[Your strongest enemy is the one who has outposts in your head.]
Even as the sun cast its vermilion afterglow
On a cold December sky,
I sat in solitude beside my window,
Watching the homebound motorists pass by:
Tiny, flailing specks of light,
Hastily disappearing into the depths of the night.
I continued to gaze with eyes unlifted,
When lo! a most mesmerizing note
Into my ear, with the breeze adrifted;
And I felt as if I'd begun to float:
Such was the music- enchanting and sweet,
That it swept away the ground beneath my feet.
The air was electrified by the ethereal sound;
The tune was slow, yet so sublime-
That the thoughts in my mind started spinning around,
And I was transported back in time
To the day I'd first, the Piper met,
It was a day I can never forget..
‘Twas a chilly winter morn, thirteen months back;
Dawn had still not broken,
I lay asleep snugly in my sack,
When I was, from my slumber, awoken
By a note of music- a divine melody!
That encircled my head, and echoed through my body.
The soulful tune took my breath away,
‘Twas like none other I ever had heard;
But who was playing it at this time of day?
What was the sound's source? I wondered;
I leaped from my bed, and peered o'er the window,
And saw an old man on the street below.
Dressed in rags, he trudged along,
His heavy gait, his age, betrayed;
Yet so powerful was the Piper's song-
That the leaves of trees to its rhythm swayed.
The man weaved magic with his mystical organ,
And made me want to meet this magician..
I put on a shirt o'er my nightgown,
And quickly picked up my wallet;
I bolted to the stairs- in a jiffy I was down,
And caught up with him, as fast as I could get.
The man sensing me, stopped in his track,
And pausing his song, the Piper looked back.
I smiled when I first beheld the Piper,
"My man," said I, "Thy song is divine:
I haven't heard a tune like this- ever;
Indeed there resides magic in thine
Pipe, my man, which you play so well.
But wherefrom do you come, o Piper, pray tell!
"And what is the place you are meaning to go?"
At this, the man merely raised his right hand,
And made some gestures as if to show
That though my words, he could clearly understand,
(Throwing the world into disrepute!)
This magician of a man, alas! was mute.
The mellifluous note which had made me rejoice-
(The irony caused me a great deal of hurt-)
Had emerged from the lips that were denied a voice!
I spoke thus, while I offered him my shirt:
"Take care of thy health, now that you're old,
You must not wander bare-chested in the cold.
"I humbly request, of you, a favour:
Today evening, as the light turns to dark,
I would like you to play this tune, o Piper!
In the peaceful premise of Priyadarshini Park!"
A thousand rupee bill, then from my wallet, I removed,
Which he accepted, nodding his head in gratitude.
The old man started his song again,
As back to my house, I made my way;
And when the day's first ray hit my window-pane
The heavenly music faded away..
'He's gone for now, but I shall hear him soon-
He'll be back tonight with his enchanting tune.'
That day, the date was seventeenth of November,
My sweetheart's birth anniversary;
For her, I would make it a night to remember:
After dinner, I'd ask her to marry
Me. The park would have an air of romance,
Which the Piper's song would only enhance!
I hurried to the hall, and picked up the phone,
And dialed her number, which I knew by-heart;
She said, 'Hallo!' in the jolliest of tones,
Hearing which, my pulse began to dart!
If there was one sound, the Piper couldn't beat,
It was the voice of my darling sweet!
"Hello, my love, happy birthday!!" I said;
"Thank you so much, Abhishek!"
She replied in a manner, which struck me dead!
"In the evening," I said, "I would like to take
You for dinner- I'll pick you up at eight."
"That's fabulous, honey, but don't be late!"
Then I heard her end go 'click';
There were so many things I wanted to tell her,
But now, I had to rush to office, quick!
I would, methought, save my words for later.
And all through that wonderful day at work,
My sweetheart did, in my memory lurk.
At quarter-to-eight, I reached her place;
And when I was walking through the door,
The first thing I noticed was the glow on her face;
I'd never seen her like this before;
My jaw falling to the floor, I could not suppress!
She was looking gorgeous- in a beautiful black dress.
Her long flowing tresses were left untied,
In just the way I liked them;
I held her hand and led her outside.
And though I'd seen quite many a gem,
When I looked at her eyes, for a moment I was stunned,
For they were dazzling brighter than the brightest diamond.!
