Behind the scenes

It’s 7:00 pm, and the sunset with its usual pink hues;

my long, tedious days, weeks, and months

do not trace a single line on the evening’s enigma.

My mind and heart are having avalanches

of sadness, frustrations, disappointments,

and, yes, specks of happiness as well.

Overwhelmed by things not going well,

the TV goes on.

Gilmore Girls, Last Tango in Halifax,

and The Terminal.

Tom Hanks in The Terminal is a life savior;

the entire movie, I forget my tormented world.

My head on the pillow, eyes fixed on the TV screen

the time passes by with me immersed

in stories of other people, as told by storytellers.

Midnight catches me, still busy with dramas

caught in the movie cameras,

pushing back my drama-filled life

to some reserved place in my mind.

But then eyes heavy, headache on

I closed the TV.

Ah! There, I was again

in the mess of life, unwanted memories

crowded on the thought train.

Escaping reality is not an option.

Tulip Chowdhury writes from Georgia, USA.