By: Deeksha Makhija 

Rain

Dear Rain,
I see you coming
with magic in your touch,
you bring peace amidst noise,
beauty amidst chaos,
and so much warmth
in your cold raindrops

I see you healing hearts
in seconds,
Will you do me a favor then?
Hold the hand of my city;
my dilli, so tight
that she never feels alone again.
Take her out of the weight of million dreams
and make her relive her young days,
make her find a corner for herself
which she forgot a long back.
Sit in peace with her at Indian coffee house
and talk to her about her past
with a cup of chai in hands?
I promise,
her silence will make you
discover a new universe
that she has hidden in herself.

###

Santa and a wish

Dear Santa
if this Christmas
you running broke and
think of taking a train,
by any chance
and your train stops at a junction
for a longer time,
I want you to stumble upon this
and read this.
I am sure,
you have packed everything for everyone
but I just wanted to let you know
that there is a boy
who lives with his parents and grandparents
five blocks away
from my house.
I saw him in his school bus
and that children’s park near my house,
I saw him alone
playing with sand and stones,
and paper boats and airplanes,
afraid to even think of sitting sweet on a seesaw
because he is afraid his friend would leave him
once the seesaw takes him up and up
and he would fall down badly
and hurt his knee with so many cuts.
I saw him
in a wry smile,
hiding tears
with his hands
rolling on his eyes.
I thought of going to him
but he ran away
and since then, I have not seen him,
but a few days back only
I saw him again in his school bus,
playing with his purple color water bottle.

I think he is alone
and needs just, “other’s time”, as his gift,
so, if possible, can you manage to bring some time along with you?
To play with him a little?
To make him sit on a seesaw?
To help him in making sand castles?
Smile with him
not wryly but honestly?
And talk to him?
I promise,
I’d serve you with chocolate cookies and milk, definitely.