Written by Nandini Sethi
I yearn to live in a quiet house by the sea,
Where nothing exists, and nothing will ever exist;
I will raise my kids here, in solitude,
To show them, what life is all about.
It’s an old house, bereft of any modernity,
The taps are leaky, the floors creaky,
But the sound of the waves on a rainy day,
And the sight of the night on a starry sky, and nothing else to say.
The view from my detaching window inspires me,
It shows me my endless horizons,
And the beauty in oblivion,
It tells me, I can be content in ignorance.
One night, I heard the boom of bass resound,
Making my floor rattle, and my cabinet shake;
A quick peek from the same window told me there was someone,
An intruder.
An intruder in the houses of nothingness;
A violator of peace,
An enemy off harmony,
A house party.
I resisted,
But then the next day the music returned,
And then the day after that,
And it seemed to never end.
I decided to visit this welcomed home,
And see for myself what all the hype was about.
There was nothing more than tacky lights, bad music, stale food,
And boys and girls, who on seeing unopened bottles of alcohol would lunatically shout.
I fell into a routine without realizing,
One night was house 201, the next 202,
And just like the endless bass of the music,
It seemed to never end.
The drinks were good,
The music alright,
The lights were a trance,
And the food well below average.
But how long could we go on for?
One fun night turned to two long ones,
And three unforgettable evenings turned into 30 forgettable ones.
This was not what I was meant for.
Under the pink lights of someone’s bathroom,
I looked at myself in the mirror, worn out and messy,
Only to realize I didn’t recognize the girl,
Who was looking back at me.
A little teary-eyed and very overwhelmed,
I stumbled and fumbled on the coarse sand of my beloved beach,
And managed to make it back home,
Suddenly sober, but still overwhelmed.
I lay down on my creaky floor,
To find it more comfortable than their lavish couches and million dollar beds.
Today, there was no bass and no sound,
Only the crashing waves, celebrating the homecoming of their lost friend.
Through the panes of my detached windows,
I admire the stars, the humid air on my skin, the nothingness that engulfs me.
I will go to the end of the world, maybe even other galaxies,
But still always come back to my quiet house by the sea.
