Colour Story Of Bonfires

Folder: 
Connubial

Gautom

Studied in Darjeeling

Went to school, North Point Boarding

The only son of a respectable man

Chief Executive; Marketing

Affectionately known

As Tom.

One day -- Tom's father

Irked, as he came home from a work tour.

Found his son; Clad in a torn shirt

a button; Missing.

Raising voice, he complained to his wife

That she had no time for the children

busy with her own; Paintings.

Self interest first;

On real duties; No priorities set;

Thereby the actual; Neglecting.

Tom's mother, was a gifted woman

Pretty, accomplished, meritorious like my mom.

I called her aunt and

Tom's father uncle. Uncle was a handsome man

Strangely, my father, he did resemble, excepting

For his light green eyes.

Uncle was so cross that day

Decided on spot to send Tom away --

To a hostel. My aunt was so hurt.

It was just a solitary button missing from Tom's shirt.

"She wasn't paying attention?"

"So trivial, her art, that she was a woman?"

Tom was her son and she knew the difference

Between the right and the wrong

But when the father decided alone

Let his wish be fulfilled; Followed.

Quietly, the same day, she took all her pain,

unfinished canvas, paintbrushes, paintings,

and sketch pen, pencil, colour tubes,

put them in a cardboard box --

Headed for the garden outdoors.

Reaching the corner

Perched, the same

on top of a heaped dry leaves, mound

collected, to prepare bio fertiliser for gardening.

Woman, thereafter she never was the same. Litmus test, succeeding?

A tiny matchstick she struck, torching up a blazing flame.

The fire glowed, rich, luminous;

Gaining from her art, all colours and paint --

Bonfire incandescent

Brilliant, iridescent -- exciting.

"That's how all the fire that burn, irradiate not

only auburn but yellow blue orange green .."

Aunt, uncle, their youngest daughter, live now in

Sae Baba's ashram and young Tom, married, has a son.

At present; How to use a paintbrush and set aglow canvas; Busy learning

Grandmother's art is the talented daughter of elder sister; Tom's.

Author's Notes/Comments: 

A true story.

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Lauren B's picture

Wow. That's beautiful. I can see the image of her hope going up in flames, the ignition of pain. This poem is extrememly good. Thank you.

hhickson's picture

Why are women like that? So self-destructive as passive agressiveness. Uncle was wrong. A marriage man and woman become one flesh meaning they are equal. He was wrong for deciding on his own, but she was wrong for accepting subserviance. The symbology is great and all kinds of things may be inferred from this. It is sad that someone that professes to love another would want or require them to give up something they love for an idiot's comment.

Hugs and Peace
Huck


HK