Hands

She sat on the steps,
Of the much loved childhood hang-out spot.
The crowd around seemed to fade out,
The noise around - suddenly evaporated.
She sat, her chin on her hands,
Hunched shoulders bearing the
Burden of the present.
Her hair fell about in ringlets,
Crowning her face,
Covering her red eyes.
She let her mind wander,
Through the alleys of the nervous memories.
Relenting finally,
Her strong hold
That she had kept tight on herself.
The images came
Gushing out unbidden.
The ache in her now -
Carelessly un-hidden.
She remembered the lost love
And the same love,
She'd deliberately walked away from.
The hand that rocked the cradle,
Now seemed monstrous.
The hand that stroked her hair once,
Now seemed to stoke her fire out.
She remembered his hand,
Raised to hit her once.
The hand she had held so lovingly,
Blindly being led to a formless future,
Now, was raised to lash out,
Hurt and destroy.
She closed her eyes, as she sat,
Tears rolled down -
Tears, which so far,
Had been tightly locked behind the
Stricken eye-lashes.
She felt nothing but sadness,
At this moment.
Nothing but grief
That impaled her.
At the lost bond,
That was impaired, forever.

O Stranger!

We stood,

Two strangers - 

Never have had uttered words
To each other.
Yet in silence,
Lay the magic.
In that moment alone,
I felt I knew you -
The sailor from the land afar,
Charting out new maps,
Exploring the forbidden roads.
Kinship was what weaved us in,
Right then and there-
As we stood,
Like two strangers -
Tied by the mystique.
I lay my trust in you -
Knew it as certain as the
North Wind -
That you would carry me through.
You're a friend of mine -
Someone who came unannounced,
Yet stood by me,
When all chips were down.
I'm grateful
That you helped me put some back-
To create a new meaning.
And look forward to a glorious
Day ahead.
I thank you,
O stranger -
For giving me my newfound
Shimmer of happiness and hope.