The Enchanted Forest of Love

He was an enigma, and she wanted nothing more than to unravel the mystery that he was. But was he really a mystery? Or was he merely uninterested? Did he really not care? How could he never care?

The questions inside her mind throttled her and choked her. It was a pain she had never felt, and a pain that she had never wanted to feel. Yet, here she was, staring at a heart shaped pebble on her palm, underneath the very gazebo where he had given it to her.

“It may look simple, but that’s my heart!” he had exclaimed.

She laughed without humour, looking at the lake beyond, with gentle tears in her eyes, that wanted to rage down her cheeks. Little did he know that it was her heart that was given away. She had given it to him; cautious at first, but willingly all the same, and he had so callously broken it.

There was a time when they were everybody’s envy. Now all that lingered was sadness and emptiness. Was it all worth it in the end? She wiped her tears as the answer dawned on her.

Yes, it was worth it. She would repeat her mistakes again and again for her love was pure and innocent, and she refused to taint it with regret.

Such was her love for him.

The enchanted forest of love catches the innocent deer of hope. The swishing green branches trap the pretty antlers, and the price to free them is the deer’s heart.

This is every bit the letter of love, and every bit the letter of a shattered soul.

 

The Mask

‘This above all: To thine ownself be true.’

Polonius was right in every sense when he uttered these words to his son in the famous Shakespearean play, Hamlet. It is a pity that although these famous words drive our hearts, our mind simply refuses to comply.

Throughout my life, I have betrayed my soul and portrayed myself as someone I am not. It is often someone I’d like to be, and sometimes, it is just to please the person in front. The lies have become so deeply embedded, that the line has blurred, and the same lies have become my truth. The thing about humans though, is that we find it very hard to take off the mask that we have and show our true faces. According to the Japanese, everyone has three faces. The first face, we show to the world. The second face, we show to our close friends, and family. The third face, we never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are, and often the hardest to unveil, even to yourself.

After deep, intense research for a whole of two minutes, I’ve finally realised that the reason why we put on a mask is so that we don’t get hurt or shunned, while world laughs at our expense. This is where all of us have gone wrong.

Little do we know that the same mask that sits so comfortably on our face, cuts through our skin, splattering the floor with drops of blood.

How often have I lied about things that I absolutely don’t have to, only because I was petrified to hear more than what I wanted to? In the end, all of us are more scared of the world than the world is of us. The cruelty of it all makes us want to crawl under a rock, but the responsibilities hold us back.

At the risk of sounding overly philosophical, the point that I want to make is that despite the circumstances, being honest to yourself is the only way to have all that you want in life. Putting on a mask and expecting everything to be black and white henceforth, is a silly way to escape reality.

Excellent books like Harry Potter exist for that purpose.

Although at times, you can’t help but lie, your lies should never become a portal for another world. Before you know it, the portal will close and you will be stuck in your world of lies forever. From personal experiences, telling the truth does result in facing the brunt of your actions, yes, but eventually, the people you love will accept you the way you are. Your failures do not define you. You define yourself.

I did not intend this article to become a motivational speech, worthy of the Prime Minister. I do not expect a lot of people to read it and be inspired. But I do hope it serves as a reminder that being yourself is not a sin. 

A letter to all the Single Mothers!

Hello, gorgeous!

Lovely day, isn’t it? You may have been sitting in front of a laptop, perhaps working, or maybe enjoying yourself for a couple of minutes before works beckons, when you chanced upon this letter. For all its worth, I’m glad you did decide to read this message, because what I have in store for you, is exactly what you need.

I’m sure it’s been hard on you. It can’t have been easy, and I understand where you’re coming from. However, what you need to understand is that you are beautiful and bold. It’s not a piece of cake to take care of so many things, all at once, and all alone, and although I can say I understand that, I won’t; because in all honesty, I really don’t. And that’s why I respect you with all my heart. You have given up so much, lost so much, and yet, you are a strong, independent woman.

Being a single mother can never be easy. It is exhausting, frustrating and you must have felt like giving up at one point of time. Life must have felt bleak then. But you trudged on, and you proved your worth to not just yourself, but everyone. And if you’re facing that now, then you need to know that no matter what, there’s somebody who loves you and needs you. That’s right, your children, your parents, and perhaps even a potential lover; they all love you and need you.

Let me tell you something frankly. You are not perfect, and you have your own flaws, and you probably know it. You may have spent hours thinking, why should you be flawed, and how unfair all of it is. But all of that is what makes you so beautiful and daring. So what you need to do now, is get off your desk and go to the mirrror. Stare at yourself, and drink in the beauty that you exhibit. You are a woman who has faced it all, and you are a woman who refuses to fall.

So to all of you single mothers out there; whether you’re in India, Colombia or Bulgaria, I think you’re truly amazing for taking on everything in such a good spirit. So take a deep breath, smile and rock your day like you usually do.

The rickety lone tree stood proud, and in time, the wind embraced it as one of its own