I awoke with a start.
It was dawn already,
a Saturday one, that too–
my favourite time of the week,
with infinitely many possibilities to seek.
A coffee first, an hour spent on the couch
with the city view and wandering thoughts,
today, there is no battle to be fought.
But wait, what is that I see?!
There is a ladybug on much couch,
scarlet, she is, with black dots
unmoving from her undesignated spot.
To the ninth floor, she did fly
in all her glory, she catches the eye.
Harbinger of luck she might be,
but insects really pester me,
be it a humongous housefly,
a weaving, spindly spider,
or a plump, buzzing bee.
Usually, I want to set them free,
so I chase them round and round
until they are out of the window,
the process is tiring and rather slow.
This tiny ladybug,
with her minuscule head and frail wings
rests so still, devoid of any motion
yet, deftly capable of inciting my emotions.
Perturbed I am one moment,
as she trespassed my space
and stole my favourite spot
during the favourite time of my day.
Fascinated the very next,
intrigued by her stillness
and her rather contrasting hues.
This uninvited ebony speckled creature
that slipped into my home,
takes up so much of my thoughts
she makes me think about us — humans.
Suddenly, I come across a disconcerting realisation.
Oh, the irony of the situation,
it is not she, who is a trespasser, it is I.
With our invading propensities
we explore, we forage
and appropriate territories
to build our bustling cities.
The lush green forest
we log for timber,
destroying the delicate ecological balance
to feed our avarice and hunger.
Majestic mountains don’t intimidate us any longer,
dizzying roads we build on them
heedless of scarring the landscape,
indifferent to the damage rendered to the ecosystem.
On and on we tread
leaving a trail of destruction in our wake.
We have not even spared the ocean anymore,
so endless and blazing blue, with water so deep,
it is beyond anything we can comprehend.
The oil we spill, the garbage we dump
strangled turtles wash up on the shore,
wreaking havoc in the marine world,
the depths to which we have sunk!
Oh, my freckled creature,
what a roller coaster of thoughts
you put me through
with all the ensuing destruction,
the least I can do is to make peace with you.
So that is what I did
on a fine Saturday morning,
I shared my couch, me with my coffee,
she with her peaceful, serene disposition,
we shared an hour together.
In peace and calm,
when light engulfed the city
she flew out of the window,
right into the dawn.
Vasudha Chandrashekar is a budding poet with wandering thoughts.
Featured image is provided by the author.