A Basket Full (Plate 1)
It was a task, taking the basket full of fish back,
Just then she caught the eye of a young man,
Intently looking at her,
Their eyes met, and just like that the burden felt lighter.
He ran towards her with his hands flailing in the air,
Until, the eagle dropped the fish it was trying to take and flew off.
Embarrassed she put the basket down,
But before she could reach for the fish,
The young man stooped to retrieve it.
Returning it, he shyly said, he had just moved into the village.
He was eager to make new friends.
She smiled. There was hope yet.
Empty Net (Plate 2)
It had been a tough day,
He had been at it for quite sometime,
And had not found himself too lucky.
Since the newly established factory had been
Releasing toxic waste in the waters,
There was hardly any fish for the village.
They had put in a petition against the factory,
Days of strike, but the first time the entire village had come together.
Beyond caste divides, to speak up for the future.
He pulled out the net one last time and still found it empty.
Just then, he looked at the shore.
Raghu was jumping up and down with joy,
A piece of paper starkly white against
The otherwise dark surroundings. Their plea must have been granted!
He looked at the net,
They may have won the battle,
But the war was yet to be won.
A New Friend (Plate 3)
Sitting close to the ocean brought more business
But it also meant sitting away
From her usual chattering friends.
Looking at them from afar,
She missed the uninhibited laughs of the women.
She missed how Sarita often
Tugged at the end of her saree to get her attention.
At that very moment, she actually did feel a pull,
Surprised she looked back,
And found a white cat fighting for her affections
The cat put a paw on her hand, sniffed her
And curled up by her side.
She had made a new friend.
