The Phantom’s Call
(Lines for my husband Ved, after we attended in Dubai, Capital Club’s evening-event held in honour of the maestro, M. F. Hussain, on 8thApril 2010).
Should I? Yes, I should tell you:
Sweet solace of you is not enough.
In the sumptuous places,
Where we drink champagne,
And rise with mists of:
Accomplished and unaccomplished dreams…
Where, in reply – we hug each other,
And you squeeze my hand.
Of all that about our past and tomorrows,
Some glowing, some stern and dusky:
Coming and vanishing,
Vanishing and coming…
These are the rising moments,
When I hear the unbroken hoofbeats,
The crackling of an invisible whip.
What does it all mean?
It means our puppet show,
On this earth,
Somewhere has to end –
In The End!
The time to bring in ‘The End’ is nearer.
Imprinted like summons,
More and more frequently,
These thoughts are in my mind.
Dubai
12th April 2010
Geeta Chhabra
Glossary.
M. F. Hussain – An Indian artist, reputed for his paintings, internationally. According to Forbes magazine, he has been called the “Picasso of India.”