My Little Chimp's punch on my nose woke me up from my sleep.

“Papa,  let’s play”, he gestured with his twinkling eyes.

Whoa!  I could spot an Oscar-winning actor within him at this tender age of 6 months. The way he communicated through his actions amazed me.

I sighed and embraced my son. I whispered into his ears, “Oh! Sonny,  it’s a working day. Papa has to report to work at sharp 9 AM, and Papa cannot afford to reach late”.

As he heard this, Ishaan's naughty-smiling cheeks plunged into a state of pensiveness.

“Aww! How could I reject his request”? I quipped myself, as I saw his gloomy face.

I checked for the time. The clock, with a tilted smile, pointed to 5:15AM.  I sighed in relief, as I had an hour to spare for my little bunny.  So, I kept my target time as 6:15AM to be ready and get dressed up for office.

First time ever in the history of my being, I mimicked.

I enacted as an elephant, a puppy, a kitten. I became a funny man only to see the giggling face of my little one.  Never ever, in my life I had donned such characters.

I made funny faces, which made my little one smile, giggle, and laugh. He laughed his lungs out. 

He laughed so  hysterically that I was bathed in his saliva.

I was very gentle with him and my touch ensured that he’s not hurt even whilst we played.

While I was indulged in the above playful acts, I glanced at the clock and realized with horror that the clock wasn’t ticking. 

The second needle, which is considered the heartbeat of the clock was still and stiff. The clock had died an unnatural death.  I checked my mobile to know the time and read as 6:40AM. I had only 45 minutes left to be ready for office.

I was already delayed by 15 minutes.

In the frenzy, I swirled my son on the bed.  I had too many tasks pending, right from emptying the bowels, brushing, shaving, shower, ironing etc.

I rushed to the washroom to perform the act of brushing and shower together. As I finished both the acts, I realized the fact that, I had picked her (my wife’s) brush and had used to clean up my teeth. (Oh Gosh! I couldn’t believe I did that).

Exert, exert and exit. 

Uff! this constipation, 2o minutes to empty the bowels. Gosh! Somehow I jumped out of the washroom, wore my office clothes and out I rushed through the exit gate to jump into an auto-rickshaw.

 I had to skip my breakfast.

The time was 7:30AM. I was already delayed by 15 minutes  than my usual time.

As I sat in the auto, I realized that I wore two different colored socks. One  black and the other one navy blue.  Thankfully, the length of my trousers were long enough to cover up the blunder.  I only wished that nobody would notice.

The auto brushed with the air and we flew. It was such a bumpy ride.  All of a sudden, the rick halted and in that jerk, my head hit the iron rod above and I saw countless stars moving in a circular motion just as the ‘halo’.

As I regained my posture, I peeped out to see what was happening. I saw a curly hairy arm, raised on our way as an obstacle and as a reason the auto had a sudden halt.

"What the heck?'  Within a fraction of the second, I realized that it was a traffic police, signaling us to halt.

“What was wrong with him?”  I quipped the auto driver. “Is he going to issue us a red slip for over-speeding”?  I questioned.

Naah! The traffic police informed us that a Minister was scheduled to pass through the road,  around 8.00 am and hence the roads were blocked. It was 8.20 AM and there was no sign of this minister.

I grew impatient and was tensed up a bit with the thought of delayed reporting to the office. Finally, the minister and his crew passed through around 8.30 AM and the roads were opened for the rest of the public.

Huffed and puffed, somehow I managed to reach the office at around 9:10am. There stood my lady boss at the entrance to welcome me with an evil grin and a frowned face. 

She looked grumpy.

Before she could open her mouth to question me, I squeezed myself through the entrance and with a diplomatic smile  made a sarcastic statement. 

“If only,  these ministers had the sense of time, this country would have touched newer heights”  and I quickly entered the office and got busy with my work.

I thanked the Omnipresent for my wittiness.

PS :  Image courtesy Google.

Ishaan, my little one, turned 6 months cuter. It was time to baptize him as per the Hindu rituals.
We took him to a Goddess temple, nearby. This is what happened after..

Majestically she stands

Carved in Stone,

with Vermillion on forehead.

Rock hard, heartless,

With 8 hands, donning

8 different weapons,

To battle and defeat

The evil.

It seems, her heart

is carved with diamond,

Never meant to melt.

Seated on a lioness,

Majestically she watches..

Blood of the demon,

Trickles through her tongue,

She, The RudraKAli,

Prachandika!

Glancing the fiery Goddess,

Ishaan my Lil son

Screams and wails.

I wonder, how a mother

Can Be so ferocious.

As I laid my  son

At her Holy feet,

Her eyes, which spew fire,

Inclined now, with traces

Of Nurture, love and care.

I could see her bosoms

Ooze out love.

