by Indu Parvathi
Indu Parvathi’s verse weaves in the theme of escape by capturing the scene at a park one evening.
Cartwheeling children, laughter in loops
young mothers at the park brim with life.
But I am drawn towards the Peepal tree
where the old gather to brood together.
Secure in their calm island of camaraderie,
they weave memories and afterthoughts
into an ever-widening cocoon of friendship,
to keep warm during cold, vast silences.
Neither young, nor old, I sit amongst them-
an imposter, awed by their detached air,
their easy elegance but above all, the
stateliness bestowed by age upon them.
Into the descending dark they diffuse
and I trudge back, pondering deeply,
on how old age calls for a severance-
a release from the agonies of love
for quietude.
Indu Parvathi is a writer who responds to the world around her in the form of poetry. She finds poetry in common objects and everyday experiences of life. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in various literary magazines and journals. Her first volume of poetry, On the Sidewalk, is forthcoming from Authorspress, New Delhi. She is an educator by profession and lives in Bangalore with her husband.
