The dark lady..

This one is dedicated to my new flame. A maiden dressed in bright dresses adorning stars in her hair and dazzling ornaments on her body. She presents a spectacular sight. I knew her from before but it is only now that I had the opportunity to know her up close. And now she is my muse-in-making.

She has many lovers. Her charm attracts men of all ilk. But she doesn't return the love of all. Only a few lucky ones manage to win her love. Mind you, it is not easy to woo her. One can find many of her moony lovers serenading her in all possible ways. But she is a material girl and only those who adorn her facade with ostentatious jewellery get her attention. The latest in her collection is a tiara with twenty-seven precious stones in it. She lovingly calls it 'Antilia - my precious'.

However, her brightness cannot hide her chapped skin and dirty underbelly. Her ostentatious dresses are too short to hide the filth covering all her body. She does not make any attempt to hide it either. For many, this frank acceptance of the grime adds to her charm. There are several dimensions to her personality. Sometimes rash and loud, sometimes polished and elegant. Sometimes her heat scares you away, at other times she showers you relentlessly with cool scented water, the scent depends on the part of her that you can afford to have, the dark underbelly or the bright and shiny exterior. Her multiple facets have made her the muse of many.

Like the succubus, she never sleeps. She wanders throughout the night screwing the dreams of millions, making them lose their touch with reality. Those whom she has managed to make her prey, walk like zombies with half-open eyes laden with dreams. Unmindful of everything else, these people doggedly pursue their dreams which are never meant to be fulfilled.

She manages to arouse the twin emotions of attraction and repulsion within me. But I guess that is how lovers feel for each other. You have to hate your lover a little for the love to have its worth. All love no hate is what a worshipper feels for his God and human love is far from being divine. I hate the way she ignores her grubby underbelly. Though I like the fact that she doesn't pretend to hide it, I do not like how she makes no attempt to wipe it clean. Unabashedly she exposes her insides to everyone who gawk at it with a mix of amazement and revulsion. But she is not ready to change her sordid ways. So I have to reconcile to it as my love for her is getting too strong now. Her enigma has cast such a spell that I have no way out of it.

Nowhere else can one find such diversity at one place. She is a living embodiment of contradictions, an organic whole that houses within her bosom every variety of human character. Millions sleep in her lap and she never fails to sing them a lullaby every night. I found her lullaby a little too loud at first. But now it seems so soothing that I can no longer sleep without it.

What is her name you ask? Well, people have different names for her. Some call her Mumbai and others Bombay. For me she is my lover-in-making.