Ishaan now smiles

At the mother Goddess,

As The Rudrakali

Now transformed to Mother Yashoda,
Yashoda, the Mother of Lord Krishna.

Lucky, is My
Ishaan, My Krishna,

As he is blessed by her.

She, the lotus-eyed,

Consort of Lord Venkataramana.

PS: Image courtesy Google and AJ's personal collections.

This poem is featured in  Writer's Ezine magazine in the May 2015 issue. Also, I am glad to share my happiness with all my blog readers. This poem has won the Exceptional Poetry award for the May 2015 issue.

Copyright - Ajay Pai -2015

In the scorching heat, with a sweaty body, on the muddy field, with greenery around, this is how, I spent my childhood holidays along with my friends.

I become nostalgic, as I think about those golden old days

We the boys, would discreetly climb up the mango tree and would pluck the juicy, ripe mangoes. The ones who couldn’t climb, stood below, with the bags, to collect the mangoes which has fallen on the muddy ground.

The security guard would scream at us and chase us out, to secure the mangoes and the mango tree.  We would run for our lives, whistling and howling and as the guard goes out of the vicinity, we would come back and continue the act.

I wouldn't call this act as theft, as kids were innocent during those days and were the rightful owners of mother nature's treasures.

Where did those  innocent days vanish? I wonder now!

PS: Image courtesy Google.

Oh, I wish!

If at all, Happiness was a damsel,

I would have invited her

Into my heart.

Our souls

Ought to have entwined with

And immersed in

Love & Ecstasy

Never to be parted.

I am compelled 
 to name her

“Glee”.

True to the mannerisms

peculiar to a  damsel

Happiness evades &

Rejects me.

Oh Dear, though far-off

Breeze into me

Just as the pristine raindrop

In the scorching heat,

Be that melody in my life

Which I long to hear.

I wish this Valentine,

We would be one soul
Not two separate entities,

Oh, My Glee

Wish you realized.

© 2015 Ajay Pai (Reserved) PS: Image  Courtesy: Pixabay.

It’s a baby Girl!

Exclaimed the Doc.

Biting his tongue,

Realizing the blunder,

As he revealed the secret.  

The secret is out

Worried the doctor,

It’s a crime to reveal the gender.

She would be raised & not aborted,

I assured the doc.

Days progressed to weeks,

Weeks graduated to months,

And the ninth month marked her birth.

‘She’ was born – so delicate & fragile,

As she was given into my palms,

So tiny and cute,

I shed a tear, out of joy.

 The first baby frock,

The Polka dotted one,

Seeing the dots,

She giggled and smiled,

Tried to peel-off the dots,

Oh, my baby girl Is ever so cute.

 

When she fell ill,
I had sleepless nights.

She loved, whatever, I selected for her,

Love You Papa,

You know what my likes are!
Expressed she.

I was a Super Man Daddy,

She nicknamed me - Handsome,

She was proud of me being - Clever,

I was the kindest man ever,

She loved me the most.

  

She promised

To be mine forever, and

To leave me never,

I rejoiced and I gleam

My baby girl loved me then.

Seasons change, and,

Happiness transform to sorrows,

My Baby girl turned rebellious

As she stepped to Teens,

Eloping with the guy of her choice.

The promise made, now mutilated, and,

I became the Fall guy.

Alas, our likes were parallel

Never to match.

She left me,

For a guy whom she met moments earlier.

 

She let “My” little finger forego

Which she had held tight,

To be held by “Him”, in “His” arms

 “I” am her Papa and “He” her love,

 For me, “He” was not the perfect guy

But then, Love happens

And so does a break-up

The Father-Daughter relation broke apart

I only pray now, for her,

May she live happily-ever-after!

 PS: Image courtesy Google!

She moved her fingers through his hairy chest. Those fingers had an erotic feeling to it.  He kissed her with such passion, leaving love bites on her cervix.

The dim lights and the sweetness of jasmine had  created the perfect aura for their First Night.

Ankita invitingly entered the shower and switched the tap on. Water sprinkled on her, drenching her up and making her all the more luscious to the eyes whom-so-ever saw her. 

Simply then, Johnny did not accompany her to the shower. 

"Such a spoilt sport Johnny is", she recalled. 

Clad in  her skimpy  shorts and white tees, she gently entered their bedroom, to see Johnny  lying on the bed in his boxers, with his face immersed into the pillow.

She was horrified as she turned him around playfully. His throat was slit open.

© 2015 Ajay Pai (Reserved) only for the story.

__________________________

Background to the story:

Johnny & Ankita were madly in love. Their marriage was the result of an eloping session. 

Johnny was a Christian and Ankita a Hindu, from Haryana.

It was an honour-killing done by Ankita’s family, as she had brought shame to the family marrying of  her choice out of the religion.

Ref:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khap

Image courtesy: Google.