Painting An Ode To Happiness

BY DEBAHUTI BORAH

I head out
To know myself a wee bit better
Clad in the clouds 
That my soul-place has to offer.
Shillong, as some of you
Who know me know,
Is what my soul-place is made of.
It's what my happiness if made of.
Happiness, an understatement,
Happiness - I allude to
Finding no better word
(In my scrambled mind,
Dizzy, living in the busy ratrace
Of Bangalore)
For the beauty it holds
As I bask in the winter sun
Atop the Laitlum canyon
With a book in one hand
And a Zumzin peach wine bottle
In the other -
It's bliss to bathe
In the glory of the sunbeams
As angel rays form
Summoning a sunset so surreal --
Oh, I have never been in love before.
Happiness never felt more exquisite
As the wind howls
Drawing in oceans of clouds
To surround me, as it grows dark -
I see light, I feel light,
In my soul, in my heart.
I cling to my long-distance lover's sweatshirt
I borrowed
When I took off to the clouds
To sit among them the next moment.
His scent makes love to me
As I make my way
To the headlights of a rental taxi
Way beyond dusk
When my smile dawns on me
Contemplating the joys of life
To be so real.
When has happiness sounded
So surreal?
I am, indeed, a wander-soul
Pining for the pine cones
My winter boots crush as I walk on,
Leaving a breadcrumb trail
For happiness to follow me
Straight to my heart.
I kiss the moment,
Whisper a gentle "goodbye --
Until next time"
When I realise, the next time
Would be my lover's arms
Instead of his sweatshirt -
My soulplace and my soulmate
In one place, at once -
And this is what happiness is -
Although an understatement -
For I belong, wholly,
Knowing I am at peace
Painting this ode to happiness.
Debahuti Borah is a poet and writer from Jorhat, Assam. She did her BA in English (honours) from St. Anthony's College, Shillong; and proceeded for MA English (honours) from University of Hyderabad. She loves to read, write, travel, and listen to music. She is also passionate about modelling, being a freelance model for many years. Her inspiration for poetry and short stories comes from the rawness of everything in this universe. She wants to reach out to others and believes in the power of hope and kindness. You can reach her at debahutiwrites@gmail.com.

1 comment

  • It is as if you painted emotions in words. A place i have never seen or experienced, but somehow the clouds almost took me there. Keep writing. Waiting to read more.

    Meera

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published