Take it Lightly

2 30 PM
Mamma is sleeping on a mattress on the floor,
Calls for me,
Tells me to pull the curtains close.
It’s hurting her eyes
It’s too bright- she says.

We are in the living room
And she prefers It this way
Faintly lit, light and cool.

One day Papa bought three new bulbs from the market
12 watts golden yellow, it said on the packet.
I like yellow light now-
He declared.

Outside, the sky is orange in the evening
Oddly, intensely, now it’s inside too
Above the dining table, sink and in the bathroom.

I share my room with Mithu
She is my sister.
She is tall, not very fussy and tries to act cool.

There is a bathroom right outside our bedroom.
And before going to sleep at night,
Mithu switches on its light
And leaves the door ajar,
She can’t sleep
When it’s completely that dark.

You asked me what I find interesting (in my house)
& I say this is it.
They pay attention to and want
Places distinctly lit.

What does this mean?
Their affair with light.

Maybe it tells us something,
Maybe its not that loud,
I think it’s still worth talking about.

Is there a bigger meaning?
Am I taking this too seriously?
I’m really just curious
That’s all.

Does it reveal something about them?
How they feel about light,
The preference has to come from somewhere,
Their bias- justified.

What about me?
Oh
Well,

Shift to 5 30 PM,
I’m sitting on my bed,
Direct soft sunlight
I can feel it on my head
The fan is on,
Its Summer.

There’s yellow rectangles of light on my cupboard
A shadow of the curtain and blue glass
Everything is quiet,
I am awake and calm.

// written overnight as an assignment for a storytelling class.