Game Changer: Sutanuka Ghosh Roy

Sutanuka Ghosh Roy

Game Changer

 

I now stand in the 78 feet long and 27feet wide clay court

standing at the baseline Life takes its first serve

I the opposing player is the receiver. The match starts.

For the first point of the match Life the server

stands beside the baseline, between the centre mark

and the side line

my palm is sweaty, my grip on the racket is loose. I falter,

Life scores 1-0

I the receiver start again on the side of the net

 the receiver fails to play to the pace of the serve

Life wins the first game point.

 

Service alternates game by game

I take a long serve the ball hits the net

lands in the service box, this is a let or net service which is a void

I retake that serve

this time there is also a “foot fault” where my player’s foot touches the baseline

the second service after a fault is also a fault,

this is a double fault and Life wins the point.

 

I come back with a heavy foot, a leaden heart and a clinched fist

manage a good point, I score 2-1

Life now makes a double fault

I come back with a cheetah’s chutzpah

the referee calls out “deuce”

 

I now change my sweat-dripped shirt and mud-smitten skirt

trailing behind I win the game, a tie-break is played

We play the best of three set matches, I change my game

At the end the chair umpire announces the receiver to be the winner of the set and the overall score

 with a muffled groan, a pulled muscle and a suppressed laughter

I shake hands with Life!

***

 

In Love with The World

She was asked not to look outside the window

she spoke only to the distempered walls

she was asked not to look outside the window

if she looks outside the mirror would break

she did not know how the outside world looked like.

The sun-kissed rays, the breezy balm, the birds, the butterflies

the mirror in front of her showed her nothing

she could hear no songs which she wanted to hear

one day she gathered herself, opened the window with nimble fingers

the mirror cracked with a thunderous sound

shards of glasses pierced her hands and feet

she looked outside with a smile and fell in love with the world!

***

 

Broken Crayons

Popping in and out of anaesthetic beds

life revolves on its axis from old wheel-chairs

 to Nuhenz, Themicaine, and Betadine

the antiseptic air wears a different smell profile

with undertones of the artificial fragrance

Craning my neck

I look up

and gulp a cup full of mustard nectar

my broken crayons

fill the sky with colours.

***

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Setu, July 2023