Some days, I take time to dress up. I look out for
accessories and jewelries to adorn. I love to play dress up, it feels good to
see the appreciation reflected in the eyes of beholders. Especially coming from people
who know how to dress themselves up. They’d know exactly why I have used blah
accessory here and blah jewellery there. They’d know why I am draped like this,
in fact, they’d know the name of this drape and how else could the fabric have
been worn. They’d tell me stories of the best ensembles they have seen and we’d
have a quick insider’s exchange on what is not trending and what is classic and
what we prefer, referring to our personal styles for special occasions.
Once, I used to live with some friends who had gifted me a
veil. For the entire me! It was fun going out for a quick grocery grab. I could
be plain rogue underneath but I had this very pretty, sequined veil on top, it
made me look as if I am all decked up inside as well. We’d get back from our
rounds outside, throw the veil off ourselves and laugh our hearts out remembering
the approval in the eyes of strangers for our sense of conduct and appropriateness.
On some days, it feels deliciously fulfilling to venture out
without a hint of time spent to adorn. It’s fun to meet people who can simply be.
It feels good simply to exchange nods and gestures, almost with an abandon of a
forest fire or exchange a bag full of abracadabra stuff. What kind of abracadabra,
you’d ask. Sane or nonsense or magic take your pick! Whatever suits the gaze of
our eyes, understanding demeanor of sanity, acceptance of the nonsense or sparkling magical. Only when we need to punctuate, do we speak of how we dressed up today. She mentions she has seen someone
with the same drape, somewhere in blah district and I ask her when she traveled there. He says, it was a good decision to leave the shoes at a safe
place and I say it feels good to walk bare feet.
If only it was this easy with words. That some days, we
could adorn our words with accessories and wear them in an exquisite drape and
exchange notes with people who talk ornamentally, knowing that we are all indeed playing dress up. And on some other days, wear
a veil of words etched out exactly for that purpose alone, with the onlookers
knowing that it is but a veil. And yet on other days, wear our words as naturally
as we breathe, like air navigating our being and connecting us with everything and everyone around,
air that is not taught, cannot be conditioned or pedigreed.
How do you like your words?
