She Turns One Today!

I watch her

As she walks towards me, tall and slender

An elegant streak of grey hair

A la Indira Gandhi,

A beatific smile on her sun-kissed face.

I remember

The day when helmets, gloves and leather jackets

Swapped places with crispy Kanjeevaram saris of the boardroom

The look on her face as the new engine warmed up

To the twist of the throttle,

The blissful sound of the machine cranking up

The shift of the gear, the motorcycle revving up.

I can sense

The adrenaline rush, as we cut through air

Its touch, fresh and intimate, everything comes alive,

Strange and glorious, even the familiar.

The amazing stretches of the roads, smell of freshly cut grass

Sweet flowers, lush valleys, rocky patches

My strong arms encircling her

As we navigate the bends and the turns

Free and liberated, she becomes

The machine.

I am filled with a sense of pride

As my mother walks towards me

In her boots

The gypsy goddess

Turns one today!