..The gift

Ripples in the pond of frigid memories...deep dive back into that time...after severe negotiations between these fleeting seconds and those, I choose to touch those ripples with my toe. Only just superficially...lock dread of diving straight in; for fear that it might reveal things that have been sent away, a while back, into that unaccessible corner of my mind! Just mildly touching the closest ripple to me...like a mother tests the water before immersing her baby into the tub.

The ripple feels just like water always does...calming,soothing,pure...lures me just enough to dip in a little more..just four more toes, then I'll get back to my life...and the memories embalm my foot...reaching out to my ankles...like a long lost friend waiting to embrace.

Snapshots of faces, places, people...but the emotions reflect inside my today..so potent...in the flash of images, the emotions stretch out their timeline indefinitely, just so I can see only a flash but feel the entire memory...not with five toes but with my entirety, maybe more!

Touching my baby brother for the first time...playing in the sand pit in Vaishali till the stars came out in the sky...nursing my little pup Robin when he was so afraid of touch...that time when I tumbled down the marble staircase...I'm already knee deep in the pool, the water has turned cold, its night and my legs wobble weakly...on impulse, I turn away...run...the night breeze works on the wet entity...freezing me down to my bones...

I'm a strong person, only too weak to reflect!