Where's the Dream?

A doctorate in English Literature and an Associate Professor, PG Department of English, MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh, Dr Mridula Sharma has authored 'The Hotel Room: A Collection of Stories'. 

She has also co-edited 'Scholars In Shakespeare' and published research papers in reputed journals. She has recently edited 'Alfaaz: A Trilingual Anthology by Academicians'. She enjoys writing  poetry in Hindi & English and story telling.

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Have you ever jumped out of your chair

your curiosity routing you out

of the warm family circle

on lazy winter afternoons,

making you strain yourself across

the familiar crunch of peanuts

the easy hum of  routine gossip

to inspect

on all fours

that ‘some’thing

fluttering

at a distance

among the grass blades

glittering in the sun

beckoning to you

firing your imagination

your heart

plopping

at the possibility of hitting

 a jackpot

an abandoned treasure

just like that

Of course I am talking of childhood!

That sort of a thing

doesn’t happen now

You step rather gingerly

when little shards of glass

gleam in the moonlight

on the pavement

Gingerbread houses

talking mirrors

pumpkin carriages

are naturally the farthest

from your thoughts

already crowded with

grocery lists

car insurance deadlines

behaviour therapy bills

Where is the time

to scatter

and keep scattering

drops of water in the sunlight

hoping to make

instant diamonds

and

personal rainbows

It was a long time back

that I lost my milk teeth, you say

but

it is really

your citric heart

that has curdled the dream forever

Agreed,

the grunting limbs

aren’t elastic enough

for any kind of acrobatics

anymore

but it is actually

your dour-faced disbelief

that doesn’t google the map

to la la land

or your stiff-kneed spirit

that stubbornly refuses

to walk to it

and swing

from branch

to branch

of the tree

that breathes out stardust

and grows

everyday magic

in all seasons

seen or unseen