Glow

Glow


2000 years ago - then

And behold there lay the savior glowing in all it's purity, tiny hands
and legs waving in the air like each limb had a life of it's own .

now - christmas eve

I'm walking down the street with a mission in mind and hand . My hands
jammed into pockets my cheeks go numb my eyes moist and I walk briskly
like a drifter .

Then
She rested her head on one of the poles that held the stable together
, postpartum bliss . An index finger from tiny fair reddish palmed
stretched out amidst horns , tails, straws and a dangling lantern .
Her smile widens , she's ecstatic as she stares at her world that lay
in that small stack of hay .

NOw
At every nook and corner in some Bandra lanes you're greeted by a
concrete garlanded cross , like while your lost in this maze of lanes
you are constantly reassured …that you are indeed lost. At a church a
crowd stands in an array and children run around the altar and the
aisle amidst a roar that emerges from the congregation's gut and
accompanied by a background church organ .

The breeze blows harder , the church roar is jarring , but I have to
walk through this chilling fire , I have a mission. The load on my
back makes me look like a gypsy .

72 million kms above the earth as the planets gazed upward, at the
zenith something twinkled .

A woman feeds a child in her lap as I turn left into a lane , dogs
relieve themselves on posters . A havildar scratches his itch. Halfway
into this I feel the strength 50 times more motivated to do something
similar as to what I'm about to do . But with great power comes great
responsibility , who am I ?

I'm freezing.

Then

It glowed and kept glowing intensely , the shining rock grew like it
sprouted downward brightly pointing into the earth , and intrigued
three men on camels .

Now
I step into the colony , the breeze is still strong and now my skin
stretches over my bones I look like a 'before' case in a skin
moisturizer cream ad . The masses roar to a decibelic zenith in
distant churches , it's jarring and it's noisy . I approach the watchman's cabin.

His cheeks are sucked into his twisted face that protrudes outside his
towel scarf. Earlier, whenever I came he'd be sipping on masala chai in a
plastic packet. Somke a beedi, open gate - close gate. To speak of his fitness level- this man'd palpitate if he tried chasing a thief, the colony would fear for his safety, and thank god no one's broken in.

Then

The three men traverse through the biting desert cold at night to
reach a celestially indicated stable . Their camels are heavy laden
and are also in deep conversation amongst themselves .
Camel 1:"you get that special feeling, like we're about to discover something?"

Camel 2:"are you talking about She camels ?"

Now
I try not to disturb him in his sleep as I climb over the wall and
creep slowly , no big effort. The church bells and noise get to me,
but it's softening down . I walk slowly behind cars and to his small room, my heart is hammering , I
push the big bundle of roll into his room on the floor , leave the
door ajar . Lean left , he's sleeping outside on a chair . While
leaving I turn around to look at him once again sleeping in the lap of
a cold wave , "but only tonight" I tell myself .

Then
She looks at him now looking at three additional faces. Gold, Myrrh
and Frankincense are offered to the cherub.

Now
As I walk back now I'm warm, I feel it and I know it's from him also
whom I've affected . But now there is no roar, the church bells are a
distant ringing but the breeze has decoded the roar and my mouth curls
up when I hear the second line of that carol…

"All is calm all is bright."

A million prayers resonate inside me like whispers far away .
I feel it stronger now as I walk , I saw it in him too … the glow .
The music is sweet and it's elevating . Dry leaves blow in the night
wind , rickshaw drivers sleep twisted in their seats , there are no
stars in the sky and it's beautiful .

"To you I offer these gifts lord , for thy shall be called …" and they
went on to name the baby for us , but she looked up at the brightest
star , and somewhere else in some other time a child looked out from
his window into the street .She mumbled in amazement as she looked at
the infant saviour, "hope" , the child looking out the window at me
said "Santa" .

Few days ago I sat with a watchman sipping tea he got me as I waited
for a friend of mine , he saw me in a t-shirt. it was freezing .
Somewhere in Israel 2000 years ago a virgin mother felt her pregnant
belly rumble. The old shivering blanketless watchman rubbed his arms
looked at me and asked " Aapko thanda nahi lagta ?