The Danseuse: Snigdha Agrawal

Snigdha Agrawal

She retired early to catch up

on sleep.

The moon stood high in the sky

looking resplendent.

The temptation to stay up

Admire the silken night

was strong.

Nah! She had to wake up

at the crack of dawn.

Sleep eluded her. 

A cup of chamomile tea would help

she thought.

The kettle whistled.  She poured hot water

over the tea bag

placed inside the teacup.

Added a spoonful of honey

for that extra sleep-induced burst.

It worked.

The tourist guide had warned.

Be on the alert for wild animals snooping around.

The river bank was free for all.  

Humans, animals no distinction drawn.

She left the kerosene lamp on.

The flap of the tent window rolled up. 

How could one miss the beauty

of nightfall?

The next morning would begin the arduous trek 

to Kailash Manasarovar

To seek answers to why

her life had changed its course

From being a showgirl to

seeking deeper meanings in life.

The Moon looked down indulgently

at her sleeping form.

The sleeping form was never found.

The last notes of 'tabla' heard 

was the roar of boulders

galloping down 

from the deforested hills

at lightning speed

Sweeping along with it tents pitched

near the glacial stream

killing tourists

headed on their life's mission.

Unpredicted landslide, near

foothills of the Himalayas

wiping loved ones

unerasable from minds

just as unpredictable is life!

No bodies were found.

Families left distraught.

Waited seven years

for the court’s verdict

declaring them dead

to help grievers move on.

The famous Danseuse

belongings were identified

stuck amidst boulders downstream.

Life extinguished.

‘Ghungroo tied feet forever stilled.

*tabla (Indian drums)

*Ghungroo (anklets with bells tied to a dancer's feet)

***

BIO: Snigdha Agrawal (nee Banerjee) is a Bengali born, raised, and educated in a cosmopolitan environment, exposed to Eastern and Western cultures, imbibing the best of both worlds.  With more than two decades of experience working in the corporate sector, her outlook on life is balanced, which reflects in her writings. A versatile writer, she writes all genres of poetry, prose, short stories, travelogues, and hotel/restaurant reviews on TripAdvisor, under the pen name ‘puchka’.  A published author of four books, the latest titled TRAIL MIX, Short Stories, is available on Amazon. An intrepid traveller, her travel diaries can be accessed in word press blog: randomramblings52.  She lives in Bangalore (Karnataka), India.

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Setu, May 2023