private thoughts-1

once i met a boy so sweet
he made me laugh and my heart flutters
i thought he was the love, my soul awaited
then one fine day he wrote
"honey i'm out , go your way"
that was when the mist of first love unravel
and leads on to endless tears

they told me not to cry
it will pass soon
"a new love you will find"
i dare not trust them
"Age and maturity " they say,
"looks will all fade, yet he will wipe your tears"
they assure

then i met a man so dear
compassion and gentleness personified,
sometimes some stormy gale
yet we drifted along just fine
and when life's crises befall,
when the world turn ugly
and all dear ones ceases to exists
he held me close,wipe my tears
" a friend indeed" and most of all
HE LOVES ME SO....

by- elizabeth haokip

our darling duffy

Last night i received a phone call from Georgina, she told me Duffy's no more. And i cried. i never thought i will ever cry over a dog! But i did and believe me, it was really really a sad evening for me.A few days after posting "Of dogs and sister" i thought i will introduce Duffy in a totally new post. but instead this could almost read like an obituary. How i wish Duffy could speak, but i have to content that he understood my language( dogs are suppose to). He was the one who totally changed my opinions about dogs. Normally i dont go near dogs. i must admit i am real scared of them, news keep flashing about how street dogs kill humans, especially kids. And most Pet dogs i encountered in Delhi or at home seems to perpetually growled or barked at me while passing by. i Find them a most unfriendly kind of pets! and in a campus like J NU , the population of dogs seem to be even more than the ones outside( we have to give credits to dog lovers assoc. of JNU). however the dogs in the campus are a bit subtle about their likes and dislikes, a lot more diplomatic, i must say( is it because of the campus?)
Anyway, when i went home in the summer of 2006, after submitting my dissertation, i found this white small fluffy dog( I've mentioned m not very good at dog's breeds) welcoming me in the gate, and by instinct i faltered in my step and hesitate for a while. But this dog wont allowed it. IT (he) keeps on bouncing up and down but never once barking.( that would have made me run back a mile), the dog was followed by my mom and sister, i ask,"whose dog is this?" they said it was ours . I was speechless because never in my 20 odd years have i known my parents liking a dog or keep one in the house. But then i knew Duffy was special. He totally changed my opinion about dogs.

Duffy loves all of us, he accepted me from the first without questioning my identity. He love watching T.V. with us , watching the piglets in the pigsty or getting up early with my dad to feed the fishes in the small pond that we had at home. When the time comes to collect the pig feed, Duffy was ready . He will go out with mom on the bicycle, he knows each and every house where we get our pig feed. One day mom was not too well and couldn't go on her usual routine and asked me to go. since i didn't know the ways properly i was a bit apprehensive. she said' go with Duffy , he knows the way' My shocked must have registered on my face because she say" just go, you wont get lost". And i didn't, Duffy leaded the way. Once our cousins took Duffy away for the weekend, they live about 5-6 kilometers away. Around 5pm the next day, Duffy came bouncing into the gate! we couldn't believe our eyes, He had come all the way in time for the routine with mom. He was most sincere about his duties. In Church , he will follow us, he will go directly to the ladies pew and reserved a seat for mom. He knows where she sits every Sunday( since there are many dog lovers in our church, its not uncommon to see dogs following their families,almost taken as granted). Once when me and my other two sisters were to give a special number , Duffy came and stood with us the whole time, giving us support(although he finds the mic wire fascinating ,played with it and got entangled in the wire). When the congregation stood up for hymns, he will stood up as well, keeping his forelegs on the low bench before ours. He was a ray of sunshine in our lives and enjoyed the status of youngest in the family.
It is painful to describe how he died, He was Killed for Food. And its so horrible to think of it! He was so trusting, he wouldn't imagine he will ever be killed, by the same people who looked after him before us (our cousins). They wouldn't tell our family members about it until after they had killed him. I had this culture of Mine where people kill dogs for food, it is so uncivilized and cruel and barbaric.I don't accept dog eaters as civilized humans!
For me and my family , Duffy will always be our Darling dog, no other dog can ever take his place. And i am saying this because i had the good fortune of meeting Duffy. I hope he understood that never in the world will i let it happen if i was around, i hope he forgive us ...........we love him so much!

Of Dogs and sisters........!

I have two younger sisters, i am going to talk about the younger one. once upon a time my sister Georgina had two dogs- Princess and Gruffy, Princess was the smaller fluffy one and gruff y was the bigger one( thats the extent of my knowledge on dogs since i don't profess to be a dog lover). Both dogs used to play together using every trick that dogs know about and love each other dearly. they play hide and seek in the living room between the sofas and the tables. they will get into all sorts of mischief annoying the hell out of mom and my younger brother. my dad was a silent spectator, me....i am neutral since i am away most of the time in university and i dont have much stuff at home. my other sister, she just lock her room either outside or from inside. once princess, as she was quite small in size got inside my parents wardrobe and stole one of dads underwear. then both she and gruffy undertook the task of playing with it and somehow discovered the numerous holes!
both of them must have come to an agreement that one of them has to wear it. Georgina discovered gruffy on the floor with both his hind legs inserted in the two holes meant for the legs with a helpless look on his adorable doggie face!
times go by and one day princess got hit by a bus and died on the spot. that was the saddest day for georgina and gruffy. gruffy whined and pined away the whole week, georgina was inconsolable .
Enters elie, another dog lover and a staunch friend. elie came crying all the way from her home(by the way its 2minutes walk),wearing a black dress(again a sign of mourning in christian tradition). Both of them hug each other and cried.
Enters elie's granny, she came following elie to pray for georgina, so that she wont miss princess so much. such a sweet granny. i wish most of our parents are as concerned about our emotional welfare as they do about our spiritual and academic well being!
some people find the whole business of two young girls consoling each other over a dead dog amusing. its kids stuff they say....and grownups do not consider it worth their while to pay much attention.(theres no personal sarcastic remark here).
but theres also elements of pathos and remarkable spirit of strength in the incident. two young girls loving their dogs crazy, a grandmother who is no longer involved in the crazy warefare of life,finds time for her grandchild's friend, and gruffy sad at the loss of his only true friend.....they all pay attention to one another,mourning a loss, united in grief.Dog, Granny and Two girls. This i see beauty in it..........and me? what more can i say..............m the one reporting the incident as was narrated to me. After all i am neutral.........cant say if i will start liking a dog, after all i didnt have the good fortune to meet princess...as usual i was away...................

elusive chance

I named my blog after a character that has always fascinate me. although i am no expert on the Greek mythology, Persephone i beheld as someone i cannot place among the lively Gods on Mount Olympus. she represent for me solitude, gentleness and ethereal beauty. she can bring out the protective instinct on her kind.Her story is that of tragedy but somehow there is a silver lining in the clouds.....some things that are shiny in the horizon after many downfalls, a hope and another chance!
i used to imagine how frighten she must have been when she was kidnapped by the terrible God of the underworld. her purpose of existence was to bring out the best in nature,and to think of her dragged down in the underworld where no sunlight reach and where everything is dark was terrible to perceive.
Like everything else i believe that there is always some shiny hours in the horizon after heaps of disappointment. i also believe the elusive chance can be grasp and made it worthwhile afterall it cannot be elusive forever. That is what we have to hold on to...without which life will held no meaning for most of us. Like the Goddess dream of another chance to see the bright universe....i called it our PERSEPHONE DREAM.
love lizzylia.