Distance of time

The party was in full swing. The lawn was full of guests. Everyone had put on the best attire, ladies in dresses of chiffon, embroidery and watered satin while gents in dark evening suits. Food had been served and people were enjoying the banquet. The atmosphere was warm and jovial. Exchange of greetings with beaming smiles, shake hands and usual ‘hellos’ was taking place. Everyone seemed to be engrossed in the soirée except … him. His eyes kept slithering along with her. She, … dressed elegantly in black, unnerved by his bold glances, was moving around turning heads wherever she went.

He was alone and furious. His female companion had left him and he could see her talking to other mates. He was fuming with the feeling of neglection and jealousy. More than that, he was upset with himself. All his efforts had gone futile. She had appeared so calm and composed despite of his ceaseless ogles. He wanted to talk to her but couldn’t get her alone. And…. Above all, she had dressed to kill. She was taking it out and he knew it.

Though she enjoyed subjugating his mind and holding his attention but his surveillance had started to irritate her. He followed her everywhere she went. With a plate of food in her hand, she started to stride towards the corner making her way between the gorgeously dressed and bejeweled ladies.

She felt herself at peace. He was nowhere to be seen. There were few people around her and luckily, all of them were strangers who were engaged in their personal conversations. She was glad to have found some place to collect herself, and started eating her food. Suddenly, she was aware of observation. She looked up and encountered the… gaze of his dark intense eyes. Her heart started pounding.

There they were, just two of them, standing in front of each other surrounded by the echoes of silence. She felt that time had stopped, and the lawn had become void of people. Everything seemed to have faded away except him. Memories began flooding back. The love, the desire, the temptation and …. the betrayal, the torture, the pain …. the scenes continued until she shut her eyes in anguish, and tried to blot out those memories. She collected her shattered thoughts and then opened eyes to see him. He was watching her, with regret and longing in his gaze. That appeased her wounded ego and the agony of her heart. He seemed to be intimidated by her. She realized that he wouldn’t be able to come near her. Apparently, they were few steps away but the distance was of thousand miles. And with that beautiful realization, she smiled and walked over towards crowd.

Dawn

The full moon shines
And the cricket rhymes
The strong wind blows
As the darkness grows

The night is still
And the air is chill
The dog howls at a distance
And is visible from my stance

Loneliness fills inside
And breaks my pride
My heart sinks
And the world shrinks

The tears blind me
For an hour wee
Then, the silence breaks
And the world wakes

The sun peeks through
The clouds go through
The dawn ends the sorrow
And the sun rises with another tomorrow.