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The Valentine

It was the 13th of August when I received her message, a simple note on WhatsApp:
“I was in Kannur last weekend :p”
“Coming tomorrow.”
She comes and goes, a presence that lingers yet never truly stays. Each departure, each moment of leaving, is marked by the same phrase:
“I was in Kannur :p.”
It’s her signature, an emblem that always follows her, like a shadow trailing her every move.
Why does she return to Cannanore? Is there some occasion I’m unaware of? A gathering, a celebration? The thoughts swirl like a storm in my mind. I, seeking answers, reach out to my mother, casually inquiring if there’s some event—perhaps a marriage or a family function. It was then that she revealed it.
A family friend’s engagement. (02/10/14, 03:30 PM)
I sat in silence, overwhelmed by the weight of it all.
“What is happening?” I thought, my chest tightening, each beat of my heart louder than the last.
“No… I can’t… I didn’t…”
The realization crashed over me, a wave of panic that nearly pulled me under. I tried to breathe, but the air felt thick.
“I can’t—this can’t be real. Why didn’t I see it?”
My mind raced, faster than I could control, every thought an eruption, every emotion an uncontrollable surge. I was caught in the pull of something greater than myself, a force that I couldn’t resist, no matter how hard I tried.
And then it hit me—my life, my choices, my illusions—all suspended in the balance, just like that.
I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t prepared for the depth of it.
I imagined the things I still wanted to do, the life I had planned to live, the places I had yet to visit, the adventures I had yet to embark on. “I can’t die like this. Not now, not for this. Not for something so trivial.”
But as the turmoil in my mind grew, I realized the truth. There was no escaping it. There was no running from what had already taken root.
I didn’t want to be consumed by the weight of it all, but somehow, it pulled me in. It’s funny how something so small—an engagement, a simple message—could unravel everything I thought I knew about myself.
In a moment of clarity, I packed my things, the weight of the decision pulling me towards action, towards her. I didn’t know what I was going to do, only that I needed to move, needed to be somewhere else. Somewhere near her.
I boarded the train, not knowing what awaited me, but knowing that in some strange way, I had to be there. She had become an enigma, a puzzle I couldn’t quite solve, and yet, she was the answer to questions I hadn’t even known to ask.
P.S. I met her.
And she said, “Curiosity killed the cat :p.”

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ശിവോഹം

അസ്ഥി മരവിക്കുന്ന തണുപ്പിലും , രക്തം ബാഷ്പമാകുന്ന ചൂടിലും , ഭ്രാന്ത്‌ ബുദ്ധിയെ മദിക്കുന്ന നേരത്തും എനിക്ക് നിന്നോട് പ്രണയം മാത്രമേയുള്ളൂ.  അവസ്ഥയുടെ എല്ലാ  ഭാവത്തിലും എനിക്ക് പ്രണയം നീയാണ്.  കടലും , തിരയും , കരയും , മലയും , കാറ്റും , മഴയും , അങ്ങനെ  സര്‍വ്വ പ്രപഞ്ചത്തിന്‍റെ എല്ലാ മൂര്‍ത്ത ഭാവങ്ങളിലും ഞാന്‍ നിന്നെ പ്രണയിക്കുന്നു. ശരീരത്തില്‍ നിന്നും ചേതനയറ്റുന്ന നേരത്തും ,  പ്രാണന്‍ ത്രികാലങ്ങളില്‍ അമൂര്‍ത്തമായതിനെ പ്രണയിക്കുമ്പോഴും , എനിക്ക് പ്രണയം നീയാണ്. കാലം തന്‍റെ ഗര്‍ഭത്തില്‍ മറക്കുന്നതും , ബുദ്ധിക്കു അപ്രാപ്യമായ പ്രപഞ്ചത്തിന്‍റെ നിഗൂഡതകളില്‍ പ്രണവബീജം എന്‍റെ പ്രാണനെ ഗ്രസിക്കുമ്പോഴും , എനിക്ക് പ്രണയം നീയാണ്. കാലം മൂന്നിലും , പ്രാണന്‍റെ ഏതവസ്ഥയിലും , ഞാന്‍ നിന്നെ പ്രണയിക്കുന്നു.