Contemporary Literary Review India | Print ISSN 2250-3366 | Online ISSN 2394-6075 | Impact Factor 8.1458 | Vol. 10, No. 4: CLRI November 2023

Raunak Kumar

An Unlikely Company During The Long Weekend

The great escape from the daily drudgery was imminent

As the long weekend with Durga puja holidays was upon me

Giving relief from the excruciating work regime of the past days that I underwent

The cherry on top was the return of bachelorhood with wife away

Giving me the grit and poise to have my way and hold sway

The vistas to merriment would open up I thought

Snacks, supplies and drinks in plenty hence I bought

The start to the journey was nothing short of a fairy-tale

As I glued to riveting flicks with a glass of wine like a typical epicurious male

Hours passed by as I lost track of time

Immersed , I was in my world with joyous moments

For other commitments I didn’t care a dime

Alas! A call from my wife jolted me out of the reverie

Floral tribute I was instructed to pay to Durga, the Goddess

Springing to my feet I kept our small idol atop a platform with a clean mattress

Duly adorned with flowers and sweets, she sat like an empress

The next moment I was back to the den strutting about

Soaking in the fantasy and gloating in its wake

With everything from food to flicks at my disposal and nothing to make

The next day rolled me into the same cycle almost like clockwork

I began to settle into the comfort zone without having to look for any pull and jerk

Hours went by and I kept munching, drooling and drinking

The excitement was brewing and the time ripe to dial up friends

For the next logical step was to drum up some company without blinking

The first one did not respond, the second and third tied-up with the family

My heart sank a little but still spirited, I waded through the list of buddies

The outcome the same, as they kept busy being mommies and daddies

The regret and setback began to grow, As the day drew to a close

Leaving me drunk, dejected while I retired to bed like a wilted rose

With couple of days still left in the weekend, I woke up sulking and sullen

By the middle of the day, I was still sober and smarting under the snub

And ultimately began missing my wife cursing myself for not being by her side

And stretching my self-consumed reverie far and wide.

Going through the motion, I ate, slept and when the phone beeped with reminder

Sprang to offer flower to the goddess who sat with a smile seeming broader.

As the flower petals left my hands onto her feet

I glanced at her eyes which seemed lively like a million colours on a plain sheet

Mesmerised I was to soak in the radiance and the very next moment

Words came from my mouth as I began sharing my feelings with the idol

The catharsis went along while my monologue remained fervent

By the time I was done venting my emotion, I realised it was indeed a conversation

She responded through her eyes and empathised with every revelation

Her smile seemed to broaden as my mind eased with every passing second

I felt unburdened as it dawned that the goddess Durga beckoned

The drink and reverie gave way to animated repartees

As I spent the remaining time chatting with my new buddy

Demolishing inner-despondency with synchronised sorties

We shared tea and cookies, laughing over jokes and sarcasm

She radiated emotion and aura, riding my weekend of a deep chasm

As I spent the moments with the Goddess by my side

The realisation struck that all of us need someone’s back to continue the ride

As the long weekend was about to end, I smiled with jubilation

Knowing that my wife would be back home soon

And my buddy, Goddess Durga, would now be there for me

A precious company earned over the weekend beyond stars and Moon

A precious company earned over the weekend beyond stars and Moon!!

About the author: Raunak Kumar is a Sales professional from Patna, working with Coats India, Kolkata and has done his masters in business administration from IIFT, Delhi. He has been an avid blogger on issues ranging from politics to social evils. Literary writing is something he has started dabbling in recently and strives to put his imagination into words in an engaging way.
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