one moment

f I lived through each moment  I lived

I could have been a poem

Read and re-read

many times over

one after another

I could be a story of a lifetime

or

I could be a river

merging into ocean

at my own delta

I am over flowing

raising bars for no apparent reason

if I were a butterfly

I could have lived

through haircuts

clipped wings

and polished cheeks

here I am with rough edges

smeared with sweetened cream

scraped from birthday cake

if I were a pencil

I could have written and sketched

faces and flowers

one after other

sun flowers and

faces with flowers in hair

I lived those moments

through each of these moments

I conveniently

forgot to live through this one moment

this very single moment…

Pritpal Kaur

A television journalist turned writer I have been writing short stories and poetry for almost twenty five years. Masters in Physics and Education, turned to Television journalism and gradually shifted to full time writing. Taught physics for a year at University of agriculture. Meanwhile worked for All India Radio as announcer. Reported for “Parakh” and later worked with NDTV. Got into professional writing somewhere along the line. Have also produced documentaries for television and radio.