Thursday, September 3, 2015

DRIVE-IN-PARLOUR


POEM

Driving down a tarred road 
of an unknown village
enjoying the greenery all the way
he came across a board – ‘Drive in Parlour’
with an arrow painting
towards a building a few feet back
which seemed like  beckoning him.
Though a teetotaler since fifteen years
the scent of nostalgia overpowered him,
enveloped him
while recalling the days
he had spent with his close friends 
in several bars and toddy shops
got intoxicated and danced with them
singing aloud.
While on his way
to maturity and subsequent marriage
he decided to put a full-stop
to his wayward life.
But now after fifteen years
on his way through
the unfamiliar, beautiful
landscape of the village
which enthralled him, enchanted him  
a temptation took hold of him
to visit the ‘Drive-in-Parlour’.
True,
his conscience red-flagged him
but the temptation meant temptation
even Jesus had fallen a prey to it
thus wrote Kazantzakis.
He applied the break
and halted it in front of the Parlour.
Cars were parked in the parking space
must be owned by different
visitors to the Parlour and
the watchman led him to a convenient -
place to park his vehicle too.
After coming out
gifting a smile to the watchman
the smell of toddy, fish fry
fried chicken and beef fry….
welcomed him while  even before entering.
And inside he saw his friends
of yester years
who too had pledged to be teetotalers
enjoying merry moments
who were in high spirits
and they, upon seeing him
looked at each other
blushing……
‘Now that, I am caught with
my pants down
now than they too are caught
with their pants down

let me enjoy the maximum’ – he was talking to himself……. 

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