Ashish was sitting under a lonely tree, lying in solitude. It was time for the fall. The year was ending, and maybe something else too, or rather someone else. Maybe. Who knows? Then something sticky spilled from his left eye and found its way down the cheek, where it came to a halt. Ashish let it hang there, as a token of his lost love, shining brightly for the world to witness. He was drowned in his misery when he felt some movement nearby. Ashish moved his head slightly and saw someone coming towards him. He didn’t move or react, just kept watching the stranger with cold, sunken eyes. The man kept approaching and stopped in front of him.
*You look sad, Dude, what happened? Ashish remained as silent as stone. The stranger asked again, but the result remained the same. “May I sit here?” the stranger asked. No response. So the man shrugged and sat down. Dude, whispered the newcomer. Then there was a long pause, and finally Ashish broke his silence with a small weak: Who are you? I am a poet, the man said. A poet, Ashish, copied. The man nodded, smiling slightly, and said, what’s wrong with you? You look like a zombie. Ashish returned the smile, but said nothing. The stranger stayed silent. Then, what seemed like an eternal pause, Ashish finally spoke, ‘The shattering of heart, the breaking of trust, the burning of hope, man starts to rust.’ The stranger gave a huge smile and said, You can speak my tongue, Dude, amazing! Then the poet got lost in his own world and fell silent. Looks like we are in the same boat; it was Ashish who spoke this time. The poet quickly came back from his reverie and said, yes, and no. What do you mean, Ashish enquired? I have also travelled the path you are currently travelling, the path of misery, said the poet. Just the difference is that my path came to a peaceful end some time back. Really, Ashish whispered. Yeah, of course, I’m not kidding, the stranger said. You are lucky then, Ashish replied, but I don’t think my misery will ever end. It’s timeless, it’s endless. Why can’t good days last forever? Why do they have to end? It’s not fair. Ashish continued cursing the fate for some time, then gave up. After waiting for a few moments, the poet said softly, nothing is endless, nothing is timeless, just like the good days, bad days also end. It’s our negative perception which makes the misery endless, not the misery itself. The poet also fell silent. Ashish took some time to process what he had just heard , then comprehension dawned on his face and he started nodding gradually. The tear on his cheek had dried up by now, giving a silent message of drying up of negative emotion in the days to come.
*Abruptly, the stranger stood up. it’s Time to leave, duty calls, he said. Ashish also stood up, smiling at the poet and thanked him. The man nodded, smiling slightly. Then Ashish raised his hand to shake and said, I am Ashish, nice to meet you. The stranger shook his hand and replied, nice to meet you too, poet Saad at your service…
