WHEN 'HE' LEFT SCHOOL

That was our first day of class nine. We were all cherishing our first day. During the recess, as usual, we came out of our classes and gathered in the field. It was then when he confirmed the news. For the past few months, he had been saying that he would be leaving school, but I did not expect it to happen so soon.

After dismissal, while I was sitting in the bus, I noticed him talking to his classmates, just as he did everyday. After a few minutes he pedaled his black Razorback to the window and bade me a goodbye with his same sweet smile accompanying him. I was startled. He never had come to my bus earlier. Although his unusual behavior scared me, I bade him back. And after he had moved a few meters away, I shouted at him. He turned back to look at me, and then… it was then I realized that my best friend had left school.

It was a stupid truck that compelled him to leave. Fraction of a second, and his body was red- his shirt, trousers: stained with that dangerous red. All the students, bus and car chauffeurs gathered around him. From a boy… he had turned into a ‘body’. His brand new black Razorback, broken and shattered, lay at a distance. I was stoned.A sense of guilt began gobbling me up. His red-stained smile snatched my sleep.

This was how my best friend, my dearest friend left school. He left me forever… never to join any school again.

HYPERLINK- Part 2

(...From Part 1)

And then when the night darkens,
The stars brighten and the bats begin their day,
A cold wind blows and a chill runs down my spine;
Not only that I feel cold,
But I fear the arrival of the next episode- Your departure!

I still remember the day when those 'animals'-
I call them such as they are worth it:
Pierced their knives through your wonderful heart;
That was the end of the golden days of my life.
I would have loved to caress you;
And now... I fondle nothing but your lingering essence-
I couldn't just keep my word,
Of protecting you every second of your life.
I was helpless- I couldn't help you survive!

I know I am a traitor, a bad man:
That is the irony of fate.
I just saw your coffin being lowered into the grave,
Your lips... with a broad smile on them,
And your eyes... a demonstration of serenity.
That was so strange...!!!So very strange!!!

And now, amidst the droning buzz of mosquitoes,
I am just switching from one phase of my life to another.
No sooner than I close one chapter,
An unblocked pop-up or a link too hyper waits to be clicked on,
To be edited...or...at times, to be updated.
Deletion is prohibited!!!
That's the worst part of it.
You keep adding as much as you wish to...
But beware!- It can never be deleted,
Not even a little insignificant part of it.

Now, I find the moon just above my head...
Just like life, it has its own pace,
And is moving just as it wishes.
So I'd better move on too,
Leaving you behind as a hyperlink-
To be clicked during some other leisure,
To be revised again, anytime, later.

HYPERLINK- Part 1

When the sun sinks into the horizon;
When the sky turns a crimson red;
When the birds rush across the sky,
To reach their homes safely;
When the moon guarded by the stars,
Take over the sun lazily,
Its you I remember-
Sitting on the easy-chair, when I look at them,
I find your face engraved in the sky.
All thoughts in my mind become haphazard for a moment;
And before I am able to regain my senses,
You grab me into the sea of distress.

Your face in the night sky takes me back to those days at school,
When the others gathered around the roadside vendor,
It was just you and me left behind;
We gazed into each others eyes- speechless, motionless!
We only became conscious,when...
Some envious friend of yours,
Mocked at us stupidly.
Those are the days I remember.

The twinkling stars, and at times a meteorite across the sky,
Pull me into depression just like a quicksand.
I strive to come out, but the grip just gets tighter;
The clippings of our college days,
Flip fast in my memories;
Your first day at the panipuri stall-
And the tears trickling from your eyes and down your cheeks:
Your face red with the burning pepper...
Did nothing but enhance your charm.
Like an idiot, I fell in love with you once again.
Yes, those are the days I recollect.

                                                     (...To be continued)