Thursday, April 12, 2012

Exodus Entrada.

Dear City,
I've mostly been told letters are to be written to lovers, to the dying, and some times, to the dead.
Well, you've been a lover- perhaps the only man who's been worthy of an intimate relationship after the death of Christ. You're dying, too- all your allies, bridges, and red lights have been walked on.
And perhaps, you're dead- because nothing new fosters within you, anymore. It's the same grass that has now stopped looking greener on the other side along with yellow mornings and shifting sky colors from yellow to orange bitten with a tinge of pink which melts into a purple with a brilliant hue of navy blue that fades into the black with fictitious stars.
Thus, my writing to you is legitimized to the judiciary of my mind, and thus we may proceed.

So you've prided yourself a good deal with the million pairs of boots that hit the city roads every morning, the coordinated cattle of pedestals who zebra-cross the road with every red light, the green bills that make their way to the bagel cafes every morning for breakfast along with the overwhelming gray sky scrapers; in one of which a boy of fourteen sits on his piano and plays the piano every day at seven. You have to your credit every millionaire and the thousand or two migrants that make their way to your sheltered dome of dreams turned inside out reality. You have to your debit the invisible peddlers and those dreams turned inside out illusions. 


You're given a play by play of each and every self. A little side of you is ignited with every lighter that is lit, a certain avenue has a couple swinging to streetlamps, and every sixth cab has a story of life and death in process.
You're a busy boy, dear City. A genre of busy that I've seen and lived while thriving in you. The city lights are now unfocused and form vague patterns of bokeh. They're still gorgeous, but pointless. 
So there you go. Another immigrant of origin and an emigrant of compassion ; Nay, I have no hopes, desires, expectations or compassion for your gates and highways no more.
I've lived you, and you've aged while my toes reached higher on their tips to see beyond the Queen's necklace of your city lights. 


I hope for my absence to resonate within your territory which has no vacuum or extra space even for the citizens, let alone the goners. Nevertheless, I hope for you to at least let my hue run behind the trunk of my car, while I travel away to a new destination. A destination that would be the recipient of a similar letter, a few years from now.


You've been good to me,
A Traveller.


-Nil.
 

37 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. is someone sleepless or is it just that minute second before sleep when one has that one last thought of the day?

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    2. I'm guessing this post speaks for my insomnia and reaffirms too many thoughts and the never ending day. :)

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  2. aah brilliant. another owl :)

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  3. A most unusual letter but none the less great to read.

    Yvonne.

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    1. Thank you Yvonne, that was quite the hopeful purpose :)

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  4. Loved. Haven't read anything of this kind before. Formed a lovely bokeh of thoughts of some random city in my mind where a little guy plays the piano everyday at 7. ( Don't you love to add beautiful details ) Delhi has always fascinated me...wonder if I'll make house there someday :)

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    1. I haven't seen you here in a while! Thank you :) Yes, I'm a detail nazi. (love me or hate me) ..it would surprise you but I hardly imagined Delhi while writing this at all, actually. I have no clue which city did I have in mind, but it was a crossbreed of Bombay and New York.

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    2. I know that you didn't mean Delhi. But I have a thing for the capital..looked intriguing that time I'd gone there. But it's a tie between Bombay and Delhi. I wish to enjoy both the cities. And have fun in the Himalayas. Take enough photos to make 5 blog posts out of them!

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    3. Oh yes, that way Delhi wins quite some charm. And sigh. I want to visit Bombay, too. If I get through some kickass college there, then god knows I'll run along!
      And heh, you can trust on me to make 50 posts out of the number of photos I gonna be taking ;-)

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  5. delightful :) you always come up with something fresh and new in you writing

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    1. Aww thank you, Diiip. You're too much of niceness :)

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  6. Damn! Who or what gives you these ideas? It's WOWWWW!!! :O

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    1. The Boards babe, the Boards. They'll give you all the ideas in the world except the ones your question papers going to ask for :P

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  7. Nil its always a pleasure to read what you write because it spells"genuine" really been long since i read something as nice honest and clear as this.

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    1. PinkPatiyalaSis! What I write is amateurish, You just read with so much clarity that you let the errors pass :)

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  8. Lovely read.. And where are you off to now?

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    1. Thanks Revaa.. I be off to the mountains :) Mighty Himachal!

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  9. Brilliant post, Nil!! You always make me think you're not younger than me! :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Aru! You're only too kind :)

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  10. Beautiful... I could picture City in all his colors.

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    1. I'm thrilled you could, that serves the purpose at its best. Thank you!

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  11. Very well written. So intriguing too. I havent read anything like this before, either o.O

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    1. Haha naww, I bet bunch of people around the world have come up with similar versions. But thank you, nevertheless! ^.^

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  12. That was different.
    That was fabulous.
    That was out-of-the-box.

    Nicely written. :)

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  13. So vivid, so real! :) I absolutely love the way you described the sky! :)

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    1. Thanks Ruhani! That was actually my dearest part of the letter, too :)

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