Month: September 2024

At the other side of the moon

On By donnaLeave a comment

”Wow, the moon appears so big!” she exclaimed.

”Yeah right” he said forcibly.

“Really, you don’t feel anything when you look at it, do you?” she asked him, irritated.

The moon has always been her companion, and she had held onto it long enough that it was now habitual to simply gaze at it for no other reason.

The completion of secondary school examinations led to her leaving her house to attend a boarding school at the age of 15. Boarding schools were not a new thing, but among her cousins, she was the one who left her house too soon. There were five of them, and they lived like one family, reaching out to each other for everything. The sudden plucking away from her gang was one of her most painful experiences that she had suppressed within. Each time she moved places, the nights seemed longer as she could not sleep due to the thoughts that would come by. Anger, hatred, loneliness, and yearning for her dear ones— all these feelings tumbled one over the other, along with heaps of responsibilities of studies and various other life pressures. As the nights seemed diabolical to her, she would then walk to the nearest window of the dormitory or of the hostel rooms, breathe in the cold breeze, and stare into the void and the extreme darkness. To her sustenance, it was the faraway stars that would accompany her through the teary night and then the moon.

The calmness the night sky provided became her rationale for thriving in those disturbing days. She went through the DABDA pretty well and somehow managed to balance between her normal and dreary days. She patiently waited for nightfall to see the moon. The moon stood aloof, high and mighty, containing its craters and shining brightly.

At times she would do the same while she was at home with her parents; she loved looking at the moon. The thought suddenly struck her, ”Everyone is just on the other side of the moon. Why am I sad? I can see them soon,” she consoled herself. That is how she had been, and even now she gazes at it just like before, thinking she would see her dear ones soon on the other side of the moon.

Eventually, everyone is on their own in life, either searching or building their own little corner to stay put. The experiences that come along are just the steps that you climb upon to reach where you are today.

Facing Fear Together: A Nurse’s Compassion

On By donnaLeave a comment

The Sun was setting off and the evening colours that emerged turned darker. The patient buzzer rang and the nurse rushed to the bed. Mary was sitting on the edge of her bed.

 ‘Mary, are you alright?’ the concerned nurse inquired. 



‘No I am not, I have lost my way and I can’t go back home. It’s getting dark, I want to go home. My daughter said she would come and pick me up, I don’t want to be alone, can you sit here with me love?’ frightened Mary replied. 



Mary had a condition that would make her forget everything. The nurse who knew about her sat there beside her, held her hand and helped her to vent out whatever fears she had within. Time was running out, there was a lot of things the nurse had to finish off before the night shift nurses came in. She explained Mary the  surroundings and that she is safe and put her to sleep. 



That fear of being in an unidentifiable situation grips an unavoidable restlessness in one’s heart. Let’s not overlook or make fun of such events. Let us take their hand and hear them and empathize for we know not what lies ahead of us! 


Turbulent Thoughts

On By donna1 Comment

With great conflict

and with a turbulent heart

entered I , to a career

noblest of all.

uninterestingly passed a year

dragging off each moment

consoling myself-the coming day be good.

Began the practical

which brought little curiosities

towards life and self

but in vain

Suppressing all thoughts

walked ahead I

to discover each step

knowing it meant for me not.

dreams of nature,

books and writing

the thoughts create

tears in my eyes.

My question,

to elders of mine

Is it not my life, where I can make a decision?

The attitude guides

enter and exit

each having their own views

on similar topics of matter

Service to the needy

was what i expected

service to superiors

is what we do here

Some accept it

some debate on them

some murmur among themselves

and some stay mute

frustrated the others sit

waiting for an opportunity

thru’ the narrow path

to make a silent escape.

The Zephyr

On By donnaLeave a comment

A cool breeze brushed her face as if it was telling her, ‘ You are what you decide.’ the Zephyr provided her the force to move on for what she had dreamt for. The zephyr transformed her entire life.

The house fell asleep under the hypnotizing hums of the mosquitoes, Sana lay on her back staring at the ceiling with tears rolling down her eyes. She silently held her hands to her chest to suppress the pain she felt while she tried to breathe in the midst of her sobbing, someone just woke up to fill the jug of water and Sana buried herself to her pillow and pretended to sleep and she was then snoring.

Sana woke up to throbbing pain in her head and swollen eyes, she grabbed couple of paracetamol from her bag and gulped it down. Her hair, clothes, nails, bed, room , wardrobe, everything around her was a mess. She had never been so unkempt and she was not bothered about it for the first time. Sana looked up to her calendar and tears welled up again, 1 September, it was the date that her dearest person in her life was leaving her for his promised job where she could not follow him. She even came up with loads of ridiculous ideas to be with him but none of them could sway him at all. Everything had to be a secret, they thought but the state in which Sana was now gave way to her friends and her best friends started to worry about her. She still texted him for the last time, ‘Could I come to send you off one last time?’ She waited 10 seconds and was about to text him again when he replied, ‘No, I should have backed off sooner…, no at that time I was living to my heart’s content, I was not bothered by anyone in this world, I forgot myself and my priorities” George replied. 6 years of relationship was coming to an end and both the ends were cut loose as if it could be tied up again but never to the same rope. “What time is your train?” Sana texted.

”The same as before”. this was the last message they sent to each other. Each of them knew there is no point continuing the conversation as one would hurt the other more if they said something.

The later days were not easy for Sana. She lost herself and meaning to her life. Amidst the crowd she felt lonely and in despair. She was disfigured and unkempt. She put up a smile though and fought bravely. The others would ask her about her appearance which eventually was thought to be her normal one. She fell silent at times and withdrawn. Brilliant enough to tackle her work, she kept herself busy all day but when she returned to her bed, everything reappeared.

Days passed by, months too and six more years, the pain was deep, wounds were scarred, the heart had turned to become stone. When she could not take it anymore she stood at the balcony on the top floor and looked down and thought, “Is it worth it?, What if I end up not dead and dependent on others?, would that do anyone good, would that do you any good?” Sana looked up to the heavens and then to the zenith. When she was hung up on her smallest problem which seemed enormous to her, the zephyr brought in the glimpses of the possibilities that she could ever come across.

Selfless was Sana and now selfish enough for her own good. She decided to step down and from that moment on she strived to live for her own happiness.