my mont blanc

#APoetAtHeart
I was gifted a Mont Blanc once
not that I could much differentiate
it from my Reynolds
but I was told it was special
so for years it remained in its box
till I decided the other day
I would begin writing letters
not just to old friends
or lovers or love lost
but to people I have barely begun to know
the hunt for a letter pad took a week
the Mont Blanc then refused to cooperate
either because it had run out of ink
or Zuckerberg had sent a secret mandate
frustrated I scribbled in a hand writing
I was not quite proud of ( Sister
would have tut tutted no end !)
and then the thought struck me
hey, a letter needs a stamped envelope
so the letter remains in my book
of favourite Urdu couplets
till I can make a trip to the antiquated
post office and wait for an interminable
period to buy an unattractive yellow envelope
its addressed to a friend in Kashmir, by the way
it might never reach, because Kasmiri muslims are
not patriots , are they, they cheer for the Pakistani team
as did I always when Imran Khan looked like a God
descended to send pulses racing among gullible young girls
but nobody questioned my loyalty
though my taste in men seemed suspect to many

the world has changed beyond recognition
my Mont Blanc has taught me a valuable lesson
(priya)