Growing-up…

I am the youngest at home

No one scolded me ever

For anything

But what good other children are doing

Was their favourite lesson

Throughout my upbringing

Nowadays I sleep a bit less

Eat a bit less

Smile and laugh a bit less

But they are worried about me

Doing a bit less hard work

Perhaps it’s not that

They don’t love me anymore

But they ask themselves

Whether they should love

An unsuccessful person?!

Now and then

Every morning and evening

They get more and more

Worried about my future

And now and then

Every morning and evening

I miss my past

I miss my childhood…

2 

The First time I fell in love…

I was almost six years old,

when I fell in love for the first time

The relationship was long-distance

But I trusted him, who was totally mine

I went to my terrace every night

at the same time, he came downstairs

He winks at me as I feel shy

We see each other and love spreads in the airs

This is how three years passed

and I turned nine

Many autumns passed too

but our love remained in the springtime

I shared all my secrets with him

He twinkled to give me advice

Sometimes I laughed after cracking a joke

And he shined after seeing my smile

We were happy with each other

Everything was going great

But true love stories often have sad endings

So one day we also met our fate!

I went up to my roof

and awaited him for hours

But he didn’t turn up

then I asked all his nearby stars

They said I cheated on him

It was entirely my fault

He saw me with another star,

last Diwali was our relationship’s halt

Last Diwali :

I was enjoying the fireworks

You were not visible

Because of Smoky Heaven

No, that was not a real star

Trust me! I started loving you

Even before I was seven

I told them about the cracker

I tried to explain everything

But neither his friends were satisfied

nor did he find me convincing

As time passed his friends also disappeared

Only my hope stayed with me

even now when I am eighteen

Every night I go up to my roof

Staring at the sky

Yes, I am still waiting!!

*

Navratra is a writer from Jaipur, India. Her passion for writing began when she was in school. She loves to pen down her musings at random moments. Her creative works have appeared in various reputed international publications like Sahitya Kunj, Indian Periodical, Ode to a poetess, Spillwords press, Setu Magazine, The Criterion, Story Mirror, Madras Courier, InkPantry, Mad In America, The Beautiful Mind Journal, Hindi Kunj, Scarlet Dragon Fly Journal, Women’s Spiritual Poetry, Indus Woman Writing, Basset Hound Press, Fevers of the mind journal, Piker Press and in several anthologies. She conveniently explores all the genres of poetry writing and has written on a plethora of topics.