He was a winter bird,
Flying far from home. He stayed with me for warmth; I didn’t want to let him go. “Everything is perfect, is it not?” I say as I hold him close. “The grass is green and the air is clear You won’t ever have to deal with snow” He looks at me with wet eyes, Within him a fire’s aglow. “My wings were made to soar” He cries out as he leaves me alone. And here I sit and wonder if
He will return once more.
Nature is a scaredy cat Which jumps in fright on seeing a plastic bag, And gets sick when we use things it dislikes Once or twice or 7 billion times.
I envy those who are lucky enough to have their own garden or lawn or any patch of land they can call their own. Endless possibilities await the yard. Will it become a picnic spot? Or perhaps a trampoline will cover it up? Maybe a fountain will adorn it? But the best use of any such space, in my eyes, is a blooming nursery.
Rows and rows of rose, jasmine, hibiscus embedded in the ground, sweet smells in the air, leaves rustling in the wind, birds chirping with joy- for a moment it feels like nature has engulfed you.
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When someone hears the word ‘Ranthambore’ an image of fierce tigers pops up in their mind. And rightly so, the best chance of you seeing the big cats is here. But that’s not all that this town has to offer. Though our national animal is the main attraction, there are plenty of other beautiful wildlife to observe there. On my trip to this wonderland with my family, I went on 2 safaris- a river safari and a forest safari.
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Another year, another earth day passes by. But no real change ever takes place. Just a yearly tradition of remembering to ‘protect our planet’. Politicians spout the most heartwarming lies about what they will do to save mother earth. Corporations conduct the most extensive campaigns to build a ‘good’ brand image.
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Strewn across the ground was the body of a bird.
Blood trickled out of her beak and soaked
Her wings that had dared to fly. But her eyes
Weren’t filled with fear or cowardice or regret;
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The Sun’s gleam
And its light
Trickles like a stream
Into my eyes.
For a moment
They are blinded
In bewilderment
Of the luminescence.
Hey, I didn’t see you there. How are you? You can stay here as long as you want to. Oh, where are my manners? I’m the guardian of this universe. There are many universes you see. We guardians protect them from threats like supernovas and other celestial villains. When I’m not on duty I can be found lounging about anywhere as anything I wish to be.
Right now, I’m a tiny tabby kitten and calling a beautiful resort my home. The premises are well maintained and there is greenery all around. This place is very calm and peaceful but it’s quite uneventful as well. It’s very rare for something unexpected to happen. But today was a special day.
I was relaxing in the midst of some tall, sturdy bamboo trees when suddenly a girl dressed in blue crouched and started meowing. I was dumbstruck. I thought only cats meowed. Had humans updated their language? Then I realized that she was calling me to come to her. Me, the guardian of this universe, willingly go into the hands of a silly girl? Ha! I lured her with my adorable looks and darted into a clump of enormous, ancient trees. She couldn’t possibly find me in this thicket, right? But she did! Her eagle eyes spotted me with ease. She continued to try and coax me into submitting to her will.
I smiled at this pathetic attempt and ran like the wind, simultaneously changing my form to that of a swan, my fur transforming to feathers, my feet becoming webbed. I jumped into a nearby pond that had some ducks waddling around. Perfect. They would help maintain my cover. I waited for the girl to run after me. I wanted to see her befuddled face. I wanted to see her mortal mind try to comprehend all that had happened.
But all of my expectations were shattered. Nothing of that sort happened. She just shrugged as if it was nothing and went away with her mother, who arrived just now.
I was getting extremely annoyed. No one ignores me. Only I am allowed to ignore others. This was not the way I had to be treated. I demand justice!
I turned into my kitten form again and ‘hid’ in a bush. I was visible enough to be seen and covered enough to be considered to be ‘hiding’. The girl saw me and was about to come when her mother dragged her away. But I wasn’t going to give up. It was a matter of honor now. As soon as her mother was gone, I stepped out of the bush and slowly approached her. She crouched, as expected, and held out her hand. I was ready to ditch her, leave her alone, in tears. But her eager face made me forget all my bad intentions.
I was in a trance. Hypnotized, I edged towards her. She quivered with joy and then gently pet me. My body shook under her touch. My stone heart crumbled and I curled up in a ball, begging her to pet me, love me. I had opened up for the first time in my life and it felt amazing. The feeling of being loved is a special one and I, the guardian of this universe can now tell you that I’ve experienced it.
– Maleika Hussain
The sky is blue Oh! What a wonderful hue; It soothes your eyes, And stops all the sighs. It reminds us of the sea You will surely agree; With clouds strewn across Like stones covered with moss. It’ll make you feel cheery I guarantee you won’t feel weary; It can make an ordinary man Want to fly like a superman. So whenever you feel sad And want to cry like mad; Just look up at the sky! Just look up at the sky!
- Maleika Hussain
The clock is ticking,
Time’s slowly slipping,
Disaster’s at the door,
I can’t take it anymore.
The world is changing, Mother Earth’s raging, She’s going to die While we idle by.
We have to do something, It’s better than nothing. We can’t stand The destruction of our land.
– Maleika Hussain
Kuhutopia 