an order of monks returning with their bowls filled with alms, of an old woman on phone talking to her loved one on the other side, of the closed gates of a school with children looking out from barred windows For them, I was a tourist foreign and forever eluding For me, they were moving scenes from a movie poster from a world that shall never be mine There's something about being in a new city that feeling of a fleeting temporary a day, taken from the fork of my life's journey here in Yangon, everything sparkles like diamonds reflecting sunrays or seeing lit-windows down from dark alleys I'm drawn to the vegetable seller  looking into a mirror and to a little girl's notebook left open for me to wonder if her dreams were thicker than the sieve I am holding or if my steps were heavier  with my heart unfolding

Some weekends demand no errands. Usually, days like these go in taking ample rest, speaking to family and relying on take-outs, thereby burying full days silently with nothing much to talk about. But hoy es diferente( learning Espanol , if not in instances like these, I have nowhere to put it to use, so!) As I was scrolling through my Instagram feed from the comfort of my bed in the morning, it suddenly occurred to me that I can deposit my lazy rump at the Library and check if any productivity can be squeezed out of me. I sat upright, as soon as the idea hit me and began swirling in my mind, clearly enticing me.  I began my morning tango of brushing, bathing and picking an outfit to battle the near-zero temperatures that the libraries try hard, maybe, to preserve the human race. I made a quick list of what I might require and decided on my beloved MAC, a shawl in case the bulky sweater gives up, water and three stuffed-potato-breadsticks which took more than an hour to prepare. I ...

I woke up abruptly after encountering a pack of lions in a lucid dream. I have been dreaming about wild animals consecutively since the last couple of days. It was wildebeest on the outset, followed by saving myself from the big bison on the run and then a pack of lions in my front porch. I was certain if I slept back, the dream would continue from where I paused, so I put my feet down and went into the living room. My dad and mom were already awake and as I was not up for a chat, I went upstairs to the only place I could hide away until I was ready. My recluse from the time I actually lived here. It's not that long ago although it feels a lot longer. The terrace. From the traces of memory, few pieces of moments flashed back reminding me of how the trees, birds and the breeze welcomed me every time I set my feet up and sat here. I used to come every day then in the mornings, the place - a witness to my happiness, a companion to my grief, a silent listener to my whispered prayers an...

At the end of the day,I slide into darkness.      I quietly lay observing my thoughts as they sway and end up getting preempted by new ones.  The ‘I’ that I carry along the entire day, almost always eases into nothingness.      Slowly, inanely I succumb to sleep and as much I have tried, I never could grab the exact moment where I slip into this slumber, that meets me night after night without an appointment.