Sunday, February 24, 2013

Tumbu's Flight


Tumbu’s Flight

Itinerants ambling along with their luggage, looking at their watches.
Suddenly, they start sprinting towards their departure hall and their barding gate. They’re late!
Tumbu stares at the vicissitude of tourists,
One’s sitting on a chair, flipping through a manuscript.
Tumbu appears to have lost his sense of orientation – his bearings.
His eyes dart around, valiantly trying to catch the attention of a fellow traveller.
His eyes chance upon a couple. They’re hugged intimately in kisses.
Mr Boyfriend exchanges his ring and Ms Girlfriend willingly accepts.
Retentions of his own sweetheart erupt intensely in Tumbu’s mind.
The distress of losing this relationship, indeed, is one of a kind.
As he reflects, he glances at his watch. It’s time to board the gate.
The location of the F9 gate which he has no clue.
Kathmandu is his destination.
An upcoming reunion with his beloved family clan is a Christmas present well sent:
Uncle Rahop’s stories, inspiring him to live according to life’s philosophy
And his band includes musicians who always miss singing Tumbu’s favourite songs.
Sitting at his seat in the plane, Tumbu gradually succumbs into a deep sleep just as a pretty flight attendant jerks him awake – she wants to know his choice of meal.
Tumbu frowns in annoyance at the disturbance and stares into the flight attendant’s pretty, made-up eyes.
He looks at the menu and requests for the traditional Nepalese lunch.
The petite stewardess hands him his meal and drink.
Tumbu’s food waits for him on the tray as he (once again) falls into a deep slumber of sweet dreams.
Tumbu jolts awake at the pilot’s announcement of landing.
He glances at his lunch forlornly, gobbling down the pieces of flesh with sips of Orange Juice in between each mouthful of meat that’s not so lean.
He looks at his watch, again, amazed at how fast he’s managed to eat!
Just then, the view of Nepal emerges below him as he’s gazing out the window.
His fellow travellers peer curiously at the aerial view of mountains and volcanoes.
The plane lands with her wheels touching the runway ground, so cold beneath.
He is home.
Once back in Nepal, life is brought back into Tumbu’s isolated soul.
Tumbu’s home lies at the outskirts of the Himalayas, somewhere near Mount Everest.
But the treacherous journey back brings Tumbu some altitude sickness problems – ones that he’s willing to endure.
Finally, a reunion with his family, cousins, relatives, aunties, uncles and friends; all whom he’s constantly loved and never once forgotten.
Tumbu is returning Home to thank them all, for their support was once his major concern.
This prose poem was published in the NTU Epiphany February 2013 Online Magazine.
Here's the link to read other poems and short stories in the issue: 2013 February Epiphany Online Magazine
Other links to read poems include: 1) Poems Alive
                                                         2) Famous Poems
Other resources for writing poems 
Basically, I have started inculcating this habit of writing 1 or more poems and continuing scribbling paragraphs for a chapter in my novel project daily. Writing aids one to think clearly and to function more effectively when communicating with others. Just by doing this for four days, I have been more articulate and be more fluent when expressing my ideas with others. All of you should try to keep a diary to write about things that happen to you and what action steps you will take to improve the situation. For all other avid writers, you can write poems or short stories.


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