• 

• 

• 

One big jolt shook me out of slumber,

My reverie broke, my drink slopped,

Then a series of jerks wiped all smiles,

Was the plane being hit by rogue missiles? (4)

I felt my bile rise up to my mouth,

Like lehsun tasted fear of death,

The crew kept their calm faces up,

Amused, assuring, everything’s fine! (8)

A baby grinned from ear to ear,

Perhaps felt that his cradle rocked,

A loud shriek escaped a lil’ girl,

A teen was on the verge of tears. (12)

A geriatric goose burst into sobs,

Pleaded forgiveness for not living well,

Sought time from God to make amends,

To ravish his riches and young missus. (16)

It dawned on me I was not ready,

To leave just yet the stage behind,

Must share my quirks before I go,

If only I’m allowed to do so-          (20)

Of dozing off during pre-coitus,

Of finding humour in mourning,

Of fibbing even in daydreams,

Of throwing love words as warnings, (24)

Peddling inane phrases as wisdom,

Selling scurrilous yarns as anecdotes,

Spinning webs of deceit to trap myself,

Struggling to cope with ardent hope. (28)

Of stealing misery from paupers,

Of buying hatred from the believers,

Of sleeping hungry on a stomach full,

Of feeling weary of pleasures. (32)

Atleast till I find some crucible,

Large enough to fill these lies,

In this desert of hopelessness,

If I must survive, might as well thrive. (36)

Turbulence is inconvenience,

It is discomforting, not fatal,

I googled once we had landed

I Felt ashamed I knew this not. (40)

Would have enjoyed the drama,

Savoured the tension mid-air,

Searched for rhythm in disorder,

Lent musical dissonance my ear, (44)

Noted colours on distressed faces,

Smelt the stench of ignorance,

Lusted after their greed for life,

Made something of those moments. (48)

Those capricious eddies of air,

Can shock, but not crash aircrafts,

Alas ! I knew not, and myself feared,

Waited for worst with a wistful heart. (52)

This knowledge has freed me up,

Air travel now brings more joy,

Oracles amid Lightening and dark-

“Tamaso ma Jyotirgamaya”. (56)

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#turbulence #flightturbulence

#tamsomajyotirgamaya

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