The Façade

On a summer noon
A crow perches (not in want of water)
Gripping the bamboo bars of your fence
And you yell at it until it flies away from your noise
You are angry with the silly bird!
The previous week when you offered the pinda
In the name of your mother
The crow didn’t bother, left you sleepless
Wondering if Amma had any last wish that went unfulfilled
But then Amma was a sea of wishes
Even the lords knew it
She bribed them with coconuts and money and silver ornaments too!

So, the crow indicated something else
Maybe a visit from a friend or a foe
To confirm this, you notice that your left eye is also twitching
A good thing in making
What if Subbu finally arrives to return the loan?
Your right hand is itching
And so is your crotch[but that doesn’t matter]
But you had decided to step out for a haircut
Since it is neither an Amavasya nor a festival
And with the month of Ashada nearing
Your to-do list is a pile of leftovers that you feed to the beggars

While you wear your chappals
Your daughter sneezes a loud Achooooooo
She takes a moment to look at you
And goes back to her watching the daily soap
Shaking her legs, with a focus that is as wandering as the cloud
“Will you stop shaking your legs? It brings bad luck!”

You cancel your plan anyway
In the evening you have the bunch of village women
Sitting in the porch
Where they shoot their questions of lost things, missing husbands
Unborn children, mysterious ailments
You keep your Kaudis, red threads ready
Expecting few coins in return
Some day you hope for a promotion
Dream of becoming the village purohit
And you know you must master
The art of lying!

Poornima Laxmeshwar resides in the garden city Bangalore and works as a content writer for a living.