Telegram

When you were standing in the wake of devastation

It isn’t everyday you get a telegram. Not with all the gadgetry and technology these days. But to the Army that was the safest foolproof approach. We are not talking of some secret Army messages. The telegram was the safest messenger of Death. And here I stand trembling at the inevitable news the telegram has for me.

When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown

Every single day he would sit by the door on the verandah in his favourite chair. A radio in hand, the same one, that his grandson had gifted him before going to the warfront. He would call out to me and get it tuned to the station for news. Any news about the war would put him on the edge. Same as everyday he sat there today.

And with the cataclysm raining down

She hadn’t had a very good morning. She wasn’t all too modern like her daughter in law and superstitions played a huge part in her lifestyle. A black cat had crossed her path. It had made her worried sick. She had had two baths since and was preparing a thali for pooja at the temple nearby. Her husband, an Army colonel, had died in some scuffle on the borders. Her son had been adamant about joining the army despite her pleas. And now he had left his young wife and her newborn for a war that wouldn’t have been of his concern if he had heeded to her advice.

Insides crying "save me now"

I was aware of the people in my house – Mom still grumbling over the cat, the radio in Grandpa’s hand, now playing just static, the baby babbling, gurgling, smiling in the cradle. Everyone unaware of the news I held in my hands. Yet my thoughts held only his eyes, his innocent smile, and all I could think of was –

You were there impossibly alone.

As if in response to my agony, the radio, Grandpa's fiddling with, tunes in to some radio station blaring a Linkin Park.

Do You Feel Cold and Lost in Desperation
You Build up Hope but Failure's All You've Known
Remember All The Sadness and Frustration
And Let It GO....

LET IT GO!

Edit: Got a sweet Illustration from my most favourite artist!! Thank you Ashu(Insta: @ash_triple.a_draws)