Family gatherings

Art by Henri Leopold Masson (1948)

Too many laughs

and words of anonymity,

large and small eyes of experience,

bangles clinking on hands,

young and old,

cheeks stretched and moved to speech's order.

Utensils bubbling with tea and oil,

mouths of noise waiting to be loaded

with products of the utensils

in their speech organ,

and yet words flow

in long and short intervals.

They come, they talk, they eat, they leave,

triggering laugh, irritation and love at a time,

of family owing to strength and unity,

love chatters and brisk comedies once in a while.

Fights and quarrels in variable magnitude

end in fun and thrilling events of time;

for all good times come to an end

and the melancholy reigns.

This piece has been authored by Swetarupa Mishra. Currently pursuing Political Science and English from Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, she is a peace enthusiast, iconoclast, mental health zealot, and staunch believer of justice. Her raison d'etre stands to be unravelling mysteries of the universe, unification and pacification.