We dined very well- the food was wholesome,
I'd ordered all her favourite dishes;
And now, finally, the time had come
When I'd ask her to fulfill the greatest of my wishes.
"Let us take a walk at Priyadarshini Park,"
Said I, "With the moonlight to guide us in the dark."
We hailed a cab and away we sped;
I said, "For you, I've got a surprise."
"It had better be nice!" She quickly said,
With a mischievous glint in her eyes:
I'd ne'er seen her in such a splendid mood.
(I wondered if ’twas the effect of the food!)
As we grew, to the park, nearer,
I realized how fast time had flewn;
I'd told him to come at twilight- but the Piper
Was still there- playing his enchanting tune.
"What's that divine music?" My sweetheart said,
"It feels as if it's encircling my head!"
The moonlight shone on my sweetheart's hair,
And made her look even prettier;
I couldn't sight the old man anywhere,
Though, the two of us, his tune, could hear:
The song he was playing was so heavenly,
That it felt not without, but in fact, within me.
Mesmerized by the melody, we both did stand,
I seized the perfect moment:
I lovingly clutched my sweetheart's left hand,
And down on one knee, I went,
"I love you -----, will you marry me?
I'll do everything I can to keep you happy.."
"Oh!! Abhishek! I thought you'd never propose!
I'll marry you without a doubt!"
Happily from my kneeling position I rose,
And a diamond ring, from my pocket, brought out;
And as I slid the ring o'er her finger,
My heart was beating to the tune of the Piper..
Next second, we were caught in a tight embrace,
Her eyes sparkled like stars in the dark;
And under the moonlight, the kiss that took place,
Was the longest to be witnessed by Priyadarshini Park!
By the Piper's tune, our bodies were bound,
And levitated clear above the ground!
It was post-midnight when I dropped her,
And returned back to my own dwelling.
In the morning, she would tell her father,
And let him fix the date of the wedding.
I mentally thanked the Piper before I slept-
He had, after all, his promise kept..
Next evening, my fiancée’s father called me,
Methought it was to do with the marriage;
But alas! that was not at all to be!
The news he gave, did my joy disparage.
He told me, in an utmost grief-stricken lament:
My sweetheart had died in a road accident.
After being knocked down by a drunk speed-demon,
The poor girl had bled to her death;
The coward never stopped to see the damage he'd done.
No one helped her, as she took her last breaths.
For no fault of hers, her life was taken,
For no fault of mine, my soul was broken..
Thirteen months had now gone by;
I sat in solitude beside my window,
And watched with one disdainful eye
The home-bound motorists passing below:
Tiny, murderous specks of light,
Hastily disappearing into the depths of the night.
I continued to stare with gaze unlifted,
When lo! the most haunting of melodies
Into my ear, with the breeze adrifted;
And brought back chilling memories
Of the last evening I'd spent with her,
Listening to this very tune of the Piper.
The song was the same, and yet different-
This time, the soulful tune of the Piper
Did not delight, but caused torment,
Because it reminded me of her;
And when I saw her photo on the bedroom table,
To stop my tears flowing, I was not able…
I picked up my wallet, and hurried down;
And folded my hands in front of the Piper:
"Please, my man, in this part of town,
I beg you not to play this tune ever."
Then from my purse, all the money, I removed,
Which he accepted, as if under my servitude.
From my mind, all thoughts of her, I banished:
'She will not come back, how much ever I weep.'
When I went back home, the note had vanished;
And in a short while, I fell asleep.
It was midnight when I jumped up in bed-
The song was again encircling my head..
I put on a shirt o'er my night-gown,
"Darn! This Piper won't let me live
Peacefully-" I screamed as I hurried down,
"How much more money, him, can I give?"
But once on the street, all I could see were cars-
Whizzing past me- and the twinkling stars..
The cars honked away without even slowing;
I yelled at the top of my voice-
But ‘twas drowned by the sound of the strong wind blowing;
And inspite of this surrounding noise,
I could clearly hear the chilling melody-
It was sucking out all the warmth from my body.
I searched every corner of every single alley,
Still no sign of the Piper anywhere;
The haunting tune was driving me crazy-
I began tearing my hair in despair.
I collapsed on the road- my head swirled-
Yet, not a single motorist showed a care in the world.
From where was the Piper playing his tune?
I looked to the right, left and behind,
I even looked up to see the mocking moon;
Nowhere could I, the Piper find.
And when I finally did, I wished I was dead-
The only way to get rid of the Piper in my head.
